Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
“Yep, sure can’t. Maybe you’ll have better luck or they’ll give you a clear line of communication. Something has to happen, and soon. We’ve got the herd waiting on us. The longer we wait, the more they’ll charge.” Amos and I have a guy holding the bison we’re trying to bring to his farm. Until the right permits and shit is submitted, we’re essentially leasing his land and the herd. It’s a fucking nightmare and seems like it’s only getting worse as the days go on.
“I’ll take over. Might give me a minute to figure out what the hell my sister is up, too.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell Amos I saw her on the side of the road rescuing a dog. Except that’s not how to get back in Sienna’s good graces. Instead, I’ll do one better once I hit the town's limit. I fold my body back into the truck, allowing the Bluetooth to connect so I can get the fuck out of here. Amos disappears for a moment and then reappears. Why that can’t be seamless in a vehicle yet irritates the hell out of me. It also doesn’t help none of us buy a new truck every year. We drive it till the damn vehicles wheels come off or we’re pissed off enough in the repairs, we do the bare minimum and make it a farm truck.
“You’re playing with fire. The claws are going to come out. You know your sister, man. She’s not doing anything to get in trouble, but you go digging around before she’s ready to tell you, well, you won’t catch me anywhere near the Ellison Ranch for a solid week.” Amos better be careful. Sienna knows where he sleeps at night and cooks dinner most every night. I wouldn’t piss her off when she’s under my roof, but to each their own.
“Are you scared of Sienna?” Spoken like a true brother. Blood is thicker than water, and she’ll love him regardless of the hell he puts her through.
“Fuck yeah. You aren’t?” I’ve slowly made my way out of the three-story parking garage the next city over. Once I’m on the main highway heading toward Arrowleaf, it won’t take long, thank fuck.
“Nope, her bark is bigger than her bite. She wanted to hate me for pushing her to get out of here to go to college. Even when she came home, she still gave me an undercurrent of being pissed. A couple of weeks ago, things changed. We were sitting on the front porch, drinking a beer, feet kicked up, and she alluded to thanking me for pushing her out of Arrowleaf.” Amos takes a breath, and I can hear the happiness in his tone. He’s like a proud father, except he’s the brother in the equation. Still, since Sienna is on the forgiving side, maybe I should press my luck. “She about took me out, too, with the hug she gave me.”
“I bet. Happy for you, man. I know it wasn’t easy there for a bit.” Neither of us needs to go into details on how it sat heavy in his gut each time Sienna left to go back to school. She’d come home and ignore me like I had red horns, reminiscent of a spawn of Satan. Amos wasn’t the only one who had a lead weight in his gut. I played my part in pushing Sienna away. Fat lot of good it did on my end. She’s still the woman I want, and she’s the woman who will eventually be mine.
“Not at all,” Amos replies. It seems he’s in a talkative mood today. I settle in for the journey back home. There isn’t a lot of traffic this time of day, meaning the otherwise twenty-minute journey into the downtown area of Arrowleaf only takes fifteen minutes. “You ever think about settling down?” The question throws me for a loop. Where is this coming from? Sure, Amos and I have conversations, but never this deep, and never when I’m going to have to lie and cover my tracks.
“One day, when the right woman comes along. What about you?” You know, Mom always said men talked more than women in the gossip department and I’m beginning to think she’s right.
“Same, though we get a handle on this bison situation, might have you stay at the ranch and help Sienna. I could use a few nights away.” Amos hasn’t asked for much since his parents passed away. A couple of times, Mom would stay with Sienna when the time called for it. Other times, neighbors around the area would do similar. He must be burned the fuck out.
“Yeah, got no problem doing that.”
“I’d ask Sie, but she’s been coming and going so much that I don’t want to ruin whatever she’s hiding,” he says with a huff of a breath.