Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
I stood up to reach for him, to make a physical connection, but he whipped away from me and strode out of the waiting room.
I stared at the empty doorway, frozen in shock and regret. What had I done? How could I fix it? Should I go after him?
Before I could make a move, his phone pinged from the chair he’d been sitting in before the vet had come in. Way’s golden-boy face appeared in the contact image on the screen. Since I knew he and Silas had Lellie, I answered it quickly.
“It’s Tully. Dev went to stretch his legs. You want me to find him?”
“First, how’s Trigger?”
“They suspect colic. Starting a nasal tube first. Dev’s stressed, but he says he’s in good hands.”
Lellie’s happy chatter in the background made my shoulders drop.
“Pete’s great,” Way confirmed. “He’s been looking after our stock for years. He and my sister Sheridan became good friends in Girl Scouts growing up, and then the two of them ran their scout group like a couple of pampered dictators. JoJo Reynolds still looks intimidated whenever Pete and Sheridan get together.” His warm laughter helped relax me even more. I was happy to hear Pete was a trusted professional and a good friend of the family. Hopefully, that meant he’d go above and beyond in caring for Trigger.
“Dev will probably be here for a while. Is Lellie okay, or did you need me to come back and put her to bed?”
“She’s fine. Aunt Blake came to drop off some food from the cafe, and it’s looking like she’s not going to leave. We were thinking of bringing the portable crib over to the house and setting her up here. Would that be okay, do you think?”
I thought it sounded like a great idea, but I also knew it wasn’t my decision to make. “Let me find Dev and ask. I’ll call you back.”
After ending the call, I made my way outside and recognized the back of Dev’s wide shoulders as he leaned against a fence and peered eastward. Darkness crawled across the flat land like a slow incoming tide while the sun set behind Three Daughters in the opposite direction.
He had to have heard my boots churning up the dusty gravel, but he didn’t turn around. Instead of calling out, I walked right up to him and pressed myself against his back.
His body tightened, and I waited for him to elbow me away.
He didn’t.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed before dropping my forehead onto his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“I can afford to care for my horse without touching Lellie’s money,” he said, voice gruff with emotion.
“I know you wouldn’t do that. I was just surprised. And maybe still angry,” I admitted.
Dev hesitated. “I have money, Tully.”
“Okay.”
He reached back and put his hand in my hair, pulling my face closer to his neck. “No, I mean… I have a lot of money.”
His confession sounded nefarious, like maybe the money came from an infamous bank heist. “Okayyy?”
Dev sighed and turned around, placing his hands on my hips. “I can’t tell you more than that, but I just need you to know not only would I never make my custody decision based on money, I wouldn’t ever need to.”
“I understand. Thank you for telling me. And I’m truly sorry for implying the worst. I honestly don’t think you would be mercenary like that; I just didn’t understand why you wouldn’t be more worried about the expense. It makes sense if you’ve…” I couldn’t help but be curious and also tease him a little. “Started an OnlyFans? If so, slide me that link when you get a chance.”
His smile was fucking beautiful. It made my heart speed up in my chest. “No porn. Unfortunately, it was a fairly unsexy business deal. All legal, by the way. I can tell you’re low-key wondering if you should call the cops.”
I placed a hand on the center of his chest, still half-afraid he’d shrug me off. “Shame about the porn,” I murmured, catching sight of his lips and wondering if he’d let me taste them again.
I had a hammering need to be close to him, to touch him and connect to him.
I’d thought of him a million times in the past two years, though I’d damned myself for a fool every time.
I’d tried to convince myself I’d barely known Dev. That all we’d shared was a casual hookup, not the deep, instantaneous connection I remembered. That a couple of hours’ acquaintance was too short a time for the amount of rent-free space he took up in my brain.
But now, being here with him and seeing what he was like day to day, I realized there was something to be said for instant chemistry. Something undefinable had attracted me to him back then—something more than simple physical attraction—and that was why I hadn’t been able to forget him. Dev was someone I wanted to spend more time with.