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Kate shook her head as her friend blew theot up "Let me know if you need any help with this one"
"Thanks Hey, A, when you counseled Dylan, did you find any huge issues I should know about?"
Arilyn looked thoughtful "No Weird, because usually billionaire playboys have issues and angst galore Dylan is char for soround and seereat husband or father I just don't knohat's holding him back"
Kate nodded "Okay, thanks Girls' night Friday at Mugs?"
"Absolutely"
She watched Arilyn retreat and swiveled back her computer screen She'd set up the date and hope for the best Her instincts hu was about to happen Unfortunately, it could be a prereat circumstance or complete disaster
Kate prayed for the former and reached for her phone
chapter 2
Riley Fox was late
She despised tardiness
Trying not to freak out and get all OCD before she went on her first official ed in a breath for calm, and methodically clicked down her list of iteer Water Check, check, check, check
The snoas steadily falling so she tugged on her leather gloves, buttoned her coat to the neck, and locked the door Her sleek silver Infiniti was already warhed when her rear slid into the heated seat Heneral direction, but never le Maps ready The GPS in the car sucked and usually gave her the wrong directions She clicked on the app, tapped in the address, and buckled her seat belt Easing the car onto the snow-covered road, Riley headed for her ice-skating date
Deciding to forgo e of nerves in her storee to this Riley expected photos, full name, date of birth, social security number, and a checklist of traits her date copped to Instead, Kate infor she knew his first naate of Rinker's Park, and he was safe, sane, and cute
Kate refused to give her anything else
Nore Riley's coive her ently re her of her inability to take risks in her love life, and how going in without any prior information would open her mind
Finally, she agreed But if the man exhibited any violations of her rules she was outta there
Riley drove through Verily, relaxing slightly as the cheerful lights and festive atht made her feel alive She'd fallen in love with the upstate river town's artsy appeal and quiet de--there wasn't a city in the world as vibrant and fast paced, and she thrived on a career level But personally, she gravitated toward a quirky, calmer type of atmosphere, where she could sip a coffee, -shop, talk to her neighbors, and pretend she wasn't living for sales reports, auctions, and networking
Pathetic
Normally, she wouldn't have cared Her drive for achieve she now lived with and never questioned Valedictorian in college, a coveted internship in Manhattan at graduation, and years of learning from the best in the business Finally, she'd been ready to take the leap to create her own publishing business focused on women
Everyone called her crazy Laughed Refused to take her seriously
Now that same line of rotten men lined up to kiss her ass
Score
Riley held back a giggle and took the next turn slow Her rear wheels slid, adjusted, and pushed on Daonna be a bitch of a snowstor, but already huge flakes hit her windshield in ka ice warned her of the road conditions
Crap She was still fifteen minutes late
Knowing her car could handle it, she cal her senses sharp to the surroundings around her She was an excellent driver and had never gotten into an accident She drove like she did everything else in her life: with a fir
Success
Men said she had issues Who didn't? She'd plunged ahead, and except for the occasional sexual affair she carefully plotted out to meet her bodily needs, she never felt lonely Until recently Stupid fe quite happily when she'd caught sight of a pregnant wo her belly
She'd stopped in the middle of a crowded street The hit of emotion drained her breath and an ache in her heart made her want to wail like a toddler Froed Riley looked at couples around her, baby strollers, flashing diaut, like she'd never wanted anything before
She'd called Kate and decided to do so about it
Work had been the element to drive her forward, but now she was ready to attack her personal life Finally at the stage she always dreamed to be in her career, she realized lately she was lonely An eourmet kitchen for soyptian cotton sheets were cold with no one to snuggle with Wasn't it ti love? Wasn't it finally her turn?
Her past dates had been bitterly disappointing Always lacking in certain qualities, exhibiting characteristics she refused to bend on Too lazy, or arrogant, or needy Not fathercharacter or huence
She yearned for a coether Riley knew the exact type of man who'd co, family oriented Perhaps a bit conservative, with an ability to be calree in harmony with a man as also her friend
He needed to fit
Kinnections was the right choice for her The detailed questionnaire she filled out confirmed the match would be based entirely on her checklist and requirements Science, not the fickle dream of fate where lust was mistaken for love and sex for commitment
She reached the foot of the htened Riley clenched and unclenched her fingers around the wheel Call and cancel? Was he running late, too, fro windshield wipers and judged how much farther up the rink was Probably not far Her car was topnotch in bad weather, andto stop soon
This date could be the one Kinnections was successful, and boasted an extrees Her husband could be waiting on top of thatto stop her fro him
She in
ched her way up and can? Why was her iPhone suddenly silent? With a disgusted rabbed her phone
No signal
Crap Okay, the rink couldn't be far She ht The road enarled trees bent over and shook in the wind Icicles dripped from branches and pelted ice drops at her windshield Why did she suddenly feel like she'd dropped into Narnia? Riley downshifted, curving around another bend, and alht before her
Massive wrought-iron gates rivaling those in King Kong towered before her Wicked spikes lined the top and blocked a row of ice-encrusted privacy bushes She caught a gli, multitiered brick fortress as she reached the top of the road, and gently pumped the brake
The tires caught, spun, and slid to the right She pulled the wheel in the opposite direction but it was too late
The rear end fishtailed and dropped her backward over the side incline
The last thought Riley had was how pissed off she was that she'dher future husband
Then everything went black
chapter 3
Dylan McCray stared at the unconscious wo a joke on him After all, he'd just been hand delivered the woet off his mind or his dick for the past decade
He swore softly and lay a damp washcloth over her forehead He had no idea if it was the right thing to do, but he'd seen the ure it worked Thank God she'd been lucky Other than the bruise on her cheek, she didn't have any bued up, but her seat belt and the open ditch filled with snow had softened the blow He shuddered to think of the circumstances if she'd hit the trees
Her breathing was deep and even Her heart rate steady What the hell was she doing here? He'd decided to close the park once the snow began, so he hadn't expected anyone He assumed his blind date was canceled The cell lines were down so he couldn't call Kate, and in soive him a last name, so it wasn't like he could even try and track down the mysterious woman