The Stranger I Married

CHAPTER 8: THE LAKE

Eve woke before sunrise.

For several moments, she remained still beneath the covers, staring into the darkness. Then the previous evening came back to her.

The porch. The sunset. Alex's arm around her shoulders. The warmth of his body beside hers. And then the kiss.

Her heart gave an unexpected flutter. It had been so brief. So gentle. And completely unexpected. She had not planned it. Neither had he.

Yet she could still remember the soft touch of his lips against hers.

What surprised her most wasn't the kiss itself. It was how comfortable she had felt with him. She had known Alex for barely two days. And somehow, sitting beside him had felt natural. Safe.

She closed her eyes. What is happening to me?

She turned onto her side, trying to push the thoughts away. It didn't work. She smiled despite herself.

Then she finally got out of bed.

In the west wing of the house, Alex was already awake.

He stood in front of the large window in his guest room, looking across Silver Creek as the first light of morning appeared beyond the distant hills.

The ranch was beautiful at this hour. Mist hung lightly over some of the lower fields. The silhouettes of the barns and stables were slowly emerging from the darkness. A few lights were already glowing near the workers' quarters. The ranch was waking.

Alex rested one hand against the window frame.

His thoughts returned to the previous day. Eve on horseback. The effortless way she handled the animal. Her smile. Her eyes. The sound of her voice. And then the kiss.

He could almost remember the softness of her skin beneath his hand. The taste of her lips.

He had kissed women before. He knew what attraction felt like. This felt different.

He couldn't quite put a name to it.

Perhaps it was simply because everything had happened so quickly. Perhaps it was because Eve had entered his life at a moment when he had been trying to escape everything familiar.

Whatever the reason, he knew one thing. He had enjoyed kissing her. More than he should have.

He smiled faintly at the thought. Then he shook his head. He needed to stop analyzing it.

He changed into track pants, a T-shirt, and running shoes. A few minutes later, he quietly made his way downstairs and slipped outside.

The cool morning air met his face. He stretched briefly, then started running.

He passed the stables, following one of the ranch roads they had ridden the previous day. The world was still quiet. The only sounds were his footsteps, the occasional call of a bird, and the distant movement of cattle.

With every mile, he felt something inside him loosen. The pressure that had followed him from Westbridge seemed farther away. For the first time since Friday evening, he wasn't thinking about what had happened. He was simply running.

Eve finished getting ready and went downstairs.

She made herself a cup of coffee and carried it outside, settling into a chair on the porch with her laptop.

There were emails waiting. She worked through them one by one. A supplier needed confirmation on a delivery. A shipment required approval. Her assistant had sent several documents requiring her attention.

Eve answered the urgent messages before joining a video call.

"Good morning," her assistant said.

"Good morning."

They discussed several business matters. Eve listened, made a few decisions, and gave instructions. She was halfway through reviewing a document when movement caught her attention.

She glanced up.

Alex was jogging toward the house from the direction of the stables.

She stared for a moment. He ran with an easy, smooth stride. There was nothing forced about it. His arms moved with a rhythm that was almost hypnotic—strong, sure, controlled. She remembered the way those arms had felt around her last night. The way they'd held her close, the way his hands had settled on her back, the warmth of his body against hers.

Her breath caught.

She watched him approach, her eyes tracing the line of his shoulders, the way his shirt stretched across his chest. He was fit. Strong. She already knew that from the way he'd held her.

And now she couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Eve?"

She didn't respond.

"Eve, can you hear me?"

Her assistant's voice brought her back. "I'm sorry."

Her assistant smiled. "You disappeared for a moment."

Eve glanced toward Alex again. "I've got something I need to deal with. Can we continue this later?"

"Of course."

"I'll call you back."

She ended the call just as Alex reached the porch. He slowed to a walk.

"Good morning."

Eve smiled. "Good morning."

She looked at him. "Out running so early?"

Alex laughed softly. "I woke up early." He looked toward the ranch. "It seemed a shame to waste such a beautiful morning."

He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "And I have to admit, I feel like a ton of worries just fell off my shoulders."

Eve smiled. "I told you."

"Told me what?"

"The country air is good for the soul."

Alex laughed. "I think you might be right."

She lifted her coffee. "Go shower."

"Yes, ma'am."

Eve laughed. Alex disappeared inside.

She watched him go, her eyes following him until he was out of sight. Then she looked back at her laptop.

She tried to concentrate. It wasn't easy.

Her thoughts kept drifting to last night. The warmth of his arm around her. The way he'd leaned in, the softness of his kiss. The way he'd looked at her when she walked away—like he wanted to follow her.

Stop it, she told herself. Focus.

But her mind kept wandering back to him. The strength of his arms. The way he moved. The way he'd looked at her this morning.

She shook her head, smiling despite herself. This was ridiculous. She barely knew him.

But she couldn't stop thinking about him.

After breakfast, Eve looked across the table at him.

"I want to show you something."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What kind of something?"

"The good kind." She smiled. "You'll see."

She stood and held out her hand. Alex looked at it for a moment before taking it.

They walked outside toward her pick-up. A short while later, they were driving across the ranch.

Eve followed a smaller road that Alex hadn't noticed the previous day. The road climbed gradually. They passed beneath a canopy of enormous maple trees. The branches stretched overhead, creating a tunnel of green. The road twisted again.

Then suddenly the trees opened.

Alex stared.

Below them lay a small lake, perfectly still beneath the morning sky. At the edge of the water stood a small wooden cabin. A narrow pier extended from the shoreline into the lake.

Alex slowly exhaled. "Wow."

Eve smiled. "I knew you'd like it."

She parked near the cabin. They climbed out.

Eve held out her hand again. Alex took it. Together they walked onto the pier.

They sat near the end, their feet hanging above the water. For several minutes, they simply looked across the lake.

"This is beautiful," Alex said.

"It's my favourite place on the ranch."

"You come here often?"

"When I need to think." She looked across the water. "Or when I don't want to think."

Alex smiled. "I understand that."

They sat quietly. Their hands remained together. Neither seemed in a hurry to let go.