Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
Miranda
Try me
No matter how hard she tried to resist the sting of tears, big fat drops rolled down Miranda Sutton’s cheeks as she walked down Main Street.
The same fifty-foot walk she did every Wednesday afternoon after spending the morning doing all her ranch chores.
A reward trip into the heart of the small beach town of Sandy Point, to the library where she’d swap out all the books she’d taken out the week before.
She knew this walk like the back of her hand, and since she hadn’t finished the final romance book she’d borrowed, she was reading the last chapter as she walked.
But if she hadn’t had her face buried in the book she would have looked up in time to notice the tall, dark-haired stranger before she ran right into him.
“Whoa, are you okay? Walking while reading isn’t recommended.” The man had a deep voice with a thick country accent.
His chin had brushed the top of her head when she ran into him and now his two warm hands gently gripped her upper arms to steady her.
His scent was crisp and manly. She could feel the warmth of his body with him standing so close, and she nearly dropped her book as she looked up into his big eyes framed by long flirty lashes, because one was brown and the other was half brown and half icy blue.
It was impossible not to gawk at his interesting eyes and chiseled jawline.
He looked how she imagined the villain turned hero from her current historical romance book was described.
“I’m sorry.” She swiped at her wet cheek and realized how strange she probably seemed.
“Must be a really good book to cause such an emotional reaction.” He took a step back, but his hand reached out to turn the cover over.
“The Rogue and the Heiress. Hmmm I bet she tames him, and they live happily ever after?” he said, with a faint smile pulling at the right side of his handsome face.
“So, you’ve read it then?” she couldn’t help teasing him.
“Maybe I should.”
She didn’t know what else to say, so she painted on her sassiest smile. “You’ll want to start with book one in the series.” Then she walked away toward the library door that was just being unlocked by the librarian, who was looking suspiciously from Miranda to the stranger.
“Thanks for the recommendation,” the stranger called out and tipped his ball cap up before heading back down the street in the opposite direction.
“Who was that?” the librarian said.
“I don’t know—probably just some tourist passing through.”
“Huh, hope he sticks around for a bit because he looks like an interesting character to me.”
“Mrs. Hope, you’re a married woman.”
“But I’m always on the lookout for a good story. Speaking of which, how did you like that final book in the series?”
“You’ve outdone yourself. I was just blubbering on the sidewalk finishing the last few pages when I ran into that man. I was captivated.”
Mrs. Hope was not only the local librarian, but she was also secretly writing romance novels under a pen name.
Said she didn’t want her three teenage boys to get weirded out or picked on over the steamy, romantic books she wrote.
After Miranda started checking out several books a week, she made friends with the middle-aged woman and they kept each other’s secrets.
“How are things out on the ranch?” Mrs. Hope asked.
“Still alright, but I’ve got all my eggs and then some piled in the same basket. Counting on these breeder horse shows where I’ll basically be pimping out my two studs to mate and promising thoroughbred ponies.”
“Good. No time for doubt. Stay the course and you’ll make it happen. You’ve got the grit, Miranda. And what about that other issue?”
“You mean my second failed engagement, and being treated like Hester from The Scarlet Letter at last week’s Beach Club event?”
The librarian nodded as she walked behind the large desk where she had a stack of new books for Miranda already picked out.
“Well, they were all going to figure out I was a fraud at some point. I can’t afford to pay the dues there anymore anyway. And I refuse to marry some old man twice my age just to save the ranch my father double-mortgaged into debt.”
“Good. I was worried for a minute there.”
“I really thought Mr. Dubois wanted to help, but it became very clear he wanted much more than that.” She shook off the creepy feeling she’d had when her father’s friend gave her an ultimatum—either she would become his real wife and give him another son, or he was going to end their engagement.
So, she ended it on her terms but not without some drama.
For so many years she’d been a part of that upper-class beach-club scene.
She’d been engaged to Mr. Dubois’ son, John, for a year before she found him cheating on her.
Then she panicked when her dad died suddenly, and she discovered how much debt they were in.
Mr. Dubois had said he’d help her get out of debt if she agreed to be his business partner, then he’d proposed a marriage of convenience, but in the end, she couldn’t go through with it.
So now she needed to figure out how to turn a profit in the next two months with her horses or she was going to have to make some aggressive decisions about selling the ranch.
“I better get back out there—I don’t like leaving Sara too long.”
“You’re a good girl, Miranda Sutton, so good I’ve decided to name my next fearless heroine after you. You’re going to love this one. Her estate is at risk—there will be pirates, and an unexpected benefactor.”
“I hope she gets ravished by a handsome scoundrel who is actually madly in love with her,” Miranda said as she repacked her library tote with all the new books her friend had selected for her.
“Obviously, and I think I’ll give him broad shoulders and a chiseled jawline.”
“Very original.” They both laughed. “I’ll see you next week,” Miranda said, and waved before leaving.
Back outside she looked around for any handsome strangers, but the sidewalk was empty on her route back to her beat-up truck.
Her fancy car had been the first thing she’d sold when she realized she couldn’t keep up with all the expenses on the ranch and couldn’t afford to live a lie.
But she had people counting on her so she couldn’t fail.
She’d have to figure it out one way or the other.