Chapter 1
I shrank back in the wagon, heart in my throat. My red veil slipped and hit the dusty floor.
Ethan Shaw stood in front of me like a mountain of a man, blocking out every bit of daylight.
Winnie’s face went pale. “We’re screwed, Mama. Daddy came back from the dead. He’s a ghost! A real pissed-off one!”
Motherly instincts kicked in. I pointed at Ethan with a trembling finger.
“You—let go of my kid! You monster, you damn devil, get away from us!”
But Ethan just grinned, that cocky bastard, all white teeth and heat. One arm pulled me straight into his chest like I weighed nothing.
“God, Nina. I missed you.”
His arms were solid steel wrapped in skin, searing through the fabric of my dress like fire.
Winnie thrashed around like a wildcat.
“Creep! You faker! How dare you pretend to be my daddy and touch my mama! Let her go!”
Ethan leaned down, locked eyes with her.
She blinked. Stared. Slowly reached out and poked his cheek.
“…It’s really you? You’re… not dead?”
A soldier nearby cleared his throat.
“Captain, where to now?”
Ethan tossed Winnie into the man’s arms like a sack of potatoes.
“Watch my daughter. I’ve got a wedding night to finish.”
