"Is your phone fully charged?"

"Yes."

"Locator app on?"

"Yes."

"You tell him that if he does anything funny, I'm punching him in his rich balls."

Autumn couldn't help it; laughter bubbled out as she struggled to keep a straight face. "Yes, Jor, I'll tell him that." She looked down at her phone and pulled up the message thread between Corbin and herself:

A hike? she'd thought, staring at his request. The most walking Autumn did was from the counter to the refrigerator and back. Sure, she could lift large bags and boxes with relative ease, but walk through the woods? With Corbin's athletic physique, he'd outpace her in no time.

Of course, Jordyn was in earshot of her cell's ping and demanded to know if it was Corbin. When Autumn told her what he planned, it took a solid minute for the kid to stop laughing. That was all Autumn needed to agree to the outing.

Autumn tried not to dwell too much on her upcoming hike, pulling dozens of lemon bars and cookies out of the oven and sending them up to the mansion where they would be stored until the party. The black forest cookies, red velvet cake and pops, and chocolate sponge cake would be left for last because she wasn't sure how they would taste after a few days. Congealing blood and all. That meant early mornings and late nights to ensure everything turned out perfect. At least Jordyn was holding up her end of their bargain by helping with the non-blood desserts.

"Ah, here comes Captain Hottie," Jordyn announced as Autumn pulled on her sneakers.

Autumn stood up and peered out the large glass window in the front door. Corbin strolled down the driveway, hands stuffed into the pockets of a worn pair of jeans. Well, that was unusual, she thought. She didn't think a man with a penchant for professor chic owned a pair of jeans—or a flannel shirt for that matter.

And damn, if he didn't fill them out.

"You got this, Mom," Jordyn said, patting her firmly on the back as she opened the front door. "Hey," she greeted Corbin, grinning like a fool.

"Hello. Are you ready?" he asked Autumn, tilting his head towards the garden.

As ready as I'll ever be, she thought, straightening the hemline of her red shirt with the bakery's logo above her heart. At least this time, she didn't feel underdressed.

"Yes," she replied.

"Be back before dark!" Jordyn called out as they began walking.

Corbin twisted around and gave her a thumb's up. "I'll want to see those sketches later," he told her.

"Will do!"

Autumn laughed softly and shook her head. That kid. "So ... how's the party coming along?" she asked as the path took them past Corbin's massive garden. She'd been in there once before—with permission—to grab a few vegetables for personal use. It was even more impressive up-close, with produce that blew anything she'd grabbed at the Northampton Farmer's Market away.

Corbin made a little growling sound deep in his throat.

"That bad, huh?"

He sighed. "You have no idea."

Autumn frowned slightly. "If you hate this so much, why are you doing it?" From what she'd been able to gather, Corbin treated this whole affair as if someone was holding a gun to his head.

He looked down at her, lips twisting wryly. "I have to."

"You have to?"

"Yes. It's ... a stipulation of the society I'm a part of."

Autumn wrinkled her nose. "Sounds like a blast. What's the name of this group?"

Corbin paused, then said, "The Knowing."

The Knowing? Well, that certainly sounded like a rich people's group if Autumn ever heard of one. "Let me guess—it's some exclusive club for rich intellectuals?"

Corbin laughed and pushed a hand through his hair. "That sounds about right."

Autumn tilted her chin up to look at the trees as they entered the woods. The path was well-worn and wide enough for a car or truck to drive down, so she wasn't worried about being led somewhere sketchy. "So what do you talk about at these parties? Economics? The stock market? World domination?"

"Yes to economics and the stock market, no to world domination. But there's also philosophy."

"Oh, boy." There was no way Autumn could hold a conversation with that type of crowd, her baker status notwithstanding. "Not my kind of people."

"They're not really my kind of people, either," he told her with a shake of his head.

"How so?"

"I've been told I'm boring because I'm interested in other things."

"Painting and gardening?" Those were hobbies that Autumn could get behind because they were tactile. "How's that boring?"

Corbin looked down at her with those hypnotic ocean-colored eyes and smiled. "It's not."

Goddammit, there were those chills again. "Then maybe you need to find a new club," she said, struggling to keep from sounding breathless.

He chuckled. "They have their merits."

"I'll take your word for it."

"And what about you?"

Autumn blinked. "What about me?"

"Other than baking, what sort of hobbies do you have?"

She chuckled wryly. "I used to read, but after Jordyn was born I didn't have the time anymore."

"Well, what did you like to read?"

Autumn tugged at her ponytail. "Would you believe romance novels?" She used to dream of a great romance as a teenager, bought into the entire Disney princess bullshit. Imagine how none of that was actually true.

"I found Pride and Prejudice to be quite entertaining."

She laughed. That was really cute. "I meant Harlequin novels."

"Oh." He chuckled and shook his head, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, I've always been of the mind that any kind of reading is good."

"Well, the only kind of reading I do now are recipes."

Corbin grinned and nodded. "Nothing wrong with that."

Silence drifted between them as they approached a split in the path. The left side was flat, but the right side proceeded as a rather steep incline. Corbin stopped in the middle. "Which way would you like to go? The left side loops around to the other two cottages, the right leads to my painting spot."

