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)
“Yes.” She pumps her fist into the air. “Yes, please.”
“It’ll take us all day, so we’ll take some food with us. And lots of water.”
“But there’s a lot of water on the property. Streams and ponds and stuff.”
I shake my head. “We’d need filters for that. You don’t want to drink that water. You could, but there’s likely bacteria from the cattle.”
“Bottled water for the win.” She grins and starts pulling stuff out of the fridge and cabinets. “I can make us sandwiches, and we have lots of protein bars and chips. Fruit.”
“That’s great, thanks. I’ll go out and fetch a cooler from the garage to keep it all cold.”
By the time I return with the cooler and empty all the ice from the freezer into it, Erin has a nice pile of snacks for me to put in it.
“It’s just one day,” I remind her, eyeing all the food. “Not a week.”
“I’m not taking any chances. I get hangry when I haven’t had enough food.” She grins and cuts the last sandwich in half before sliding it into a sandwich bag. “Okay, that’s done. What should I wear?”
“Jeans, for sure. Hiking shoes or something similar. Layer the top. It might get warm this afternoon.”
“I’m on it!” She runs through the house, and I finish packing the cooler and carry it out to the Jeep.
I’d much rather do this on horseback, but that would turn into a several-day tour, so we’ll go motorized this time. Hopefully, someday, I’ll get Erin on a horse and teach her how to ride and help her get over that fear.
Today is not that day.
I’ve just slid my own hiking boots on when Erin comes rushing back in. Her hair is up in a high ponytail, and she’s dressed for an adventure in the woods. I can’t see how her jeans hug her ass because it’s covered by a flannel shirt that’s open in the front, showing off a grey T-shirt. She makes outdoor gear look fucking hot as hell.
“You’re staring,” she says, looking down at herself. “Is this wrong?”
“No.” I step to her and nudge her chin up. “It’s perfect. You always manage to look amazing.”
“Aww, you’re just saying that because you’re hoping for some forest sex.”
“Counting on it.” I laugh and step away. “Let’s get this show on the road, Doc.”
“Happily, Grumpy.”
Once we’re settled in the Jeep, we set off in the direction of my parents’ house.
“I didn’t know that there was a bunch of property this way,” Erin says and rolls her window down. “I mean, I know your parents and Brady live over here, but I thought it was the edge of the property.”
“No, we’re pretty much smack in the middle of it. I thought I’d start over here because you haven’t seen much of it.”
“You’re the guide,” she says with a smile as she slides her sunglasses on. “Show me everything.”
When Brady’s cabin comes into view, I point at it. “That’s the oldest cabin on the property. Brady lives in it now. Before that, it was empty for a while. My mom and dad lived in it when they were first married.”
“It looks tiny,” she says.
“It is. But it works for one or two people.” I follow the bend in the road. “And you’ve seen Mom and Dad’s place.”
“It’s adorable.” Erin smiles. “It’s really perfect for them.”
“I agree. It was a good move on Dad’s part. Most of the property over here is wooded. We thought about clearing some of it out for more pasture, and that could happen in the future if we keep adding to our herd, but for now, we like the woods. They insulate the property during bad storms in the winter, and all the critters can live in there.”
“Don’t bulldoze Bambi’s house,” Erin says.
“No, ma’am. If local hunters ask for permission, we allow them to hunt in here, away from the cattle.”
“Oh, good idea. Are you asked often?”
“Every year. They’re regulars, been hunting here for a long time. But they always ask first, which we appreciate. There’s a nice little lake back here.”
Her eyes widen as I drive us over a little hill, and then there’s a lake with the mountains in the background.
“Holy shit,” she whispers. “Every time I think your land can’t get any prettier, I see something new.”
“The water is high right now because of the spring snow runoff. It’s not big enough for motorized boats, but we like to take paddle boards and canoes out here in the summer. Sometimes, we fish.”
“I would love to learn to paddle board,” she says with excitement. “Is it deep?”
“In the middle, it’s about fifty feet deep, so yeah. But the shorelines are shallow. The kids love swimming over here in the summer.”
“We’ll be out here every day.”
I drive on, looping back around to the farmhouse and then past the barn and further out.