Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“Break them out.”
“I should have just gone to get them myself.” I brace my foot on the bottom rung of a fence as Brady and I watch Ryan work with a mare in the ring. “It was a slower day today, and I could have gotten away to pick them up.”
“Most days won’t be this laid-back, you know that,” Brady replies. “Let them all get used to each other. Erin has your car, and from what I hear, she’s a competent girl. Stop worrying so much.”
I smirk and check my phone. She should be in the pickup line by now.
“You obviously don’t have kids. Life is all about worry, my friend.”
“Stop looking at your phone. Jesus, did you put a location tracker on hers or something?”
“Wait, I can do that?”
Brady rolls his eyes. “No, stalker, you can’t. It’s an invasion of privacy.”
“I’m just going to text her and ask her where she is.”
Me: Did you make it to the pickup line?
“That’s it, annoy the fuck out of her on the first day,” Brady says as my phone pings with a reply.
It’s a selfie of her in my car.
Erin: I’m here!
“Hey, she is hot,” Brady says, looking over my shoulder. “Are her eyes…green?”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Green eyes, brown hair.”
The sexiest damn lips I’ve ever seen in my life.
Not that I’ll say that out loud.
After a few minutes, my phone pings with another text. This time, it’s a selfie of Erin with the kids in the back seat.
Erin: Proof of life! All is well.
I smirk.
Me: Drive safe. Text me when you get to the house.
“You’d think he was on a horse yesterday,” Brady says as we continue to watch Ryan, who’s murmuring to the horse. “He always was a natural.”
“We all are,” I counter. “We grew up on horses.”
“Yeah, but it’s as if Ryan speaks their language. I was always jealous of that.” Brady shrugs. “When are we doing the branding?”
“Next weekend. We have one more storm coming through the middle of the week, and then the weather clears up. We’ll be good to go for the weekend.”
“Cool. It’ll be good to have the extra hands.”
“I think I want to buy a few of my own horses,” Ryan says as he joins us at the fence. “I have stables at my property that I’ve never used.”
“You can always come out here and ride,” I remind him. “You don’t even have to let one of us know. Just come ride.”
“I know, and I appreciate that,” Ryan replies. “But there’s something to be said for being able to walk out your back door to your own stable, saddle up a horse, and just go. I miss it.”
“There are always horses for sale in the area,” Brady says. “You won’t have a problem finding a couple.”
“That’s what I figured,” Ryan agrees. “I might need to hire someone to come out now and then to help me, especially if I have to travel.”
“You can find that easy enough, too,” Brady says. “I know some guys who would appreciate the work and are trustworthy.”
“Appreciate it,” Ryan says with a nod and then turns to me. “You’re doing a good job out here, Rem. The ranch is thriving, and that’s thanks to you.”
I nod, looking around at our family’s legacy. “I had a good foundation to work from. I’m just building on what was given to me.”
“It wasn’t given,” Ryan replies. “It was earned.”
“Damn right,” Brady says.
“Yeah, well.” The phone in my hand rings, and my heart stutters when I see it’s Erin. She shouldn’t be here yet. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Jesus, nothing’s wrong, nervous Nellie. I brought the kids to the coffee shop to see Millie and to get them a treat, and I’m wondering if you want something. They have the huckleberry muffins again.”
Ryan and Brady are laughing at the nervous Nellie comment, which makes me regret the speakerphone, but my heart has settled down now that I know they’re safe.
“Yeah, I’ll take one. Hell, buy whatever they have left, and I’ll pay you back.”
“Okay, will do. See you soon.”
She hangs up, and I turn to my brothers. “Shut up.”
“We didn’t say anything,” Ryan says with a laugh.
“I’m gonna start calling you Nellie,” Brady says. “It just fits you so well.”
“Fuck you.” But I can’t help but laugh. “You’re a couple of jerks.”
“Ah, come on, Nellie. Let’s go meet her at the house for some muffins.”
Chapter Seven
Erin
That first sip of coffee just hits different when it’s your day off.
Curled up on my couch, wrapped up in a red throw blanket that my mom sent me, I take a long, deep breath and then another sip.
I love quiet mornings, watching the mountains. Well, the tiny bit that I can see from my little apartment window anyway. I like watching the world wake up with me.