Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Can’t wait.”
“How far out are you goin’?” Lucky asks. “There’s a grizzly in the north pasture.”
“Holy shit,” Summer breathes next to me.
“I wasn’t planning on going that far. I’ll show her where the new event venue will be, and then we’re headed back over by the lake.”
“Good idea,” Lucky says with a nod. “Have fun, you two.”
I nod and pull away from them and feel Summer watching me.
“What’s up, Blondie?”
“I have so many questions. First of all, how old is Lucky? He looks really old.”
“He is.” I smile and then shrug. “I have no idea how old he is. He was old when my dad was a kid. But that might be all the time he’s spent in the sun showing. What other questions do you have?”
“You know about Bruiser’s niece’s recital?”
“Sure. They might be employees, but they’re family, too. We have to trust them with the most important thing in our lives: our home.”
“I like that,” Summer says slowly. “That’s actually really sweet. And finally, grizzly bears?”
“You’re not new to this area. Bears are a fact of life.”
“I can honestly say that in my almost thirty years of living in Montana, I’ve never seen a griz in the wild.”
“Wow.” I blink at that. “Well, maybe someday, you will.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need to see them.”
“They’re not scary if you aren’t being an idiot. Just don’t try to pet them.”
“Still don’t need to see them.” She shakes her head adamantly, making us both laugh. “No way. I’m good. Oh, is that where it’s going to be?”
I nod when she points straight ahead. “Yeah, the old barn has been dismantled piece by piece. The concrete slab is down, but I think they’re going to hold off on construction until after the wedding so the ceremony’s not in the middle of a construction zone.”
“Oh, I like that idea,” Summer says with a nod. “This is absolutely…I can’t catch my breath.”
She covers her chest with her hand, and I slam the truck into park, all of my attention immediately focused on her.
“What’s wrong? Shit, are you allergic to something?”
“No, it’s not that.” She takes a long, deep breath and then turns to me. “It’s just so pretty.”
She pushes out of the truck, and I take my own breath, calming my racing heart. Jesus, she scared the shit out of me.
“That view in the background,” she says, turning a circle to take it all in. “That’s priceless, Chase. Erin’s photos are going to be spectacular.”
“I hope so because they’ll be splashed in every magazine and gossip site on the planet,” I reply. “Her father is an uber-famous football hero, and don’t even get me started on the celebrity roster of the rest of her family. It’s mind-blowing.”
“I’d heard that Erin was related to a lot of famous people,” she murmurs.
“Leo Nash is her uncle.”
That stops her in her tracks. “What?”
“Yeah. And you know the country singer, Sidney Sterling?”
“Who doesn’t? She’s my favorite.”
“Married to her cousin.”
“Stop lying.”
I cross my fingers over my heart. “I wouldn’t lie to you, sugar. So, yeah, we want this to be just perfect, not only for them, but for our girl, as well.”
“Well, in my personal and professional opinion, it doesn’t get any better than this. Wow.”
Summer crosses her arms over her chest and just stands there, gazing at the mountains. There are cows out in the field, grazing. We can hear the buzz of bees, and a bird chirps overhead as it flies by.
It’s about as serene as it gets.
“Come on, we have more to see.”
Reluctantly, Summer hops back into the truck and grabs another slice of pepperoni as I drive us back the way we came, and then around to where the lake is.
“You have a whole lake on this property?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ever gone skinny-dipping?” She quirks an eyebrow at me, and the thought of swimming naked with this woman immediately takes up residence in my brain.
“More times than I can count.”
“Fun.” She hops a little in her seat, and then I make my way around to where I want to build, and before I can say anything, Summer holds up her hand. “Stop. Oh, God, stop right here.”
For the second time, I throw it into park, and Summer hops out of the truck.
“What is it?”
But she doesn’t answer. She walks slowly over to the water’s edge, then turns and surveys the area.
“There should be a dock right here,” she begins. “A place to fish, maybe. And a house, right there, with a view of the lake from the kitchen window.”
The sunlight, beginning to fade now, dances on the crown of her head, and as she turns to me, those deep blue eyes are full of wonder.
And it’s right here, in this moment, that I know without a doubt that I’m going to spend as much time as humanly possible with Summer Quinn.