The Marine's E-Mail Order Bride (Heroes of Chance Creek Book 3) by Cora Seton

take a seat at the small kitchen table. A large, solid, shaggy black dog sat underneath it. Ella tracked the direction of her glance. “That’s Milo. Friendliest mutt you’ve ever met.”
    “Hi Milo,” Storm said, buying time. She perched on the edge of the seat, blowing on her coffee. “What about you two? How did you meet Mason and Austin?”
    Regan laughed and colored a little. “I actually met Mason because of mixing social media with alcohol. I saw his online ad one night when I was alone and wasted, thought it was hilarious, and wrote him an e-mail straight out of a Jane Austen movie. He wrote back and the next thing I knew we were Skyping and calling and emailing back and forth. He wouldn’t give up no matter how I tried to break things off. I mean, it was crazy, right? Meeting someone online like that. But it was romantic, too, and I fell in love with him—even before I ever met him in person. It was like we were meant to be together. When I came here I fell in love with Crescent Hall, too. Mason and I got married and the rest is history.”
    “My story is even crazier than Regan’s,” Ella said, setting the table. “I had just gotten back on my feet after the disaster at the Oscars.”
    Storm nodded. She watched enough television to know what Ella meant. Ella had been a candidate for the Best Supporting Actress award but another actress, Kaylee Lipenhauer, won and stole Ella’s fiancée from her all in one blow by announcing on stage that she’d been having an affair with Anthony Black for months and was pregnant with his child. The scandal had rocked Hollywood, and Ella had disappeared for months, only to return on an episode of Morning with Myra. But that hadn’t gone well, either. The host, Myra Cramer, set her up by inviting Anthony and Kaylee on the show, too.
    “You clocked Anthony,” Storm said. “I thought he deserved it.”
    Ella went to get glasses from a cabinet. “He did deserve it, but my career was tanking and I needed somewhere to hide. Austin put up a different wife-wanted ad saying he wanted a pretend wife for about a year. It looked like the perfect answer to my problems.”
    “So you’re just pretending to be Austin’s wife?” Storm felt a rush of relief. She would be able to confess everything to them. They’d understand what she was going through and help her figure out what to do.
    “Only briefly. The minute I met Austin in person I fell for him. We had some issues to work through, but soon enough it was clear our marriage would be real. We had a vow renewal ceremony that was really our true wedding. So in the end it all worked out for the best.” Ella’s smile was radiant.
    The women turned to her expectantly, and Storm’s heart sank. She couldn’t confess after all—couldn’t admit that she and Zane were together only temporarily. She’d have to craft her story carefully.
    “Zane posted a wife-wanted ad, too,” she began.
    Zane couldn’t keep his eyes off his watch as he finished up his evening chores after dinner that night. How soon could he wrest Storm away from the others and get her upstairs? He couldn’t wait to be alone together with her again, and the thought of the bed they’d share tonight had his mind racing with all kinds of interesting possibilities.
    When he came back inside, he heard the other couples chatting in the living room and the sound of a football game on the television. Storm was in the kitchen by herself, pouring a drink of water from the tap.
    He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Missed you,” he murmured into her neck, pressing a kiss under her ear.
    “You weren’t gone that long.”
    “Long enough.” He pressed his hips against her bottom, knowing she’d feel the evidence of his interest. “Come on. Let’s sneak away before they hear us.”
    They gained the stairs without being discovered and by the time they reached the bedroom, they were laughing like teenagers.
    “You watch. Someone will