Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Chapter Four
HAVEN
I watched as Nate turned and headed to his bedroom to change. Turning away from him, I paced the kitchen while wringing my hands. I hadn’t expected Ted to drop everything and drive to the Shaw Ranch to pick me up. We’d only been on a few dates, and he was a great guy, but we weren’t exclusive—he was probably with a woman.
Closing my eyes, I mumbled, “Stupid, Haven. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”
While Nate was changing, I quickly made my way back to the guest room to clean it up. I brought the clothes Nate had given me to wear and put them in the laundry room. As I made my way out, I didn’t see that he was right there and I bumped into Nate. He grabbed me by my arms to steady me.
“Whoa, you okay?”
The feel of his hands on my body made me tremble, and I quickly took a step back. “Yes, sorry about that.”
I quickly looked him over. He was wearing jeans, cowboy boots, and a long-sleeve navy shirt. I groaned internally. Why did he have to be so good-looking? It made it that much harder to dislike him.
Nathan stepped back and motioned for me to walk ahead of him.
“I put the clothes you let me wear in your hamper.”
He only smiled and nodded as he reached for his truck keys. “You ready to head out?”
Another loud crack of thunder shook the house. When was this storm going to move on? I felt a moment of guilt, knowing I was risking our safety by making him drive in this weather.
“Let me grab my stuff.”
We made our way out into the garage, and Nate held the door open as I climbed up into the truck. He shut it and walked around to the driver’s side. He got in, started the truck, and opened the garage doors.
Looking behind me, I watched as the rain poured off the house. Even Nate’s driveway looked like it was flooding.
He pulled out and started down the drive, trying to avoid the massive rivers of water. When he got to the main road, I stared at the water running down the ditches and washing across the lower parts of the road. No wonder Ted didn’t want to come out in this.
Nate went to pull out when I said, “Wait!”
He turned and looked at me. “Did you forget something?”
“Yes,” I replied as I met his gaze. “My damn common sense. Nate, we shouldn’t be driving in this storm. Look at the water. If something ever happened, I would never forgive myself. It’s not like I live down the street; I’m in Hamilton. This is stupid.”
He stared at me as if waging some internal battle. Sitting back, he asked, “What do you want to do?”
I twisted my hands together in my lap.
“I can take you to Josh and Sophia’s if you feel more comfortable there.”
Turning to look at him, I felt myself frown. Was it my imagination, or was he trying to push me away once again?
Before I could say anything, he said, “I don’t mind you staying at my place, but if you want to leave, I understand.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I asked, “Would it be terrible if I just stayed the night? You won’t even know I’m there, I swear.”
“Now you want to stay here? Before, you couldn’t get out of my house fast enough.”
Sighing, I said, “My common sense took hold. Look at it, Nate. It’s raining cats and dogs.”
He leaned forward, looked out his front window, and nodded. “Yeah, it is. It hasn’t let up over the last few hours either.”
“Well, now that I can see how bad it is, I don’t think it’s a good idea to drive in it.”
Nate sighed. “Okay, then I’ll turn back.”
Nate pulled out into the street, reversed the truck, and then headed back down his driveway. I was positive he thought I was a nut case.
“You probably think I’m crazy.”
“I don’t think that at all,” he said, pulling his truck back into the garage. He shut the garage door and exited his truck while I did the same. We walked back into the house, and I stood there like a complete idiot in the hallway while he walked on. He turned and stared at me.
“Haven?”
I could feel the tears building up in my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to keep them at bay. The last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of Nate Shaw.
Nate started to make his way back to me. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, bending down to look in my eyes. When I said nothing, his hands came up to cup my face. “Haven, you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. I can take you to Josh and Sophia’s house if you want.”
I shook my head. How did he not see the way he affected me? How his touch made my entire body shake with desire. What was it about me that repulsed him? I closed my eyes and said, “I think I’m just tired and cold. I just…”