Why can’t I be like that? Free to go wherever I want with nothing to stop me? True and utter freedom.

Johanna stared intently at the raindrops running down the windowpane. Soon, the campus would be flooded by the heavy sheets of cold rain pouring down outside, cooling the dry, dusty air of Nebraska, but she didn’t want to be inside watching it. Though her coffee cup was empty, Johanna chewed on the lid anyway, gazing longingly out the window as she strolled through the hall towards her last class of the day.

She sighed and chewed harder on the lid until her friend, Melody, pulled her hand away. “What?” Johanna asked.

“You’re doing it again. If your mom catches you, she’ll smack your hand and you know it,” Melody muttered, glancing down at the schedule on top of her binder. “You know they said this class is the worst. Heard rumors from some friends that he’s a hard-ass.”

Johanna brought the cup back up to her lips until Melody glared at her. She tossed it in the next trashcan they passed. “Great. Remind me why we waited until senior year to take this class?”

“Because of you, Jo. It’s always because of you.”

“I resent that,” Johanna said with a laugh as her friend smirked. “I tried to take it last fall and you said to wait because you weren’t in the mood for a business class.”

Melody glanced up at her friend—Johanna was tall, nearly five-foot-nine—and frowned. “No, I said I never wanted to take a business class, but sadly, like you, I have no say in the matter.”

Johanna’s lips thinned, thinking of the degree she was only two semesters away from earning. A degree she wanted nothing to do with, just like a family that had pushed her patience to the bitter limit. She was twenty-two and had nothing to say for herself as far as enjoying life, being out there and doing what she wanted, living the dream.

She and Melody passed a group of guys standing near the intersection of the hallway. They turned away from her, glaring as she passed. Johanna tightened her hold on the strap of her tote and tried not to show how much it still hurt, after all these years. Everywhere she went in this damn town—hell, the whole damn state—people hated her because of her last name.

“You would think they’d have other things to worry about,” Melody said loudly over her shoulder as they passed. One of the guys flipped them both off, and Melody cursed, grabbing Johanna’s arm and giving her a little shove onward when her steps slowed. “Don’t worry about them.”

“I’m fine,” Johanna muttered. “Perfectly fine. Used to it, remember?”

“Right, sure you are,” Melody quipped and tossed her black hair over her shoulder.

Johanna watched the straight waves fall down her friend’s back and stifled the jealousy that shot through her. She had inherited her mother’s features, her smooth face and her amber eyes, but it was the damn curly, sandy brown hair she hated. She’d wanted to cut it for years, but every time she tried, her mom would throw a fit about losing such beautiful locks. One of these days, she was going to take the kitchen scissors to it and be done with it.

“You’re doing it again,” Melody whispered out of the side of her mouth.

The pen Johanna always kept in her pocket was now at her lips as she chewed on the cap. Blushing, she pulled the pen away and asked where the lecture hall was. Melody nodded down another hall, and they turned, Johanna wishing they had to pass through the courtyard at some point. Concordia University certainly wasn’t the Ivy League colleges her brothers had attended, but it was still private and good enough for her parents. They had wanted her to go to New York, but she put her foot down, claiming being so far away from her little sister, Isabel, would do more harm than good. Her little sister had quite the rebellious streak beneath that innocent face. Johanna couldn’t leave her behind to deal with the weight of their family legacy all on her own.

“There it is,” Melody said, pointing towards the end of the hall. “That’s the biggest lecture hall. Good, maybe we can sit in the back and disappear all semester.”

If only. Johanna followed her friend through the door. They looked at the students already present in the stadium seating, which went up twenty rows. They climbed the steps to where they saw two open seats in the far back. Rain battered the windows, and Johanna turned to watch it fall and stream down the smooth surface of the glass. After a few minutes of knowing she’d be out in the downpour after class, she turned around and pulled out a notebook and her old, reliable pen with its gnarled cap.

Melody smirked as she always did when she saw another pen so abused. Johanna needed a vice to get her through the day sometimes, and it was either chew on something or start smoking.

More people filtered in through the door as it drew closer to class time, and she watched them, picking out familiar faces from her other classes over the years. Many steered clear of her, but when the small group of guys from the corridor stepped in, the one in front let out a loud whistle.

“Well, lookie there, boys, guess we have to deal with a Chadwick this semester after all.”

