Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Then she walked out the front door, closing it behind her quietly. Somehow the soft click seemed louder than it was in the silent room.
I looked at the piece of paper on the table, then glanced up, meeting Rachel’s angry gaze.
“All I did—”
She held up her hand. “She’s right. If you’re not on board with this, it’s not going to work, no matter what we do.”
“I’m on board.”
“Tim tells me you were yelling earlier. You never yell, Luke. What’s going on?”
I couldn’t tell her. She would be horrified at my actions. “Bad day,” I responded. “But I will go find Sammy and apologize. I know how much this means to you.”
“I thought you believed in me. In this.”
I took her hand. “I do, Rach. It scares me,” I confessed. “How it will affect the day-to-day running of the ranch. But I’ll figure it out. I won’t stand in the way.”
“Sammy has so many great ideas. The income will be a huge boost for the ranch and the farm. And we can control the number of guests and where they go. Sammy knows what she’s doing. I trust her.” She inhaled, the sound shaky. “She picked me. That alone should say something. She is so successful with her show, and it will help us launch this properly. But she’s right. If you don’t really want it, it isn’t going to work, and I won’t waste her time.”
I stood and yanked her into my arms. “No, kiddo. I’m right there with you. I’ll get my head out of my ass and do whatever you need. I didn’t mean to insult her or upset you.” I pressed a kiss to her head. “Forgive me.”
She looked up. “I do.”
“I’ll go find Sammy and apologize.”
“Make it a good one.”
“I’ll do my best.”
It took me a while to find Sammy. I finally found her in the stable, petting the kittens. The hay had been cleaned up, the evidence of our earlier entanglement swept away.
She looked up as I approached, then dropped her head back down. One kitten was sleeping in her neck, nestled in the crook. Two more were on her lap, while the momma looked on indulgently.
I dropped to my haunches, stroking the calico’s head.
“You’re a hard woman to find.”
“I’ve been right here since I left the house. You walked past me twice.”
“You couldn’t have called out and helped?”
She looked up. “No.”
With a chuckle, I sat down in front of her, smiling as some kittens crawled onto my lap. I stroked their soft fur. “You like cats?”
“Yes.” She paused. “What happens to them?”
“We find homes for them. We keep those we can’t relocate.” I chucked one under the chin. “We take a couple others in at times. We spay and neuter, but there are always cats around.”
She pulled her bottom lip in and nibbled, then spoke. “Tim needs one for his sister.”
“Sure. I’ll tell him to bring her to choose one.”
“Not this one,” Sammy said quietly, indicating the tiny black-and-white bundle currently buried in her neck. “He’s mine while I’m here, and he needs his mom.”
“He’s the runt.”
She stroked him. “I know.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “I need to apologize.”
She met my gaze. “You need to apologize to your sister. Her idea is solid. She put a great deal of thought and time into it.”
“I know. I did apologize to her, and now I’m apologizing to you. I am well aware you know what you’re doing. I read up on you last night. Your successes. The things people had to say about you. I was being a jerk.”
“Because of what happened between us?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said honestly. “It threw me. You bring out something in me I don’t quite understand, and I react when you’re around. I react a lot.”
“I feel it as well.”
I shook my head. “It can’t happen, Sammy. This means too much to Rachel, and I can’t risk it affecting your work or attitude. I want this to go well for her.”
“And you don’t think we can act like reasonable adults?”
“There is nothing reasonable about how I feel when you’re close.”
“Oh.” She stroked the kitten, lifting him off her neck and settling him against his mom.
“Can we just put aside that, ah, whatever you want to call it and work together to make Rachel’s dream come true, then?” she asked. “Can you do that?”
“Yes,” I lied.
I would damn well try.
She stood and brushed off her jeans. She winced again, and I lifted the sleeping kittens off me and stood with her. “Did I hurt you today?”
“No.”
“But you’re sore.”
She smiled, her cheeks going a faint dusty-rose color. “Worth it,” she whispered, meeting my eyes. I had to smile back at her. I liked this smile—shy and sweet as we shared a knowing glance. Then she cleared her throat.
“I’ll be fine. Maybe I can borrow a little more of that ointment you have. I’ll soak in the tub a bit.”