Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“I can’t marry you, Judge. I’m sorry, but I don’t love you.” She takes the ring out of her pocket and holds it out to him.
Judge stares at the pink diamond glittering in the sunset, and as I wait for his anger, I see something I didn’t expect. His eyebrows pull together in confusion as he looks over my shoulder to the space behind me. The space where Kat is standing.
“I…um.” Judge shakes his head like the words are bees buzzing around him. “Wait, what?”
“I can’t marry you, Judge. I know you were helping out our family, and you want the land for your ranch, but I can’t marry someone I don’t love.” Dotty turns around to look at me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t when I’m already in love with someone else.”
“Beautiful girl,” I whisper to her as I use my thumb to wipe away the tear that’s fallen.
“Dorothy,” Judge says with confusion still in his voice. Is the guy thick-headed? Because he’s clearly not getting the hint. “I didn’t ask to marry you.”
All eyes turn to face Judge, and you could hear a pin drop. There’s a long pause where we all try to process what he’s saying as he takes a step forward. Not to me, but to the young woman behind me.
“Kitty, I asked to marry you,” he says and holds his hand out to Dotty for her to give him the ring.
Dotty blinks a few times like she can’t believe what she’s hearing, and we’re all trying to play catch up. Then she reaches her hand out like she forgot she was holding it and drops it into his palm.
“This is yours, Kitty.” He swallows as he holds it out. “If you’ll wear it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Dotty
“If I’ll wear it?” I hear my sister repeat.
I’m pretty sure she’s talking to herself. I stand there trying to figure out what the hell is happening. You could knock me over with a feather at the moment. I didn't see any of this coming. Looking at my sister, you could do the same to her right about now. That is until Judge opens his mouth again. I watch as so many emotions pass over my sister’s face, making me think I’ve missed a few steps before now. Important steps.
“You’ll wear it,” he pushes, with more force in his voice. That sounds like the Judge I’m used to.
For a moment there I saw something crack through that hard exterior, and he was almost unsure. But all that changed quickly as he presses his advantage.
“You can’t make her do shit,” I tell him as I step in front of my sister, ready for a fight. I might only be ten months older than her, but I’m still her big sister and will always look out for her. “The only reason I agreed to marry you in the first place was I thought if I said no you’d ask for her instead.”
“Stop talking about marrying someone else,” Clay growls, and I glance over at him.
I want to smack and kiss him at the same time with how he stepped in to help shield my sister without question. I still don’t know what was up with that other woman and the stink on him when he got back home today. Home. I’m already calling here home. That happened rather fast.
“She’s going to marry me,” Judge says in a matter-of-fact tone. There is no doubt he’s going to win this fight because there’s determination in every line of his body.
“You can’t make anyone marry you. Trust me, I looked into it,” Clay says. When I glare at him, he shrugs, not caring that he’s been busted trying to figure out a way to keep me any way he could.
“She stole my car,” he points out, and I turn to my sister’s wide eyes.
He’s right about that, and the car probably cost as much as our house.
“Kat, give me his keys.” I hold out my hand and she does, but I don’t miss the slight shake of her fingers as she drops them into mine. I turn back to Judge and toss them to him. He catches them easily as his brow furrows. “There you go. No harm done.”
He doesn't know she probably killed the transmission. I’m holding out hope that Judge won't actually call the cops on Kat. Not if he’s pressing to marry her.
Why the hell does the man want a wife so bad? He’s not bad on the eyes when he doesn't look like he could strangle you with his bare hands. In fact, I bet if he smiled he'd be handsome. I wouldn't know because I’ve never in my life seen him do it before.
“Guess you didn't get a look at the back of the vehicle.” Judge’s eyes move past me to Kat.