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Prologue
Jude
Almost Three Months Ago
“I can’t speak for the rest of them, but I am weary of any woman. My family has a lot to lose.” I am sitting in our town hall talking to my friends and fellow townies about how to save this town. I just never thought the solution would be this. Do they even do mail order brides anymore?
My mother grew up here, the great granddaughter and granddaughter and daughter of bankers. They opened their first bank here in our small town and grew over the decades until it is now the federal bank used for the U.S. depository.
As the only child and heir, I chose to stay here and expand the bank in town. I know I could have lived anywhere and sometimes; I fly to parts unknown for a vacation and a getaway, but this is home. My parents left Hollow’s Hollow years ago, choosing to join the civilized world as my father’s family called it. They live in Martha’s Vineyard, with no cares in the world. I never wanted to live anywhere else but here.
However, I am also not a fool. I haven’t dated in years; aware of the draw that my wealth has to women. I refuse to be tricked, played or blind. “A prenup could be prepared by your lawyers. I would make sure she knows in advance.” We all look at one another, resignation on most of our faces. We all know Lloyd. If he is asking us right now, I would almost bet he has already placed the ad. We all nod and groan at the same time. “Excellent. So glad you all agreed. It would have been a bit awkward seeing as how I had already placed the ad.” See! I knew it.
Geeb, the resident reporter and newspaper owner, states his objections. I and no one else in this room is shocked by his outburst, He has another set of issues that is mostly in his head, but I also know it is from years of being bullied and played in school.
Once the meeting is over, I grab my keys and jump into my truck. The engine roars to life, loud and smoky and like always it brings a smile to my face. This old Ford truck was my grandfathers. He would spend hours fixing this thing, refusing to buy a new car. My grandmother called him cheap, with a fond smirk on her face.
I pull up to the gates of my house and put my eye to the retina scanner. The gates open and I breathe a sigh of relief. This is my safe space. This is the one place I get to be myself, with no expectations, no eyes on me and no one asking anything of me. I don’t bring work home, ever. This is where I come to relax, decompress and let go of everything else. The thought of some stranger invading my sacred space sends levels of anxiety through me.
I walk through the door and immediately, Hulk and Sol, my two pit bulls run toward, knocking me down and drowning me in their doggy love. Laughing, I make the two psychos stop so I can stand up. “Hey, enough you two. Enough.” They don’t take me seriously because I am laughing at them. Once I stand, I walk toward the kitchen knowing they will follow me. “Are you both hungry?” Their little backsides wiggle in excitement waiting on me to get their bowls down.
I pull their farmer’s dog food from the refrigerator and put it into two bowls adding some chunks of steak I precut for them to the bowl. Placing the bowls down, I watch as Hulk moves back, giving Sol the chance to pick which one she wants first before he takes his bowl. He is so protective over her; his mate and I smile knowing he is a dude after my own heart. If I ever found my soulmate, I would waste no time in grabbing her, tying her to me and breeding the hell out of her so she can never leave me.
That begs the question: What the hell did I just agree to?
Prologue
Hannah
Almost Three Months Later
This is torture. Pure naughty girl torture. Here I am sitting at another family dinner, which I love by the way, squirming in my seat under the gaze of Jude Blackstone. Blackstone. Even his last name is meant to drive innocent girls like me crazy. “Ouch.” I squeak when my sister Miriam kicks me under the table.
“You stare any harder you’re going to be able to see through his clothes.” Would that be a bad thing? Immediately my eyes drop in shame at the impure thought that just went through my head. I am blaming all those books we checked out from the library. Not to mention the hours of television we have watched in my new brother's entertainment room. But my sister is right, I need to be careful.
Trying to think of something else, I avoid his gaze and tune in to the conversation happening around me. I can’t help smiling. Watching the smiles and hearing the vibrant conversations is a welcome change from the life I grew up in.
My sisters and I grew up Amish. Confined by beliefs and a loyalty to our parents. Living this new life, really it is a new world, with my sisters, I now know our lives weren’t just simple and void of color, but it was stunted and unfeeling. Every day was the same thing, same words spoken, same vows before each meal, same mundane existence and if it weren’t for my now married sister Sadie, we would all still be there.
Ever since she married Jasper nothing has been the same and that is amazing. He is a gentle, patient and giving man and he has embraced my other sisters and myself as his own. He is very protective over us, often growling at the ranch hands for looking too long at all of us and he spoils us crazy. There is nothing we could even contemplate doing or having that he won’t bend over backwards to get.
I have to admit, when Sadie brought this idea to us, I thought she had finally succumbed to something unholy, but I knew I didn't want to live at home without her. So, instead I completed the ad as well and I am always praying I find someone as loyal and loving as Jasper.
Lately, however, my mind has been less on my future, unknown husband and more on Jude. I saw him the first time the day we got here at the little reception held at the ranch for Jasper and Sadie. I thought he was handsome then, but I was not as boisterous as I am now and certainly more comfortable in my own skin. Literally.
The second time I saw him, we were in town going to the fabric store and he was walking out of the bank. I tell you no lies when I say my entire body inhaled and didn’t exhale until he was out of sight. It was made worse by the fact that his attention was also on me and the way he stopped in his tracks, licked his lips and looked me up and down, I could physically feel every gaze like he was burning me from the inside out.
After that encounter, it's like wherever I am, he shows up. Each time he says nothing to me, but I can feel him watching me, nonetheless. Lately, his expressions have been less composed. Almost like he is running out of patience for something. I feel like there is a winding clock pointing an arrow in my direction. Honestly, I just hope the other of that arrow is him.
ChapterOne
Jude
This has been a test. Here I am yet again sitting inside of Jasper’s house for another fucking get together, watching he and his wife and now Geeb and his wife Ada, in wedded bliss while the object of my carnal lust and obsession is sitting on the opposite side of the table, is ogled by men far less deserving of her innocence.
Less than three months ago I came here to the mini reception my buddy Jasper threw for his new bride and met each one of her five sisters. All of them are pretty in their own way. Hannah, sweet innocent, sexy, delicious Hannah, set my fucking hand on fire when she shook it. It was like being in an earthquake but you're the only one to feel it.
I held on to her hand longer than I intended but I couldn't let it go when she wouldn’t even look at me. Finally, feeling guilty for trying to push her too soon, I released her hand, but I didn’t let go of the need. No, that just grew, bigger, bolder and more desperate.
