Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
“Bingo.” My hand wraps around the black metal device, and I see there’s alert after alert. I quickly unlock the phone to scan the messages.
Mom: Who’s in town today?
Dean: Not me. Tully is at the clinic, though. What’s up?
Lawson: Riding the fence line. Sorry.
Lane: I might be later in the day.
Mom: I need a few things from the store. Any takers?
Ryland: I’ve got Case at the doctor’s office, but we know how long this takes. I’ll be here till I’ve got one foot in the grave.
Dad: Honey, you act like you won’t be in town regardless to shop.
Mom: Are you saying I have a shopping problem?
Dean: Text Tully if you need something. I’m out.
Lane: I’m not touching this next conversation.
Ryland: Where’s Trey? Wasn’t he doing something at the Ellison Farm? Ask him.
JW: I’ll give you one guess about Trey’s whereabouts. Sorry, Ma, got plans with Maeve in the city.
Jesus, it’s like a three-ring circus with my family. Dad is right, though. Mom will be in town, wearing out the credit card he pretends to be annoyed about. Meanwhile, it’s him who pays the bill every month and tells her to enjoy life while she can. They’re both in their mid-sixties, a hell of a lot healthier than most, and aren’t going anywhere for a long-ass time. The little comments they make are mostly jokes. Too bad none of us kids like hearing it and we make it known what we think about their conversations every time it’s brought up.
Me: I’ve got a meeting today for the bison. Send me the list, and I’ll pick up what you need. I should be done around noon.
I ignore JW’s little jab about Sienna. I’ll deal with him another day. Payback's a bitch, and I know where to make him hurt: the next time Maeve makes his beloved cinnamon rolls
Mom: At least someone loves me. I’ll send it outside of this group.
Ryland: I’ll update you all about Case this evening. The nurse called us back.
The group finally goes silent. I toss my phone back onto the passenger seat and start my trek to my meeting. Sienna is long gone. Any chance of seeing her again today is thrown out the window. My family doing their thing ruined any chance of me figuring out what has her in town so much. Plus, she’s making a pit stop at Tallulah’s, and who knows where she’ll go from there? I turn the radio up and the air conditioning down in order to get this show on the road.
FOUR
SIENNA
“Hi, do you happen to have a leash I can borrow to bring in an abandoned dog I called Doctor Johnson about?” I ask Maureen. She’s stayed on after Tallulah took over the vet practice. Amos kept me filled in on all the small-town gossip, and even if he didn’t, news travels fast, even when you live in the bigger city.
Since it happened, I’ve refused to think about the interaction I had with Trey. He gets me so fired up, and for good reason. The man knows how to work my body. Still, I either want to jump his bones or strangle him. I’m not sure which feeling is stronger at the moment, probably the later seeing as how I’ve yet to calm myself down. I have the wet panties to prove it, damn him. As for my pebbled nipples, yeah, they decided to keep waving their flag begging for attention from Trey. Again, not thinking about him or his handsome face is going splendidly swell, as you can see.
“Hello! Of course. There are a few to choose from on the hook by the front door. I’ll let Doctor Johnson know you’re here.” It’s so hard to keep professional Tully straight from friendship Tully when I’ve known her as a friend for as long as I have.
“Thank you.” I head back through the intimate lobby, nodding at other people or saying a quick hello. I’m not sure how the dog in my truck will react to being stuck inside while I’m gone. Sure, the truck is running and there’s air conditioning, but he could be destructive, and while the vehicle I’ve been using is not worth more than a couple thousands of dollars, I quickly grab the closest leash and hustle out the door, making sure it closes behind me. Tallulah’s waiting room seems to be decently full, and I’d hate for someone’s pet to get lose and dart out onto the highway. I’m walking as fast as my legs allow me, head on a swivel as I make my way through the parking lot.
“Oh, you sweet precious boy.” I’m halfway in love with him already. His nose is pressed against the window that's covered in kisses and slobber. There’s no way I’m going to be able to not bring him home. Which means I’ve got to hope that he’s not microchipped, or he is, and his owners no longer want him. That makes me sound cruel, except he’s clearly been gone quite a while. His ribs are showing, he’s caked in dirt, and I can only imagine what comes off of him with a bath.