Johanna bit down harder on the pen cap, cracking it, and cursed but didn’t speak to the guys. They snickered and jeered as they took up the front row, lounging in their seats like the lazy bastards they probably were. People like them were the reason Johanna wanted out of Nebraska. She needed to leave, but deep down, she knew the truth: She’d be stuck here until her parents bit the dust and then her brothers would do the exact same thing to her. Control every aspect of her life. She knew they were even checking out potential men for her to date who would help the family business.

“You look like you’re going to kill someone with that pen,” Melody whispered. “I think you need a drink after class.”

“Can’t, Frank and Frederick are picking me up today,” she fumed. She hated the days her brothers decided to drive her around as if she was still a child. “Apparently, they want to talk to me about something.”

Melody’s nostrils flared, but she didn’t argue. She had learned a long time ago that when the twins were involved, it was best to leave the situation be and let Johanna do what she had to do.

Class was only a few minutes from starting when another person rushed through the door, sopping wet and with a hood pulled over his head. His boots stomped heavily across the floor, and Johanna heard him curse all the way across the room. When he reached the front row, he shrugged out of his leather jacket, and she sank down as low as she could in her seat.

“Damn it. Why is he in this class?” she spat, praying he didn’t look up and see her.

Melody asked who then followed Johanna’s horrified gaze. “Oh, good Lord. You’re in serious shit now.”

“Three years we manage not to have any classes together, and he strolls into this one?” Johanna sputtered, debating if she should hurry from the class and see if there were another available.

Her friend caught the look in her eye and gripped Johanna’s arm. “No, you’re not leaving. You need this class to graduate. Act like he’s not here. It’s a big room with lots of people, and you are adults.”

“He’s a damn Marquette, Melody,” she said. “If my brothers find out—”

“So don’t tell them,” she shrugged.

Johanna’s feet itched to run away, but a man in a suit jacket and jeans stepped in and closed the door behind him. His perfectly bald head and the glasses propped atop the shiny surface caught the overhead lights.

“Afternoon, students,” the man said loudly with a smile as he faced them all.

Most of them replied and watched as the man walked to the dry-erase board. Johanna’s eyes darted to the man she’d spent her entire life trying to avoid. Melody was right, though. Nearly every seat was filled. The chances of him noticing her were slim.

“I’m Professor James Ashford. If I like you well enough by the end of the semester, you can call me Professor Ash,” he told them with a smile, and some of the students laughed. “Now, before we delve into exactly what this class will entail, we’ll go over a basic code of conduct in my class, things you should know but tend to forget.”

Several students laughed again as he opened his leather bag and pulled out a folder. Johanna glanced towards the front of the room again. Maybe she would get through this class without the Marquette even realizing that she sat a few rows behind him.

* * *

Reider dripped water all over the floor beneath his seat, hating the rain and its bad timing, but there was nothing for it. This was the one class he had to take to graduate, and he couldn’t be late on the first day. If he didn’t pass with a high enough grade, he’d never hear the end of it from his parents.

Senior year was finally here, and he wanted to get it over with as fast as possible so he could figure out how to break it to his parents that he wanted to do something different with his life. It was bad enough that he had to drive far out of his way just to buy a cup of coffee where no one knew who he was at first sight. He loved his parents most of the time, but having a legacy hanging over him had him champing at the bit to have one day—just one day—where he wasn’t under so much pressure to be the perfect son and heir to the family business.

“Right then,” Professor Ashford said, and Reider straightened in his seat. “Who was the perfect, suck-up student and did the assigned reading for today because they checked my online syllabus first?” He glanced around the room and pointed to someone in the back. “Ms. Johanna Chadwick, how about you?”

The room erupted in whispers, and he turned, searching for a familiar face, listening for the sound of that voice.

“Sorry, Professor, must’ve slipped my mind.” She spoke quietly from the far back of the room, and when Reider turned far enough to see her, he caught the reluctance to speak on her face.

She whispered to the girl next to her behind her hand and hung her head. Something was bothering the girl. Had she seen Reider walk in? He groaned, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

Though their families moved in similar circles and showed nothing but respect for each other at such social gatherings, the Marquettes and Chadwicks openly avoided and hated each other with a deep-seated, burning passion which had cultivated over decades. If he was stuck in a class with her, it was going to be a long semester of avoiding her every time he came to class.

“Reider.” Tommy, the guy sitting next to him and his friend of ten years, nudged his arm. “If you hadn’t been so late, I would’ve warned you.”

“You saw her come in?” Reider said, his eye twitching. “Why the hell didn’t you text me or something?”

