Page 90 of The Love Lie
Focus on work.
She slides open her laptop, in dire need of a sobering distraction, but it’s impossible to focus on her emails with this view. The lake water glitters with the late-morning sun, a diamond with infinite facets. Rolling hills stretch into the distance, not another building or object or soul in sight. A crisp breeze blows across the patio, sending sparkling ripples through the water and swirling her hair. Sam pulls her knees into her chest, drops her head back, and breathes in, practically groaning at the sweet grassy scent. She’s become frighteningly accustomed to the smell of a stranger’s BO on the subway every morning. She’s forgotten what fresh air smells like, how the cool touch of clean oxygen makes her lungs swell with pleasure.
I could get used to this.
Isolation has its upsides. And honestly, the coffee isn’t that bad. It’s actually pretty good, she thinks as she takes another sip—
Then practically spits it out as the door behind her slams open.
“I knew it!” an unfamiliar deep voice shouts. “I fucking knew it!”
She barely has time to put down her coffee cup before she’s yanked to her feet. Two rather large hands grip her upper arms.She looks up into a completely unfamiliar, though not totally unwelcome and rather handsome, face. Dark brown curls spill out around the edges of his cowboy hat. His tan, sunkissed-skin is caked in dirt, making his teeth shine even brighter. Mostly, she notices the joyous wrinkles around his eyes, which are kind and ooze with humor.
What the hell is in the water in Nebraska?
If women knew what kind of men lived here, the last thing it’d be called is a flyover state.
“You’re real,” he says.
“I’m real.”
“You’re here.”
“I’m here.”
“You’re coming with me.”
“Wait. Whaaa—aaahh!”
He grabs her by the waist and throws her over his shoulder. She knows enough self-defense thanks to her dad to get out of this if she needs to, but honestly, she’s a little curious to see where it goes.
“I’m getting shockingly used to being manhandled by cowboys,” she says as he starts hauling her across the patio, “but can I at least get a name to go with the pretty face?”
“I’m hurt you haven’t already guessed. I’m—”
“Wes!”
Three voices say it at the exact same time—one with humor, one with realization, and one with unadulterated fury. Sam snaps her head to the side just as Cooper barges through the door. If she hadn’t heard him talk about Wes so much on the phone, she’d be a bit freaked out by the murderous gleam in his eye. Alas, she has a sister, so she gets it.
Sometimes, you just want to kill them.
“Put her down,” Cooper thunders.
“No can do.”
“Put. Her. Down.”
“So you can lock her away in some other tower? I can’t believe you weren’t going to tell me she was here.”
“The network—”
“Fuck the network.”
“It’s supposed to be a secret visit. No one’s supposed to know.”
“Who am I going to tell?”
“How about the whole damn town? Or did you forget about blabbing to Kelly Michaels after the senior prank and almost landing my ass in jail?”
