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  If only he could say the same of her…

  “Okay,” he said calmly. “I don’t know who you are or why you’re here, but…as you can see, I am Margaret’s grandson. I know it’s late but…you’ve got to go.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest—which was a shame—and continued to glare at him. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said defiantly. “I’m renting this house from Margaret, so if anyone’s going to leave, it’s you.”

  “You rent this place? Since when?” As he spoke, the light of the phone seemed to get her right in the eyes, because she instantly shielded them. And as much as he wanted answers, Ford was fairly certain he could get them without blinding her.

  “For the last three months,” she said as she sat down on the corner of the bed. “No one mentioned you were coming to visit.”

  “I hopped on a plane as soon as I heard about Grams’ accident,” he explained, wondering how they were being so calm when everything was so confusing. “And no one mentioned you were renting this place.” He paused. “Who are you?”

  With a smile that was tinged with disappointment, she said, “Callie James.” When he didn’t react, she went on, “My mother used to come and clean for Margaret and Ben once a week when I was younger.” He still didn’t say anything, and her disappointment turned to annoyance. “You were about four years ahead of me but we went to school together…”

  Blaming his befuddled mind on exhaustion, Ford did his best to rack his brain for what she was saying to him and then…

  “Wait, you’re Ruthie’s daughter?”

  She nodded. “Yup. That’s me,” she said, forcing a smile. “I spent a lot of time here when I was younger, and when I got the job teaching kindergarten at the elementary school, your grandmother offered me the guesthouse to live in.” She shrugged. “Saves time on the commute and all.”

  Ford nodded. “I’ll be honest, I had no idea anyone was living out here. Grams didn’t mention it, and I just assumed I’d stay here while some of the work was being done on the house.”

  “Looks like you need to have a Plan B.”

  Raking a hand through his hair, Ford sat down on the bed beside her. Well now what was he supposed to do? Obviously, they knew each other—sort of—and it was completely plausible that Grams had rented the cottage out to her, but…where did that leave him?

  “How did you even get in here?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

  “Key in the flowerpot.” With a loud yawn, he fought the urge to lie down and pray for this to just be a dream.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but…”

  Yeah. He knew what was coming. Standing up, he reached for his jeans and was about to slide them on when she spoke again.

  “It’s really late,” Callie said. “And knowing how you probably came here right from the airport, no doubt you’re exhausted.”

  “That I am.”

  “I don’t think there’s any damage to the main house other than the front porch—”

  “Until I can look at it in the daylight, there’s no way to guarantee it’s safe,” he interrupted.

  She sighed. Loudly. “Margaret would probably kill me if I kicked you out. And after everything she’s done for me…” Callie stopped and seemed to consider her next words. Ford held his breath and prayed he wasn’t going to have to go searching for a place to stay. “There’s a mattress upstairs in the loft. If you wouldn’t mind…”

  Relief washed over him, and he had to fight the urge to hug her with gratitude. If push had come to shove, he would have left and gone to his parents’ house, but it was a good thirty minutes away and considering how tired he was, it wouldn’t have been a safe drive. “Say no more,” he said. “I have no problem with sleeping up in the loft.” Swiftly, Ford stood and put his jeans on.

  “There are sheets and blankets on it,” Callie stated. “It’s not much to look at, but I like having it made up rather than sitting up there bare on the floor.”

  Even if it had been bare, he would have made do. “Considering it’s completely dark up there, I don’t think I would have noticed.”

  “Can you find your way?”

  He laughed softly. “I’ve been here enough times that I can definitely navigate it in the dark.”

  And he could.

  When it was his grandmother’s furniture here.

  He’d gone all of three steps when he crashed into something and cursed.

  Somewhere behind him, Callie let out a low and husky laugh. Rather than risk doing any more damage, he used his phone to illuminate his way up the stairs to the loft. She must have followed him out of the bedroom, because when he looked down at the room below, he spotted her looking up at him.

  “You okay?” she asked with a small grin. “Are there enough pillows up there?”

  Turning, Ford looked at the bed and then back at her. “It looks just fine, Callie. Thanks.”

  “If there’s anything else you need—”

  He held up a hand to cut her off. “I think right now, all I need is about eight hours of sleep.”

  “That makes two of us,” she said, and yawned. “Good night, Ford. We’ll straighten this out in the morning, okay?”

  As far as he was concerned, there wasn’t much to straighten out. This was obviously her place and he was going to have to come up with an alternate plan.

  Add that to your to-do list, he thought miserably.

  With any luck, the main house wouldn’t be in that bad of shape and he’d be able to live in it while the repairs were being done. That was preferable to staying in town. The less he had to interact with the good people of Eagle’s Ridge, the better.

