Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
She pressed it in my hand. There was a phone number on it. “An opportunity. The Bowmens are looking for a full-time nurse and the pay is double what it is here.”
I didn’t know who the Bowmens were, but that wasn’t the most pressing question. “You don’t want it?”
She shook her head. “It’s a live-in position and I don’t think they want my husband and kids to all move in. But it’s perfect for you. This place will suck the life out of you if you stay.”
I’d felt it for weeks but enjoyed the residents. They were kind and had so much to share. I loved listening to their stories.
“Trust me, call. Management here is never going to let you care for the patients like family.”
She was likely right. I closed the paper in my hand, unsure. “Thanks.”
“If you don’t work here, they can’t stop you from visiting,” she said.
I thought about it all the way to the apartment I shared. When I entered, my roommate Candace rose from her seat on the couch. She looked nervous, and I was instantly worried.
I rushed in and asked, “What’s wrong?”
She held out an envelope. “This came for you.” The fancy logo in the top corner was familiar. I didn’t take the time to open it and placed it in my back pocket. I would add it to the pile of unopened letters I’d received over the past few months. Then I took her hand, as I could see tears forming in her eyes.
“What’s going on?” I probed.
“Robert asked me to marry him.”
This wasn’t unexpected, and I hugged her tightly as I bounced on my feet. “Congratulations.” She and Robert had been a thing for quite a while.
Her smile dimmed some. “Thanks.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “He wants us to live together right away.”
I didn’t get it at first. But when she waited for my reaction, it hit me. “Oh, he wants to live here.” This had been her place before I moved in. She nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll look for something.” To cover my disappointment, I pulled her into a hug and said, “I’m so happy for you.” I meant every single word.
Later that night, as I lay in bed, I pulled out the phone number Heidi had given me.
I didn’t make enough to afford my own place. Billings was expensive. I’d lucked out that Candace wanted a roommate, and not because she needed one—she just didn’t want to live alone. The rent was a steal.
As much as I didn’t want to leave the care facility where I worked, it was if fate was steering me in this direction. First thing the next morning, I made the call.
A few days later, I caught a bus to a place called Mason Creek and walked just outside the town proper to a ranch that looked well loved with its peeling paint. When I knocked on the door at the agreed-upon interview time, a hulking man answered the door.
The only way to describe my potential new boss, Nate Bowmen, was ‘larger than life.’ He was certainly pleasing on the eye, but that was furthest from my mind.
The interview was very informal. He began by explaining why he needed help. His father was currently in a senior living facility and Nate was removing him from care. He was bringing him back home and, according to Nate, would need attending up to twenty-four hours a day.
“Is this something you’d be interested in?” Nate asked. Helping people was my calling, much like my mother’s, so I nodded. “I would need you to start next week. But there’s one caveat. My dad has to like you. If you need to give notice at your job, I suggest waiting.”
“I have vacation time I could use. Then if everything goes well, I could work out a schedule with you so I could give notice at my job.”
“That sounds good. Why don’t I show you around? Then you could move in next week, a day or two before Christmas. I would offer sooner, but I have crews here day and night and it wouldn’t be comfortable for you to be here with all the noise. They should be done before you move in.”
That had been the easiest interview ever. Then again, I’d already supplied stellar references and job history. I followed him through an impressive house. The room I would be given was far bigger than my current one, and it had an attached bathroom I wouldn’t have to share. The only thing left was meeting his father.
Winning over Nate’s father was a breeze. Everything worked out perfectly for the next several weeks until Nate’s younger brother walked through the door.
Mitchell Bowmen was a tall drink of water on a hot summer’s day. Talk about thirsty—I was suddenly parched. He was tall, with tousled dark-chocolate locks, a dusting of hair on his jaw, and hazel eyes that landed on me. I felt his gaze with every fiber of my being. My reaction to him confounded me. Nate had been gorgeous too, but I hadn’t felt an ounce of attraction for him. I couldn’t say the same for Mitchell.