Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
“Thank you, Nurse Shoney,” I said, impulsively reaching out to give her a hug. “For everything.”
“Call me Nessa, and you don’t have to thank me,” she said. “Now, my nephew is on his way. You’ve got time to eat… and don’t bother arguing, missy. If you are going up against the Barrett Brothers, you’re going to need your strength.”
She lifted the lid covering the plate, and I smiled. Instead of the typical hospital fare, I saw a plate heaping with what I’d considered a hearty breakfast. Fried eggs and thick sausages sat beside a pile of toast and slices of bacon. I’d been positive I’d not be able to eat a bite, but without a word of protest, I perched on the bed and ate every single thing on the plate, drank the juice and a cup of coffee. When the door opened again, it was to admit Nessa and a young man she introduced as her nephew Jimmy.
“You can wait for the doctor to discharge you, or I’ve taken the liberty of bringing in a release form a patient can sign,” she said, holding out a chart.
Not about to take the chance that the doctor would use my bit of wheezing as an excuse to keep me longer, I scrawled my name at the bottom.
“Wish me luck,” I said, slipping the letter and money into the pocket of the skirt I’d found in the suitcase.
“I have a feeling you’re not going to need luck, but if your men don’t fall in line, you just give me a call.”
Jimmy chuckled as he shook his head. “She’s not kidding either. Aunt Nessa doesn’t put up with any sh… uh, crap.”
Nessa laughed. “That’s right.”
I laughed, thinking how much she reminded me of Granny G. I hugged her again and followed her nephew out the door and into his car. He didn’t ask for directions, and I assumed his aunt had told him my destination. After the fire, I was pretty sure that the Barrett cabin wasn’t in such a secret location any longer.
We didn’t chat. I spent the time looking out the window, watching as we left the small town and drove through some of the most beautiful scenery I’d ever seen. The land belonging to these brothers truly was magnificent. It was something straight out of a storybook fairytale.
24
Goldie
“Shall I wait?”
“No. Thank you for the lift,” I said, shaking my head as I exited the car, pulling my suitcase out as well.
“I wanted to say that I’m sorry about your loss.”
I could only nod, the loss too fragile, the pain too fresh. After he gave me a nod, he pulled away, and I watched until his taillights disappeared over the hill. Turning, I walked up the steps of the porch and, without hesitating, opened the door and stepped inside. Setting my suitcase down, I walked through the parlor and down the hall.
On any normal day, the men would be out of the cabin unless the weather was bad, but this wasn’t a normal day and I could hear voices coming from the kitchen. A few feet from the threshold, I paused, wondering if I was about to do nothing more than make a fool of myself. Rye had been pretty clear in the letter that I was to go home, that they were finished with me. With Kit gone, I was no longer bound by any agreement I’d made, forced or not.
Well, I wasn’t done… not by a long shot.
Lifting my chin, I didn’t walk, I marched right into the lion’s den, which immediately grew silent at my appearance.
“How dare you lie to me,” I said, continuing to walk across the floor to where they were beginning to rise from chairs around the kitchen table.
“Goldie? What are you—” Rye began, but I held my hand up to silence him.
“No! Though I never thought you’d be a chickenshit and do it by some fucking Dear Jane letter, you’ve had your say. It’s my turn, now.” Walking up to him, I poked my finger into his chest. “You lied to me. You all did,” I said, making eye contact with each one of the brothers. “Every one of you told me you didn’t consider me a slut… a whore. That I’d become more than just a companion to Kit—”
“You are. We never considered you as anything other than—” Banks cut in, silencing when I waved my hand in the air again, this time with the letter clutched in my fingers.
“Telling me to go home, to forget any of this happened? How in the hell am I supposed to do that? There is nothing for me back there—”
“We told you in the letter that we’d pay for whatever home—” Jay began only to find my finger poking his chest.
“I don’t want a house,” I shouted, “I don’t want a store or a car or a bank account. Don’t you know all I want is you? All of you? You’re my family!” I had to pause, take a breath, fight against my throat closing up, to fight against the tears that threatened.