Page 35

S weat trickled down Nico’s back as he checked his watch for the ninth or tenth time. Sadie had said to be there by one thirty. To be extra safe, Vince had dropped him off at one o’clock sharp, but it was a little past two now, and there was no sign of Ginny.

Sadie seemed the very essence of sweet and trustworthy, but he’d been fooled by a Heppner sister before.

Monique had never fooled him, but her edges were sharp enough to cut diamond.

Tempered steel seemed to run in the Heppner DNA.

Besides, Sadie was an actress. Was this alleged meet up all a ruse to exact some humiliation on behalf of Ginny? Should he keep waiting?

Dumb question . Of course he would wait. He’d wait till two in the morning. He’d wait till two the next day…the next week.

For the last hour plus, he’d alternated between looking out over the view in a futile attempt to calm his nerves and giving in to his agitation by frantically pacing the lot.

Whelp, time for another round of pacing!

As he neared the entrance to the gravel drive, the faint crunch of approaching footsteps reached his ears. Was it Ginny, or just Sadie coming to tell him it was a no-go (or even laugh at him)?

Taking a few steps down the drive, his spirits lifted to see that Sadie had delivered on her promise.

Ginny herself was striding up the ridge in cut-off jean shorts and a faded lavender tee.

He longed to see the expression on her face, but her gaze seemed resolutely glued to the stones under her hand-painted, day-glow sneakers.

His heart squeezed out several unnecessary and unnerving beats as a roil of terrifying emotions replaced his relief.

He had imagined meeting Ginny here a thousand times, yet he somehow forgot to mentally and emotionally prepare for the mere sight of her.

Even the purposeful way she moved up the ridge set the air aquiver with her energy.

How could such an outsized personality fit into so tiny and perfect a form?

He’d seen it in the way she wielded her paint brush high on a ladder at their very first meeting.

He’d felt it in the way she talked about how much the home he had abandoned meant to her.

What a fool he had been not to realize in that long-ago moment that there was no point trying to escape his fate.

It didn’t help that her shorts showed off her shapely legs and her tee clung to her skin in ways that suggested thin cotton weave had been invented with Ginny’s curves in mind.

A few short months ago, he’d discovered how perfectly that body nestled against his.

Then, like a royal idiot, he went and ruined everything.

She continued walking until she was level with him, then looked up.

She was still half a dozen paces away. And if a gaze could brand skin, there’d be a black and smoking mark etched across his forehead.

He winced at the thought but reminded himself that things could be worse.

She could have done an about-face when she spotted him.

She could be hurling expletives as she ordered him to leave what was legally her property.

Perhaps he could salvage this after all?

But instead of the heartfelt speech he’d rehearsed, his spasming throat coughed out, “Ginny.” It sounded more like the croak of a dying frog than her beautiful name.

“Nico,” she said coolly. “I guess my little sister is to blame for this. What are you doing here?” She apparently wasn’t having the same difficulties finding her tongue.

He forced himself to look directly into those burning green eyes. “I had to talk to you.”

“Telephones were invented some time ago.”

“There’s…something I want you to see.”

Her lips pressed into a thin, skeptical line as she tilted her head toward the lot. “Up there?”

He nodded. Breathe, Nico, breathe .

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What is it?”

“It’s best if I don’t try to explain, but it won’t take a minute. Please?”

Her eyebrows formed into a deep V. “This isn’t just another trick of yours?”

His body stiffened as it absorbed the expected blow. “I promise it’s not.”

She started walking up. “You’ve got one minute.”

He followed without speaking, keeping two paces behind her.

He had broken her trust—even if inadvertently—and he’d do anything now to afford her some sense of control over the situation.

He also didn’t want to miss one scintilla of her reaction when she reached the top, knowing full well it would mean either his salvation or his ruin.