CHAPTER ONE
Emery
I step up to the counter at Cowboy Aromas and order an iced latte.
Some days, I go simply for a hot cup of coffee.
But today is a day to celebrate.
Or it will be in—I check the time on my phone—approximately fifteen minutes when I finally get the promotion I’ve worked my ass off for.
I’ve wanted this for so long, and I’ve poured my heart and soul into the advertising company to get it. I take a second glance at my phone—in approximately fifteen minutes and ten seconds from now, the promotion will be mine.
When my order’s ready, I pay the server and turn away from the counter, latte in one hand and phone in the other. I call out goodbye to my aunt, who’s sitting at a table enjoying a book before I head for the exit.
I push open the door, still looking at my phone. As I take a step outside…
“Oomph!” I barrel headlong into someone.
My iced latte flies out of one hand.
My phone sails out of the other.
I cringe when I hear the sound of my phone hitting the pavement. I can’t see anything beyond the solid chest of whomever I’ve unceremoniously slammed into, but I’ve clearly made a mess of things.
“Are you okay?” the voice belonging to Solid Chest asks me.
Using my newly-freed hands as leverage, I push off of said chest and step back.
When I look up, all I see are dark eyes and hair set against the backdrop of the blue Montana sky. The summer sun highlights the man’s face, which is blindingly handsome with a morning shadow.
It’s also familiar.
But I swear I’ve never met him before.
Michael
I’ve got my hand on the doorknob to Cowboy Aromas when the door opens inward and a woman flies forward and directly at me.
I catch her in my arms before she nearly lands flat on her face.
The subtle floral scent hits me. And then, the sensation of her thick midnight hair tickling my chin.
But most of all, I can’t ignore the lurching sensation in my chest.
“Are you all right?” I ask as I help her to straighten up.
Together, we retrieve her phone—which miraculously didn’t break—and then I pick up her spilled drink and throw it into the nearby trash can.
“Oh my gosh—I’m such a klutz!” She breaks into a gorgeous laugh, and her white teeth gleam against her shiny pink lips. “I’m so sorry for nailing you like that.”
I must look like my usual grouchy self because her cheeks flush pink.
“I’m sorry I ran into you.” She pauses. “You look familiar.”
I was about to say the same thing.
But I know we’ve never met before.
