Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
I run a hand along the kitchen counter, buying time before I say, “Violet, about the kiss…” my words fall away.
She cuts in, “It’s fine. Seriously. We can just forget about it.”
The thing is I don’t want to forget about it, but I can tell Violet does, so I drop it. “It’s forgotten,” I say, my voice devoid of any emotion whatsoever.
Violet’s right. We should forget about it. We’ve got two years to try to navigate this marriage, and we don’t need feelings getting involved. They only screw things up and complicate everything.
My phone breaks the silence in the room. I pull it out of my pocket and glance down at the message from my brother.
Paxton: Callum, now you can come camping with us. Restaurant’s closed.
“Who is it?” Violet asks.
I lift my eyes to meet her curious ones and I nearly stumble on my ass. She’s just so beautiful. I could stare at her all day long. I shake my head. “It’s just my brother saying I can go camping now because the restaurant’s closed.” I begin typing the same thing I tell Violet, “Just because it’s closed doesn’t mean I have a week off. Somebody has to be there to let in the workers, and such.”
Violet nods. “Right. We have responsibilities. We can’t just take off on a whim.”
“Right.” I love that she gets me. She understands.
Shepherd: I can stay with the restaurant. I’m not going anywhere, and honestly it’d be a nice break from baby duties.
Anya: Please come, Callum.
I show the phone to Violet, and she steps closer to read the thread on my phone. I lean in slightly, sniffing the lavender shampoo she uses. It smells so good, and I get dizzy from it.
She gazes up at me, slowly, and time stands still. I’m transported back to that kiss we shared minutes ago. The way her lips felt pressed against mine.
“Maybe you should go,” she whispers. “You could use the break.”
“I’d never go without you, Violet.”
Her smile graces her features and I can’t stop staring. “Maybe we should both go,” she says with a little shrug.
“Are you serious?”
She nods, like she’s not quite certain at what she’s suggesting. “I think so. I’ve had a stressful day too, and I don’t want to look back on my life and realize all I did was work this ranch until the day I die. My father did that, and I want to live… if only for a little while.”
“Are you sure?” I pocket my phone and pace the kitchen floor. “We’d be gone all week, and what if something happens here at the ranch?”
She shrugs again, and I smile. “YOLO.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “What the hell does that mean?”
She laughs and the sound fills the kitchen. “It means, you only live once, silly.”
I rub at the back of my neck. “Oh, right. You really want to go camping with me?”
She nods. “Next week I don’t have many horses to be boarded, and if we can get the fence fixed by tomorrow I can slip away for a bit.”
“I can help you fix the fence.”
She smiles wide. “Really? Ever fix a fence before?”
“No,” now I’m smiling wide with her, “but I’m sure you can show me.”
“Text your family, tell them we’re going camping.”
I grin. “You’re a bossy little wife, aren’t you?”
“And you’re a grumpy husband.” She sashays her hips momentarily and my eyes watch with hunger. “C’mon, camping will be fun.”
“If you say so.”
But all I’m thinking about is how I’m going to sleep under the stars with this woman and not want to kiss her again. Because all my brain can process at this point is how amazing that kiss was and how badly I want another. Soon.
Chapter 15
Violet
I double over, laughing as Callum swings the sledgehammer again, missing the fence post by a mile. He woke up with me at the crack of dawn, just like he said he would. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to follow through. I figured he’d take the opportunity to sleep in, enjoy some peace and quiet, but when I walked out of my bedroom, there he was—jeans hugging his hips, a tight black shirt stretched across his chest, and that killer smile that seems to turn my insides to jelly.
It caused feelings I don’t even understand.
"It’s not funny," he groans, shaking his head in frustration, his dark hair falling into his eyes.
He’s trying so hard to help, and I really do appreciate it, but it’s clear that manual labor isn’t his strong suit. The sledgehammer looks almost too big in his hands, awkward like he’s never swung one before. It’s endearing, though, watching him try. I haven’t seen this side of him, a man willing to get dirty, to work beside me. It’s... attractive, to say the least.
“How about I hold the post?” I offer, still chuckling as I straighten up and dust off my hands.