"The kind where two people help each other make a temporary arrangement." My heart hammers against my ribs. "Six months. A marriage of convenience. I get my inheritance and the freedom to pursue my dreams. You get someone tovouch for your character. Show this town that you're not the person my father claims you are."
The proposal is impossible, perfect, and absolutely reckless. Colton’s expression is unreadable, and I'm suddenly terrified he'll laugh. Or worse, pity me.
"You're serious." It's not a question.
"Completely." I finally release his hand, immediately missing the contact. "Think about it. Your reputation would improve with the sheriff's daughter as your wife, even temporarily. My father would have to accept that you're a legitimate businessman. And I'd get the house, the fresh start, everything I need."
"And after six months?" His voice has gone carefully neutral.
"Quiet divorce. We go our separate ways." I make it sound simple, even though nothing about this is simple. "No harm, no foul."
He studies me for so long, I'm certain he's going to refuse. Going to point out all the ways this plan is insane. Instead, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a business card.
"Reeves Metalworks." He hands it to me. "Think about what you're proposing. Really think about it. If you're still interested tomorrow, come find me."
Then he's mounting his motorcycle, that powerful engine rumbling to life. I watch him ride away, the card warm in my hand, my future suddenly full of possibilities I never imagined.
I have no idea if Colton Reeves will agree to my insane proposal.
But standing here on Main Street with the town's disapproval heavy in the air and my father's fury waiting at home, one thing becomes crystal clear.
I'm done playing it safe. Done letting other people's expectations dictate my choices. Done being the good girl who colors inside the lines.
If I'm going to change my life, it starts now.
With a man everyone warns me away from and a plan so reckless it just might work.
CHAPTER TWO
COLT
The metalwork in my hands glows orange as I pull it from the forge, sparks flying as hammer meets hot steel. Each strike echoes through my workshop, drowning out thoughts I'd rather not have. Like the memory of Sheriff Parker's daughter proposing marriage to me on Main Street yesterday.
I've heard crazy schemes before, but that one takes the prize.
Marriage. To the sheriff's daughter.The same sheriff who's made it his personal mission to run me out of town since the day I set up shop here two years ago.
I hammer harder, letting the metal absorb my frustration. The bracelet I'm working on takes shape beneath my hands, rough lines transforming into something elegant. Something beautiful from something raw. The irony isn't lost on me.
The door to my workshop slides open, letting in a blast of morning light. I don't look up, assuming it's one of my brothers, Ridge or Jax, bringing supplies, now that Ridge is finally back from his hunting expedition.
"Your security is terrible."
That voice doesn't belong to a man. My head snaps up to find Savannah Parker standing in my doorway, silhouetted against the sunlight. She's wearing a simple sundress that hugs every curve of her body, her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun that somehow looks deliberate. Beautiful doesn't begin to cover it.
I set down my hammer, suddenly aware of my sweat-soaked t-shirt and the soot covering my arms. "Most people don't wander into a stranger's workshop uninvited."
"Most people don't have fathers who publicly humiliate strangers on Main Street." She steps inside, looking around with open curiosity. "Nice place."
My workshop isn't much to look at. An old barn I've converted, filled with tools and half finished projects. The forge dominates one wall, various anvils and workbenches scattered throughout. But she studies everything like she's in an art gallery, her fingers trailing over a decorative gate I completed last week.
"You actually came." I grab a rag to wipe my hands, buying time to settle my thoughts.
"I said I would." She turns to face me, chin lifted in that way I noticed yesterday. Defiant. Determined. "I've been thinking about my proposition."
"And?"
"And I still think it makes sense." She moves closer, stopping a few feet away. Close enough that I can smell her perfume. Something light and citrusy that makes my mouth water. "Six months married. I get my inheritance. You get respectability. We both win."
