"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.
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