Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 122578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
I flung a hand toward his showpiece, scowling hard to prove my point.
Annoyance had him readjusting the cuffs of his suit jacket.
His suit jacket.
Seriously, who was this guy and where did he come from? He was obviously lost. Men like him didn’t belong in Time River, a spec of a small town in Nowhere, Colorado.
But he wouldn’t be the first tourist to stray from the big city and onto our streets. Seeking the beauty of the plains set in a backdrop of breathtaking mountains and the gorgeous river that ran through. In the winter, the mountains would be covered by snow, but at this time of year, only the soaring peaks were painted white, the snow slowly melting as the fullness of the summer approached.
The irritation the man wore was almost palpable. “It warned me, but since you flew out of your spot without care in that monstrosity, there was no time to avert the accident.”
Monstrosity?
“How dare you call Maybe a monstrosity.” I set my hand on the tailgate like it could shield her from the slur.
Exasperation seemed to shake his head as he shifted a bit to the side, and he had the audacity to rake his teeth over that full bottom lip. He returned his potent gaze back to me, blowing out a sigh of resignation. “You know what, I don’t have time for this.”
“Like I do,” I spat, trying to ignore the buzzy power radiating from him.
It wasn’t like he was beefy or anything. Everything about him was lean and hewn, but I’d bet my ass everything under that suit was sculpted in strength. Deceptively smooth. He was the type of guy who would strike before a person even knew he was coming for them.
I propped my hands on my hips. “Do you want my insurance information or what? Or we can exchange numbers or whatever. You barely have a scratch on your car, but I’m sure you’re going to want to get it fixed.”
Like this guy would settle for anything less than perfection.
“No, I don’t want your information. I’ll handle it.”
My mouth dropped open. I didn’t know if I was offended or relieved. “I do have insurance, you know.”
“Congrats, but I think I’ll see to things for myself.”
I blinked.
Congrats?
Without saying anything else, he turned on his heel and strode around the side of his car, taking that dark, broody, self-righteous ego with him.
I stood there gaping at his overpowering form as he slipped into the driver’s seat, the man far too tall and powerful for anyone’s good.
He didn’t spare me a glance when he put the SUV into drive, his tires squealing as he peeled away.
“Grrr…what a freaking jerk,” I shrieked. And still, I stood there staring as he took off onto Manchester, the main street that ran through Time River.
The second his SUV disappeared, I tore myself out of the trance he had me under and hightailed my ass back to the driver’s side of my truck and climbed inside. I shoved it back into reverse the way I’d done before I’d been so rudely interrupted and finished pulling out of the spot, then I shifted into drive and gunned it.
Sorry Ryder, now I really was going to be late.
TWO
CALEB
I stared through the rearview mirror at the woman who stood behind that thing that was, in fact, a monstrosity.
A faded yellow Chevy with a thick, cream-colored stripe surrounding the entire rusted, dinged-up body.
Not old enough to be considered a classic but run-down enough to know her life was in danger every time she got behind the wheel.
Everyone else’s, too.
Maybe.
She’d fucking named it Maybe.
Who the hell named their car?
I couldn’t stop from glaring as I took in her fading form when I got to the end of the parking lot and stopped at Manchester, the main drag that ran through Time River.
The woman looked like chaos standing there.
Chaos wearing boots and cut-off shorts and the tightest fucking tee I’d ever seen.
All tits and thick, toned thighs.
White, shiny, silvered hair billowed around her face, soft waves that rippled like the churning of the sea. It was so long it nearly touched her ass.
But it was that smart mouth that had me in a knot.
The girl a reckless riot where she stood at the back of her truck like it was my fault that she’d come whipping out of that spot without care. I’d already been fully out of the parking spot and putting my Rover into drive when she’d come barreling back from out of nowhere.
I raked the back of my hand over my mouth to clear the bad taste that lingered on my tongue, and I tore my gaze from her and turned it to the little girl strapped in her booster seat in the back.
Brown eyes wide and unsettled, her little fingers clutching the doll she had on her lap.