Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Today just keeps getting better and better.
I stuff my old school backpack full of clothes and whatever else I think I’m going to need for the coming days. As a farm girl, I’m perfectly used to getting up at the crack of dawn, so that’s no big issue for me. I go outside and sit on our porch swing waiting for him. His fancy new truck rolls up into our dirt driveway, looking out of place next to the beaters that my dad and Angus drive.
He steps out of the car in a brown flannel shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and some slick-looking cowboy boots. Of course he’s as handsome as ever.
I pick up my bookbag and head over to him, only to hear the heavy footsteps of another man approaching.
“This is the guy you’re going up into the mountains with, Annie?” my father says, coming back from tending to the chickens. He looks Red over, a bit shorter than him in physical size, but trying to match him in general presence.
“Red Rough, sir,” he says, shooting out his hand to meet my father.
“I’ve heard of you. My son said you're a bit of a... uh... what’s the word he used?”
“Douchebag, Dad,” I add, shaking my head as I don’t agree with my brother on many things, and this is one of them.
“Yeah. One of those.”
“I have problems with your son too, sir.”
“He’s warmed up to you a bit, so I guess I will too. Proved yourself, he said.”
Hmm? I guess playing backup to Angus as he was pulling those people off Dolly helped his opinion of Red a lot.
“That’s good to hear,” Red says. “But trust me, I have no ill intentions toward Angus or your daughter. I’m growing quite fond of her.”
“Well, be good to her. This is the whole fatherly ‘I’ll do something nasty to you if I hear otherwise’ warning.” Dad smiles, and accepts his hand.
“I’ll be fine, Dad, there’s nothing to worry about,” I add in.
“I’m your dad. It’s my job to worry about everything.” He pats me on the shoulder. “That said, you two go have fun and don’t get into any trouble now.”
“We won’t, Dad.”
He departs, heading into the ranch house. It’s quiet as hell right now, Angus and Dolly still asleep within.
“Let’s get going, babe.”
I nod, and throw my backpack into the truck bed before going over and climbing into the passenger seat. The truck rumbles out into the road and meets the highway soon after.
“It’s real fun growing up with an older brother and a father to be overprotective of you, you know,” I say as we’re rolling along.
“I imagine so, but you know it’s because they care. Whole lot of guys out to take advantage of any poor girl they can.”
“But of course, you’re not one of them,” I reply in a chiding tone.
“I try not to be. Life’s rough enough without people using you. I don’t want to be that pain in a girl’s life.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Isn’t that unavoidable? Haven’t you broken a girl’s heart?”
“Never broke a girl’s heart. And I don’t intend to start now.”
A few hours later I see a large house in the distance. It’s way bigger than the ranch house, and I always thought we were blessed with a particularly spacious home.
It’s right next to a huge, glistening lake, and I’m a bit awestruck at its natural beauty.
“Are you a whole lot richer than you’re letting on, Red?”
He laughs. “Nah. That house has been in our family for generations. Built by my great grand-pappy. We’ve been building houses all this time, so we may as well build our own too, you know?”
“It’s quite beautiful, I’m impressed.”
“The Roughs have always been good at what we do, Annie.”
The truck rumbles to a stop, and I step out. The cool mountain air is a change of pace from what I’m used to and I take it all in.
“C’mon, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
I nod, and follow Red up the stairs and into the luxurious home.
“Redford, my boy, we’ve been waiting for you,” a loud, boisterous man declares. He’s beside a middle-aged woman who has brown curls like I do. “This the little lady you've been talking about?”
“Yeah, Dad, this is Annie Rowdy.” He turns to me, and then gestures to his family. “Annie, this is my dad, Reynold, and my mother, Rosie. Over there passed out on the couch is my brother Filson. Rotting their brains away in front of the TV are his twins, Wyatt and Willa. Their mother Ruby is around here somewhere.”
“Oh, Ruby is in the kitchen, she’s helping me prepare lunch,” his mother pipes up. She takes my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Annie. I can tell how you make Red feel. He’s awfully nervous when he talks about you.”