Jennifer couldn't sleep. Not at first, at least. That might have had something to do with how it was still early afternoon in Portland where she just flew from.
Without blinking.
She sighed into her pillow. The guest bed—one of many, she was sure—was like lying on a cloud. Better than any bed she'd ever slept on in her whole life. She couldn't believe that Mark was willing to pay for everything as soon as she walked through the door. Was he insane?
Or was she insane for not accepting?
That was life-changing money. Life- saving.
But Jennifer had refused because she knew she could afford to wait. Arabelle's treatments would be covered for the next two weeks, so Jennifer had time to adjust to being around Mark and sense if he had any ulterior motives.
She sighed again. Of course he did, she was going to be his wife. If they were going to spend their lives together, he would want her to be happy. It probably wasn't any more complicated than that.
Still, Jennifer hadn't grown up with a lot of money. Her parents had always lived a frugal life. Even when she moved from Oregon to Colorado to work at the Mesa Verde national park, it wasn't like she was rolling in money. More like living a dream as carefully as possible.
Mark's mansion was an enormous change. Like her whole world had been flipped upside down, and now she was floundering to find something real to grab hold to.
And the only real thing left was Mark. Already he was an anchor ... and she wanted him in more ways than one. Just one look at him filled her mind and body with such filthy thoughts she shocked herself: part of her had wanted him to take her the moment she walked through that front door.
While they were still perfect strangers .
.. she wanted that primal attraction that bounced between them to take control.
Even after their initial encounter, and after that call from her mom had her all nervous and worried, she still wanted him to throw her against the wall and have his way with her.
But, Mark was a perfect gentleman. He wasn't going to do that unless she told him exactly what she wanted—though she saw in his body language that he wanted the same thing as she did.
Yeah, when it came to the marriage part of the equation of becoming a mail order bride, Jennifer was cautiously optimistic. She liked Mark, his life was just going to be an adjustment.
And his wealth could save her mom's life.
But something just seemed so wrong about even considering taking that much money as soon as she walked through the door. No amount of merry-go-rounding in her head was going to change that fact.
The only thing that might convince her to trust that Mark wasn't going to turn around and ask her for something she couldn't give in return was by getting to know him better.
Jennifer imagined his body pressed against hers, his muscular chest and arms wrapping around her, a solid, stable rock against the chaos of the world.
After an hour of tossing and turning in bed, Jennifer gave up on trying to nap.
She got up and straightened her clothes and hair, making herself look presentable.
At least lying down and closing her eyes for a bit did ease some of the exhausted pounding behind her eyes.
She was still tired, but no more than usual.
With a nod of determination, she ventured through the house in search of Mark.
She admired the hand-carved wooden walls and support beams, depicting intricate wolves, birds, and other forest creatures.
Where the walls themselves weren't painted or carved, paintings of the wilderness—as if outside wasn't quite enough—hung wherever Jennifer looked.
In fact, she noticed that there was nothing left inside the house to remind her of the city of all. Just walking these halls brought her a similar peace as when she was outside in the forest, or when she'd been giving tours and exploring the vast park of Mesa Verde.
The stairs from the second floor deposited her at the front entrance, where Mark was pulling on a coat. She froze on the bottom step when he spotted her.
He smiled broad and warm. "Had a good rest?
"Not so well that I won't sleep better tonight," she said.
"Good answer." He finished putting on his coat. "I'm about to go for a walk. Would you like to join me?"
"Of course. I've been interested in seeing what exactly you consider the 'grounds' since you mentioned them."
He held out a hand. "Come, let me show you."
His hand wasn't just an invitation to go on a walk, but an invitation into his life. But Jennifer had already accepted that invitation when she decided to become a mail order bride. Now it was her curiosity that had her finish the final step and take his hand.
When her fingers touched his, their eyes met. His were dark green like moss-covered emeralds, and whenever his face moved, he revealed more hidden depths within them. They were enough to swallow her whole if she wasn't careful ... and Jennifer wasn't exactly in a careful mood.
