Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
I tug on my collar, feeling like a rabbit hiding from a wolf—a hot, blue-eyed, dimpled wolf who just ruined my day.
"The universe really has it in for me," I mutter. My reflection in the rearview mirror is a mess. My flushed cheeks look like I've been on a ten-mile run while the intense chemistry swirling all around the donut shop caused my hair to frizz. My hands tremble on the wheel, and I let out a string of curses that would make my mama's hair curl. He's back in Silver Spoon Falls. Fudge my life.
"Get it together, Maggie," I whisper, taking deep breaths that do nothing to slow the chaos inside me. It's been years. We were just kids. Kids who made promises they couldn't keep. Seeing him sitting there, larger than life, all intense and brooding, brought back all those memories. I squeeze my eyes shut, but his face is burned into my very vivid memory.
I let out another sigh, long and loud. My hands are still unsteady, but at least the AC's working its magic on my face. I'm cooling down, slowly, like a pot pulled off the stove but is still boiling over. The last time I saw Todd, he was chasing a dream, and I was headed to England, full of my own ambitions and empty promises. Neither of us looked back. Not until today.
Who the heck am I kidding? I looked back nearly every freaking day, regretting the way things turned out.
Cold air blasts my skin, but it can't freeze out the past. I remember the day we met. He was shirtless and sweaty, hauling hay bales. When he glanced up and saw me watching from horseback, he winked and completely stole my freaking heart. It was the first time in my life that I almost fell off a horse. His easy smile, his unruly hair, and the confidence that was too big for his own good. It’s like I'm back there again, back in a summer I’ve spent ten years trying to forget.
I remember our first real conversation. He ambushed me by the pond, grinning like he'd just scored a touchdown, and made fun of me working for the summer because of a lost bet. His smile made my pulse race then, just like it does now, years later. I showed him how to skip stones across the water, our fingers brushing each time he faked messing it up. That light touch set off fireworks inside me. I knew, even then, that Todd Sharp was way out of my league.
More memories crash in like a flood. I shared pieces of myself I’d never shown anyone else. Not even my twin. I can still feel his calloused hand tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He was gentle and sure, and I was a goner.
He had this way of making me feel like I was the only girl in the world. That summer was supposed to be a fling, but it felt more like fate. I told myself not to get attached. He had dreams. I had plans. But by the time he kissed me on the porch of my parents' ranch house, I was a tangled mess of emotions.
A knot tightens in my stomach, dragging me back to the most painful memory. A breeze sliced through the Texas heat as he stood there, incredibly tall and strikingly handsome, shattering my heart into countless fragments when he said our "summer fling" had to end because he was leaving for summer training camp.
Cold air fills the Range Rover, but my throat is tight, and my heart aches with everything I thought I'd forgotten.
I was foolish to think I'd moved on. Those memories are like old scars, visible and raw the second he walks back into my life. I was so sure I was over him. That I could face him, no problem. But I'm a fool, plain and simple. A fool who needs to avoid him like the plague.
My phone rings, snapping me out of memory lane and back into real life. Silas's name and goofy contact photo flash on the screen, and I brace myself. I take a deep breath, forcing casualness into my voice, even though I know he'll see right through it. "Hey. What's up?" I say, trying not to sound like I'm melting down.
There's a pause like he's savoring the moment. I can picture his crooked smile, the one that means trouble. "Not much, Mags. What's new with you?" His tone is suspiciously innocent, and I groan inwardly. The grapevine's power in Silver Spoon Falls is terrifying, and I know I'm screwed.
"Oh, you know," I say, trying to sound nonchalant. "Just the usual. Nothing interesting happening around here." My voice is fake, and my twin probably sees right through it. I imagine him kicking back at the ranch, feet up, grinning like the Cheshire cat.