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“Yer missed the turn. Now you’ll walk the plank,” it announces, and it calms the irrational anger forming in the pit of my stomach. I have a billion things to do, and absolutely none of them involve flying back to Sweetheart Falls to bring His Royal Highness Murphy Wesson to Tilly’s wedding.
I should have freaking known, though.Dickface.
Murphy Wesson has been on my mind constantly since our first meeting. He may have barely noticed me…but the same cannot be said of my libido. Something about his stupid man bun and stiff demeanor makes me need to know more.
With a deep sigh, I pull my car over onto the steep, borderline unsafe shoulder to take a closer, less distracted look at the map. Reaching forward, I clasp my phone and snap it off the console before zooming in to look for landmarks. Maybe the three-dimensional view will help?
“It should be right freaking here,” I mutter. The navigation system shows a road right near here…but the only thing I see outside is the smallest trail…
I guess maybe it could fit a car? It’s going to be tight, though.
“Oh well, I’ll try anything once,” I say to exactly no one. Hopefully, this doesn’t lead me straight off a cliff.
Nerves skitter up my spine, so I pull a lollypop from the bag beside me. The wrapper crinkles in my hand and I toss it to the floor before popping the sweet, sweet sugar into my mouth. Cherry bursts across my tongue, bolstering my flagging energy.
Yay for emotional support candy.
“Let’s do this.” I’m a master at talking to myself.
Unpacked soil grinds under the tires of the car as I inch forward onto the sorry excuse for a road. The happy trees loomtall on either side of me, and I pay closer attention than I ever have in my whole damn life.
“I refuse to die today.”
The engine continues to chug and I make my way, granny style, deeper into the woods. My back aches from hovering over the steering wheel, but I pay it no mind—completely focused on the road before me.
It’s as if hours have passed, even though it’s only been around ten minutes when the uneven road transitions into a beautifully paved driveway. At the end, an enormous house stands majestically. The giant A-frame juts into the sky, with glass windows from floor to ceiling, but the mirrored kind so while the occupants can see out, peeping toms—like me—can’t see in.
I never pictured Murphy living somewhere so damn stunning—I had assumed I would find a little hut, maybe just a damn cave. But alas, I need to bite my tongue at the absolute beauty before me.
A shiny green truck gleams in the driveway and I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that at least he’s here. Now I just need to drag his ass to Lustre Lake before the rehearsal dinner on Tuesday. It gives me just a few days…
Simple right?
He may think the matter is closed, but I won’t be taking no for an answer—Murphy has no idea what’s coming for him. Come hell or high water, he will be at that wedding, hopefully with a smile and a suit.
Pulling the car around closer to the door, I turn it off and snap down the overhead mirror. My reflection stares back at me and even after a long day of travel, determination glints in my eyes.
All right—enough fussing.
“You’ve got this. Channel all the sass.” I give myself a pep talk to get moving and quickly alight from the car. Crisp mountainair surrounds me—God, there’s nothing like it—and although I have a mission, I stop to enjoy the sounds of the lush nature surrounding me. The air is filled with the melodic calls of birds, creating a symphony in the distance. Meanwhile, a gentle breeze carries the faint scent of freshly cut grass. Some small animal chitters, probably a squirrel, gathering nuts for the coming winter. Everything about the area feels like home, except that it’s unfamiliar terrain.
Perhaps there’ll be a bit of time to explore.
The idea of Murphy showing me around has warmth unfurling in my belly, but I quickly squash that.No way will that grump suddenly be welcoming.This is a find-and-retrieve mission. Pure and simple.
Still, my mind runs back to the heat in his eyes when we met. The way his gaze tracked down my body like a caress…
Shaking my head, I turn my focus back to his front porch and sashay my way up the stairs until I reach a large, blue front door. It’s cheery and welcoming, but there’s no bell that I can see. Raising my hand, I quickly rap on the wood and hope he makes this easy.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound echoes in the now silent woods…
Chapter Two
Murphy
Thunk.
