Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Um,” I said with a nervous laugh. “I think I’ll pass on that, but thanks.”
Brock laughed. “Well, I don’t want you staying in town. We’ll come up with something. You’re family, Georgiana.”
I wanted to head right back to Missoula and tell them to find someone else to do this interview. My gut was telling me to run, and run fast.
“Brock, did Blayze know about this interview? He mentioned that he just found out about it yesterday and that you had agreed to do it as a favor. For whom?”
He sighed. “I told him about it yesterday when I asked if he could pick you up. And yes, your father asked me to do the interview as a favor to him.”
My eyes went wide and I had to fight to keep my tears at bay. My father had promised me he wouldn’t stick his nose into my career. He had said the magazine had approached him with the idea, not the other way around. He knew how important it was that I made it on my own and not because of who my father was.
“I see. Well, let me thank you then for doing this. I know it’s hard to have people poke around in your life. Clearly Blayze doesn’t want that, and he told me so.”
Brock laughed softly. “Blayze isn’t one for sharing his private life, I’ll give you that much of a heads up. He’s probably going to fight you the entire time.”
Little did he know, I’d most likely tell Doug and his bosses that I was doing the original plan for the article—not some gossip column. But first I needed to talk to my father, gosh darn it.
Knowing I needed to say something, I replied, “I always did like a challenge.”
“Well, you’ll get one with that son of mine. Now, I hope you brought some riding clothes?”
Knowing the Shaws like I did, I’d done a bit of shopping in Missoula last night. Since I had come straight from Paris, I had plenty of business-type clothes, and even a dress or two with me already. What I’d needed were clothes to move around the cattle ranch more comfortably. I knew they wouldn’t stop working just because I was there to interview them, which meant I needed to dress appropriately for ranch life—both to keep up with them and to truly get a feel for how things worked on the ranch. My father had told me that the interview was supposed to focus on what life was like for Brock after retiring from the circuit, and how the entire family still played a large role in the world of professional bull riding. That I could do. But the curve that Doug had thrown me about Blayze wasn’t sitting right at all, and there was no way in hell I was going in that direction. I wasn’t a gossip writer.
“I sure did,” I replied.
“Great. Get changed, and I’ll be there to pick you up in thirty minutes.”
My heart dropped as I quickly looked at my unpacked suitcases. “Um, what will we be doing?”
“I’m going to give you a tour of the ranch. It’s been years since you’ve been here. Thought it would be a good place to start. We’ll be on horseback.”
Smiling, I started to look for some jeans. “Sounds good. I’ll be ready.”
Chapter Five
BLAYZE
A light knock on my office door caused me to sigh. “Unless someone’s dying, there’s a fire, or my mother needs me…go away.”
The door opened and Joshua walked in. He was my Uncle Ty and Aunt Kaylee’s youngest child.
“Shouldn’t you be in school, Josh?”
He smiled that big, bright smile of his. At fourteen, he was the spitting image of his father. His light brown hair, blue eyes, and fit build were already turning girls’ heads. Even the older ones.
“We have a school holiday today. Something about teacher in-service day or something.”
I nodded, then looked back down at the charts I was working on. “How’s high school going?”
He sat down in the one chair that was opposite my desk. I had taken over the office in the main barn when my father had stepped back from the day-to-day running of the ranch. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was all I needed. Just like it had been for my dad.
“It’s going. It’s weird, though.”
Glancing up, I noticed his serious expression. I sat back. “What do you mean?”
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s the girls, Blayze. How do you deal with them? They’re freaking me out.”
I raised a brow. “Why?”
“I had a senior come up to me and ask me if I wanted to go out. I mean, an older girl asked me out.”
Fighting to hold back a smile, I cleared my throat. “Tell me you didn’t tell your mother.”
“God, no!” Joshua said. “I know better. She’d be up at the school threatening her.”