Authors: Lauren Winder Farnsworth

Catching Lucas Riley (32 page)

“I’m choosing to interpret that as a yes,” Sealey said, not bothering to open his eyes, but skimming his lips over her face. “Although in this scenario, I’d like to point out that I was actually the one doing the fishing.”

Alex grinned as tingles spread over her arms and legs. “My apologies, master fisherman.” She laughed, but it died quickly in her throat as he opened his eyes and the deep blue met the dark brown. “Thank you for not giving up on me,” she whispered.

As he leaned forward to press his lips to hers, the sea foam tickling her feet became as warm as bathwater on her skin. She felt the sweet confirmation that the one she had was the one she should hold on to. And she intended to hold on tight. Forever.

Why do you think Alex chose to enter into a scheme with Sealey to win Lucas’s heart instead of approaching the task honestly? When have you been in a situation where you had to choose between the easy road and the honest road?
Why do you think Alex felt as though she couldn’t win Lucas’s heart on her own? Was Sealey right to encourage her in this view?
How does the theme of honesty (or the lack thereof) cause problems throughout the story? Are there points where characters illustrated too much honesty? How did that contribute to the problem?
Sealey’s decision to guide Alex through her romance with Lucas resulted from a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to be vulnerable. When have you been in a situation where a lack of confidence severely contributed to the problem?
Was it reasonable for Alex to be so conflicted between her job offer and Lucas? When the possibility of true love presents itself, should there ever be any other options?
If you had been in Alex’s situation, would you have forgiven Sealey so readily for his deception? Why or why not?

L
AUREN WINDER FARNSWORTH
was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is an avid reader, a chocolate enthusiast, and a CPA with a slight alternative music obsession and dreams of one day becoming a gourmet chef. She obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Utah, went to work as a financial statement auditor, and then decided that since creative accounting wasn’t an option, creative writing would have to do. As a nice compromise, accountants tend to crop up in her stories (because she firmly believes they’re underutilized in literature anyway). Having obtained two degrees from the same institution has made Lauren somewhat of a compound collegiate fan, and the only entity that holds more of her heart than the University of Utah is her hunky husband, Bryan. Lauren currently lives in South Jordan, Utah, where she spends entirely too much time watching
Gilmore Girls
and looking for excuses not to clean.

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This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. The opinions and views expressed herein belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of Cedar Fort, Inc. Permission for the use of sources, graphics, and photos is also solely the responsibility of the author.

ISBN 13: 978-1-4621-2601-9

Published by Bonneville Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.

2373 W. 700 S., Springville, UT 84663

Distributed by Cedar Fort, Inc.,
www.cedarfort.com

Cover design by Michelle May Ledezma

Edited and typeset by Melissa J. Caldwell