Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
He straightened and pulled her to his shoulder, murmuring words too soft for me to hear. As soon as she settled against his chest with her messy dark curls next to his, I saw him close his eyes and take a deep, slow breath.
I was the opposite of religious. Had hated every minute of being dragged to church growing up and hated people like the Scotts even more. But witnessing that moment of Dev settling his daughter in his arms for the first time washed over me like a prayer being given divine light.
All the fear and tension bled out of me, and for a split second, I felt like I was standing on hallowed ground… until Dev opened his eyes and exhaled.
“Right. Let’s get inside, then. You got a bag or something for her, or do I need to call someone to pick something up?”
It took me a minute to snap into gear. “No, I’ve got stuff. I’ll just… I’ll just grab it.”
I moved to the back of the rental and began unloading the bags, first pulling out the folded umbrella stroller and then yanking out my small business carry-on, followed by the two very large rolling suitcases the nanny had sent with Lellie.
I felt Dev’s eyes on me while I struggled with the bags, but he made no move to help. He stood holding his daughter and rocking slightly from one dusty cowboy boot to the other.
He looked completely at home in front of a barn. His form-fitted jeans showed off lean muscles and long legs, and a cowboy-style snap-front shirt was tucked neatly behind a worn leather belt with a simple buckle. His skin was sun-warmed and golden. Crinkles next to his eyes indicated he worked in the sun and/or laughed a lot. I got the feeling it was the first.
Devon McKay was still the most beautiful man I’d ever met. Tousled curls lifted lightly in the evening breeze, late-day stubble was just beginning to cast a shadow on his face, and his lips were cherry red like he’d been eating or drinking something with tart berries in it. If anything, he was more tempting than ever.
I’d had plenty of hookups in the time since that night, but none of them had compared. Which was ridiculous. Our night together hadn’t been long or full of heartfelt confessions. We’d barely learned each other’s names, and we hadn’t even exchanged contact information to get together again.
Though I’d wanted to. Desperately.
So why had it stayed with me? And why now could I think of nothing I wanted more than to get the man naked again?
“You coming?” he grumbled.
I blinked at him and then down at the luggage. “You’re seriously not going to help me with these?”
He wrapped his muscular arms around Lellie’s little body. “I’ve already got my hands full.”
I rolled my eyes and stumbled after him, yanking Lellie’s two suitcases and leaving the rest for another trip. When Dev walked through the large open doorway to the barn, I finally realized what was going on. There was no house visible out the other end of the large structure, only a horse ring and paddocks.
“Wait. You live in a barn?”
“Mm-hm.”
He moved down the aisle, across a wooden-slatted floor scattered with fresh straw. The old, familiar scents of horse and hay filled my nostrils. Curious noses poked out from above stall doors and peered in our direction.
“Nothing to see here, ladies,” Dev called softly before we turned left through a doorway and began climbing a narrow wooden staircase.
I yanked the giant bags up behind me as best I could, straining my shoulders and arms while trying not to make enough noise to wake Lellie.
When we got to the top of the stairs, Dev opened a door that led into a residential space. I immediately noticed the cleaner air, thanks to a cool mountain breeze blowing through several open windows. The apartment was small but quaint and comfortable. The living space, kitchen area, and a dining table—currently in use as a desk—were all in one big open room with large windows on two sides and french doors opening to a balcony on one end. Through the french doors was a jaw-dropping view of the mountains set off with fading pinkish-purple streaks. I wondered what the sunset would have looked like if we’d gotten here even twenty minutes earlier.
On the opposite end from the balcony was an open doorway that seemed to lead to a bedroom.
Thankfully, the sofa in the living area was extra long and deep. It wasn’t the ideal place to sleep after the hellish day I’d had, but it would be way better than a hard, wooden floor.
“Where do you want me to put Lellie’s bags?” I asked, trying to keep things friendly. While I felt incredibly territorial about Katie’s daughter, I definitely didn’t want to run the risk of angering him and possibly even getting kicked out of his place.