1
Riley
Today, I was marrying a man I’d never laid eyes on before, not in the flesh, anyway.
No, I hadn’t lost my mind, and no, this wasn’t some creepy internet scam. We’d met through a reputable site. Also, and most importantly, I knew deep in my bones, in my soul, that this was exactly where I was meant to be. Today, I would meet and marry the man I would spend the rest of my life with.
I was coming home—metaphorically speaking.
Fate had led me to Cash Smith. It was no accident that I’d found him when I’d needed him most, and no one could tell me otherwise. Life was just a series of events, some wonderful…some not so wonderful.
I’d had more than my fair share of the not so wonderful parts. Cash was the good I’d been waiting a long time for—the good that I’d started to think would never come.
I clutched the emails he’d sent me over the last few months. I’d printed them out and had probably read them a hundred times. As a romance writer, I more than appreciated his way with words. My husband-to-be was open, intelligent, interesting, and I couldn’t wait to meet him in person.
Tilting my head back, I let the sun warm my face and breathed in the clean Rocky Mountain air. I had an excellent imagination, but this place surpassed anything I’d dreamed up when I thought about a new life: landscapes that stole your breath, wide-open spaces, the sounds of nature moving at its own pace. The peace and quiet I’d been longing for. I’d have endless inspiration for my writing. But it was more than that. I’d have someone to share all this beauty with, someone who would be my partner in every sense of the word.
Cash and I had mainly communicated through email since he had such patchy internet out here, but I’d liked that. We’d gotten to know each other without any of the usual games that came with dating, without all the worry about outward appearances. Though, of course we’d exchanged pictures. And I had most definitely liked what I’d seen. My belly squirmed. He was tall with broad shoulders and rich chocolate brown hair. He also had the prettiest blue eyes I’d ever seen.
“Pretty” was an odd word to use for a man like Cash. But I couldn’t think of any other word to describe them. When I saw those gorgeous blue eyes, they’d literally stolen my breath.
He’d also called a couple of times. His satellite phone had been fuzzy and crackly, but we had managed to talk a little—or more, I’d talked his ear off from nerves and excitement and barely let him get a word in—but I’d liked his voice. It was deep. Soothing.
I stood and stretched, then smiled down at the sweet gold and diamond ring he’d sent me.
“Cash shouldn’t be much longer, honey,” Landon, the owner of the general store I was sitting outside, said from the door.
He’d introduced himself when I’d arrived, had told me Cash would be a little late and went back inside. He was holding two steaming mugs now, and he lifted one. “Hot chocolate?”
My smile widened, and I quickly tucked the emails back in my bag. I took the drink. “I love hot chocolate. I think I might be addicted to it.”
He chuckled. “You might want to try it first. It could be terrible.”
I took a sip and sighed. Heaven. “This is exactly how I like it. Exactly.”
“Glad to hear it.” He sat on the bench, and I sat back down beside him.
“So, you’re getting hitched today, huh?”
“Yes.” Nerves exploded through me, but they were the good kind.
My parents’ voices echoed through my head.
Oh, you’re getting married? That’s nice. Sorry, have to go. We have dinner reservations. You know how it is.
Click.
That was it. They didn’t even pretend to care anymore. Not that they ever did. They certainly wouldn’t dream of tearing themselves away from their latest adventure to be there for me when I got married.
It still managed to hurt, though, despite all the years of neglect. Despite knowing better. I’d spent a lot of my life alone. Lonely. An only child with parents who had ignored me, who continued to ignore me.
I deserved more than that. I always had. It just took me a little while to realize it, and finally go after it for myself.
“I assumed you were either brave or stupid,” Landon said, still grinning. “I’ve decided on the former. You look like you’re firing on all cylinders to me.”
I laughed. “I’m just going to go ahead and take that as a compliment.”
“You should. It was meant as one. I think you and Cash will get on just fine.”
I had no idea how or why he thought this, since we’d just met and had talked for all of three minutes. But I’d take it, because I wanted that, too. More than anything.
“Do you know him well?” I asked, hungry for anything more he could share about the man I was marrying.
“Known him all his life. He’s hard-working, honest, loyal.” He looked at me, right in the eyes. His stare was earnest, unwavering. “Cash Smith is a good man. One of the best.”
I drew in a shaky breath to steady my nerves. I knew these things. It had all been there in his emails. Not in a showy way. Just in the way he spoke about his day or his interactions with others.
I needed honest and loyal after the nightmare I’d been through with my ex-boyfriend, Keith. I swallowed as familiar fear sliced through me. He’d stalked and terrorized me when we broke up. Then things had escalated when he’d broken into my apartment in the middle of the night and threatened me with a knife.
To anyone who knew my history—and right now that was only the police investigating my case—moving here, doing this, would probably seem insane. But it felt the opposite to me. This was the clean break I so desperately needed. The new start. A way to build a beautiful new life on my own terms.
One night, I’d been sitting in the dark, too afraid to sleep, feeling lost, alone. Then I’d seen an advertisement in my Facebook feed asking if I’d love to live by the mountains. I’d clicked on it. I don’t know why. I guess the picture of insanely beautiful snow-covered peaks had spoken to me. The link had taken me to FindMeAHusband.com. I’d seen Cash’s Wife Wanted advertisement almost immediately.
And I’d just…known.
I wrote about romance every day. And I wanted that for myself. So I went after it. I made it happen.
A distant low hum echoed through the valley.
I searched the fields and hills surrounding us. “What is that?”
Landon patted my hand. “That would be your fiancé.” He pointed up to the sky, to a speck in the distance.
“A plane?”
“Yep.”
I squinted, my heart thundering harder. “Cash is in that plane?”
“He’s flying it.”
Oh my God.
I stared up at the sky, stunned. “He never said he could fly.”
Landon chuckled. “Gotta keep some mystery in a relationship. Isn’t that what they say? Besides, it’s the only way to get to his property.”
I spun to face him. “What?”
“He lives in a pretty remote area. You didn’t know?”
I mean, kind of. I assumed he was an hour’s drive from town or something when he said his place was isolated. But this was something else.