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"Isn’t this place amazing?" she asked as she motioned toward the castle, which was lit up against the inky night sky.
"It is," Knox agreed.
"You know it’s haunted, right?"
He’d heard tales of the haunting as a kid, but figured he’d see what Chloe had to say about it. "Haunted, huh?"
"Yes." Chloe checked over her shoulder to make sure that no one needed a drink at the other end of the bar before turning back to Knox and leaning her forearms on the bar top. "Okay, so in the late 1900s, this English duke named William Stone fell in love with his chambermaid Emilia, but his family totes didn’t approve of her because she was below his station. He was supposed to marry some other chick, but he bounced on a cargo ship to America and straight smuggled Emelia in a crate.
"They got to the U.S. and were like, hanging out and chilling, I guess, and then a few months later they ended up here, in Whisper Lake. Apparently, they stood on the bluff looking at the lake, and the duke kissed her for the first time." Chloe’s eyes widened. "Can you imagine risking everything—giving up your family, your title—going to an entirely new country for a woman you haven’t even kissed?"
"No," Knox answered honestly.
"I know, right. Anyway, I guess the kiss rocked his world, or he was just like, super romantic, because he decided this is where they were going to live. He put a ring on it, they got married, and he built Stone Castle.
"Everything was peachy keen for like ten years, but then one day William comes home to find Emelia dead. Like murdered dead. So, of course, William goes batshit crazy and starts searching to find the person who un-alived his wife. He searched day and night. He didn’t eat or sleep, and then one day, bam, he just dropped dead. And now William and Emilia’s ghosts roam the castle walls and the woods, searching for each other in the afterlife."
The last time Knox heard that story had to be when he was around twelve. At the time, he’d thought it was cool. Looking back, he’d probably had that reaction because his dad had died, and the thought that he might still be around in some way made him feel better. But hearing the story now, he realized just how depressing it was. Not that he believed that William and Emelia haunted the place looking for each other, but if it were true, that would be fucking depressing.
Spending an eternity tormented. What could be worse than that?
"It was closed down for, like, decades, but then Willy’s great, great, great niece showed up and decided to HGTV the shit out of it. She renovated the entire thing, and they filmed a dating show called Fairytale Love."
"Excuse me," a man called out at the other end of the bar to get Chloe’s attention.
She smiled at Knox before heading down to deal with the guest.
Ford scanned the reception and saw that everyone seemed to be having a great time. The DJ was killing it, and the entire dance floor was packed. People were at tables in groups, talking and laughing. This wedding was clearly a success, not only for the bride and groom, whom he’d yet to meet, but also for himself.
The past two hours had been very productive. Knox had floated around the reception talking to and dancing with the wedding guests, and he’d gathered significant intel on his covert op. The crazy part was that he didn’t even have to ask anyone questions about Chrissy. As soon as they found out who he was—that he was Ford’s brother and Keaton’s cousin—they just started talking.
Everyone who he spoke tolovedChrissy. A few said that she used to, quote, "walk around like she had a stick up her butt," end quote, but the unanimous opinion was that this past year since her husband left, they’d all seen the real Chrissy. Mostly, everyone talked about what an amazing mom she was. A few even said that she deserved a cape because she was Super Mom.
Knox hadn’t just taken everyone’s word for it. He’d been watching Chrissy, who had been busy in her role as the wedding coordinator. He’d seen her handle a few issues with the caterer. He’d watched her with her children. He’d seen her interacting with all the guests. She’d handled everything and everyone with kindness, grace, and even a sense of humor. When her son zipped his dress shirt in his fly, she’d cracked up before explaining to him how to fix it and sending him off to the bathroom.
But more and possibly most importantly, he’d watched Ford watch Chrissy. His brother couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the woman. He was a smitten kitten. And this time, his smittenness was not misdirected at a she-devil.
Knox had always considered himself a good judge of character. And he had come to the conclusion that Chrissy Caldwell was worthy of his brother. He was actually stoked that his brother had found her.
When he saw her standing alone, she appeared to be done with her official duties, so he figured it was time for him to give her his blessing. He thought that sort of stamp of approval would have taken weeks, if not months, for her to earn it, but she’d proven him wrong, and he couldn’t be happier about it.
He crossed the room and tapped her shoulder.
"Hey, is everything okay?" She looked at him with alarm.
"Everything’s great." Knox held out his hand. "I was just wondering if I could have this dance."
"Um…" She paused for a moment, but after a few beats, she exhaled with a smile. "I’d love to."
They walked out to the center of the floor, and Chrissy placed one hand on Knox’s shoulder and the other in his right hand. He put his hand on her waist and led them around the floor.
He watched her watch him as they moved in time to the music. He could see her wheels turning but had no clue what she was thinking.
"So," he finally said after waiting her out to see if she would start to fill the silence. It was a nervous tic some people had, and he wanted to see if she had it. She didn’t. "You’re the one."
A wrinkle appeared between her brows as they furrowed. "The one, what?"
"The one who is actually worthy of my brother."