  That was not something he wanted to think about right now—especially if he wanted to get any sleep. As it was, it was going to be hard to unwind. Callie’s scream had woken him right up and everything felt weird now. He wasn’t relaxed, and even as he stripped back down to his briefs and crawled onto the mattress, he felt an overwhelming sense of unease. Whether it was the loft, the house or the current situation of knowing he was sharing this small space with a beautiful stranger, he couldn’t be sure.

  Well, Callie wasn’t really a stranger, but still…

  Forcing himself to relax and close his eyes, he found that his body’s need for sleep was paramount to his need to over-analyze his current state of affairs. And as sleep started to claim him for the second time that evening, the last thought to come to mind was how beautiful little Callie James had grown up to be.

  FORD by Samantha Chase

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Cristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes sexy romantic suspense, military romance, new adult, and contemporary romance. Readers voted her as a Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and #1 military romance bestseller.

  Connect with Cristin: Email | Facebook | Instagram |Twitter | Team Titan

  Join the newsletter! Text TITAN to 66866 or click here to sign up for exclusive emails.

  The Titan Series:

  Book 1: Winters Heat

  Book 1.5: Sweet Girl

  Book 2: Garrison's Creed

  Book 3: Westin's Chase

  Book 4: Gambled

  Book 5: Chased

  Book 6: Savage Secrets

  Book 7: Hart Attack

  Book 7.5: Sweet One

  Book 8: Black Dawn

  Book 8.5: Live Wire

  Book 9: Bishop’s Queen

  Book 10: Locke and Key

  Book 11: Jax

  The Delta Series:

  Book 1: Delta: Retribution

  Book 2: Delta: Rescue*

  Book 3: Delta: Revenge

  Book 4: Delta: Redemption

  Book 5: Delta: Ricochet

  *The Delta Novella in Liliana Hart’s MacKenzie Family Collection

  The Only Series:

  Book 1: Only for Him

  Book 2: Only for Her

  Book 3: On
ly for Us

  Book 4: Only Forever

  7 Brides for 7 Soldiers:

  Ryder (#1) - Barbara Freethy

  Adam (#2) - Roxanne St. Claire

  Zane (#3) - Christie Ridgway

  Wyatt (#4) - Lynn Raye Harris

  Jack (#5) - Julia London

  Noah (#6) - Cristin Harber

  Ford (#7) - Samantha Chase

  Each Titan, Delta, and 7 Brides book can be read as a standalone (except for Sweet Girl), but readers will likely best enjoy the series in order. The Only series must be read in order.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  There is an unsung hero that I’ll never meet again, and I can’t help but be inspired by you. One day soon, I’ll get to tell your tale, but until then, please know that on a magical day in Disney World, you made a dream come true for a little prince and princess. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You reaffirmed my faith in true heroes and chivalry, and that’s a lot to take on at your young age. My only regret is that we didn’t take a picture and hug, but at the time, I wasn’t aware of how deep an impact you made on me. I’m forever grateful for your kindness.

  Thank you to my readers—new ones who have found me through this project, and Team Titan, who stay by my side through every project I try. My muse is a wild one. I listen to where my heart takes me, despite the wave of trends, and since the first day we met, through every series and happily ever after, we remain consistent. I give to you as much as you give back, and as I pen my acknowledgments before Thanksgiving, I know that my readers are why I have so much to be thankful for. *wipes away tears*

  Many thanks to Barbara Freethy for the fantastic opportunity to work on this project, and more importantly, with you. Barbara was on the first self-publishing panel I’d attended. Watching what she had to say quite possibly changed the trajectory of my career, so this is a very full circle moment. I’m honored to write alongside her in the 7 Brides for 7 Soldiers series along with the incredibly talented Roxanne St. Claire, Christie Ridgway, Lynn Raye Harris, Julia London, and Samantha Chase.

  A massive shout out to the team that worked on NOAH. This list doesn’t begin to do justice, but thank you to Angela McRae from Red Adept for the stellar editing, Patricia Patti for your eagle eyes, Judie Bouldry for always being on top of everything, Danielle Sanchez, Tara Gonzalez, and Amber Noffke of InkSlinger PR for your hard work, Jenn Wood for her fantastic opinions on Noah, Trish Kluge for thinking for me when I didn’t have time for one more to-do, and Damonza for the beautiful book cover design.

  And finally, in my most extended acknowledgments section ever, thank you to my family for teaching and reminding me to be Titan Strong. xoxo

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright 2017 Cristin Harber

  ISBN-13: 978-1-942236-78-8

  All rights reserved. This book or any portions thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author and publisher except for the use of brief quotations used in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally.

  www.cristinharber.com