His hand was warm when he curled it around hers and guided her outside. That point of contact between them sent waves of heat through Jennifer with each step they took, regardless of the chill they faced when they stepped onto the front stairs. With Mark holding her, she would never be cold again.
"You won't be able to see it from here," Mark said and pointed out into the trees, "but there are three layers of tree walls. Instead of building fences, the forest becomes naturally thicker and provides a natural barrier."
Jennifer stared out into the vast trees, and though far in the distance it seemed like maybe she could see what he meant, there were just too many trees between here and there.
"Everything within is the grounds, I take it," Jennifer said. She twisted around, keeping her hand in Mark's as she took a closer look at the surroundings. "When I think of mansions, I usually picture enormous swimming pools, manicured lawns, windows that reflect the sun like eyes."
He chuckled. "None of those ever would have satisfied me."
"Good, because this is better. I like how you don't rake up the leaves, you just let them whirl about and pile up, like they're meant to. You let the trees grow wild and true to their nature, just like us people need to learn to again. Is there anything on the grounds that is man-made?"
"One thing, besides the house. You wouldn't notice it unless you knew it was there, though. Let me show you." He squeezed her hand, and as they continued along the rough path of rocks and leaves and grass, Jennifer found her leaning into him, attracted to his warmth, the surety of his presence.
She could picture going on a walk like this every day for the rest of her life and never getting bored of the same trees and sky.
"I hope this isn't too big a change for you," Mark said.
Jennifer laughed—she couldn't help it. "It's a massive change.
Portland isn't exactly a small city. You couldn't look outside without seeing another person.
Out here ..." She scanned the trees, the rustling leaves, the trees that swayed in the wind as if they were about to break free and dance.
"I think you're much more likely to see a bird than another human. Does anyone even live out here?"
"Not within five miles in any direction; that's the land owned by me," Mark said. "But I don't think the nearest neighbor is until the outskirts of Marhan, maybe fifteen miles away."
Jennifer understood people wanted to own land .
.. she herself had dreamt of having some land for herself and her family one day.
Farmland maybe, so they could live off the land without having to rely too much on city resources.
Far enough from people that she could pretend she was in the forest, living out a life where she was at peace with nature.
But realistically, that was never going to happen, not even when she had her park guide job.
Mark actually owning a big chunk of forest, though? It really was that dream come true. As far as she could tell on her way in, nothing nearby was agricultural land at all ... he just owned a part of the forest because he wanted to.
She loved that.
"Careful," Jennifer teased, "or you'll have trouble getting rid of me. I've always wanted to live somewhere like this."
"Did you live in Portland for your whole life?" he said.
"Most of it, yeah, I grew up there. But I never really felt like I belonged, I guess.
The first opportunity I had, I moved out to Colorado in search of something new that didn't involve cars whining in my ears all day long.
Ended up in the south, a nice secluded area not far out of Mesa Verde.
Working at any national park, where I could experience nature every day, was always my dream, but Mesa Verde was a dream come true. "
"There's something appealing about knowing that people like the ancient Puebloans lived out in the middle of nowhere long before we felt the need to," Mark said.
"You know exactly what I mean," Jennifer said.
He gave her a meaningful look, and then they stopped walking. "We're here."
Mark gestured to the space in front of them, but at first, Jennifer didn't see what he was pointing at. It looked like more trees and grass, but she was already learning how to spot Mark's hidden creations.
Built encircled by trees was a small gazebo, the roof covered with a dense layer of leaves.
She pointed. "There."
"Very good." He chuckled. "Maybe you were made for the wilds after all."
He guided her across the remaining path and up the stone steps, into the little shaded gazebo. An earthy scent came from the wood circling the structure, enveloping her in the scents of the outdoors.
On both sides, there were benches covered with brown cushions, patterned to match their surroundings. Again and again, the attention to detail stunned Jennifer.
"This place is incredible," she said.