Tommy cringed. “Sorry, man.”

“Yeah, sorry,” he muttered. “Whatever—it's not like I have to talk to her.”

And he wasn’t going to. He didn’t want anything to do with a Chadwick, not after all the shit her family put his through. He’d have to be sure not to tell his family about them being in a class together. His mom would throw a fit, and his dad would drive up and cause a scene.

Ashford glanced their way with a raised brow as Reider’s quiet conversation with Tommy apparently wasn’t as quiet as he thought. “And you Mr. Marquette? Did you do the reading?”

Reider narrowed his gaze. Did he do that on purpose? “No, afraid I don’t do schoolwork before the semester actually starts,” he said and tried to put a polite smile on his face.

More whispers than before echoed around the room, so loud that Ashford rapped his knuckles on the board to draw their attention. Reider didn’t want to turn around but couldn’t stop himself, just to see Johanna’s reaction, but she was slumped too far down in her seat. Not that it mattered if she could see him or vice versa. They’d get through the class without saying a word to one another, and that would be the end of it. He’d have to be more careful next semester when he picked his final classes before graduating.

Ashford propped himself on his desk as he turned to face the class and briefly explained what the tiny one-page reading assignment was that only two students appeared to have done. “Now, you’re all here because this is the one class that will make a difference in your lives the second you graduate and become proper adults. You might think this is simply one more business class to tuck under your belt, but you’re wrong.”

Reider straightened with most of the students around him and watched as Ashford pulled out more papers from his bag. He set them on the desk and tapped his fingertips on them.

“At the end of class, I will be assigning your semester project. Until that moment, let us delve into the world of business and psychology. You see, you cannot simply run a business and hope for the best without understanding either your clientele or even those you work with. That includes partners, employees…”

Reider tried to listen and flipped open his notebook, ready to scribble down something so it appeared he was paying attention, but his mind drifted. His life, a few weeks ago, had been simple. And, in one fell swoop, everything had changed. He stifled a yawn behind his hand and rubbed the heavy bags under his eyes. He used to live on campus, but this year, at the last second, his parents told him he’d be staying at home. His dorm room was still available on campus so he had a place to go, but for the majority of the time, he’d be home.

His younger cousin, Micah, had lost his parents in a tragic accident and had nowhere else to live except with Reider and his parents. So far, his cousin was lost in a world of grief and wasn’t talking to anyone but Reider. He felt bad for his cousin, he really did, and he missed his aunt and uncle, but this was his senior year of school and he didn’t want to be worrying about his little cousin. His mom wasn’t giving him a choice, though, and from now on, he was going to have to be there when Micah needed him.

He was being selfish, but he was used to being an only child and not having to deal with anyone besides himself.

Ashford jotted a few words on the board, and though Reider had no idea what the man was talking about, he quickly copied them down before letting his mind drift again. He’d hoped this class would be somewhat exciting, but so far, it was like all the others he’d been forced into. Boring, pointless, and having nothing to do with what he wanted to do someday soon. His family had owned land in Nebraska for generations and had their hands in the biggest cattle ranches and even in the rail system. The family money was old and had created a lavish life, but that wasn’t where Reider wanted to be.

Since he was little, he had worked on the ranches, rode the horses, and took care of the cattle that passed through. That was where he desperately wanted to be, not in some stuffy mansion, looking down on everyone around him.

He wanted freedom—true freedom—and a wide-open field to ride through.

“Now, your main assignment for this class will last the entire duration of the sixteen weeks,” Ashford said loudly, and Reider perked up. “I will hand out the syllabus, and then I’ll tell you who you will partner with.”

Partner? Reider glanced around the room. Tommy nudged his arm. “Good, maybe I’ll actually earn a decent grade in this class if we’re together,” he teased.

“Don’t lay that on me,” Reider muttered. “I have enough crap to deal with as it is.”

A partner. Why did they have to work with someone else? He didn’t have time for the irritation of working with someone he might never have met before. He doubted Ashford knew who had friends in this class and probably didn’t care. For all he knew, Ashford put all the names in a hat and drew them out at random before coming to the lecture hall that day. When the stack of syllabi made its way to Reider, he took one and passed it along, frowning at the thick packet of information.

“This is one project?” he mused.

Ashford chuckled, standing a few feet from him. “Yes, Mr. Marquette. Don’t worry, you’ll see the value of it in the end.”

Reider frowned. “Yes, sir.”

