Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 93453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“Which you didn’t take,” he points out.
“I took a twenty so I can get gas and buy my donuts.” I point at the bag. “Priorities.”
“You still need to live,” he reminds me, taking another bite of the donut while I reach out and grab my own. The sugar sticks to my fingers as I take a bite of the fluffy goodness. “We should offer sweets,” I suggest to him, and he glares at me. “You know, when you are sitting around chatting and drinking as a woman, and you’re just a touch tipsy, you want to have that piece of sweetness.” He puts his head back, and I try not to laugh at him. “I can’t work late tonight,” I tell him, and he just looks at me as I chew my piece of donut. “I have a date.” I wiggle my eyebrows, “First date in eight years.” I try to make a joke out of it.
“That’s not true,” my brother refutes, and I just stare at him.
“When I came to visit you that one time, there was a guy at the bar who was trying to date you.” I look at him confused. “He came in every single day, stayed all day long just to talk to you.”
“Are you talking about Clint?” I ask.
He snaps his fingers and points at me. “That’s him.”
“He’s eighty-four,” I gasp, “with a wife.”
His head goes back, and he laughs. “Oh yeah, he was trying to get you to do the polyamorous thing.”
I glare at him. “Yeah, because you taught him that stupid word. You know his wife came in to have a talk with me.” He slaps the desk. “It’s not funny. She said we should split the chores; she didn’t even care that her husband asked me out.”
“At that age, I’m pretty sure she just wanted to get rid of him.”
I can’t help but belly laugh. “You are not wrong.” I’m taking a sip of my coffee when my phone beeps from my purse.
Putting the coffee cup down and licking the sugar from my fingers, I pull the phone out and see the text from a number not saved in my phone.
Unknown Contact: here is my address, 151 Second Street. Come at five. Can’t wait to see you.
“Everything okay?” Brady asks me. “Your face got a little pale there for a second.”
“Yeah.” I push away the dread that is starting to creep up. “Bryan was confirming.” I put on a fake smile. “Let’s get to work,” I say, trying to avoid the fact that going out with him scares me to my core.
Chapter Seventeen
Charlie
I walk out of my house and bypass the office, going straight to the barn. My hair is still wet from the shower I took not twenty minutes ago. The sun is high in the sky, birds flying in and out of the dense forest all around me.
“You look like you’re in a great mood,” Emmett says to me when I step into the barn. I look over at him as he sits on top of the desk, papers in his hand while he writes, clipboards hanging behind him in five rows across and down. It’s where all the ranch hands go to find out what needs to be done for the day. It’s Emmett’s office of sorts. We gave him an office next to mine, but he never, ever steps foot in it. Instead, he grabbed the desk and placed it here in the barn. “It’s going to be a good day.”
“I’m fine,” I lie to him. I’m pissed. Actually, I’m past the fucking point of being pissed. I just don’t want to think about why I’m so pissed. It’s another lie I just told myself. I’ve been lying to myself a lot these days. “Why aren’t the horses out yet?” I look around and see most of them still in their stalls. “It’s a full day. The horses need to be out there getting prepped.”
He picks up the mug of coffee from beside him. “It’s not even eight,” he tells me. “They always eat at this time and then are taken out.”
He just stares at me while I look around, seeing a couple of the ranch hands chatting and laughing in the corner. “There are people just standing around doing nothing.” I point at them.
“Why don’t you go in your office and do paper things?” He puts his mug down. “Then come back when whatever it is that crawled up your ass is out.”
“Nothing has crawled up my ass,” I hiss at him. “Have we evaluated all the horses twice?” I ask him, and he chuckles.
“If you want to do it, go right ahead.” He smirks. “Seems you have the time.”
I turn around and head to the stall where I was thinking of going first. “She’s ready to be taken out,” he announces, and I unlock the gate.