Chapter Two
Hope stood at the bedroom window, her gaze unseeing despite all five thousand acres of Colin's ranch spread out before her. Right now, all she could think about was that.
His kiss, which had her lips tingling even until now.
She pressed her fingertips to her mouth, replaying the kiss on the plane.
Her first real kiss in nearly a decade. The few awkward embraces she'd exchanged during her thirties hardly counted—nothing like the heat of Colin's mouth, the firm press of his hand at her nape, the way her entire body had responded as if waking from a long sleep.
Heat bloomed across her skin at the memory, and this had her scrambling for something to distract herself.
Aha!
Hope crossed to her suitcase and began unpacking her meager belongings. Her simple dresses and blouses looked plain and dated hanging in the massive walk-in closet, lost among empty shelves meant for a wardrobe ten times the size.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, with Edith's name flashing on the screen.
"Mom?" Hope tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder, continuing to unpack.
"There you are. Just checking you arrived safely." Edith's voice carried the familiar background noise of the farmhouse kitchen. The clanking of pots. The creaking of wooden planks. And in the distance, the neighing of their two old farmhorses.
"We did. The ranch is..." Hope paused, searching for words that wouldn't reveal too much. "Beautiful."
"And how's your young man? Frank hasn't stopped talking about him. Says he's never met someone who understood crop rotation so quickly."
"He's fine. Busy with work already." She noticed an envelope that had slipped from her suitcase—one she didn't recognize. "Did you put something in my bag?"
"I don't understand. What would I put...oh."
Edith's dismay was audible, and Hope couldn't help but wonder if some divine force was at work. Edith clearly hadn't wanted her to see this.
A foreclosure notice.
"I didn't want to worry you before you left," Edith was saying miserably.
"But the bank called again yesterday. The drought the last two seasons.
.." Edith continued, her voice strained with false cheer.
"You know how it is. But don't you worry.
Frank's talking with the credit union about refinancing. "
Hope stared at the numbers on the page. The Bartons were three months behind on their mortgage. The property they'd scraped and saved for—the only real home she'd ever known—was at risk.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice came out smaller than intended.
"What could you have done, sweetheart? You've done enough for us over the years. We didn't want to burden you."
The irony twisted in Hope's chest. If only they knew that their financial troubles had given her exactly the push she'd needed to contact Heart's Match.
The agency's promise of a generous settlement after a temporary marriage arrangement had seemed like the answer to prayers she hadn't even voiced yet.
"I have some money saved," Hope lied. "I could—"
"Absolutely not. We're just fine. You focus on that handsome man of yours."
Hope closed her eyes, guilt and determination warring within her. Colin's payment would be more than enough to save the farm. All she had to do was play the perfect wife until after the reunion.
"I love you, Mom."
"Love you too, sweetheart."
The call ended, leaving Hope clutching the foreclosure notice. She tucked it into her underwear drawer, beneath practical cotton briefs that seemed hopelessly outdated in this palace of luxury.
A knock at the door made her jump.
"Mrs. Soukoulis?" A woman's voice. "Dinner will be served in thirty minutes."
"Thank you," Hope called back, frantically searching for something appropriate to wear. In the end, she settled on something simple but classic: a little black dress to make her feel like Audrey Hepburn...even if she actually looked the opposite.
In the bathroom, Hope scrutinized her reflection before slowly pulling the pins from her bun.
You should wear your hair down more often. It suits you.
When she came down, the dining room took her breath away with its vaulted ceilings and modern chandeliers. He had told her earlier he lived in a farmhouse. And maybe it was that. The world's poshest farmhouse, that was.
Colin was already there, and she did her best not to squirm as his gaze swept from her loose hair to the simple dress, lingering in a way that made her skin warm.
He pulled her chair out, and she belatedly hurried to take her place on the table.
"You look different."
"Different good or different bad?"
"Just different."
She had feared and hoped at the same time that he would close to her. And he actually did, which left her feeling terribly self-conscious and excited. But when their first course arrived, and she had her first sip of her soup—
Wow.
Hope took another spoonful, aware of his gaze still on her. "This is amazing. Is everything in this soup..."
Colin nodded. "Homegrown. And the meant, plant-based."
"I need to correct myself then. I think you're amazing, too, with everything you've created. Your groundbreaking work in sustainable farming, the advancements in—" Hope broke off upon noticing how Colin was staring at her. "Did I say something wrong?"
