Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 116760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Yeah. She knew Hayes loved her. Like a little sister. That was something she had never had and she was going to hold onto it tight.
Corbin placed her in the back of an ambulance, where she was given hot cocoa from a thermos while a cute paramedic checked her over.
She spotted Corbin talking to the sheriff, and they both looked her way. Worry filled her.
“Hey, sweetheart,” the paramedic said. He’d introduced himself as Rye. “What’s the matter?”
“I think I might be arrested for murder.”
He gave her a surprised look. Then, to her shock, he smiled. “Sweetheart, you haven’t lived here long, have you? If you think your man or any of the men here would let that happen, you are very mistaken.”
Turned out Rye was correct.
He was also really bossy since he insisted she go to the hospital. She’d argued with him until Corbin came over and put a stop to that.
Grr. Bossy men.
They were so annoying.
And yet, so attractive and sexy.
Thankfully, she only ended up staying one night in the hospital. And the sheriff didn’t arrest her. In fact, he told her it was a clear-cut case of self-defense. She didn’t really think it was, but she was just grateful that she wasn’t being arrested.
All she wanted was to get home to her cabin at the Ranch. Kent contacted some people he knew in Los Angeles who went on the hunt for Lindsay. They found her in the basement of Sebastian’s rental house. She was malnourished and terrified, but alive.
Bebe’s foot was badly sprained, so she’d been given orders to keep off it and rest, which wasn’t going to be easy.
And it was probably going to result in several spankings.
But, hey, she wasn’t perfect.
Plus, she was pretty certain that Corbin liked spanking her butt.
“What’s that smile for?” he asked as he sat next to her on the porch.
They were bundled up under a pile of blankets and she was wearing so many clothes that she was sweating.
But she still couldn’t stop smiling as she sipped her hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows, and watched the snow come down.
“I was just thinking how perfect everything ended up. And how crazy I was to think that I never wanted to fall in love again.”
“Yeah, well, you thought that because you just hadn’t met me.” Leaning over, he licked the whipped cream from her top lip, then kissed her.
Perfect.
EPILOGUE
“Ican’t believe I’m going to meet Santa.” She was so nervous. She knew it was silly, but she couldn’t help it. “Are you sure he will like me?”
A week had passed since their run-in with Sebastian. In two days’ time, they were going to travel to meet Corbin’s family.
And she was still so nervous.
But right now, she just was focused on Santa. And her Christmas wish list.
She’d written it out over the last few nights and she was all set.
Bebe didn’t want much. Just for Christmas with Corbin’s family to go well. A new bed for Nutters, some squirrel socks, and a snowmobile. An extra fast one. So she could fly through the snow.
Oh, she was so excited about that!
That was if Santa liked her. She still wasn’t entirely convinced he would.
“Hey.” Corbin cupped her cheeks between his hands. “Santa will love you.”
“But what if he thinks I’ve been a bad girl . . . you know, because of Sebastian?”
True to Ed’s word, there had been no repercussions for her.
Well, except for the nightmares and some PTSD.
“That wasn’t your fault, and of course, Santa doesn’t blame you. If he does, I’ll take care of it.”
“Hey, you can’t ruin Santa’s life like you’re doing to the asshole’s.”
Apparently, he’d just lost his job and his car had been repossessed. And Corbin had plans for his house, too.
She should possibly feel bad.
But she really, really didn’t.
Perhaps Santa really would bring her coal for her stocking. Which was hanging up on the mantel.
Their new cabin wouldn’t be ready for a while. Bebe was banned from doing any work on it until her foot was all better which was going to take some time.
Maybe she could ask Santa for a new foot?
Fifteen minutes later, Corbin carried her on his hip into Clint’s living room. She’d be embarrassed if Ellie wasn’t being carried the same way ahead of them on Bear’s hip.
Bear looked intimidating but she’d learned that he was actually a big softie.
As they walked in, everyone called out greetings. It would have been extremely overwhelming if she hadn’t gotten to know everywhere over these last few weeks. She greeted them shyly, before burying her face against Corbin’s neck.
When it was her turn to see Santa, she wouldn’t let go of Corbin. She didn’t know where Clint was, she hadn’t seen him or Annabel yet, which was kind of weird.
“Oh, ho, ho, a shy Little girl. It’s okay, Little one,” Santa told her. “Your Daddy can sit with us.”