Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“You sure? I can pull over?”
“No, it’s okay.” She inched a little closer. “I can make it if you can.”
“Okay, hang tight. We’re only a couple of miles from home.”
I eased the throttle back, increasing our speed, and it wasn’t long before I could see the house. It was really coming down, so I raced up the drive and whipped into the garage for shelter. A rumble of thunder shook the house, causing Everleigh to shriek as she darted for the door. I rushed behind, and as soon as we were inside, we both started removing our wet jackets and boots. “I’m sorry about the rain. I should’ve checked the weather.”
“Are you kidding?” A bright smile crossed her face as she gasped, “That was amazing!”
“That rain got pretty rough toward the end.”
“It wasn’t so bad.”
Everleigh’s hair was soaking wet and dripping, her white t-shirt was clinging to her body, accentuating the delicate line of her collarbone and the sensual curve of her hips, and it was fairly evident that she was cold. I was about to grab us a couple of towels when the door to the basement flew open, and Kiersten appeared in the kitchen.
A look of relief flashed through her eyes as she gasped, “There you are!”
“Kiersten! What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to borrow some luggage for my trip to Boston tomorrow.”
“But where’s your car? I didn’t see it when we pulled up?”
“It was becoming a monsoon, so I parked over on the side of the house.” Her eyes skirted over to Everleigh, and she sounded both intrigued and concerned as she asked, “Who’s this?”
“Oh, um... This is Everleigh. She’s a friend.”
Kiersten’s eyes narrowed. “A friend, huh?”
“That’s right.” Everleigh smiled and said, “You must be Kiersten. Your father has told me so much about you.”
“Well, how ‘bout that. He hasn’t told me a thing about you.” Kiersten smiled and cocked her brow as she teased, “But I’m not surprised. Dad has a tendency to keep secrets.”
“That’s not true,” I argued. “I just haven’t had the chance to introduce the two of you.”
“Um-hmm. Whatever you say, boss.” Kiersten was poking fun and being her usual playful self, which helped put Everleigh and me at ease. She motioned her hand toward our wet clothes as she said, “Looks like you two got caught in the storm.”
“Yeah, that’s my fault. I should’ve checked the radar before we left.” I grabbed a couple of towels from the laundry closet as I told her. “We just went to town to grab a bite to eat and get some supplies, so I didn’t figure we’d be gone long.”
“I see.”
A smirk crossed Kiersten’s face as she watched me wrap one of the towels around Everleigh’s shoulders. I didn’t want to give my precocious daughter the wrong idea, so I stepped away from Everleigh and started drying myself off. “Did you find the luggage you needed?”
“Yeah, it was in the back of my closet.” She motioned her hand behind her as she explained, “I’ve already put it in the car.”
“Good. Was there anything else you needed? A stowaway bag or a...”
“No, I got everything I needed.”
“So, you’re leaving for Boston tomorrow?”
“Yep, first thing in the morning, and before you ask, Country is taking me to the airport.”
“When will you be back?”
“Not until the end of the week.” She was still sporting her mischievous smirk when she said, “It’s getting kind of late. I better get going, or Country will have the boys out looking for me.”
“Okay, well, it was good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly as she whispered, “I like her. She’s pretty and totally into you. Don’t screw it up.”
I wasn’t in a position to argue with her, so I gave her a quick pat on the back and said, “Have a great trip.”
“I’m planning on it.” She turned and headed out the front door as she teased, “Don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.”
“I’ll do my best!”
An awkward silence fell over the house the second the front door closed. Neither of us seemed to know what to do or say, so we just stood there staring at one another. After several moments, Everleigh finally said, “Kiersten’s great. I can see why you love her like you do.”
“Yeah, she takes after her mother.”
“She takes after you, too.” She gave me a warm smile, then pulled the towel around her as she said, “I’m freezing! I’m going to go get out of these wet clothes and take a hot shower.”
“I’m gonna do the same, but I’m going to put on some tea first.”
“Tea sounds great.”
Once she’d disappeared into her room, I went over and grabbed the tea kettle from the cabinet. I filled it with water and placed it on the stove. While it was warming, I gathered some tea and the sugar, then placed them on the counter.