Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“Okay. I’ll be here waiting for you.”
“That’s my girl.”
“Daddy?” she whispered.
“Yeah.”
“Can I come with you next time? I like Mrs. Frost and everything, but I really want to go with you.”
“Yes, you can come with me next time because… guess what? Until now our house looked like a building site, but it’s now almost ready for us to move into.”
“Really?”
“Hmmm.”
“Daddy?”
“Yeah?”
“I know we’re meant to be poor in our new life, but will I still have my own room?”
I frowned. “We’re not meant to be poor, honey. We’ll just be middle-class, like all your other friends, so of course, you’ll have your own room.”
“Can I choose the color?”
I smiled. “Sure, you can decorate it in any way you like. Maybe we can get someone to paint the same Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs painting that you have on your bedroom wall now.”
“Oh goodie, yes.”
“Right, you be a good girl now and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I will. I love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too.”
“Nite, nite, Daddy.”
“Nite, nite, sweet pea.”
I blew her a kiss, ended the call, and put my phone away, just as an approaching car slowed down. Maybe I could hitch a lift. There were three women in it. A redhead wound down the passenger window, hung her head out, and laughingly shouted, “Hey, Sexy! Sorry we’re not allowed to stop for strangers, but the town’s only a mile away. We’ll be waiting for you at the Dead Or Alive Saloon.”
She was young and full of life, and it felt like another lifetime since I’d indulged in such clean, easy fun. Obviously, I had no intention of going to meet her, but I found myself smiling back at her. Then as the car slowly moved on my eyes alighted on the face in the back of the car.
Our gazes collided.
And I froze with shock.
The girl with the tumbling corkscrew gold curls was not smiling. She was staring at me with wide eyes. Then her lips parted with surprise and I saw her suck in a breath. It was barely seconds before the car passed on by, but I felt as if I’d been sucker punched. That girl had sucked the air from my lungs. Fucking hell!
Stunned, I watched the car pick up speed and disappear down the road.
What the fuck just happened?
My mind was blank.
Then, as if guided by pure animal instinct, I began to walk towards the town. I wasn’t looking for a way to get back to New York, I was looking for a bar called Dead Or Alive.
Chapter 5
Montana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyV_eb3p3Zw
-for a few dollars more-
“Holy cow!” Kelly whispered, her mouth hanging open with amazement.
“What is it?” Pearl asked.
“Oh my God, Oh my God. I can’t believe it.”
“Can’t believe what?” Natalie asked impatiently.
“Don’t everybody turn around at the same time to look, but you’ll never guess who just swaggered in looking all hunky and sexy,” Kelly squealed excitedly.
“I’ll look first,” Natalie said and casually turned her head. When she turned back, she was grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s the guy with the broken-down car from earlier,” she announced, looking directly at me. “We’ve found your man for tonight, Montana.”
“Hang on a minute,” Kelly protested immediately. “He’s only here because I invited him. He came for me.”
“If Montana switches off the light there’ll be no difference between you and her,” Natalie answered tartly.
“Hello! I’m sitting right here,” I reminded but no one took any notice of me.
Kelly looked sulkily at Natalie. “He wouldn’t be here if not for me.”
“Come on, Kelly. Let Montana have him. You know you can have any guy you want,” Pearl persuaded in her gentle way.
“But I’ve never had anyone as special as him. I mean, look at him. He’s one in a billion.”
“It won’t matter in the morning, will it?” Natalie asked. “He’ll just be another guy you slept with, but you’ll feel bad because you cheated Montana out of an experience she will cherish for the rest of her life.”
Kelly sighed, then looked at me mournfully. “All right. You can have him.”
“Actually, you can keep him. I don’t want him. Especially, not if it’s you he wants,” I said.
Kelly brightened. “Really?”
I shrugged and grinned at her. “Yeah, go for it.”
“No,” Natalie argued. “This night is supposed to be for you. We went to all this trouble because we wanted this night to be special for you.”
I looked at Natalie. “Thanks, Natalie. I know you mean well, but honestly, I don’t want to sleep with anyone who’s not totally into me too. No matter how gorgeous he is. Look, the night is young. I’m sure I’ll find someone else equally hunky if not better.” I knew that was a lie. Kelly was not lying when she said he was one in a billion.
“Are you sure?” Kelly asked, her eyes shining with hope and excitement.
“Totally,” I confirmed, but the word stuck in my throat like a hard rock.