Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
He pulls me into his lap, not caring that I’m naked or dripping onto his pants. He covers me in a blanket before he wraps his arms around me. “I’ve spent a decade waiting for you, a few more months isn’t going to kill me. When we have our first time together, I want you to know you’re mine. There won’t be any regrets between us.”
I smile against his chest. I can’t imagine that I’d ever regret being with West but I’m glad that he understands I need time. I have to figure this out because I want it all. I want a life with this grumpy cowboy beside me. I want to stay at the ranch and continue to make toys. Maybe even have kids of our own someday.
The piercing noise of the smoke alarm startles us from our cocoon of warmth. He quickly sets me down and goes to stop the alarm. While he does that, I search the living room for my clothes and dress myself again.
By the time I’m decent, he’s already pulled the burned dish from the oven. He scowls down at the offending casserole as well as what might have been some type of poultry but now is too blackened to be recognizable.
“It’s OK. I’d have rather had the dessert you gave me on the couch,” I say trying to reassure him. It really isn’t a big deal. Just that he took the time to cook one of my favorite dishes for me means a lot.
He grins up at me. “I have frozen meals.”
So that’s how we end up eating frozen meals from the microwave on our first date. I don’t even care that the turkey is slimy, and the mashed potatoes still have frozen bits in them. Because I’m getting to spend time with West.
“What are you smiling about?” He asks as he tries to stab into his brownie. The treat is still frozen despite him microwaving it repeatedly. I don’t think it’s ever going to thaw.
I can’t stop grinning tonight. My cheeks hurt from how happy I feel. “Well, it’s just, we’re dating now, and I got to thinking that makes you my boyfriend. My first boyfriend.”
“And it makes you my girlfriend,” he answers, taking his hand in mine.
I push away the plastic tray, no longer interested in our dinner. He’s rubbing his thumb along the back of my hand in a comforting gesture.
I let out a little sigh, wondering what his parents would think if they heard him call me his girlfriend. I overheard them years ago, warning him away from me. They told him he could never date me. If they made me leave, would he follow? Would he be willing to give up all of this?
The questions make me worry about the future. A million what-ifs swirl through my brain as my stomach tightens. “Do you like working the family ranch now?”
In his senior year, he blew out his knee during football practice. It was right before the championship game. His team lost state and all of his college scholarship offers were rescinded. He was angry for a long time after that.
“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else now,” he says, oblivious to the real question I’m asking him. He’s so normal, always so calm. Meanwhile, one thought sends me into a tailspin and it’s all I can focus on.
He’s never leaving. I realize that with a start. Even if he wanted to leave, his parents are sick, and he’s been stepping up to help them out more. That’s not likely to change in the next few years. As they continue to age, they’re going to need him in other ways too.
I can’t think on these things right now or I’ll start doing that thing where it gets really hard to breathe. I push back from the table and stand. “Let’s finish the Christmas tree.”
We work together in silence for several long moments before West asks, “What do you want from Santa this year?”
To feel like I belong. To not have to worry about being asked to leave. To see your smile every day for the rest of my life. “There’s nothing I want.”
“There’s nothing you want?” He deadpans in a tone that clearly indicates he doesn’t believe me.
“I have everything I could possibly want right here,” I tease before standing on my tip toes to press a chaste kiss to his lips. His beard tickles my face and I love the sensation, especially when I remember that it was wet from my essence just an hour ago.
He frowns at me. “What was your life like before the Kringle Ranch?”
I twine a small red bow around the Christmas tree. Mom loves to add bows of all colors to her trees. She says it’s because the holidays are a gift, and we should never take them for granted.