Autumn folded her arms and cocked her head, thinking. She didn't want to come across as weak, but neither did she want to be gasping and panting like an old lady. But she was a woman who met any challenge life threw at her head-on.

"The right."

Corbin regarded her thoughtfully but didn't question her decision. "Up we go."

Gritting her teeth, Autumn clenched her hands and began the climb. It wasn't that long, but by the time she reached the top, her calves were screaming. "One second," Autumn panted, leaning up against the broad trunk of a tree to catch her breath.

Corbin dropped into a crouch, watching her. "Take slow, deep breaths," he instructed.

"I don't do this sort of stuff a lot," Autumn admitted, running a hand along the backs of her legs.

"It's the only one, I promise."

"Thank God," she replied, rolling her eyes.

He stood up as she straightened, offering his hand. "It'll get easier," he told her, drawing Autumn to her feet.

Electricity ran across her palm, from his hand to hers. Autumn looked up into his eyes, lips parting in wonder. But Corbin wasn't looking at her face; his head was turned towards the path. By the time he glanced back, the moment had passed. Flushing, Autumn let go and brushed her hands off on her jeans.

There it was again, she thought. That strange feeling.

"Ready to continue?"

"Sure, sure," she replied hastily, eager to move on.

From there, the landscape continued to rise, but gradually. The trees that surrounded them gently faded into the background as they crested a slope. A single folding chair rested against a collection of moss-covered boulders.

"You climb all the way up here to paint?" Autumn exclaimed, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. She'd been inside the cottage with its central air for too long and forgot that it was summer.

"I like the solitude," he replied, walking around the boulders and sweeping a hand out over the landscape. "And besides, no two days are the same. Sometimes, deer come to drink by the river, or there are interesting clouds in the sky. Even the light is different."

Autumn followed and saw that they were actually perched on a cliff overlooking a river. The gently flowing water butted up against the base of the cliff, winding around boulders large and small. A tiny green turtle perched on one of the rocks, quietly sunbathing.

On the opposite side of the river, the forest spread out before them with gently sloping mountains in the distance. Dark sand made up the bank; sticks and other large branches littered the edge, some lying half in, half out of the water. Birds darted in and out of the branches, calling out to each other as they danced. It was beautiful and magical, a pristine landscape without human interference.

When she turned around, Autumn saw Corbin perched on the boulders, one leg stretched out. "You wanted me to come up here," she said, walking up to the pile and shaking a finger at him. Corbin smiled but didn't say anything. He was smart, she'd give him that.

Smart, handsome, kind, generous ... and rich. The last part didn't matter.

Autumn climbed up the rocks and sat a short distance away. "You know, most rich guys would rather show off their cars. But you? I like this a lot better." Her legs might think differently, but she'd deal with that later.

Hugging her arms around her knees, Autumn looked out onto the forest. When was the last time she had a moment to herself where she just got to be still and breathe? Every moment of every waking day was a struggle—to pay the bills, to ensure she had enough clients, to get the orders correct, to make sure her daughter had everything she needed for school.

Did other people get this sort of break?

Twisting around, she looked up at Corbin and said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"This." Autumn gestured to the landscape. "It's been a long time since I've had a moment of peace."

His expression softened. "I'm glad I could help."

Smiling to herself, Autumn turned back to the trees as a small breeze played with her chestnut locks.

The quiet lasted only a moment before Corbin's cell phone buzzed. Autumn looked back briefly but didn't want to stare.

"Shit," she heard him growl.

She turned. "Something wrong?"

Corbin sat there staring at his phone, fingers tightening around the device. "One of my guests arrived early."

"Oh." She pushed back a lock of hair. "Well, if you have to go—go." She made a shooing motion with both hands.

Corbin sighed and rubbed at his face. Autumn felt bad for him, but he'd made this commitment long before she came into the picture. And somewhere deep inside, he knew that too.

Turning, Corbin jumped off the rocks, landing with barely a sound. He walked over to where Autumn sat and held out his hands. "I'll help you down."

Without thinking, she swiveled on the cool stone and slid off the boulders—and into his arms.

"Oh," she breathed, instinctively canting towards him. Corbin peered down at her through hooded eyes and took a step forward, closing the gap between them. Electricity skittered along the bare skin of her arms where his fingers rested. Autumn's heart began to thump as her hands grabbed onto his biceps to keep herself steady.

"Did you plan this?" she whispered, body humming with his nearness.

"No," he replied quietly, leaning down.

Corbin's lips gently touched hers, light as a feather. Moaning softly, Autumn ran her hands up his arms to link them around his neck. His arms looped around her back, one hand knotting in her hair. Her lips parted, inviting him in. Corbin growled and pressed her firmly against his hard chest, their hearts beating in time.

A series of buzzes broke the magic. Reluctantly, Corbin pulled back, one hand cupping her cheek. "May I have a rain check?" he asked, running his thumb along her bottom lip.

Autumn turned her head and pressed a kiss to his palm. "Yes." Dear God, her whole body felt warm and alive—and it wasn't the summer sun beating down on them, either.

Corbin sighed and touched his lips to her forehead. "Let's go then."

They reluctantly drew apart, but Autumn grabbed his hand, linking her fingers through his. Corbin smiled and squeezed back. Heart singing, Autumn thought that maybe there was some truth to those romance novels after all.