Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
“Nothing like it anywhere else.” JB slid two pancakes onto a plate and handed it to Cole. He threw him a glance over his shoulder, his blue eyes twinkling. “There’s warm maple syrup on the table.”
Cole took the plate. “Thanks for this. I haven’t had pancakes in a long time.”
“Woke up with a craving for them, so I started early, though it doesn’t take long to whip these up.” He put a couple of pancakes on another plate and turned off the stove before joining Cole at the table. “Fresh coffee, too.”
Cole got up to get himself a mug of coffee, then settled at the table. He poured syrup over his pancakes and took a bite. “Oh, good.”
“Thanks. My mother raised me to cook for myself, and these were one of the first things she showed me how to make.” JB doctored his own plate with butter and syrup.
They ate silently for a few moments, and Cole found his gaze drawn to JB. His blond hair was disheveled from sleeping and he looked warm and inviting. He had the worst urge to tug the man into his lap.
He’d meant what he said about another kiss not happening, but now was he regretting that? What exactly did he want here? He still didn’t know why he’d kissed him, but at the time, it had felt like something he’d had to do.
“How did everyone take the news yesterday?” Cole asked. JB had worked late last night, and they hadn’t had a chance to talk.
“About like you’d expect. They were dismayed. I watched their expressions, but I still don’t think any of them did it. Owen, my foreman, was particularly upset. He’s worked for us for five years and loves the place nearly as much as we do.”
Cole had met Owen Christie. He was a tall, good-looking man who was a little on the quiet side like him. The man had seemed invested in the place, excited to share his love for it with Cole. No, he couldn’t have been the one to poison the cows.
Though he didn’t really know him—didn’t know any of these people that well.
“I thought I’d go see the Jenkinses today,” JB said. He cleared his throat and looked at Cole, his expression holding nothing but politeness. “See if they’ll tell me why they decided to sell. The Robertses, I can understand, but the Jenkinses have me at a loss. They love the land as much as I do.”
“When do you plan to go? I’d like to go with you, if you don’t mind.”
“Yeah?” JB lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t have work to do?”
“A few things, but I can spare the time. Vacation, remember? I’m curious as well.”
He took a bite of his pancakes, the syrup sweet on his tongue, then followed it with a swig of hot coffee.
“We’ll go this morning and hopefully catch them before they go out.” JB stood and took his empty plate to the sink. “I’ll do up these dishes later.”
“I can grab them when we get back. I have Gidget and Quinn looking into the poison. I wouldn’t be surprised if they find information soon.” Cole got up to rinse his plate. “I’ll go get dressed now.”
He brushed past JB—the kitchen was really that small—and felt the faint warmth of his body. Hurrying from the kitchen, he went down the small hallway to the room he was using. Dressing in jeans and a blue button-down, he then combed his hair and beard. He tugged on his hiking boots, telling himself the whole time that he wasn’t dressing up for JB.
Cole walked into the living room, but JB wasn’t out of his room yet, so he went to his computer and pulled up his chat to see if Quinn or Gidget had found anything. Nothing yet. He straightened up as JB walked into the room, wearing jeans and another T-shirt that matched his eyes. Cole couldn’t stop staring at the way he moved, slow and confident.
And again he was rethinking not kissing him. God, what was wrong with him?
Shoving those thoughts away, he followed JB out to the truck. The drive to the Jenkinses’ was a nice one with the sun now up and shining on the hills. They drove with the windows down, a breeze flowing through the cab of the truck.
The place was really beautiful, had a tranquility that even called to him. It seeped into the pores, latched itself deep. He could easily understand why JB loved it so much, why the land got into a person’s soul.
When they arrived, there was an old couple standing outside the barn and they stopped what they were doing to watch them park and get out. The Jenkinses had a nice spread with a gray, two-story house and two barns. A handful of horses roamed one corral while cows dotted a field in the distance. A few other cows were close to the barn, likely getting ready to calve. JB’s family did the same thing, keeping the pregnant cows closer to home.