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Chapter 85
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2023-10-05 12:47:44Related chapters
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 86
NOAHNoah Harding sucked in deep breaths through his nose as he ran. Sweat poured down his face and drenched his navy-blue Blackwater Fire Department T-shirt.Jameson panted through his words as he ran beside Noah. “I picked up the fence posts yesterday. We need to mend the south fence on the field by the back entrance. Or should we fix the one that’s down by Bluestone Creek?”“We can do both,” Lucas quipped from Noah’s other side.“I’m volunteering on Monday, but I can help you finish up whatever’s left on Tuesday,” Noah added.Noah liked Jameson, but Lucas didn’t have any love for the guy. Lucas was a Harding, so working the ranch was expected of him, but their dad hired Jameson a couple of years ago. Jameson was a perfectionist and a little obsessive, and those traits didn’t mesh well with Lucas’s fun-loving nature.“What about the broken tines on the baler?” Jameson asked through heaving breaths pushed out by the force of his run.Lucas stumbled and grunted. “I forgot about that.”
Last Updated : 2023-10-06The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 87
NOAHNoah squared his shoulders toward Camille’s stepdad. Their last meeting had kicked off the worst period of Noah’s life—the years he’d been forced to spend without Camille. Nathan Vanderbilt might hold all the cards, but Noah would never cower to another man. With as much calm as he could muster, Noah extended his hand in greeting. “Mr. Vanderbilt.”Nathan’s gaze hadn’t left Noah’s, but his fist remained clenched at his side. A scowl painted the older man’s face, but it was subtle. A Vanderbilt never truly showed his temper.Bonnie released Noah’s other hand and ran to her husband. “Oh, Nathan.” She sobbed onto his chest. “She’s in there, and she looked—”“Yes,” Nathan interrupted his wife. He spoke to her, but his focus was still trained on Noah. “Why don’t you have a seat in the waiting room? I’ll be right there.”Bonnie wasn’t a pushover, but she liked to keep the peace, and she wasn’t oblivious to the tension between her husband and Noah.He retracted his waiting hand and cros
Last Updated : 2023-10-07The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 88
CAMILLECamille slowly opened her eyes and turned her head. Everything hurt.“Sweetie? Sweetie, I’m here.” Someone stood, hanging over her, assessing her with wide eyes.Confusion filled her head, and it took a moment for the recognition to settle in place before she said, “Mom?”Her mind was blank. She just stared—at her mother, at the walls. It hurt to turn her head much, but she didn’t really care.Her mother rattled on, calling for a nurse, asking for the doctor.Camille just stared, not sure what to think because it was hard to focus long enough to think about any one thing. Thoughts shot around in her head, vying for her attention, but darting away too fast to catch. It was exhausting.Nurses came to assess her, followed by a doctor. Finally, Camille asked, “What happened?”A nurse in pink scrubs with a copper pixie cut answered, “You were in a wreck. You’ve been in a coma for two days.”The information didn’t register. The pain overpowered everything else. “My head.”“Do you ne
Last Updated : 2023-10-08The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 89
NOAHSix Months LaterNoah’s phone dinged as he stepped through the door of Sticky Sweets Bakery. He scrambled to pull the phone from his pocket. He knew it was Jenny. Her morning updates about Camille’s recovery were like clockwork, and he lived for those bits of information. If he couldn’t be there with Camille himself, hearing from Jenny that Camille was doing well was the next best thing.Jenny: Our girl is good. Starting back to work this morning.Someone shoved his shoulder, and he turned to see Lucas following him. Most of their crew members stopped by Sticky Sweets for coffee before the grind of the shift. The owner, Tracy, was a good friend of his mom, and she always threw in a cream cheese Danish for him if she was working the register. Those treats were certainly worth the extra hours in the gym.Lucas pointed toward the growing line. “Migrate, man. We got somewhere to be.” Their shift didn’t start for another hour, but they all liked to arrive early. He leaned in closer an
Last Updated : 2023-10-09The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 90
CAMILLE“I know he’s important, Jen.” Camille balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she typed in the data from the last donation.Jenny sighed on the other end of the call. “You’re right. He is important. I just don’t know how to tell you about him. He’s… different.”Camille agreed. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking of Noah since he’d said his name at Sticky Sweets at the beginning of the week. His dark, expressive eyes were hard to forget. The more she thought about him, the more she remembered that stubbled jaw and broad nose.She’d been all but obsessing over the man in her dreams for months, and it’d been a shock to run into the handsome firefighter in town. She’d been describing the man in her dreams to Jenny since the accident, and her cousin hadn’t let on that it might be someone that Camille used to know.“I’ll say,” Camille agreed. “But it doesn’t matter what kind of different he is. I need to remember how I knew him.”Camille’s dreams had morphed from the sh
Last Updated : 2023-10-10The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 91
Camille slid across the hardwood floor of the kitchen in her fuzzy socks. The sticky note on her bathroom mirror this morning said today was her last scheduled follow-up appointment for her head injury, and it was a glorious day. She woke up with a spring in her step and a song in her heart. Coffee was brewing, birds were chirping in the warm sun, and Camille would be free of all restrictions soon.She’d been released to return to work a month ago, and honestly, she felt like that should’ve been the end of it. She’d done everything her doctors had recommended to help recover her memory. Still, better to take the doctor’s orders and show up for one last appointment.The sticky notes were still plastered all over her house, and she kept the Bluetooth tracker on her keys and purse, but things were getting better. She wasn’t ready to say she didn’t need those crutches anymore, but maybe the puzzles and exercising were helping.Camille’s phone rang, and she bounded to it, kicking her feet
