3. Chapter 1
Chapter 1
2 years later
Elena
" W hat do you mean you're getting married? You aren't even dating. What's going on with you, Elena?"
My friend Jenny is on the warpath since I just told her I’m getting married and moving to a town called Hope Peak.
I'm making margaritas in my small kitchen and gently slide a glass over to her, where she's sitting behind the kitchen counter. She takes it and gulps it down in one go. Then, she slides the glass back so I can refill it. I eye her warily, but top it off.
"I've told you my dream, Jenny."
She shifts on the bar stool and stares at me over the rim of her glass. We've shared our hopes and dreams with each other since we were small kids. This is the first time I've taken action without telling her.
"Just tell me. Tell me every detail so I can understand."
She won’t like what I have to say. But she's my bestie, and I owe her an explanation.
"I consulted a mail-order bride agency. After many interviews and filling out a profile, they told me last week they had a match for me. He lives in Hope Peak."
"Why can't he come to you?"
"I can do my work anywhere. I want a family, Jenny. Time's running out."
"For god's sake, you're twenty-five. There's plenty of time for you to find someone to make a life with."
Jenny seems to have forgotten that I'm not the most social person and hardly ever go out. Where am I supposed to meet this perfect man when I spend all my time reading romance novels?
"And The Perfect Bride Agency has found that someone for me. I leave on Friday."
Jenny takes a deep breath and exhales. I know she's trying to calm herself to avoid a screaming match. It doesn't matter. I know I’ll win. I’ve made up my mind. I want a family, and it's in Hope Peak.
The bus ride from the nearest airport to Hope Peak took two hours. When it finally pulls up to the bus station, I descend the stairs and wait for the bus driver to get my luggage. I look around and see a quaint little town covered in snow since it's late January.
I've got butterflies in my stomach and can't seem to get settled. I walk for a bit and see what looks like a cozy coffee shop with a bright sign reading Perfect Brews . I walk in, pulling my suitcase behind me. There's a table in the corner hidden away from view, and I go straight for it.
Before long, the woman managing the place approaches to take my order. I'm in the mood for hot chocolate, and I notice they have some fresh pastries available, so I order a few. While I wait, I pull up my match's profile picture on my phone and gawk at it like I've been doing ever since the agency informed me that I had matched with someone.
Hunter Granger looks incredibly handsome in the picture, with his reddish-brown hair and green eyes. He's smiling, and I feel a twinge of jealousy for whoever took this picture and what they said to make him smile like that.
I turn off the phone when the server comes to drop off my food. My stomach grumbles loudly, and I want to hide from embarrassment. Her smile is friendly, though.
"Hey, my name is Carly. I own this place. Are you new in town?"
"Hi Carly, I'm Elena. Yes, the bus just dropped me off a few minutes ago."
"Are you here for a visit?"
"Not exactly,” I say. “Ah, do you have a few minutes to tell me about Hope Peak?"
Carly's face lights up, and she immediately sits down across from me.
"This is a lovely little town. Everyone knows everyone, and while that can get annoying at times, the community is the best part of this place. We watch out for one another. What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a medical transcriptionist, so I can work remotely from anywhere in the world."
"That's amazing. And you chose to work in this town?"
"It sort of chose me."
Carly looks at me eagerly as if she is waiting for an exciting tale. It is a little bit exciting, but I'm not sure I should be telling a complete stranger about it. I mean, what if she's the town's gossip? Anyway, I need a friend here, and she seems to want to make a connection.
"I was matched to someone here by a mail-order bride agency," I confess, feeling my cheeks burn.
"Oh my god, you're Hunter's bride!"
"Wait…what? How do you know about that?"
"There's a group of older ladies in town that wanted to support Hunter and they signed him up to that agency. They're the reason you're here."
"Does Hunter even know about me?"
"I'm not really sure. The old biddies organized it all. Oh, they'll be so glad you're finally here."
Carly starts to get up from her seat and I grab her hand before she has a chance to.
"Wait, don't go yet. Tell me more about Hunter."
She sits back down reluctantly. I bet she wants to reach for the phone right now.
"He's one of our favorite residents in Hope Peak. He's part of the crew at the Hope Peak Fire Department. He keeps us safe."
"Do you think he'll be happy to see me?"
"I…ah, I mean Mrs. Brown said they told him they were doing this, but that was a while ago when he first…I think he'll be surprised, but you are going to be good for him, Elena. I can just tell."
After saying those words that worry me more than anything else, she gets up and rushes to tend to one of the customers in the shop, leaving me to wonder if my future husband even knows that I'm coming. Will he turn me away?
I sip my hot chocolate slowly. Since I'm no longer hungry, I ask Carly to pack the pastries I ordered to go. Then, I get directions to the Fire Department. I might as well meet my groom as soon as possible. The station is just a couple of blocks from the town center, and I walk slowly toward it, my suitcase trailing behind me.
My head is full of racing thoughts about the man I'm about to meet. I just left everything behind to come here and make a family. If Hunter rejects me, I'll have nowhere to go. I'm so involved in my thoughts that I don't even notice when I've reached my destination.
"Miss. Miss."
I look up to see a tall man with a worried frown on his face. There's sweat beading on my forehead from dragging my luggage around town, but the cold nearly freezes it.
"Hi. I'm sorry, you startled me."
"Do you need help? I'm Marc. I work here at the station."
"Oh, good. I'm looking for Hunter Granger. Is he here?"
"Who are you?"
His direct question startles me, but I take it in stride.
"I'm his bride."
The man, Marc, starts laughing out loud, and then a couple of curious souls gather around me. I'm blushing and want to get out of here immediately. I try to turn around, but Marc doesn't let me.
"Guys, the old biddies finally did it. This here is Hunter's bride looking for him."
Everyone smiles and murmurs things I'm sure I don't really want to hear.
"Is Hunter here, Marc?"
An older gentleman approaches us and extends his hand to me.
"Hi, I'm Captain Miller. Hunter's boss. He's not here today, but I can take you to him."
Finally . I shake his hand vigorously and give him a bright smile.
"I'm Elena, Captain Miller. It's so nice to meet you."
I frown at Marc and his buddies for laughing in my face and follow the captain to what I assume is a fire department truck. It is not the kind used for fire emergencies, but a normal two-cabin truck with the department's logo on it.
He opens the passenger door for me and takes my suitcase to put in the back of the truck. My nerves are still shattered, but I'm one step closer to finding my groom. When the captain turns the heat on in the car, I breathe a sigh of relief.
"Montana cold getting to you?"
"Yeah, I'm from Florida."
We make small talk during the drive, but that doesn't keep me from being a nervous wreck. When we get to Hunter's house, I see it's a nice-sized cabin. Captain Miller gets out of the car, takes my suitcase, and places it at the front door. Then, he vigorously knocks on Hunter's door with a huge smile on his face.
I let myself out of the truck and take a few steps forward. The captain passes by me on his way back to the truck and murmurs something I don't quite catch. When the door opens, I can't believe my eyes, and I have to grab hold of the mailbox so I don't fall down and make a fool of myself.