Page 3 of Solitary Man

Then he was out, standing by the plane.

I took a startled step back, then stopped myself and quickly stepped forward, limbs shaky, heart pounding. My fiancé was…huge. A veritable mountain of a man.

He didn’t look like his picture. Nope. Size aside—though I wasn’t sure that was possible—in the photo he was clean shaven. The man walking toward me had a full beard and hair that needed a trim.

Landon muttered a curse beside me.

“That’s…Cash?” I whispered, my throat suddenly closing up.

Landon laughed unsteadily. “Told the boy to shave.”

Boy?

Nope. Man.

All man.

As Cash came closer his blue eyes hit me. They hit me hard, and I took another startled step back. His own step faltered, and he frowned, but he kept coming.

A hand was suddenly on my back, and I jumped.

“You keep backing up, honey, you’ll end up rolling down the bank.” Landon gave my shoulder a pat. “He’s big. I get it. But I promise there’s nothing but good in that boy.”

Okay, this was happening. This was Cash. My Cash. The man who’d sent me all those beautiful emails. He was bigger than I’d imagined—a lot bigger—and there was the beard. I mean, it was nice. I actually liked it. I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.

I smiled, even as my hands shook from nerves and excitement. And okay, there might have been a little uncertainty as well.

Cash stopped in front of me, and I tipped my head back. All the way back. “Hi,” I breathed. Yes, breathed.

“Riley?” he said in a voice so deep and rough, I was surprised the ground didn’t shake beneath me. It was even deeper than I remembered.

My smile wobbled. “I’m…yes. Riley.” My gaze roamed over the sheer length and breadth of his body and back up. “You’re ah…bigger than I expected.”

He grunted.

Grunted.

An awkward silence fell between us. This is to be expected, I reminded myself. I’d done a lot of research on these kinds of marriages. I’d talked to people who had done similar to what we were now. The website Cash had used had a lot of useful information on what to expect as well, and there was a database of couples, the successful marriages and the failures. Most were happy to talk and share their experiences and I had taken advantage of the opportunity. Awkwardness was completely normal. He was more than likely as nervous as me.

I beamed up at him, letting the warmth in my heart show on my face. Yes, it was a shock finally seeing him in person, but I was happy to be here. “I’m so excited to finally meet you…to see you in the flesh.” Then I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around his thick waist, hugging him.

Cash tensed.

I waited for him to hug me back.

Landon cursed behind me.

Cash’s arms stayed at his sides.

Was he disappointed? Was seeing me in person a letdown?

I pulled back, heat washing my face, and suddenly those massive arms came around me and tugged me closer. He patted my back awkwardly. Maybe it wasn’t me? He lived alone. His house was remote. Way more remote than I originally thought. Maybe he wasn’t used to physical contact? I guess having someone hug you when you weren’t used to it could be jarring?

Then he pulled back and surprised me further by taking my hand.

He paused and glanced down, his thumb gliding over the ring he’d sent me, and he made a rough sound.

I followed his gaze, taking in the way his fingers were curled around mine, and bit my lip. My hand disappeared in his. His fingers were long and thick, the skin rough from a life of working with his hands. I imagined him typing letters to me, those thick fingers stabbing at the keyboard, and my smile widened.