Love in Country (De La Fuente Family #4)
Lexi Buchanan
28 Days
PROLOGUE
AIDEN
I’m happy for my brother Eric. He’d married Sylvia in an amazing wedding on the De La Fuente farm. The blushing bride had brought my brother to tears as she’d made her way down the makeshift aisle. My only disappointment had been that Sarah wasn’t on my arm as my guest.
The town vet has been on my mind since the moment my eyes landed on her, and now she’s embedded in my heart. Her dark red hair is usually neatly braided, but tonight she’s wearing it loose, with soft curls cascading down her back. Her cheeks are sun kissed and her green eyes always shine with excitement whenever I’m near.
Our situation isn’t ideal and often causes me lack of sleep. I want and need her to be with me all the time, and she would be but for the slight problem of Greg, her husband. We’re not having an affair—it isn’t something either one of us has suggested. It doesn’t change my deep-rooted desire for her though.
Her husband has no respect for her, and the sadness that I often notice on her face makes me want to take her away from him. He seems to have a problem keeping his zipper up and the whole town is aware. He’s a first class jerk and one of these days I won’t be able to hold back when I see him. Speaking of said *, he slipped out of the reception tent about ten minutes ago and has yet to return.
Quickly glancing around, I slowly move toward Sarah, approaching her from behind.
Without care or thought, I slip her hand into mine. Our fingers intertwine and I briefly squeeze her hand before leading her into a darkened corner. No words are spoken, but none are needed between us. Whenever we’re together the chemistry is explosive and as I hold her close my body tenses with lust.
I cup her face with my hands and hold her a breath away as her hands slip underneath my jacket, her fingers dig into my sides. My forehead drops to Sarah’s and my eyes focus on the green ones staring back at me. Tears swim in her emerald depths. The craving to kiss them away is killing me, but if I start, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop.
The words I love you are on the tip of my tongue.
I want to tell her that I can’t carry on loving her from afar anymore, that I want her by my side always.
But I can’t say any of that…at least right now.
Our thighs brush together and her arms hold me snug in her embrace as we sway to music I’m not really hearing. Blood rushes through my ears as I feel her feminine curves rubbing against my erection. I can’t catch my breath. Her scent surrounds me to the point that I can’t think straight. I know that I’m going to have to let her go home, but every cell in my body is screaming that she’s already there. I’m her home.
“Sarah,” I whisper, burying my face in the curve of her neck as my hands drop to her hips. “You have to be mine,” I beg. “Soon.”
It takes a minute but then the soft sound of Sarah sobbing into my chest finally registers in my lust filled brain. I freeze and caress her face while I meet her tear stained gaze. My heart breaks at the pain I see reflected in her eyes.
“I want to be yours,” she whispers before another sob breaks free, “but, I can’t. Not yet. I’m so sorry, Aiden.” Sarah pulls free and runs out of the reception.
I move to follow her, but my brother Diego grabs my arm. “Let her go.”
“I can’t.”
Diego tugs me out of the opposite exit before he pulls me into his embrace. “Bro, you have to let her go…no matter how painful it is.”
Clinging to my brother, I admit, “I love her.”
Diego sighs. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
SARAH
I hate the way I left Aiden. The more time I spend with him, the more attached I get.
My heart feels so heavy when I think about going home. I act the part of the happy wife when in fact I’m miserable. My husband has a lover who he has been with since before our marriage. Greg even expects me to turn a blind eye to all the talk about us in the town.
I hate the gossip. The people of the town have him bedding anyone with breasts, when in fact the female anatomy does nothing for him at all, which I’m okay with and always have been. Ours is a marriage of convenience and nothing more. A fa?ade meant to deceive his employer. When Greg offered to compensate me for my trouble I’d had no idea that Aiden was waiting for me in my future. So I’d signed ten years of my life away on a dotted line and in exchange it allowed me to finish my veterinary studies.
Greg promised to be discrete about his indiscretion, of course that hadn’t lasted long. Moving to Great Falls, Montana should have been the fresh start we both needed, but before too long he was back to his sneaking around.
Instead of the friendship that we started out with, I’ve gradually started to resent him. He has the life he wants, whereas I’m stuck in limbo wanting to be with someone else.
That someone else held me tonight, cherished me. As usual though, I’d run before I got too attached.
The gentle breeze cools my heated skin. The peace doesn’t last too long as I find Greg climbing into his truck. When he catches sight of me he hesitates and jumps down, making his way over to me. “I came looking for you a few minutes ago.” He sneers, letting his words hang in the open.