by Katie Meyer
“Definitely,” Grace agreed. “By then, all the details will be ironed out. Everyone in Rambling Rose is going to be talking about the Hotel Fortune.”
“I hope you’re right. This venture has definitely given us the most headaches, although it will all be worth it when we have a full slate of guests.”
“You and your brothers and sisters have made sure every step of the redevelopment plan for the town has been thoughtfully crafted and executed. I’m honored to be a part of it.” Grace inwardly cringed, hoping she didn’t sound like a total suck-up, but Callum smiled.
“We’re glad to have you on the team. I’m sorry things at Cowboy Country didn’t work out, but their loss is our gain.”
Grace forced a smile, although mention of her previous job had her stomach tightening painfully. She didn’t think anyone in Rambling Rose knew the full truth of why she’d left the cowboy theme park run by another branch of the Fortune family in the town of Horseback Hollow. There was no way she was going to share her heartbreak and humiliation, not when her life was finally getting back on track.
“Take a break.” Callum gestured to the row of food tables. “Have a piece of cake or a drink or just enjoy the beautiful night. You’ve earned it, Grace.”
She nodded. “Thanks. I’ll have a piece of birthday cake. I’m glad things are going so well and Larkin’s enjoying the attention.”
Someone called to Callum, and she turned for the cake table but first detoured toward the empty balcony overlooking the hotel’s impeccably landscaped pool area. She needed to cool off as she could still feel her cheeks burning from the way Wiley had looked at her.
She wouldn’t jeopardize her future for any man, no matter how attractive. In some ways, she still felt like pinching herself, because despite all the things that had gone wrong in her life, the three and half months she’d spent in the Hotel Fortune management training program seemed to make all the trouble worth it.
Yes, she’d had to drop out of college to help take care of her older brother after he’d been seriously injured in a car accident almost a decade earlier. Yes, she’d struggled to fit in when she’d finally returned to school, unable to enjoy life in the way regular college students did. She’d been too serious and too focused, determined to get her degree but always guilty that she was able to have a life Jake couldn’t due to his recovery. After finally graduating with a degree in hospitality management, she’d landed a job in the Cowboy Country front office. At that point, Grace thought she was finally on her way. She’d had a good job, a handsome boyfriend and a fresh start in life.
Discovering that Craig had been cheating on her with a fellow employee—and that pretty much everyone at Cowboy Country knew it except Grace—had been a blow she hadn’t expected. One that brought her to her knees, literally and figuratively.
But she was leaving the past behind for her new future with the Hotel Fortune. Although members of the family had been taking the lead on running things during construction, they planned to promote someone from within the training program to the role of general manager as part of the grand opening. There might be other employees vying for the coveted position, but Grace was determined to earn it.
She stepped to the edge of the balcony, running her palms across the smooth wrought iron railing. She couldn’t remember ever feeling such a sense of anticipation as she did at this moment.
Drawing in a long pull of the fresh air from the open patio doors, she turned back toward the party. Pride swelled in her chest at the crowd of happy people. She’d had a lot to do with making this evening a success.
Her gaze snagged on Wiley once again as he moved away from the group where he stood. One corner of his full mouth tugged into a sexy smirk, like he could feel the way her body went on high alert from across the room. Grace felt like she was on a roller coaster, climbing the track of the first giant hill. Her heart raced as she thought about the free fall to come.
When he started toward her, she turned and leaned forward, gripping the railing with rigid fingers. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to meet him. In fact, her body practically yearned to get close to him.
But she’d given herself to a man once before with disastrous results. No way would she fall again.
A loud crack split the air, and she stumbled as the balcony pitched forward. Then she was falling so fast she didn’t even have time to scream.
Copyright © 2020 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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ISBN-13: 9781488075261
The Marriage Moment
Copyright © 2020 by Katie Meyer
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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