Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Why, Daddy, I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Marisol felt almost at a loss as she walked out of the house. She couldn’t believe how welcoming and kind everyone had been. Sometimes, when she did these private parties, she was treated like a maid, asked to fetch drinks and food. Once she’d even been told to wash the dishes.
But all the women in there had been so sweet. And Ms. Silvers had even handed her a wad of cash as a tip. Just meeting the famous singer had almost rendered her mute. She’d barely managed not to act like a complete dork and stare at her all night.
She wondered if she could hide part of the tip from Rosalind. Was it worth the risk if she found out? Then again, how was she ever going to get away from the other woman if she didn’t have the cash to do it?
She was carrying two containers stacked one on top of the other. She probably should have carried one out at a time. But Rosalind was expecting her back and she didn’t want to be late. She shuddered. She knew what happened when she was late.
Stepping forward, she tried to see around the container to where the step was. She took another step and realized she’d misjudged it as her foot landed on air. She started to stumble forward, the containers slipping out of her grasp.
Oh no!
A firm arm wrapped around her, stealing her breath. She was lifted and set back on the porch. The containers crashed to the ground. Shoot! She hoped she hadn’t broken anything. Rosalind would be furious if she had.
As she was placed back on firm ground, she looked up at the man who had caught her. She wished she could see more of his face, but the only light was coming from inside the house and his face was in shadow. Still, she could tell he was tall and broad. And he smelled nice. A mix of leather and the outdoors.
“You all right, sweetheart?” a husky, pleasant voice asked her.
“Oh…oh yes. Sorry. I misjudged the step.”
“What are you doing carrying around all that stuff? You should have asked someone to help you.” His voice was a gentle scold.
Help her? Why would anyone want to help her? Who would she even ask?
“Oh, that’s okay, I’m used to carrying it on my own. I just misjudged where the step was. It’s not the first time it’s happened. You saved me from another skinned knee, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. But I don’t like the idea of you hurting yourself. Next time, you get someone to help you, okay? Little bit like you doesn’t need to be carrying such heavy stuff.”
“It’s not that heavy.” She looked to the ground. Little? Her? He must be talking about how short she was, because there was definitely nothing else little about her.
“Hey, everything okay?” the deep voice asked.
“Oh yes.” She laughed nervously. “I better pick everything up. I hope nothing’s broken.”
She moved down the steps, surprised when he followed her. Both of the lids had stayed firmly on, thank goodness.
“I’m Linc by the way. What’s your name?”
“Marisol.”
“Nice to meet you, Marisol.” He stacked the containers on top of one another. “Now, where am I taking these?”
“Oh, you don’t have to carry them for me.”
There was a beat of silence. Even though he didn’t say anything she could feel his disapproval and his determination.
She relented. “Uh, if you could carry them over to my car for me, that would be great. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You, uhh, you work here?” she asked. She made small talk all day long. One of the key factors of her job was working out whether someone wanted to chat or they wished for some quiet. If they wanted to talk then she had to drive the conversation where needed. But it seemed when it came to talking outside of work, she was hopeless.
“I do. I’m the ranch manager.”
Wow. That seemed like an important job for a ranch this big. She stopped at her small, beat-up car.
“This is what you drive?” There was that note of disapproval again. It made her cringe.
“Yes,” she said so quietly it was likely he didn’t even hear her reply. She opened the trunk and he stuck the containers inside.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just that even in the dark I can tell this car needs some work.” He ran a hand along the side of it.
“It’s my aunt’s,” she confessed. Even though her aunt never drove it. She had a brand-new Range Rover. “I’m just borrowing it.”
Linc made a low noise that she couldn’t decipher.
“Thanks for carrying my stuff and for, uhh, rescuing me before.”
“No problem,” he replied easily. “You ever need a knight in shining armor. Or a hero in cowboy boots, you know where to find me.”