Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Good luck with that. I plan to live forever.”
“No one lives forever.”
“I might not live forever, but I do plan to live long enough to break the record of being the oldest person to ever live.”
Alanna’s eyebrows climbed. “How old is the current record holder?”
“One hundred and twenty-two years and a hundred and sixty-four days.”
Her eyebrows climbed higher. “You want to live to be over one hundred and twenty-two years?”
“Don’t you?”
Alanna looked toward where her bobber was floating in the water. “I’ve never thought about it. My parents both died young. I’ve never pictured myself as an old woman.”
“You think you’re going to die young?”
Matthew saw her slightly nod.
“You’re not,” he said confidently. “You’re going to live forever, like me. I’m going to share the secret to longevity with you.”
Alanna turned to smile at him from over her shoulder. “Tell me, oh wise one,” she mocked.
Studying her, Matthew saw the deep sadness in her eyes. He had to grip his fishing pole to keep from pulling her protectively into his arms. Instead, he looked around, pretending he was afraid of listening ears, then lowered his voice. “Love,” he whispered as if it were a state secret.
“Love?” she scoffed at him. “How does that make you live longer?”
“Because your memory never dies in the ones you leave behind. With all my brothers, Ginny, and all the children I plan to have, I will live into infinity.”
Alanna lay back on the blanket, setting her fishing pole next to her. “How many children do you plan to have?”
“I plan to outdo my dad. I’m going to have ten children.”
“Do all your family members want large families?”
“Yes, that’s why we work so hard, so we won’t have to sell any land off. We want to have our own little town.”
“That makes sense; you all had a happy childhood and want to share the same experience with your own children.” Alanna curled onto her side, laying her cheek on her arm.
Matthew rested his weight on his elbow to stare down at her. “How many children do you plan to have?” Matthew saw her lashes fan across her cheek when she closed her eyes.
“None.” She opened her eyes. “I can’t have children.”
Matthew felt as if someone had just snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back.
“You can’t or won’t?” he asked hoarsely.
“Can’t.”
He wanted to ask her why, but knew it wasn’t the appropriate question to ask. He had been focused on his pain and had missed the grief in her eyes. Slowly, Matthew reached down to trail a lone fingertip over her exposed cheek.
“I’m sorry. You love children, so that must be hard for you.”
“I don’t let myself think about it often.”
“Then we’ll change the subject. Luckily for you, I had a feeling we wouldn’t be having a fish fry, so I brought some sandwiches.”
Her expression lightened. “So, we can stop fishing?”
“I take it you don’t like fishing?”
“It won’t be on my list to try again, no,” she said, straightening back into a seated position.
Matthew tugged the nylon bag he had brought from his home. He opened the bag and took out the two sandwiches he had prepared, handing her one.
Her eyes widened when her hand dipped at the weight. “I can’t eat the whole thing. This is enough to feed three people.”
“Or”—he grinned, opening his own mammoth-sized sandwich—“you and the person sitting next to you.”
“Now that makes sense.”
“Yes, it does. Just eat as much as you like, and I’ll finish it off.”
“What if I ate most of it?” she teased before taking a large bite of the sandwich.
He delved his hand back into the bag, pulling out three bags of chips, bottled waters, and four candy bars.
“You’re a man who thinks of everything,” she complimented.
“I try to. I wanted you to enjoy yourself.”
“Why?”
Matthew used the pad of his thumb to wipe the dollop of mustard away from the corner of her mouth. Bringing the thumb to his mouth, he licked it off. “A man who wants to live forever would be lonely without a fishing buddy by his side.”
Alanna blinked at him. Matthew could see she wasn’t ready to believe what he ached to tell her.
“But I hate fishing.”
“We could do other things than fishing,” he suggested.
Matthew saw her throat move under her fair skin.
“Like what?”
“I can teach you how to play with fire.”
Chapter Sixteen
God, help me. She had never wanted to fan her heated face more in her life. Sitting next to Matthew after seeing him shirtless at his shop was a trial in endurance. Wanting to take the towel and wipe the sweat away from his chest …
When she had walked inside and saw both shirtless men, she had no difficulty keeping her eyes off Isaac while Matthew’s bare chest had drawn her gaze like a magnet.
Both men were handsome, had almost similar hair color. Matthew wore his closely cropped, while Isaac’s dark-brown was much longer and tied back. Matthew was taller than Isaac, while Isaac was stockier.