Last Updated : 2023-10-11The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 92
NOAHNoah trudged into the main house and toed off his boots just as his brother, Aaron, pulled up and parked his pickup. All of the Harding brothers knew to leave the space closest to the door for Aaron so he could carry his son, Levi, inside. Days started early on the ranch, and Levi was a sound sleeper for a three-year-old. No one saw a reason to wake the kid at five in the morning.Dixie panted, wagging her tail and bouncing from side to side.“Hey, girl.” Noah squatted to scratch the dog’s head. The border collie was a trained wrangler, and she sure helped out when it came to moving the herds.Stepping from the light-blue dusk into the meeting room of his parents’ house, Noah hung his walnut-colored cowboy hat on the rack by the door. It was more of a dining hall, but they always discussed chores and family topics during meals when they were all together. The first floor of what they all called the main house was made up of one cavernous meeting room on one side with wooden walls
Last Updated : 2023-10-13The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 93
NOAHThe next week, Noah balanced two to-go cups of coffee on his arm as he unlocked the door to Blackwater Restoration. It was early, but he’d bet his last paycheck that Camille was already in her office.The bell chimed above the door as he entered, and Camille peeked her head out of the office doorway before he’d taken five steps.“Morning,” she greeted him. “You’re here early.”Noah’s heartbeat fluttered in his chest. He’d never get used to her beauty. It knocked him on his rear end every time he saw her. Her dark hair hung in waves over her shoulder, and her straight nose slanted down toward her thin lips.“Morning, sunshine.”Camille met him by the register, and he extended one of the cups to her. She lit up with a smile that filled her whole face. The mounds of her cheeks lifted, and her eyes almost squinted with the expression.“And that’s how I know you’re special.”He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he was more than happy to follow. “How?”“You make me smile before I’v
Last Updated : 2023-10-14
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The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 117
NOAH Camille glanced over both shoulders as if checking to make sure the coast was clear before extending both hands, palms up, toward Sprite. “Take your pick, pretty lady.” One hand offered an apple and the other a sugar cube. Noah wasn’t sure who liked treat time the most, his girlfriend or the horse. Dixie circled Camille’s legs, begging for attention. He’d just watched from the tailgate as Camille rode Sprite through the pasture by the stable. “Sugar. Always a good choice.” Camille waited for the blue roan to finish the treats before nuzzling noses with the big softie. It’d been a week since Noah was released from the hospital, and he was still getting used to needing help completing small tasks. The bandages were cumbersome and needed to be changed often. Not to mention small things like showering and putting on pants had become a chore. Camille spent every moment she could helping him. He didn’t mind it when she helped, but it was an unspoken truth that any “help” from his b
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 116
“There’s a lot you don’t know about Nathan, but none of it excuses what he did,” Bonnie said. Bonnie went with Camille to her house to change clothes and pack a bag of extras, in case Noah stayed at the hospital overnight. She planned on staying there until he came home. She’d called Anita and rounded up some things she needed too. Now, Camille and her mom were back on the road, and they had a lot to talk about. “Nathan was adopted when he was four years old,” Bonnie began. “He was neglected as a child, and he had a handful of health problems that had never been treated. By the time he was taken from his parents, he was malnourished, dehydrated, and had several broken bones and bruises.” Camille turned away from her mother. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever heard this story before, but her heart told her she hadn’t. “Your grandparents didn’t have any children, but they had been in touch with the local foster care system and were contacted when Nathan was still recovering. They adopted
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 115
Her foot rested heavy on the accelerator as she drove from Cody to Blackwater. Anger and betrayal built within her with every mile that passed beneath her tires. Twisting her hands on the steering wheel, she ached for a distraction. Something to calm the storm of her emotions. How could Nathan do something so horrible? She called Jenny and let the ringing in her car speakers drown out the roiling in her ears. “Hey. What’s up?” “Noah is in the hospital in Cody. A bear attacked him this morning.” “What?” Jenny screamed. “Is he okay?” Camille’s voice shook. “He is now. It looked so bad after it happened, though. It clawed his leg up good.” Rustling sounded on Jenny’s end of the line. “Do I need to come?” “No,” Camille assured her. “He’s doing okay. They stitched him up and he’s conscious now, but he lost a lot of blood. He’ll be in quite a bit of pain while it heals.” “I can’t imagine.” “They were cleaning up a dozen cows that were shot last night when the bear attacked.” Camill
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 114
