Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
It took me a moment. “No,” I groaned.
“Hypothetically.”
“Oh dear God,” I whimpered.
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
“You ass,” I whined. “Do you know what’s gonna happen now?”
He only smiled and nodded before he turned on the TV and started flipping channels.
“They’re all coming,” I told him.
“Not tonight they’re not. Visiting hours are over. They can’t get in.”
“Then how come you’re here?”
“I’m family, asshole.”
Nice. “Shouldn’t you get home to your kid?”
“He’s with Morgan and his wife, Loretta, so he’s fine.”
“I don’t know Morgan whoever.”
“Morgan Sowers is our new blacksmith, and he’s a really nice guy.”
“What if he drops Wyatt on his head?”
“Loretta, Morgan’s wife, is the pediatrician out on the Red. I’m not really worried about it.”
“Rand just can’t keep collecting people, Stef. Law enforcement will start to think he’s a drug lord or some shit.”
He turned off the TV and twisted around in his chair to look at me. “So?”
“So what?”
“Did you bond with the boys?”
I stayed quiet.
“Did you and Rand and Zach work things out?”
I grunted.
His eyebrows lifted, and then he smiled. “You did.”
“We had us a bit of a come-to-Jesus meeting, yeah.”
“And?” he prodded me.
“And I might come visit the Red a bit more often.”
He looked so very pleased, with his scrunched-up eyes and lips pressed tight together and clasped hands.
“It’s a work in progress, all right?”
“Yes. Good. I’m so glad.”
“You like putting the Holloways back together, don’t you, Stef.” He’d done it with Tyler and his family too.
“I do. Your father and you, Rand, and Zach are next on my list.”
I would not hold my breath on that one.
Early the next morning, just after visiting hours began, my bed was jostled and there were whispers of “Shut the fuck up” and “You’re gonna wake him up,” before I did, in fact, open my eyes.
Just as I’d predicted, the room was crowded with people—way more than I was sure was allowed—ten or so of them surrounding the bed so I couldn’t even see the door of my room. “Shit,” I grumbled, squinting up at all of them. “Why aren’t you guys gettin’ ready to open the Bronc? Sunday’s one of our busiest days.”
A wall of noise came at me, everyone speaking at once, each voice trying to be louder than the last.
“Stop,” I half yelled before turning to look at Josie, who was closest to me, both of her hands on my right forearm, squeezing tight as she sucked in breath after breath. Only when I studied her face did I notice that her eyes were red and puffy.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, you can see I’m fine.”
She sniffled. “You were hurt. When Mr. Joss called the restaurant and Kev took the call, it scared the hell out of all of us.”
Which had been Stef’s intent. He was going straight to hell if he didn’t watch it.
“We were all really worried,” Callie said tightly, and I watched her bite her bottom lip.
“You’ve never passed out before,” Kevin explained, coming around the girls to stand on my left and touch the bandage there. “And you never had to be taken nowhere in an ambulance.”
“I’ve done both of those things many, many times. Y’all just never knew me when I was working the ranch.”
“Your doctor said you lost a lotta blood,” Shawnee chimed in from where she was at my feet, ignoring my comments entirely. “And he told Bailey that between the stitches in your side and the stab wound, you had to stay here a couple of days.”
“Which means I’ll be out first thing tomorrow morning.”
Lots of exhaling and smiles. They were all visibly relieved and happy.
“How did you talk to my doctor?” I asked Shawnee.
“Oh, I didn’t, Bailey did. You know how persuasive she can be when she wants something.”
I was well aware. She looked all sweet and soft on the outside, but inside she was all tiger. “Is that who’s at the restaurant?” I asked, turning to Kevin. “Bail?”
“Yeah, it’s her and Jamal, Sandy, Esteban, Marco, Deshaun, Kelly, and…oh, we might have a problem.”
“What’s that?”
Callie and Kevin exchanged worried glances.
“What?”
Callie took a quick breath. “Well, it turns out that the resort is being sued for racial discrimination.”
“Okay, and? What does that have to do with us? You already told me that our staff should be in an ad for…what was it?”
“The United Colors of Benetton,” Callie stated with a smirk.
“Which is a good thing.”
“It’s a very good thing,” she agreed. “You have probably the most racially diverse staff in the entire county, boss.”
“We represent the LGBTQ community as well,” Shawnee added.
“We also have our pronoun preferences on our name badges,” Kevin chimed in.
“And so,” Callie rushed out, wanting me back on point, “Gillian comes by yesterday—”
“Who?”
“The new director of personnel.”
Callie and Kevin knew the hotel people. He was good with remembering all their names and titles and schmoozing with them, and Callie was good at trading food for service, so we could always call on people at the bell desk or with the concierge to help our guests. I was crappy at the things they both excelled at, and that was okay, as neither of them knew the ins and outs of contracts or managing the facility.