Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
I’m already dreading next week when I’ll be away from her and Abby. I have to go out of town for ranch business. One of our suppliers wants a face-to-face meeting.
The only good thing about all the traveling I do is the opportunity to meet homeless teens. I always buy them a hot meal and give them a card for the ranch, invite them down to Courage County if they ever get out that way.
I remember when being on the streets was better than being in the home the system had placed me in. I’m a long way from that kid but I’ve never forgotten. It’s why I can’t let Abby go into the system. I’ll die before I let her grow up the way I did.
“Chloe is cute,” Ledger says. “I was thinking of asking her out.”
“They’d never find your body.” My voice is quiet and steely, filled with conviction. Ledger is a good guy. He’d treat her right. But nobody gets to spend time with my woman. Not even my brother.
West reaches into his wallet and passes Ledger a crisp twenty. “You were right.”
“See? Crazy for her.” He pockets the bill and faces me. “What are you doing about it, moron?”
I ball up the rest of my sandwich in my wrapper, my appetite suddenly gone. My teeth ache with how badly I want Chloe. But that doesn’t make what I feel right. It’s never been right and I’m man enough to admit that. “Chloe is young, and she’s my employee.”
“When you love someone, you should go after her,” Ledger says as if he’s some damn expert on the topic of love and relationships.
“Yeah, and when was the last time you told Peyton that you love her?” I challenge. It’s a low blow and we all know it. Maybe I should be fuckin’ sensitive or something. He’s been in love with her since they were teenagers and for whatever reason, they both keep dancing around the truth. Neither will admit just how much they want to cross that line and be a real couple. Hell, maybe it’s some twisted game that I don’t understand.
He flinches. “I’m planning on it.”
Yeah, he’s been planning on it for years. West and I both know he’s not going to do it. The moment he admits his feelings to her, she’s going to pack up everything she owns and run away. Problem is, I’m not sure Ledger will recover from that heartache. They’re soulmates.
“Ledger is right.” West’s voice carries a hard edge. He’s protective over Ledger. We both are. We know he had it tough growing up. Then dealing with his mental health. Can’t be easy to live with all that shit.
I glance his way, feeling guilty for what I said. “It was a dick thing to say.”
He shrugs, and I know it’s forgiven. That’s Ledger though. The man has never held a grudge against anyone. If there were anyone worthy of sainthood, it’d probably be him.
“Do you know how long I wasted not being with Cassie?” West asks. “A decade. A decade when we could have been building a life together. But I was an idiot who kept his feelings to himself.”
I glare at him. I might be OK that my sister’s getting married. But I’m still not crazy about the idea, given that I walked in on them a few days ago. Add that one to the list of things that have scarred me for life.
“I’m too old for her,” I mumble. There’s no way she looks at me and feels anything. This whole thing is something I’ve created in my head to deal with the truth that’s getting harder to push down. I’m lonely. I want someone to share a life with. I want a woman to grow old with me as we raise Abby together. Maybe add a few more little ones to the brood.
“Ask her to the Christmas dance tonight. See if she accepts,” Ledger says.
West is quick to add, “You won’t know if you don’t at least try.”
They’re being ridiculous, and I shake my head. No way am I going to follow their crap advice and lose my nanny.
Chloe
“Yeah, I’m doing good, Mama,” I tell her as I juggle the car seat and my purse to get back into Micah’s office. I’ve been running errands with Abby all morning. She still sleeps a lot but I’m certain that she’s becoming a little more aware of her surroundings. I could almost swear she smiled at me this morning.
“Your new boss treating you right?” She demands. I can almost see her at the kitchen counter, peeling potatoes for supper. I can smell the dirt and earth, hear my siblings playing at her feet as she works, and the way she has her cookbook with the crinkled pages open and turned to the roasted garlic mashed potatoes recipe. Not that she ever bothers to consult it. She knows every recipe in that book by heart.