Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Harper stood and took a step toward the door before hesitating. She turned to face him. “Could I have a hug?”
“You’re breaking my heart,” he said, rushing around the bed to wrap his arms tightly around her. Unable to stop himself, he tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back. Capturing her lips in a kiss, he poured out all his love for her and his frustration that they couldn’t be together.
Her hands braced against his chest and Colt was ready to release her at her first move away. He’d never pushed himself on her and he never would. Her fingers grabbed his shirt. Colt felt the rasp of her fingernails through the fabric on his skin as Harper clung to him. Instantly, he was hard as he wrapped one of his arms around her waist to pull her soft curves fully against him.
Colt memorized everything—her taste, the feel of her body against his, the way she responded to him. He was ready to call off his plans and stay here with her forever. He tightened his hold on her automatically when she shifted away.
“You have to let me go, Colt,” she urged, tugging backward.
“I don’t want to, Harper,” he confessed before relaxing his arm around her waist.
“Sorry.” He moved back six inches, searching her face to make sure he hadn’t scared her.
“I wanted that kiss as much as you did, Colt. I’m going to miss you so much.”
Covering her mouth with one hand, Harper whirled and dashed through the door. Colt automatically took several steps after her before bracing himself on the door frame to halt his progress. Chasing Harper would only make it harder and postpone the inevitable.
CHAPTER 1
“Don’t you get lonely taking care of everyone else’s children?”
Miranda’s expression clued Harper in immediately that she was taking out a bad day on her favorite target. The former head of the dance squad in high school seemed to love making others feel bad to make herself happier. Harper had ignored the jabs for years, hoping Miranda would just leave her alone. It hadn’t happened yet.
“Never!” she answered the carefully maintained woman as she finished cleaning up a puddle of spilled liquid from the floor and refastening the sippy cup lid more securely.
“There you go. Want to go play with the blocks?” she suggested to the toddler before standing to gather Cinderella’s things for Miranda. Harper always cringed at her name. The spoiled child definitely hadn’t been a princess when Miranda enrolled her.
“Cinderella had a few accidents today. I’ll send her extra clothes home with you. Just bring a few more back in case she has challenges again,” Harper suggested.
“I don’t know why you can’t just wash the dirty ones and hold on to them,” Miranda groused, holding the cloth tote Harper handed her far from her beautiful leather coat.
“I know you want to do as much as you can for your daughter,” Harper assured her.
“I’m fine with you washing her clothes,” Miranda answered with a smirk.
“Sorry, Miranda. That’s not part of the contract we have signed.”
Harper turned to approach a small group playing nearby. She coaxed the girl from the play group with her usual cheerful ‘time to go home’ song she’d created for the kids. Even their sweet giggles couldn’t stop Harper from rolling her eyes at the gall this woman had when she faced away from Miranda.
The two most prestigious daycare centers in town had already kicked out her former classmate for treating the staff like her personal servants. Harper had only allowed Cinderella to come to her smaller facility because she wanted to help the terribly overindulged child learn how to make friends. She was under no illusions that she’d be able to make a tremendous impact on Cinderella’s life, but if she could offset some of the traits that characterized her mother…
“No home. Here,” Cinderella babbled when the quick tune was over and fussed as Harper led the toddler to Miranda.
“You stopped calling her Cindy, right?” she asked, setting down the bag to scoop her daughter up in her arms without a word of greeting.
“Of course, Miranda. After your correction, I always call her Cinderella,” Harper answered with a forced smile. She looked at the vicious woman holding the babbling child. Crossing her fingers behind her back, Harper hoped to have some effect on how Cinderella treated others when she got older.
Miranda turned to walk to the door, but stopped to turn back to look at Harper. She tapped her fingers against her lips before saying, “The reunion is coming up and I know you don’t want to attend alone. There were people talking about you last time. You know, you’re single fifteen years after school and never even date.”
“Miranda, I don’t think you need to worry about my love life,” she said quietly, hoping that would end the conversation.