Two Nights with His Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

be doing okay.”
    “Not everything in my store is that expensive. I gave you my top-of-the-line stuff.”
    She cocked one of her brows. “Wyatt, I’ve walked down the red carpet in dresses that cost less than this suit.”
    “I forgot what a bullshitter you are.”
    She grinned and lay back on her towel. Her body stayed tense, though,as if she couldn’t fully relax. They sat in a silence that grew more awkward the longer it stretched. He tried to keep his gaze on her face, but it strayed—subtly, he thought, so subtly she wouldn’t notice.
    “Never gonna happen, Wyatt. Not in a million years.”
    Shit. She’d noticed. He forced himself to stand up. “I’ll go see how the others are doing.”
    She nodded, her face tense. “Good idea.”

Chapter Three
    ‡
    “Almost every girl falls in love with the wrong man. I suppose it’s part of growing up.”
    —Natalie Wood
    T hree hours later, they reached the area where Wyatt planned for them to camp overnight, and he guided the raft toward the sloping riverbank. When they got to shallow water, he leaped over the side, grabbed hold ofthe raft and pulled it to the shore. “Everyone out.”
    The women jumped into the water and helped him push the raft onto the muddy bank. He tied it to a tree so it wouldn’t float away, and the others climbed out of the river.
    “What’s next?” Faye asked, rubbing her hands together as if she couldn’t wait to be assigned a task.
    “We cook dinner and eat it.”
    “Oh, thank God!” Polly pressed her palmsagainst her flat stomach. “I’m starving.”
    He led them through the trees to a clearing he liked bringing his groups to. It was only about a quarter mile from a service road, so it was easy for his staff to drive to and set up camp. Plus, it had easy access to the river so they could collect water, and the ground was flat. Trees and wildflowers blanketed the forest floor around the clearing, makingit feel even more secluded and peaceful. Mother Nature had gifted Paradise Valley with dozens of vibrant colors, especially at this time of year.
    It was also the only clearing big enough for the yurt he’d bought five years ago, when he’d backpacked through Mongolia. The huge, circular tent was a traditional home for nomadic families there, but he used it when customers requested a luxury campingexperience. And now here it was, all set up and ready to give Nancy a taste of the childhood adventures she’d never really had.
    She was right next to him when they reached the clearing, but she stopped with a gasp when she saw the yurt and its magical surroundings. “Oh, wow. Oh, Wyatt. This is… wow. ”
    For some reason, tendrils of pride unfurled inside him at the admiration in her voice. “You likeit?”
    “Like it? It’s…it’s amazing. When did you do this?”
    “A couple of my staff members set it up earlier today and then made themselves scarce. Want to take a look inside?”
    She walked in front of him, her gait a little stiff.
    “Are you in pain?”
    “Sore,” she said over her shoulder. “I never use the rowing machine at the gym, so I think my back and arms will kill me tomorrow. It’s all good,though. I’m loving it.”
    “Glad to hear that.” He really was. Not that he intended to ask for an endorsement, but if she went online and said she’d had a miserable time, he’d have a hell of a time clawing back his store’s reputation. More than that, though, he wanted her to have a good time. Hearing her friends’ revelation that she’d made up stories about a happy childhood had hit him like a punchto the gut. The loneliness that had radiated from her as a child came back to him full force. As a kid, he’d been too selfish to know what to do about it. As a man, he had several ideas but, since she was engaged, the only one he could act on was to make this weekend as memorable and special as possible for her to wipe away her painful past.
    When they reached the yurt, he pulled open the entranceflap and