Page 22 of The Billionaire's Runaway Bride

I’m not sure where this flirty side of me is coming from, but I love it.

He tilts his head and growls with a smile, rushing after me.

I cry out in surprise and giggle, running up the rock to beat him to the top. Like the teenagers we found here before us, we spend the afternoon horsing around and goofing off, seeking the cool comfort of the water until we give in to hunger. We picnic on the blanket Marian provided in the basket, and between bites of food, we dry off and flirt some more. It’s easy. It’s fun. It comes so naturally to me that I don’t analyze a single moment of it. Even though he comes at me hard, making it no secret that he wants me, I brush off his filthy suggestions and laugh at his bawdy jokes.

It has to be grating on his nerves how I don’t give in. I ignore his direct questions, even the most pointed ones yet.

“I’m going to check out Vail tomorrow. Maybe stay for a couple of days,” he says after we lie out in the heat to dry off for the hike back to the Goldfinch. His hooded gaze remains on me as he reclines on his side on the other side of the blanket. “Want to come?”

I shake my head, and it takes all my concentration not to smile at his sigh and frown. Vale is only about a forty-minute drive, and from what little Marian has said, I assume it’s bigger, with more to do. I’m intrigued and want to visit sooner or later, but my answer is to pass on his offer.

Women likely fawn over him and soak up all his invitations for dates—or flings.

But not me.

Even though I’m excited that I’m exploring who I want to be after escaping Jeremy and marriage, I’m not there yet. I’m not ready to jump back into anything with anyone. But if I was, I’d choose another chance to have fun with Caleb.

Not that I’d ever admit it.

Chapter 9

Lauren

Caleb stays true to his word. After we hiked back to the B&B, Marian was waiting for us. He told her about his plans to travel to Vail, and she smiled, suggesting what to check out and what to avoid.

He’s been gone for a couple of days, just like he said he would be. It means he’ll be back tomorrow night, not that I’m counting down the time. Nope. He’s just a blip on my radar and he can do whatever he wants. Except, that blip is beginning to matter a lot, despite my best attempts to avoid him.

He’s been a persistent presence since I arrived here, and I won’t lie that he’s colored the experience a bit. With him away, I have a chance to really connect with Marian, not only the woman herself but with the bed-and-breakfast. So many ideas pop up that I take to noting them in John’s old phone. Its battery life sucks, and I have to charge it after lunch to make it last until its bedtime charging. Still, I compile a list of things I’d like to suggest to Marian.

Without Caleb there, it’s just the retired married couple to cater to, and when they leave for an overnight hiking and camping excursion, it’s just Marian and me staying up late by a campfire.

“Honey, those are all great ideas.” She’s comparing my list with hers, an identical bulleted document on her newer smartphone.

“I’m not overstepping?” I ask.

She shakes her head and laughs. “Overstepping? Don’t be silly. Of course, you’re not.” After she’s satisfied with how she’s poked at the embers, she settles back in her seat. “You’re stating the obvious. The new paint, redoing those garden beds. Adding a few fruit trees. Those are all great ideas, and then some. I never considered the seasonal amenities. Since John passed away, I’ve been doing my best to keep up with making sure this place stays running.”

I smile and sigh, glad I’m not bothering her.

“I appreciate your effort, Lauren. It shows. You’re a hard worker, and I’m so glad you found me.”

“I feel like I have a purpose here.”

“And you can for as long as you want. Even into the wintertime when things are slower. Since we’re not near all the popular ski resorts downtown, tucked away up here, business does go somewhat stagnant. Still, know that you’re welcome for as long as you want.”

I’ve never met a more generous person. “Thank you, Marian. But…” I shrug, not in the mood to look that far ahead. Maybe it’s a little bit of sticking my head in the sand, but I don’t care. At least I can admit it and accept my hesitation. “Eventually, I will need to go home and sort out the mess I left behind.”

“Mess?” Marian giggles. “You left a groom, not a mess.”

“Same thing.”

She draws in a deep breath and regards me carefully. “How are you adapting to this all? Life after a stint of being a runaway bride?”

“Good. Like I told you, I have a purpose here.”

“No regrets about leaving behind your family? Your fortune?”

I roll my eyes. “Fortune? I don’t have one. Everything I own, everything I did, was all my parents’ doing. Not mine.” I sit up, taking the chance to speak about this and get it off my chest more than I could have when I showed up as a sobbing mess last week. “I’ll get a trust fund later, but I don’t have anything other than what they gave me or expected of me. I wasn’t allowed to have a job. My mother explained my ‘vocation’ would be to become a wife to Jeremy, nothing more. I wasn’t allowed to move out. My father told me that I couldn’t ever be safe outside his home. I wasn’t allowed to engage in hobbies of my choice, no charities I could volunteer at. Jeremy didn’t want me to look ‘silly’ and ‘dumb’ by associating myself with anything needy like a charity or shelter.”

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