"You're saying everything right," he drawled, "which is not what I expected. Most women would only care to know about my net worth."
"I'm not most women," Hope said lightly.
"Clearly."
The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, but it was charged with something Hope couldn't name.
"Tell me about your job in Michigan," Colin finally said, cutting into his steak.
"It was mostly administrative work for a plumbing fixtures company. Nearly two decades updating spreadsheets about toilets."
"You never thought of changing jobs?"
"It paid the bills. That was what mattered most."
"So you seemed to prize stability over pleasure. And yet you left for this." Colin gestured around them. "A temporary arrangement with a stranger."
"You're forgot 'highly compensated'."
"Is what I'm paying for truly enough, considering you'll have to carry a divorced tag for the rest of your life?"
Having him talk about the end of their marriage within hours of meeting hurt more than she expected, but she reminded herself that he was simply being honest.
"It is what it is," she said with a shrug.
"What about other men? Is there someone who will likely care that you're suddenly married?"
Hope shook her head.
"When was your last serious relationship?"
Hope focused on cutting a piece of asparagus into unnecessarily small pieces. "Define serious."
"Intimate."
The blunt word hung between them. Hope's face burned, but she refused to look away. "Not in a long time."
Colin set down his fork, his full attention now on her. "How long?"
Hope's fingers tightened around her knife. "Quite long."
Colin stared at her, and she had to fight against the urge to squirm.
"You're a virgin."
"Yes." She worked hard to keep her voice steady even though admitting this made her feel horribly inadequate as a woman. "Will that be a problem?"
"Women who've made it to forty without intimacy don't typically sign up to marry strangers."
Hope's eyes widened at his perception. "I never said I hadn't been kissed."
Colin's mouth curved slightly. "Your reaction on the plane said it for you."
The memory of that kiss flooded back, making Hope's lips tingle anew. "I've been kissed before. Just not... like that."
"Like what?"
Hope searched for words that wouldn't reveal too much. "Like it mattered."
Something shifted in Colin's expression—a flicker of vulnerability quickly masked. He picked up his wine glass, breaking the intensity of the moment.
"The reunion is in two weeks. We should discuss how to prepare. What do you know of Princess?"
Hope chose her words with care. "She was our school's golden girl. Homecoming queen. Prom queen. The girl everyone wanted to date or befriend."
His gaze narrowed. "Our school?"
She nodded. "I was—"
"Don't tell me. I finally remember. You're the valedictorian. You graduated a few years after us."
"Two to be exact."
"How did you end up studying in our school?"
"Edith was friends with the principal. They offered me a scholarship. Free board and lodging. In return, my free hours were spent helping out however way I can."
A flicker of recognition crossed Colin's face. "I remember another thing. I often see you taking care of the cats in the school yard."
Hope could only nod. She had never imagined he had noticed her in any way back then. But whether that meant something in the long run...she didnt want to think of as well.
"This should be a lot easier then," Colin said after a moment. "You already know my history with her."
"I don't know anything about what happened after, though. Were you still together in college?"
"No." Colin's voice was curt. "I promised Princess I'd make something of myself. She didn't believe me. She wanted what was already guaranteed, so she ended up marrying Roland."
The school quarterback, Hope thought, recognizing the name. And another thing she recognized? The hardened expression on Colin's handsome features. It told her that Princess' rejection still stung, even when twenty-five years had already passed.
"Tell me more about the reunion itself." Hope decided it was time to change the subject, and she saw that this was the right thing to do when Colin visibly relaxed in his seat.
"Three days of events. Cocktail mixer the first night. Golf tournament and dinner the second day. Formal gala the third evening."
Hope's stomach dropped. "I don't know how to play golf."
"You won't need to. That's primarily for the men. The wives usually spend the day at the spa."
"And the formal gala? I don't have anything suitable."
"We'll take care of that tomorrow. I've arranged for a stylist to bring options to the house."
Hope blinked. "A stylist?"
"You'll need a formal gown. Jewelry. Appropriate accessories."
They didn't speak after that, with the meal ending in relative silence. When the dessert plates were cleared, Colin stood.
"I have calls to make. Elaine can show you around the property tomorrow."
Hope rose as well, uncertainty making her awkward. Were they supposed to kiss goodnight? Touch in some way? Were they supposed to—-
Colin solved the dilemma by stepping back, maintaining a careful distance between them.
"Goodnight, Hope."
Oh.
She told herself she wasn't disappointed as she mustered up a smile. "Goodnight."