Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Then Avery practically ran out of the barn, and I quickly apologized to Agan before following after. It was nothing she wouldn’t have done for me.
It would be another few weeks before Agan and I met up again for more than our morning diner meetings. He showed up at my trailer with pizza; I didn’t stop him. He’d met Zoe weeks ago when she was sick.
“Zoe, this is Agan. He’s a friend.”
That was the truth. Agan and I hadn’t so much as kissed. We’d come close, but no dice. Though I insisted on taking things slowly, even I was getting restless.
Zoe easily accepted him because I did. “Are you going to watch the movie with us?” she asked him.
“If it’s okay with you?” Agan asked in return.
She bobbed her head furiously, and we did the whole pizza and movie thing.
The next few weeks, Agan and I would go out to eat one night and he would come over another. The rest was just for Zoe and me.
One night when I walked Agan to his car to wish him off, he didn’t immediately leave.
“You know I like you,” he said, with the stars shining brightly above.
“I consider you one of my good friends.” Not that I had a lot of those.
He crossed his arms. “I’d like to be more than that.”
Though I didn’t feel amused, I laughed. “One day you’ll leave. And then what?”
“I could stay, or you could come with me.”
“How can you say that?” I poked him in his chest.
He snagged my hand and pulled me close. “I’ve been wanting to do this.” He cupped my chin and dipped his head to kiss me.
I damn near exhaled from the relief of it. I looped my arms around his neck and pressed my body firmly against his.
“Jesus, lass, I won’t be able to leave if I don’t go now.” I opened my mouth, but he said something that kept my jaw slack. “I want you to come with me to see a property on a private island near Fiji.”
If I wasn’t mistaken, Fiji was an island in the Pacific Ocean. “What?” I was flabbergasted, which was an understatement.
“There’s a property there. I want you to advise me if I should renovate the existing structure or build something new.”
“I-I—” I stuttered. “I wouldn’t know that.”
“You would. You have good instincts. Just because my father is set on Mason Creek doesn’t mean your idea for Mountainside wasn’t a good one. My father has his eye on a piece of property in Mason Creek that’s all but been abandoned by the owner. The sons don’t seem interested in it.”
Immediately, my thoughts went to the Bowmens, but I didn’t ask.
“I’ve never left Montana before,” I admitted instead.
He placed another kiss on my lips. “Think about it.”
I didn’t have to. I wanted to go. But I had responsibilities.
SEVEN
Avery wasn’t on board with my friendship with Agan. I didn’t blame her, considering that neither of us had been lucky when it came to men.
Yet there I stood at Mom’s door, introducing her to Agan because we had a question to ask her.
“What are your intentions toward my daughter?” Mom asked him like it was the eighteenth century.
“Your daughter is smart. I need a consultant. I will compensate you for watching Zoe.”
Mom’s eyes closed to slits. “They are calling it a ‘consultant’ these days? And what does my granddaughter get?”
Just as I was about to rebuke Mom for her question, Agan’s answer took me aback. “Disneyland, Disney World, or both. Her choice. We’ll take her there when we get back.”
Mom wasn’t done. “And how long will that be, exactly?”
“Two weeks at the most.”
Even my eyes widened. Mom agreed when Agan voiced a number for her compensation. I wanted to balk, but Agan put a hand on my arm. “It’s fine,” he said to me.
After Agan and I walked back to his car and got in, I said, “Two weeks.” I shook my head. “I can’t afford that.”
He took my hand in his. “Don’t get mad, but I paid your rent for the month.”
I’d thought I couldn’t be more shocked this night. “You shouldn’t have.”
He held up a hand. “It isn’t what you think. It’s not a bribe, just giving you one less thing to consider when you decide. If you say no, you still don’t owe me a thing.”
What was I to say to that? Especially with his warm mouth on mine, stopping any protest. When he pulled away, he said, “Think about it.”
The first person I called after he left was Avery. She was at work, but promised to come over this week. Christmas was near, and I’d been working extra shifts to make Zoe’s Christmas special.
On Christmas Day, Zoe’s happiness with the gifts I—or rather Santa—had gotten her made me feel like the best mom ever. Thanks to Agan’s unexpected gift of paying rent this month, I’d been able to swing the dance classes and princess costume. When Avery stopped by, as promised, Zoe was wearing it.