A Sneak Peak at Chapter One
You might wonder how, after so many years, I can still recall the first time I laid eyes on Annie Parker. It was a Monday, and I was on my way back from the lumberyard when I stopped to check in on Sam. He’d been like a second father to me after my parents died, and now it was my turn to look after him. The door to one of the cabins was open and I could tell by the extra car in the drive that he had a guest.
The air was so still, my boots crunching on the gravel echoed as I made my way down there.
“Hey, Sam,” I said, leaning on the doorjamb.
A suitcase was sitting on the bed, and Sam and a young woman turned to look in my direction. My heart turned over and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. In that split second, I took in her large dark eyes and her pouty mouth. There was something about her that drew me in. Tight jeans and a red knit sweater completed the picture—and I lost my train of thought.
“Oh, Annie,” Sam said. “This is Noah Chambers. He’s a local, and since my wife died, he seems to think he has to check in on me.”
“I heard that,” I said.
Sam shook his head but chuckled. He then opened a cupboard, took out some towels and set them on the bed. “But I do appreciate it,” he whispered with a crinkled smile.
They both stood there as if waiting for me to say something else, but it was hard for me to focus on what to say next. What I wanted to say was, ‘I can’t believe you’re so incredibly beautiful.’ But the woman turned her head back to her task at hand—unlocking her suitcase—and I lost my opportunity to say something profound.
She grabbed the towels and turned toward the bathroom, and Sam just stared at me. He raised his eyebrows, and I knew he could read my mind. When I saw it was obvious she wasn’t going to talk to me, I dumbly said to Sam, “Well, it looks like you’re in good hands for now, so I’ll get back to work. Nice to meet you, Annie,” I called out.
She either didn’t hear me, or just wasn’t in a friendly mood. I turned and headed back to my truck, listening again to my boots on the gravel, the sound roaring in my head.
All the way back to the job site, I couldn’t help but think about her; the way her long dark hair fell onto her face when she bent over, and then how she brushed it back with her hand. And those eyes. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but they were so out of the ordinary—almost seductive.
I knew I was going to have to figure out who she was, and then my mind went into overload as I wondered how I’d see her again, much less find out if she was interested in me. Even though I knew it probably wouldn’t go anywhere, I had a hard time trying to focus on my work.
