Total pages in book: 13
Estimated words: 11405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 57(@200wpm)___ 46(@250wpm)___ 38(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 57(@200wpm)___ 46(@250wpm)___ 38(@300wpm)
“Go out for dinner with me tonight. I could show you around, introduce you to some people.” He steps closer and tucks my hair behind my ear. “I could just listen to you talk.” He says that part so low I almost miss it, but I don’t. “God, you’re beautiful,” he says now closer to me.
“Boone,” I say his name on a sigh because the closer he gets the more drugged I become. I feel as if I am swaying. I drop my eyes from his to bring some sense back into my head. “I don’t know,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “I think I should unpack and take advantage of the daylight and surf the town.” It’s true. I am so excited to get used to the new place I am going to call home.
“Sure. That makes sense. Well, I can help you with that.” He grabs my hand, pulls me over to the window. Opening the window, he encourages me to lean my head out. “Lean out the window and look around.” Heart racing because I feel like this is some sort of horror movie test where the stupid girl either does what the cool guy says, so she looks experienced, or she chickens out and makes it to the end of the movie. “Come on, July. Trust me.” And apparently I am going to be the stupid girl.
Taking a deep breath, I lean my head out, take a deep breath and look around. “Okay, now what?'' I ask him actually enjoying this.
“Well, now you’ve seen Hollow’s Hollow.” Shocked at his words I turn to look at him, but the serious look on his face makes me laugh and once again I know I can be safe with him. “So then what do people do in this town?” I am curious. I want to know everything. I am expecting him to say something like, have dances or farm or something. But no, he says something else.
“Make babies.” My head whips back toward him waiting for him to crack a smile but he doesn’t.
“You’re serious?” He nods and smirks at me.
“You’ll see.” I feel like I am blinking incessantly for a moment before he pulls me closer to him. “Don’t worry, we have plenty of time for that.” Sweet mother of mercy. I lick my lips which are suddenly dry and in need of moisture. Then his face gets serious. “Say you’ll have dinner with me, July. I can’t just walk away.” he says, leaning into my ear. “I won’t. Have dinner with me.” Oh God. I was strong before this. Now, I am weak.
“Yes. I’ll have dinner with you.” So, so weak.
“Two hours, baby. You, me, and Charleston,” are his parting words before he walks out of the door. As soon as the door shuts, I am jumping up and down squealing. Yeah. I’m just going to go with it.
CHAPTER 4
BOONE
As soon as I walk out of her tiny apartment, I make some calls. My first call is to Susan Richards, Hollow’s Hollow’s only real estate agent. Suddenly, I am in the market for a house for my woman. She deserves the best and the tiny place above the bar isn’t it.
I make an appointment to start seeing places tomorrow, then head home. I thought today was going to suck, but I was wrong. I’ve got a date with her, and I’ll begin to make her mine. I walk into the kitchen and find Jude and Hannah kissing. She’s three months pregnant and glowing. A vision of July pregnant with my child flashes in my head and my knees almost buckle. I never thought about having kids before but now it’s all I can think about with her.
“You just went out for coffee. Where have you been?” Hannah asks when Jude lets her up for air. These two have been married since June of last year. Hannah was a mail order bride, technically. Her and her sisters came here to marry and imagine my surprise when every one of those marriages resulted in a love match. That’s what I want. I want to marry the woman I love and settle down here. While staying here wasn’t part of the original plan, I don’t want to go back home. The longer I’m here, the more I want stay.
“I had coffee,” I hedge not wanting to blurt out what’s in my head like a middle schooler.
“I wanted to discuss a potential new client with you,” Jude says, but I’m really not listening to him because all I can think about is July.
“What’s going on with you, cousin? You are distracted. You’re usually so eager to hear about work.”
“What?” I ask, shaking my head in an effort to clear it. It only kind of works.
“You’re distracted by something. What’s going on?” Jasper asks, again.