Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
The thought didn’t terrify her the way it used to. A broken heart could be mended. An empty one couldn’t. “I’ll have my sister to hold me while I cry. I’ll have Cassidy making me tea and cakes, and Dad will threaten to bring the Neluts down on Sawyer’s ass.”
Her sister shook her head. “He means that literally. I got a big lecture on how they impregnate males. It was terrible. I can’t unsee it. There were slides.”
Sabrina laughed. “I’ll make sure to let Sawyer know to avoid all aliens. But seriously, I won’t want revenge on him. I want a shot with him because I don’t know if Wyatt will be completely happy without him, and I know damn straight Sawyer will never be happy alone. At least if I get my heart broken, I’ll have had some spectacular sex.”
Elisa’s grin went wide. “Who would have guessed the boring Leal girls would be so wild?”
“No one. Not a single person.”
“I want you happy, and happiness sometimes requires risk, so I say go for it,” her sister pronounced. “I would take you shopping and get you some sexy clothes, but we live here and our options are limited. We’ll have to fly to Denver for a weekend and go shopping.”
It would be a fun way to spend a weekend, but she wasn’t sure she needed it. “He seems to like me no matter what I wear. Attraction isn’t the problem. Getting through all of his walls is.”
“Wear him down, sister,” a practical voice said.
Sabrina looked up, and Rachel Harper stood in the doorway, a baby on her hip.
Callie Hollister-Wright was beside her and managed to look sheepish. “Sorry. We came by to talk about the lunch menu for next week and didn’t want to interrupt.”
Sabrina gave the women her best teacher stare. “Didn’t want to interrupt or didn’t want to miss a word?”
Callie winced, but Rachel simply strode in. “The second part. So you’re going to take Sawyer down? Are you sure because I have…”
Rachel could be a wrecking ball when she wanted to be. “I am not dating anyone but Wyatt Kemp. I am thoroughly taken, so don’t set me up with anyone. Move on to Delilah.”
Elisa stood and grabbed her hat. “I will let you get back to work, sis. Rachel, Callie.”
They both acknowledged her sister as she walked out.
“Fine,” Rachel said, shifting the young boy to her other hip. The youngest Harper simply yawned and laid his head on his mom’s shoulder. “I’ve been waiting for someone to come in and take Sawyer in hand.”
“In hand?” She knew? She’d taken him “in hand” several times.
“She means she wants to be able to get things out of Sawyer without actually having to talk to him,” Callie corrected. “Like whenever anyone needs something from Max, they go straight to Rachel, or when people think Nate’s in a bad mood, they come to me.”
“Speaking of, I am not paying that ticket,” Rachel informed her friend. “You tell Nate if he needs a new copy machine, he can ticket Stef.”
“You were going twenty miles over the speed limit,” Callie began and then waved her off. “We’ve talked a lot about how Sawyer could spruce up the bar and maybe have a better wine selection.”
“And a girls night,” Rachel said, taking a seat.
“Doesn’t Callie own a bar?” She knew the answer since she was going there tonight. For her date.
“Yes, she does, and you know how crappy it is to have a girls night when the husband of one of the girls is the bartender?” Rachel asked. “We get lectures on singing too loud and drinking too much, and oh, Rachel, don’t dance on the tables. It’s not hygienic. I am the mother of three children under the age of seven. I do not need Zane Hollister being my daddy.”
She was thinking about the look on Sawyer’s face when she proposed a girls night free for all at Hell on Wheels. It would probably go blank, like he couldn’t conceive the words had come out of her mouth.
But girls night could be fun. “Well, I have to convince him first. He’s made himself plain.”
“Did he or did he not take advantage of the storm to get into your panties?” Rachel asked.
“He did,” Sabrina confirmed.
Callie sat down beside her friend. “Sawyer wouldn’t have slept with you if he hadn’t really wanted you. I’ve known Sawyer for a long time. He’s younger than me but we were in school together for a couple of years. He’s very straightforward.”
That was part of the problem. “Yes, he is and he’s told me what he wants.”
Rachel waved the thought off. “He’s also dumb as a post when it comes to most things. The man thinks he’s the baddest dude in town. Sure, buddy. Maybe if you want to keep that schtick up you shouldn’t run around helping old ladies get groceries in their cars or haul your ass out to the alien highway to ensure Mel’s watch posts are secure and he won’t break a leg on the ladders. Max and Rye were planning to check them out, but Sawyer was already there working away. I would say he hates all of us, but he’s always nice when I’m around him.”