Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
She’s basically saying my thoughts out loud.
“I know.” I sigh and rest my lips against the crown of her head. “Maybe it’s just because of the day, Mill. It was a weird one.”
“But I’m not the only one feeling awkward, right?”
“No.” I’ll admit to anything if it makes her feel better. “I feel it, too.”
“I can’t talk about cats and my work schedule for the next year, Holden. I’ll go crazy.”
That makes me chuckle until she turns her gaze up to mine, and I see that tears are beginning to well in her beautiful eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry, baby girl. It’s okay.” I tuck a lock of her soft hair behind her ear. “Thank you so much. For everything. I don’t deserve you.”
“I know.”
My lips twitch. “I’ll never deserve you. But I’m so grateful to you and, honestly, in complete awe of you because you’re so fucking strong and good.”
“Don’t be nice to me.” She shakes her head sadly and starts to pull away, but I hold on tighter. “I don’t trust you when you’re nice to me.”
The wind is sucked from my chest. Trust is the one thing that we need, or this will never work. And I’m reminded that I have one hell of a hill to climb to earn hers.
I trust you more than anyone. Her words from years ago echo in my ears. In that moment, I felt like I could fly.
And I need to get there again. So, I’ll climb that fucking hill as high as it needs to go to make her see that she can trust me with anything.
“How do you want me to be, Millie?”
“Just be yourself.”
“I am.”
She shakes her head and then pulls the rest of the way out of my arms, and the magical moment is gone.
“I’m doing this for your sisters.” I can’t tell if she’s reminding me or herself. “Charlie is actually my friend. I like her. I like all of them, although Darby always kind of gives me the side eye when she comes into the coffee shop, as if I’ve poisoned her or something, but on the whole, I think they’re all good people. So, I’m doing this for them.”
“Ba—”
“Rule number two.” She points her finger at me as her eyes flash with annoyance. God, she’s gorgeous when she’s pissed. “Stop breaking the rules.”
“Is it number two? Or was it number three?”
“Argh.” She turns to stomp away. “Good night.”
“Sleep well, wife,” I call after her, and she flips me off before she disappears into her bedroom and lets the door slam shut behind her.
I sigh and drag my hand down my face before I finish tidying up from dinner and drinks, make sure the doors are locked, and head down the hall to my bed. I pause by Millie’s door and can hear her moving around, getting ready for sleep.
I want to barge in and tell her that I’ll be sleeping by her side, and she won’t argue with me about it. But she might try to smother me in my sleep.
So, I turn to the other bedroom, resolved that this will be the only night we spend apart.
“There are about to be some big changes around here.”
We’ve just finished the early morning chores, and I’m standing in the barn with all three of my full-time hands, Vance, Levi, and Tim. I’ve worked with Vance and Levi for eight years, from the day I hired them.
Since the day that I pretty much took over running this ranch.
And Tim’s been around for as long as I can remember. He worked for my dad, and he’s stayed on with me, too.
“Good,” Vance says, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You did it your old man’s way for too long.”
“Even though I ran things, he still held the purse strings.” I shrug at that and don’t let the anger seep in today. “But that ends now. I want to move some pasture. We’ve had the beef in the same fields for too long.”
“Agreed,” Levi says with a nod. “Where are you thinking?”
I lay out the plan for them, and when all three nod in agreement, I take a deep breath.
“This would make room for more head,” Tim says. “You could expand, make more money.”
“That’s the goal this year.” My horse, Peanut, nudges my shoulder from his stall, and I reach back to pet him. Now that Dad’s dead and gone, I can actually put the plans I’ve had for years into action. I know I can grow this business and do better than our ranch ever has before, now that my hands aren’t tied by a tyrant. “We’re going to start here. I have some other ideas, too, but I need to make some calls and do some research.”
“This is a good start, boss,” Vance says. “A damn good start.”
We run down what we’re all up to today, and then we head our separate ways. Just as I’m walking out of the barn, I see Bridger driving up in his big red work truck with the Bitterroot Valley Fire Department shield on the door.