the group tonight.
“Not one boyfriend? I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true.” Bree felt her insides coil up. She didn’t like looking back into the past. “Why do you think I let Colbie set me up on so many blind dates?”
“You mean you’ve been out on dates, just not anything serious, like with a fiancé.”
“No. I have never let any guy get that close.” The truth made her feel even more unprotected, as if she were starting to tumble right off the top of that impossibly high mountain with no safety rope to catch her. “My high school years were too chaotic. My dad left, my mom found a new husband and he was mean. The last thing I wanted was to try to trust another guy.”
“High school was a long time ago.”
“True, but when Brandi and I moved here to Bozeman to attend the university, life became good. Really good.” With the way the light shone on her, she looked spotlighted, as if a painter had rendered her that way, the center of someone’s world. “We rented our own little place, and suddenly we were settled. None of Mom’s meltdowns or all-night arguments. We were stable. Brandi and I were in charge. We could make sure we had a place to live because we paid the rent on time. We had enough food in the house because we had jobs. Our money wasn’t always disappearing. We had peaceful evenings and uninterrupted sleep.”
“I take it your mom set the bar low when it came to men?”
“Low? If it were any lower, we could have seen the Great Wall of China.”
“Understood.” He saw what she didn’t say. He’d seen it enough as a cop. “Then you’ve probably raised your bar pretty high to compensate.”
“I don’t know. When I find someone who can top it, I’ll let you know.” She blushed, a hint of pink rosying her face.
That was pretty much the answer he was expecting. Chances were, he wouldn’t measure up to that high-set bar. So, why didn’t that stop him from appreciating her amazing beauty? How she could look radiant in a plain pink sweater and simple tan skirt captivated him. Her loveliness couldn’t be found on a magazine’s glossy page or enhanced with any amount of makeup. As striking as she was, her true loveliness shone from the inside, like a pearl’s luster in perfect light.
“How about you?” She turned those stunning violet eyes on him. “Why aren’t you looking for your soul mate?”
“I don’t believe in soul mates. Doesn’t exist.”
“Of course they do.” She looked crestfallen. “Or why else would there be books and movies about it?”
“Hype to part the consumer from their hard-earned dollars.”
“I saw that smirk. You’re not fooling me, buster. Otherwise, why else would people fall in love and get married?”
“Loneliness, mostly.”
“Even you don’t believe that.”
If anyone could make him believe in the concept of soul mates, then it would be her. Yep, that was a change, too. Steam bathed his face as he took a sip of tea. The minty heat scorched his tongue, taking his mind off what was happening to his heart. “Some days I find the idea of true love more unlikely than on others.”
“Are those the days you go out on dates?”
“Funny.” He scanned the room, alert. “No, I keephoping there’s someone out there for me, but I’m not sure there is.”
“Surely you’ve tried to find out.”
“I did. Once I thought I had found her.” His confession rang low, and he hoped none of his emotions from that time were coming through. He liked to think that was well behind him. “I met Nancy in church.”
“In church?” Her forehead crinkled adorably in disbelief.
“You say that like you’re surprised. I’m a believer.” When she crooked one eyebrow in question, he chuckled. “All right, I believe in God. Just not true love. Anyway, Nancy was one of those innocent types. Pure goodness.”
“You fell in love with her.”
“I fell hard.” He winced, not daring to take a look at the woman by his side. “I fell
“Not one boyfriend? I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true.” Bree felt her insides coil up. She didn’t like looking back into the past. “Why do you think I let Colbie set me up on so many blind dates?”
“You mean you’ve been out on dates, just not anything serious, like with a fiancé.”
“No. I have never let any guy get that close.” The truth made her feel even more unprotected, as if she were starting to tumble right off the top of that impossibly high mountain with no safety rope to catch her. “My high school years were too chaotic. My dad left, my mom found a new husband and he was mean. The last thing I wanted was to try to trust another guy.”
“High school was a long time ago.”
“True, but when Brandi and I moved here to Bozeman to attend the university, life became good. Really good.” With the way the light shone on her, she looked spotlighted, as if a painter had rendered her that way, the center of someone’s world. “We rented our own little place, and suddenly we were settled. None of Mom’s meltdowns or all-night arguments. We were stable. Brandi and I were in charge. We could make sure we had a place to live because we paid the rent on time. We had enough food in the house because we had jobs. Our money wasn’t always disappearing. We had peaceful evenings and uninterrupted sleep.”
“I take it your mom set the bar low when it came to men?”
“Low? If it were any lower, we could have seen the Great Wall of China.”
“Understood.” He saw what she didn’t say. He’d seen it enough as a cop. “Then you’ve probably raised your bar pretty high to compensate.”
“I don’t know. When I find someone who can top it, I’ll let you know.” She blushed, a hint of pink rosying her face.
That was pretty much the answer he was expecting. Chances were, he wouldn’t measure up to that high-set bar. So, why didn’t that stop him from appreciating her amazing beauty? How she could look radiant in a plain pink sweater and simple tan skirt captivated him. Her loveliness couldn’t be found on a magazine’s glossy page or enhanced with any amount of makeup. As striking as she was, her true loveliness shone from the inside, like a pearl’s luster in perfect light.
“How about you?” She turned those stunning violet eyes on him. “Why aren’t you looking for your soul mate?”
“I don’t believe in soul mates. Doesn’t exist.”
“Of course they do.” She looked crestfallen. “Or why else would there be books and movies about it?”
“Hype to part the consumer from their hard-earned dollars.”
“I saw that smirk. You’re not fooling me, buster. Otherwise, why else would people fall in love and get married?”
“Loneliness, mostly.”
“Even you don’t believe that.”
If anyone could make him believe in the concept of soul mates, then it would be her. Yep, that was a change, too. Steam bathed his face as he took a sip of tea. The minty heat scorched his tongue, taking his mind off what was happening to his heart. “Some days I find the idea of true love more unlikely than on others.”
“Are those the days you go out on dates?”
“Funny.” He scanned the room, alert. “No, I keephoping there’s someone out there for me, but I’m not sure there is.”
“Surely you’ve tried to find out.”
“I did. Once I thought I had found her.” His confession rang low, and he hoped none of his emotions from that time were coming through. He liked to think that was well behind him. “I met Nancy in church.”
“In church?” Her forehead crinkled adorably in disbelief.
“You say that like you’re surprised. I’m a believer.” When she crooked one eyebrow in question, he chuckled. “All right, I believe in God. Just not true love. Anyway, Nancy was one of those innocent types. Pure goodness.”
“You fell in love with her.”
“I fell hard.” He winced, not daring to take a look at the woman by his side. “I fell
Similar Books