Ashford gave him a long look Reider couldn’t read before he returned to his desk and picked up a piece of paper. “Now, when I call out your names, jot them down and you can find your new buddy for the semester when class is over. I advise you to exchange numbers, e-mails, whatever so you have plenty of ways to contact each other. This project is the entirety of your grade and credit for this class. I hope I’ve made myself clear.”

He eyed everyone, and many of the students squirmed in their seats. He sighed and hunkered back down again. Too bad he couldn’t shove the work onto his partner. If this was to be the only assignment they had the entire semester, he’d have to put in full effort. Tapping his boot on the floor, he waited for Ashford to call out names.

“Johanna Chadwick and Reider Marquette, you will be partners,” Ashford said a few minutes later.

“What?” a female voice snapped from the back of the room.

Reider’s lip twitched at Ashford as he grinned. “You heard me correctly, Ms. Chadwick. Now, if you’d please remain quiet so I can get through the rest of the names?”

Reider tapped his pen angrily on his notebook. Partnered with a Chadwick for the entire semester? It couldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen. Her family was the enemy, and if his parents heard about him socializing with her outside of normal, high society events, they’d throw a fit. He couldn’t afford to drop the class either, or let himself fail, so there was no other option except to ask Ashford to change his mind. He’d been in this town long enough to know of the feud between the elite families. Why the hell would he stick the two of them together? No good would come of it except more drama that neither family needed.

“I suggest you all do as I said before,” Ashford announced after he called out the final two names. “Meet with your partner between now and Wednesday and start going over plans for the semester. Good day to you all, and try to stay dry,” he added with a wink, the rain battering loudly against the windows.

Reider shoved his notebook and pen back in his leather messenger bag and picked up his jacket. Several other students approached Ashford first so he grunted while he waited for them to go away.

“Man, you have to work with a Chadwick?” Tommy said, shaking his head. “How are you going to handle that?”

“I’m not, that’s how,” he spat. “My name means something in this damn town. I’m not letting a professor think he can do whatever he wants to me. I’m not working with her. I refuse. He’ll have to switch us with other people.”

“There are a few other hotties in the class,” Tommy said, tilting his head to study several of those girls’ rears as they exited the class. Reider’s brow lifted, and his lips twitched in a grin. There were quite a few good-looking ladies he’d be more than happy to spend quality time with. Anyone except—

“This is total bullshit,” an angry voice snapped nearby, and Reider turned to see Johanna moving towards the front of the room, a girl at her side. “I can’t believe he would be so stupid as to pair us together!”

Reider slung his jacket on, wondering if she realized he stood so close. When she finally did turn his way, his body paused and his mouth slackened. He’d seen Johanna before, numerous times at functions, but had never really paid much attention to her. The last one had been nearly six months ago, but he’d be damned if he didn’t notice how different she looked, glaring openly at him.

Her curly hair hung long over her shoulders, framing a soft face with smooth skin. He felt a sudden, ridiculous urge to reach out and run his fingers down it. She gripped one hand tightly around the strap of her tote, and the other held a pen in her fist, the cap looking like it’d been through hell and back. But it was her damn eyes that drew him in and froze his body in place. They were filled with anger, but beneath that was a simmering fire burning a hole right through him.

“Can I help you with something or do you want to keep staring?” she snapped when she reached the ground level beside him.

He forgot how tall she was, not matching his six-foot-three frame but tall enough she didn’t have to tilt her head back too far. He leered at her. “No, nothing at all. Just wondering how I got stuck in this class with you.”

“Likewise,” she seethed. “A problem I’m going to soon remedy.”

“Right behind you,” he said and followed her up to Ashford’s desk.

The other four students left, and the bald professor stared at Reider and Johanna over his glasses. “Ah, and what can I do for you today?”

“I’m not working with him,” Johanna stated before Reider could even open his mouth. The vehemence in her words made his jaw drop, and he shifted on his feet. “I refuse to do it.”

Ashford nodded once, glancing from her to Reider and back again. He removed his glasses with a sigh and tucked them into his suit jacket pocket. “And Reider? You feel the same?”

Reider gritted his teeth as Johanna shot him another burning glare. He was willing to admit he didn’t want to work with her, but he was at least trying to be civil in his refusal to do so. He shoved one hand deep in his pocket and glared just as hotly back at Johanna. “Yes, I do.”

“Then I guess you both leave me with no other choice,” Ashford said and let out a heavy breath. “You either work together, or I fail you both—right now.”