Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Read Online Books/Novels: | Tobias (Reynolds Ranch #2) |
|---|---|
Author/Writer of Book/Novel: | C.M. Steele |
| Language: | English |
| ISBN/ ASIN: | B09XRG4MRS |
| Book Information: | |
Grumpy, angry, a curmudgeon… Who uses the word ‘curmudgeon’ anymore? Those are the words used to describe my new boss and some other less than flattering words. The new boss who doesn’t even know I’ve been hired to invade his private sanctum and run the show. I’m the new cook for Tobias Reynolds, a Montana Cowboy with a surly attitude. I shouldn’t work for him given my background, but my options are limited and it’s a temporary arrangement. A violent man left me scars, mostly invisible ones, but they promise me that Tobias will never lay a hand on me. One look at my new boss and I know it’s not his anger I fear, but the raging desire for his touch coursing through me. They were wrong about the boss. Tobias can’t seem to keep his hands off me and I don’t want him to stop. Beautiful, broken, mine… That’s what I see when I look at Ava. From the first second, I saw her, it felt like I’d been tackled to the ground my chest ached so intensely. I want to keep her, but this is just a temporary stop for her. She’s running from someone. Given the black eye, she’s sporting, I’m guessing it’s someone who needs to be taught a lesson. I’ve spent my time in the spotlight, but now I’ve gone back to my roots, working my family’s ranch. Some say I’m like a grizzly bear with a thorn in his paw, but I just want to work and go home to a good homecooked meal and some peace and quiet which has been hard to come by. It’s not until she shows up that I realize how much more I want out of life. I’ll slay all her dragons, destroy her fears, and do all I can to get her to stay. *Tobias was previously published as Tackling Tobias under Lady Boss Press.* | |
| Books in Series: | Reynolds Ranch Series by C.M. Steele |
| Books by Author: | C.M. Steele |
Prologue
Tobias
Stepping through my front door after a long day dealing with one problem after another, all I want is a tall glass of iced tea and a hot meal before hitting the shower. My bones ache from baling hay and wrangling a dozen little lambs that broke free. They “baa’ed” their happy little hearts out as they played in the fields like I didn’t have shit to do but haul their little asses inside.
I take off my hat and run my hands through my hair. Damn, I need a haircut. Rolling my head, I crack my neck and then stretch my shoulders back. My stomach rumbles, reminding me it’s well past dinnertime. Irritation hits me immediately when I don’t smell food cooking like I should.
Snarling to myself, I hang up my hat on the rack by the door before making my way toward the kitchen to see if she made a salad again. I already warned the woman that I worked too damn hard to eat a salad for dinner. I’m not a damn rabbit.
I fucking hate salads. I’m six five, two-fifty, and in great physical condition, and I need real damn calories to keep my body fueled. As a former athlete, I’d max six thousand calories just to keep muscle. Now retired, I still need four thousand because I stay busy on my family ranch, working brutally hard daily.
I push open the swinging kitchen door and stare. “Son of a bitch.” There’s not a damn thing on the stove—no pots simmering or dishes on the counter. In fact, the room looks exactly like it did at breakfast when she had heated up frozen breakfast burritos.
Nothing.
Where the hell is that woman? My cook and housekeeper, Nina, started working a few weeks back after my last cook, Thelma, retired. Well, she quit, but I like to say retired. It makes me look less like an ass that way. Not that I care what people think, but no one wants to work for a bossy bastard.
I have gone through more cooks since my mother passed than in my entire life. I don’t know if it’s my surly attitude or my need for shit to be done on time that sends them packing, but they’ve always gone. This one has to beat it as well. I’ve had enough of her flighty behavior. I reach into the fridge to pour myself a cold drink, and the fucking pitcher of iced tea is empty.