Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
“Is something wrong?”
I yanked myself out of the thought and met Jared’s concerned gaze. “Oh. Um. Nothing.”
His brows drew together so tightly he appeared almost angry. “Tell me. Are you having second thoughts?”
“No.” My smile was reassuring. “I’m … just … honestly, I’m a little jealous of your future guests. This place would be ideal for an artist’s studio.”
His brow cleared. “Oh.” He glanced around, taking in the surroundings. “Aye, I suppose it would. Do you not have a studio?”
“A temporary one. In the village. It’s a garage attached to the converted blacksmiths. The owners rent it out to me.”
“That doesn’t sound very inspiring.”
I chuckled dryly. “It’s not. But it’ll do for now.” I pulled my cell from my pocket. “We should take that selfie.”
“And then head back to the house for some lunch so we can talk about the financials?”
“Sure.” Trying not to make a big deal out of it, I moved into his space, pressing my back to his hard chest as I tapped my screen to camera. In selfie mode, I lifted the phone above us and attempted not to react as Jared settled his hand on my waist and leaned down so our faces were level.
“Say cheese,” I joked before smiling brightly into the camera.
Jared’s lips softened so he was almost but not quite smiling, and I took the shot.
He immediately released me and stepped away.
I will not take offense to that, I lied to myself.
“It’s cute.” I glanced quickly at the photo, not wanting to be caught lingering over it, even though I planned to stare at it as soon as I was alone.
Jared cleared his throat. “Good. Let’s head back.”
After our quiet hike uphill, I asked him a few more questions about the farm as we returned to his Defender. Jared replied with one-word answers.
When we reached the farmhouse, Jared made us mammoth sandwiches I couldn’t finish so he ate all his and my leftovers, and we talked money.
However, that emotional wall he liked to erect between us was back in place, shutting me out.
He was Mr. Coolly Distant again.
Thirteen
Jared
For the first time in five years, I sat in my grandfather’s old office at the back of the house without feeling a familiar churning in my gut. Three days ago, after providing Allegra with an estimate of what the farm needed, as well as a very rough estimate of cost for the glamping pods, the funds she’d promised had cleared the farm’s bank account.
I wasn’t going to lose the farm, and the figures that stared back at me from spreadsheets on the computer screen no longer scared the shit out of me. For the last hour, I’d been on the phone to different contacts, ordering equipment or booking appointments to go look at equipment I was interested in purchasing.
Two minutes ago, I’d gotten off the phone with a recommended company who designed and built glamping pods. We had a meeting in a few days. If I liked them, they’d draw up plans for six pods so we could submit them to the council for planning permission.
A flicker of movement outside the window drew my attention from the computer screen. The flash of dark hair in the back garden made me stand to get a better look.
Allegra stood between the house and the chicken run, her phone pressed to her ear. Whoever she was talking to made her laugh loudly. My skin prickled with sudden warmth at the sight.
It had been a week since I’d taken her to Caledonia Sky and then the inland loch in the woodlands beyond. Something about her excitement over partnering with me in the glamping pod business had caused some panic. Just because we were teaming up to make this work didn’t mean we were a team. This whole fake marriage thing meant lines had to be clearly drawn between us. This was nothing more than a business deal. We were not friends.
So why hadn’t I told the pod architects I needed plans drawn up for two lochside pods as well? Why couldn’t I get the fucking yearning on Allegra’s face out of my mind as she’d told me it was the perfect spot for her studio?
She nodded vehemently as she talked to the other person on the end of the line and pulled her dark hair off her neck. My gut tightened at the way it made her back arch, her T-shirt stretching over tits that would fill my palms perfectly.
For over a week, Allegra Howard had been on the other side of my bedroom wall. Testing my willpower and determination to stay away from her.
“Your wife does make quite the view.”
“Fuck!” I hissed, startled as I whipped my head to the left. Sarah stood at my side.
She grinned mischievously. “You were somewhere else entirely, Jared. A stampede of elephants could have run right through the house and you wouldn’t have heard them.”