The Painter & the Pretty Girl

Excerpt:

"You could marry me."

George Devereaux looks at me like I've suggested we change our identities, move to Siberia, and take up goat herding. "You're not serious. Why would you want to marry me?"

"If it's not you, it wouldn't be anyone." As I scramble for words, my usual snappy comebacks fail me. "I mean, I didn't mean it like that. I just don't think I would want to get married ever. So I might as well marry you."

His expression of blank confusion shows a frisson of hurt before resuming its impassive state.

"You really know how to romance a man," he says softly. "Prepare to be disappointed every day of your life."

I don't know how to tell him that I already do. "It's on, then."

-

Georgia Philips: Reckless. Eccentric. Guarded. The 24-year-old model doesn't think there's a perfect man for her, and not just because of her high standards. But when George Devereaux comes crashing back into her life as a guest lecturer for her art history class, all bets are off.

George Devereaux: Moody. Rebellious. Passionate. The artist always been a drifter, but when he decides to put down roots in New York, his American visa expires. He can either fake a marriage-or get a job.

Neither of them is looking for romance. What they find instead is a far greater love than either could have on their own-the love of God.