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His gaze returns to my face even as his eyes narrow. “No, you don’t.”
The ancient air conditioner clicks on in the heat of the early afternoon, sending a puff of Greer’s spicy, masculine scent toward me. My voice is breathy, too high when I ask, “H-How do you know that?”
The smile Greer gives is cocky and filled with promises of long nights and sensual delights. “Because you’re going to marry me.”
His words snap me back to reality. This is exactly my luck. The hottest cowboy in town—probably the whole state—asks me on a date and he’s nuts. “You’re crazy. You were just asking me out!”
His smile never slips. “You said no, and you’re right. We have plenty of time to get to know each other after the wedding. How many babies do you want?”
Even though this man can’t possibly be serious, my cheeks still grow warm. Mainly because I’m thinking about what it would be like to make a baby with this tall, handsome man in front of me. “None, you big bossy cowboy!”
He continues as if I didn’t speak at all, “I figure we’ll start with seven. Always wanted a big brood.”
“You’re not listening to a word I say. No one warned me that the cowboys here are crazy.” I roll the office chair back and stand.
Ignoring the insane man behind me, I stalk across the floor to the filing cabinet. What did Miss Martha call him? Oh, yeah, one of the Maple boys. Tabbing through the folders, I grab the one marked with Greer’s name. “I’m checking your medical history. Clearly, you’ve had a head injury at some point.”
He pulls his phone from his shirt pocket and flicks his fingers across the screen. “Princess cut or oval?”
I sigh in exasperation. “The only ring I want is a yeast ring.”
Something in his gaze sparkles. “You like donuts?”
I make a noise of disgust as I think about Spencer, my ex-boyfriend. Even when I was skinny, I was too fat for him.
After my asthma worsened, I had to do multiple rounds of steroids. The weight gain was sudden and unexpected, but I could breathe. I’ll take that trade-off any day.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s funny. The fat girl likes donuts.” My voice comes out bitter, and I hate this. I hate that he knows he hit a sore point.
Greer snarls like an animal deprived of prey. He’s around the desk and crowding my space until I step back against the filing cabinet. He stares down at me, intensity burning in his gaze. “I love your body. These curves are a fuckin’ masterpiece. Now, who the hell made you feel bad about them? Give me a name.”
His wild, feral look has me swallowing hard as my eyes prick. No one has ever come to my defense. Before I can say anything, the bell above the door rings again as another very pregnant woman waddles in on the arm of a scowling cowboy.
The sight of the two of them reminds me of what Greer said about making babies. That life isn’t meant for me, and this burning feeling in my stomach can’t be regret. I don’t really want to go out with this bossy cowboy. “I have to get back to work.”
Greer nods. “Fine, but I am marrying you. And Evie?”
My heart pounds. He knows my name. It’s a small town. He probably knew it before he walked into the clinic. “Yeah?”
He raises his hand and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “This big, bossy cowboy always gets what he wants.”
Chapter2
Evie
“Time for book talk.” Lizzy sets a cardboard box down on a reading table in One More Chapter. It’s the bookshop in Courage County. I stopped by on my lunch break to pick up a new book for my brothers in their favorite series. It’s hard for me to spend the money, but it’s important that they grow up reading.
Now I’m in the back section of the shop, the one where all the romance books are kept. Apparently, I’m not the only one here who loves reading about chiseled men and happily ever afters.
She pulls a box cutter from the pocket of her long, flowing skirt and slices open the brown cardboard box with practiced ease. I’m pretty sure she’s not supposed to open the inventory in front of me and the other girls who are here, but it’s not stopping her.
Lizzy didn't grow up in this town. She moved here when she discovered her long-lost grandfather, Walter. She lives with him in his farmhouse and helps out at the shop part-time.
She holds up a book with a big muscled purple guy on the front. It's a model that a cover designer applied a filter to, so he’d look shimmery and purple. She giggles. “Now, let’s talk about the abs.”
“No, let’s talk about the appendage. That’s what we’re all here for anyway,” Sadie, another customer, cackles. Like Lizzy, she moved here a few weeks ago and started a donut shop. She’s sweet sunshine with an easy smile for everyone.
Today, she’s dressed in blue jeans and a colorful t-shirt with a deep V-neck. Her black hair is in a messy bun piled on top of her head. She pauses to readjust the square black frames on her face.
