Prologue

While petting my beloved horse Mable's reddish brown mane softly, I think back to five years ago when I wasn't married to a man who's only passion is making vast fortunes and working every second of the day.  Matter of fact, if I was completely honest, marriage wasn't my first thought.  I had wanted to travel and be a world famous designer in Milan.  

When my dad notified me of the arranged marriage, I freaked out.   Not knowing that people still did that in the U.S., my first thought was to run away.  So I took the earliest plane that I could find to Europe and hid. 

I stayed abroad for 6 months till they eventually found me.  How could I get married?  I was so young and wanted to do so many things before I was chained down to one man.  Getting married wasn't one of them.  

Feeling Mable snort, brings me back to the present and she rubs her nose on my hand to get me to pet her again.  The soft fur always calms me, I have had her my whole life.  She used to be my mom's before she died, but she passed away when I was two. 

My father, not knowing what to do, remarried quickly and didn't know my stepmother only married him for money.  He soon found out that her appetite for younger men was voracious and she had little interest in him.  Still needing her to take care of me though, he allowed it for years until I was old enough to take care of myself.  

When I turned eighteen, I moved in with my best friend Nicole.  We had the greatest time, till the day my dad told me I was getting married and I didn't have a choice.  We were about to lose everything, because his company was being forced into bankruptcy and if I didn't marry Brad there would be no coming back.  Being worth billions and an heiress to a multitrillion dollar company does have its perks, but that wasn't one of them.  

Brad Harrison at the time was 23 and strictly a professional businessman.  He had built a trillion dollar company out of nothing in three years and my dad was looking to consolidate their businesses to stop from filing bankruptcy.  Our marriage served the purpose of shoring up the deal, but it was a pact with the devil.

Beng married for almost five years, I figure that nothing can get any better, so why even try.  Every night he comes home and every night we sleep in separate bedrooms.  We didn't even consummate the marriage on our honeymoon.  Instead, he spent the whole time working and I saw the sites.  I doubt he even knows I exist and it feels like he has some kind of secret.

Two months ago I visited Nicole in Los Angeles and while I was there, I met a man.  It was a brief encounter, but it made me realize that I want more than what Brad is giving me now.  I can't live this way the rest of my life, I need to be loved. 

Leaving this marriage is impossible, because Brad made sure that I signed a prenuptial agreement.  With that in mind, if I am ever going to be happy, I will have to wait for a chance and take it the next time one arises.  It's just really too bad that all he cares about is money, because he is handsome and I wouldn't mind being his wife if he paid attention to me at all.  Is it too much to ask for?

Leading Mable out of the stable carefully, I can tell that Brad has hired new help because they are all standing around and getting the same old lecture from him that he gives every new hire.  Returning my attention to Mable, I get up on her and squeeze my knees together, making her move quickly.  She still has spunk for a 28 year old and speeds right past them almost knocking over the older gentleman.  Feeling free, I ride for several hours till it starts to rain.

Riding back to the stable, Mable grumbles and snorts because she hates getting rained on.  The smell that comes off of horses coats when it's wet is a combination of wet fur, sweat and leather.  It's not one of my favorite scents, but I have smelled worse.

When we arrive back at the stable, it has already started thundering and lightning, making Mable scared and jumpy.  She starts kicking and bucking before I can get her put in her stall.  Just trying to hold on, I steer her in the stable and almost make it to her stall before she bucks me clear off.  

Out of nowhere, a tall, dark, handsome man catches me mid-air and saves me from falling and breaking any number of bones.  Stunned and shaken up, I stare into his beautiful green eyes for what seems like forever, till he kisses me.  It is a soft kiss, barely a whisper across my lips, but in that one moment I realize that I could stay in his arms forever.

In that instant, I feel something I have never felt before.  A sexual attraction that buzzes throughout all of my being.  It is so sudden and powerful that neither one of us budges until the older stable hand walks up to us to find out if I have been hurt. 

Realizing that we are not alone, the man puts me down quickly and they both check me over for any injuries.  After wrangling Mable back into the stall, I thank them both and rush back to the house for safety.  Hoping that Brad didn't see us or that the other stable hand doesn't say anything, I wait breathlessly for repercussions.

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