me much, but everything I had went to paying back the victims of their fraud.”
Speechless, Cooper could only stare at her. While he’d been off making his fortune and enjoying it while seeing the world, she’d been used as part of a negotiation between her crooked parents and crookeder husband, then abandoned by both to face the wrath of the people they’d duped.
No wonder she seemed more guarded than he remembered. But she wasn’t hiding from him now.
In fact, Vivian pulled her shoulders back and lifted her face to his as she said, “So there you have it. I broke my engagement to the penniless man I loved and married the rich guy my parents wanted—and now here I am. I own nothing more than the clothes on my back, and you’re a billionaire with the freedom to do and be whatever you want. I could almost laugh at the irony, if it weren’t the life I have to live.”
Shaking his head as if that would re-order the pieces of information that this revelation had shattered into pieces, Cooper said, “What do you mean, you own nothing? You just bought this cabin.”
Sadness and longing darkened her eyes to the color of the night sky after a storm. “With Miles and Greta’s money. They loaned me the down payment, and I got a loan from the bank—that’s what I was doing the other night, that made me miss the wedding rehearsal. The cabin doesn’t belong to me…but it is my future. I’m going to fix it up and flip it, and hopefully make enough money to buy the next place. And so on.”
“You’re doing the renovations yourself?” Alarm tightened Cooper’s chest. He’d seen the rickety state of the cabin, but… “I assumed you’d be hiring contractors and handymen to do the work.”
“I don’t have the money for that.” She smiled, and it was only a little shaky at the corners. “Don’t worry, I’m looking forward to it. I spent most of my marriage decorating and redecorating our house, and I borrowed a few DIY books from the Sanctuary Island library. I’ll be fine.”
She would be fine, Cooper decided on the spur of the moment. He’d make sure of it.
“I have a proposal for you,” he told her. “And this time, you’re not walking away from me before I’m done with you.”
Chapter 6
The word “proposal” rang oddly in Vivian’s ears, everything else fading out around it. “What?” she asked, sucking in a breath and half expecting him to go down on one knee.
Instead, Cooper put his hands on his hips and turned to survey the exterior of the cabin with a critical eye. “How much did you borrow to pay for this place?”
Vivian didn’t like the skeptical tone. But as she followed his gaze, taking in the dilapidated side view of the front porch, the disreputable missing shingles from the roof, and the general air of being down on its luck, she couldn’t blame Cooper for turning up his nose at the old place. But Vivian had vision, and if she squinted, she saw the cabin as it could be—bright lights shining from the windows, a curl of smoke seeping from the chimney, and fresh paint job would work wonders to turn this house into a home.
“I didn’t borrow more than it’s worth,” she assured him, biting her lip when it sounded as if she were trying to convince both of them. “It’s going to be someone’s dream home, I’m sure of it.”
She ought to know. It was
her
dream home. But she had to sell it. That was the plan.
Until Cooper Hayes tilted his head and said, “I want to make you an offer. Right here, right now.”
Caught off balance, Vivian stammered, “What kind of an offer?”
“A generous one.” Cooper’s mouth quirked up, and he named a figure that was five times the amount Vivian had paid for the cabin. Her eyes felt like they would pop out of her head as she mentally tabulated how quickly she could pay back the Harringtons and the bank, with enough left over to fund her next house flipping project.
“But…” She struggled to control her lungs, which wanted
Speechless, Cooper could only stare at her. While he’d been off making his fortune and enjoying it while seeing the world, she’d been used as part of a negotiation between her crooked parents and crookeder husband, then abandoned by both to face the wrath of the people they’d duped.
No wonder she seemed more guarded than he remembered. But she wasn’t hiding from him now.
In fact, Vivian pulled her shoulders back and lifted her face to his as she said, “So there you have it. I broke my engagement to the penniless man I loved and married the rich guy my parents wanted—and now here I am. I own nothing more than the clothes on my back, and you’re a billionaire with the freedom to do and be whatever you want. I could almost laugh at the irony, if it weren’t the life I have to live.”
Shaking his head as if that would re-order the pieces of information that this revelation had shattered into pieces, Cooper said, “What do you mean, you own nothing? You just bought this cabin.”
Sadness and longing darkened her eyes to the color of the night sky after a storm. “With Miles and Greta’s money. They loaned me the down payment, and I got a loan from the bank—that’s what I was doing the other night, that made me miss the wedding rehearsal. The cabin doesn’t belong to me…but it is my future. I’m going to fix it up and flip it, and hopefully make enough money to buy the next place. And so on.”
“You’re doing the renovations yourself?” Alarm tightened Cooper’s chest. He’d seen the rickety state of the cabin, but… “I assumed you’d be hiring contractors and handymen to do the work.”
“I don’t have the money for that.” She smiled, and it was only a little shaky at the corners. “Don’t worry, I’m looking forward to it. I spent most of my marriage decorating and redecorating our house, and I borrowed a few DIY books from the Sanctuary Island library. I’ll be fine.”
She would be fine, Cooper decided on the spur of the moment. He’d make sure of it.
“I have a proposal for you,” he told her. “And this time, you’re not walking away from me before I’m done with you.”
Chapter 6
The word “proposal” rang oddly in Vivian’s ears, everything else fading out around it. “What?” she asked, sucking in a breath and half expecting him to go down on one knee.
Instead, Cooper put his hands on his hips and turned to survey the exterior of the cabin with a critical eye. “How much did you borrow to pay for this place?”
Vivian didn’t like the skeptical tone. But as she followed his gaze, taking in the dilapidated side view of the front porch, the disreputable missing shingles from the roof, and the general air of being down on its luck, she couldn’t blame Cooper for turning up his nose at the old place. But Vivian had vision, and if she squinted, she saw the cabin as it could be—bright lights shining from the windows, a curl of smoke seeping from the chimney, and fresh paint job would work wonders to turn this house into a home.
“I didn’t borrow more than it’s worth,” she assured him, biting her lip when it sounded as if she were trying to convince both of them. “It’s going to be someone’s dream home, I’m sure of it.”
She ought to know. It was
her
dream home. But she had to sell it. That was the plan.
Until Cooper Hayes tilted his head and said, “I want to make you an offer. Right here, right now.”
Caught off balance, Vivian stammered, “What kind of an offer?”
“A generous one.” Cooper’s mouth quirked up, and he named a figure that was five times the amount Vivian had paid for the cabin. Her eyes felt like they would pop out of her head as she mentally tabulated how quickly she could pay back the Harringtons and the bank, with enough left over to fund her next house flipping project.
“But…” She struggled to control her lungs, which wanted
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