She couldn’t lose him. Not again, and not like this. Camille raked her hands through Noah’s hair while his head lay in her lap. She was trying to be brave. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to break apart right now. Noah needed her to stay alert and strong for him. “I’m glad you’re here.” His words were faint, but she’d heard him. Whatever reason he had for breaking up with her didn’t matter now. A tear slid down her face as she prayed. “Lord, please lay Your hand on Noah. Help us get him to the help he needs in time. Help me to be strong. Help us.” Her words cracked at the end, and she squeezed her eyes closed. “Please, Lord. I don’t want to lose him.” Tears burned her eyes when she opened them. He was lying still—too still. She looked to Lucas. “I think he’s unconscious!” Lucas held the injured leg stationary. “Almost there.” She turned and stretched her neck to see the main house over the next rise. The red-and-white ambulance was parked in front. The paramedics carefu
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 113
NOAH Noah tried to hold his ground, but the bear was running toward him now. He lowered the phone from his ear and yelled, “Micah!” He took two steps backward on instinct. He wasn’t running, but he was pretty sure it was the better option right now. On the third step back, his heel snagged on a fallen branch. He fell backward, arms flailing, and his phone went soaring through the air. “Micah!” Noah couldn’t take his eyes off the advancing predator to see if his brother was coming to help, but he prayed he’d yelled loud enough to be heard over the running tractor. The bear slowed as it approached Noah lying on his back. The fall had knocked the wind out of him, but he wasn’t breathing anyway. The bear’s large paw lifted and swiped down faster than any animal that large should’ve been able to move. Noah cried out once more as the claws sliced across his thigh. “Micah!” A boom filled the air, followed by another, and the bear jerked backward and fell onto its side. Noah could hear
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 112
NOAHNoah drove through the gates at Blackwater Ranch in a daze. His shift at the fire station had started the morning after he’d gone to Camille’s, and it had been a long two days.His shifts were always tiring, but this time he hadn’t been able to sleep or eat like he should to keep his energy up. Losing Camille felt like a constant, nagging hunger. His insides were empty, but he couldn’t get filled.He’d been praying, but no answers had come. Was he supposed to fix this on his own or wait for the Lord to show him how to mend his broken heart?He topped the slight hill before the main house, and a sinking feeling hit him in the chest. There weren’t any trucks parked out front. It was breakfast time. Everyone should’ve been there.Noah hastily parked by the door and ran inside, forgetting to take off his shoes.“Mom. Dad,” Noah hollered into the empty dining room.His mom stepped out of the kitchen and wiped her hands on her apron. “They’re all out,” his mom said in a shaky voice.“W
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 111
NOAHNoah closed Camille’s door behind him, but it didn’t block out her sobs. He couldn’t move his feet to walk away from her just yet. What had he done? He’d made things worse with Nathan tonight, and then… this.Remembering the look on Camille’s face had his gut twisting. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He’d been given the chance to be happy again, and it had all been taken away too soon.Anger built in his chest as he sat on the small step on her front porch. There was a roaring in his ears, but he could still hear Camille’s wails behind him.He wanted to go back inside and hold her and tell her they would make it through anything together.But he couldn’t do that when it was probably a lie. How could he save his family and keep Camille in his life? It was too much to hope. He’d been allowed to enjoy the best times of his life with her, and the stretches of time in between were just filler.Sitting alone in the dark night outside her door, he hung his head and prayed.
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 110
Camille leaned closer to the screen of her laptop and squinted. “Those might work,” she mumbled to herself. The boots on her screen resembled the ones Noah and his brothers wore around the ranch, but finding the female equivalent had proven to be a challenge. Plus, ordering shoes online was always hit or miss. She ran the heart pendant of her necklace back and forth along the chain as she added the boots to the shopping cart.She’d wised up with the wide-brimmed cowboy hat already, and good boots were a must at this point if she planned to keep working with Noah around the ranch on her days off.A knock sounded at her door, and Camille jumped in her seat, bumping her knees on the desk. “Oww.” So much for assessing the stranger at her door before revealing she was at home.She pushed away from the desk and padded over to the door in her bare feet. Peering through the peephole, she saw Noah standing on her doorstep with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.Camille fumbled with t
The Millionaire's Bride Chapter 109
NOAHCamille’s parents’ house was a log and brick monstrosity with wooden columns along the front side thicker than Noah had ever seen. Two stories of walls and windows stretched into a double-decker garage on one side. A twenty-foot-tall statue of angels and cherubs sat imposing in the grassy area along the circular drive.He’d put off coming here for long enough, but it was time to talk. If Nathan wasn’t home, he’d just sit in his truck and wait for him.Noah had always felt small when he came here. The size of the place dwarfed anything around it except the mountains. He knew from days past when he would visit Camille that there was a heated pool in the back along with a fire pit, an outdoor grilling area, and a guest house.The old truck door groaned and creaked as it closed behind him, and Noah threw his cowboy hat back into the cab through the open window. There wasn’t any sense in stirring the pot. His boots thudded loudly against the sturdy boards of the porch as he approached
