The Groom Wager by Lori Wilde & Pam Andrews Hanson

Author:Lori Wilde & Pam Andrews Hanson [Wilde, Lori & Hanson, Pam Andrews]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Epiphany Orchards Press LLC
Published: 2020-01-14T18:30:00+00:00

On Monday evening, then again on Tuesday and Wednesday, Tess tried to contact Cole. He didn’t return any of her texts. Was he angry about the Bailey reception or uncomfortable because they’d gotten a little too close for comfort on Saturday night? Maybe he was just ashamed of his behavior. Either way, she was steamed. How was she supposed to let him know about the date she’d lined up for him if he didn’t call or text her back?

This time she’d done her level best to find the right woman for Cole. Melissa Van Cortland was Lucinda’s cousin, not exactly a friend, but a sweet woman who did a lot of volunteer work. She certainly was very pretty—dark-haired, tall and willowy, and busty. She also ticked the top three boxes on Cole’s list—outgoing, friendly, and athletic.

Melissa won a few amateur golf tournaments, had a master’s degree in biology, and taught at a local commuter college. Lucinda seemed a little jealous of her, which might be another plus.

Tess hated to cancel the date with Melissa after making Cole sound like a cross between a superhero and a cuddly puppy. She wasn’t going to let him get away with ghosting her. She had a very good reason for wanting this date to happen, and she knew where to find him.

She left the store hoping to get back in an hour or so, but the construction site was farther west than she’d expected. When Tess got there, she liked what she saw. Venerable old trees had been left in place along the curved white concrete drive circling to a row of condominiums with spacious second-floor balconies. A play area with swings, slides, and a climbing gym awaited children. The buff brick complex was so appealing, she had to remind herself she wasn’t here to house-hunt.

She found him in the third unit, down on his knees installing handles on kitchen cupboards. His dusty jeans were riding so low on his lean hips she could almost see the elastic of his underwear. He was shirtless, the skin on his back bronzed and glistening with sweat.

She watched for a minute, savoring the sight.

“What do you need?” he asked without looking around.

“You.”

He startled and swung his head around. “Oh, I thought you were Zack.”

“Not Zack.” She folded her arms over her chest.

He stood, hooked his thumbs in his side belt loops, and hitched up his jeans. The smile he gave her was impish. “Yeah, I always could tell you two apart.”

She’d driven all this way to read him the riot act, but his rippling muscles and adorable little belly button made her flush self-consciously.

“You’re nothing like Zack,” he murmured.

“Nice development,” she said, looking around as an excuse not to ogle him. “I love the condos curved fronts and big windows.”

“Thanks.” He ran a hand through his mussed hair to tame it.

“Did you get my texts?”

“All eight of them.”

“And you didn’t answer me?”

“I didn’t mean to ghost you,” he said, his eyes so apologetic she forgave him instantly. “I needed time to think.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.