Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
This time when she walks me to the door, I lean in and kiss her cheek. “Stay safe, Kels,” I murmur, hearing her slight intake of breath. She might not want to want me, but the fact is, she still does.
CHAPTER SEVEN
KELSIE
“Mommy! It snowed! It snowed!” Jordan yells, jumping onto my bed. “I wanna make a snowman!”
Without opening my eyes, I reach for my little snow angel and pull her under the covers, wrapping us up in the warm blankets. “I think we should stay right here where it’s warm,” I joke, nuzzling my face into her neck and making her laugh.
“No way, Mommy!” She rolls out of the blankets, taking the warmth with her. “We gotta build a snowman before Mr. Fireman takes all the snow.”
The nickname she uses for Pierce has my eyes popping open. “Pierce is here?”
“Yeah, he’s taking all the snow away,” Jordan says, bouncing off the bed and running out of the room.
I quickly put a bra on, throw a hoodie over my pajama shirt, and follow after Jordan down the hall and toward the front door. She swings it open, and in my front yard is none other than Pierce, shoveling and salting my sidewalk and driveway.
“Jordan!” Tilly yells, popping out from around the corner. “I’m making a snowman, but Uncle Pierce said I couldn’t knock ’cause you guys might be sleeping.”
“I’m awake!” Jordan giggles, throwing her arms around her friend. “Mommy, can I play, please?”
“Of course,” I tell her. “Go grab your jacket and gloves, though.” She’s already changed out of her pajamas and into her snow pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and boots.
“Fine,” she replies, dragging the word out dramatically before she runs back inside.
Less than a minute later, she’s back, standing before me and ready to be zipped. After zipping her up, I help her with her gloves. Once set, she and Tilly take off into the yard to play in the snow. We got a decent amount—close to a foot, by the looks of it. Definitely enough to have fun on a snow day.
“Hey,” I say to Pierce, who has stopped shoveling to look at me.
“Hey,” he replies with a half-smile.
“You didn’t have to do this, but thank you.”
We both chuckle at my overuse of those two words.
“Mommy!” Jordan yells, flying back around the corner with Tilly right behind. “Tilly’s grandma has horses, and she’s gonna ride them today after helping her uncle take all the snow away. Can we go too?”
“Oh, umm…”
“You guys should come,” Pierce says before I can come up with a reason why we can’t go. “It’s a beautiful day to go riding. You ever been?”
“No,” I admit. “I’ve always wanted to go, but I’ve never known anyone who actually owns a horse.”
“Well, now you do,” he says with a smirk. “I have a couple more houses to shovel, but once I’m done, Tilly and I will pick you up.”
“You’re sure we won’t be intruding?”
“Impossible. My family’s ranch has an open invitation. Mom always says the more, the merrier.”
While the girls play and Pierce shovels, I go inside and make the girls hot cocoa and Pierce and me coffee.
Once he’s done, and the girls have built the best snowman ever—their words—he tells Tilly to jump in the truck and then walks over to me. “I should probably get your number,” he says with a serious expression.
“Oh, yeah? And why is that?”
“So I can call you when we’re on our way.”
I bark out a laugh. “We’ll be ready. No need to call.”
He chuckles under his breath and shakes his head. “You know, friends have each other’s numbers.”
“I’m not sure we’re at that point in our friendship,” I joke.
“Seriously? After all the thank yous you’ve given me, I think I’ve earned the friendship badge and your number.”
“Hmmm.” I tap my lips playfully. “Okay, you’ve earned it.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket and send him a text, so he has my number. His entire face lights up when his phone goes off, making my stomach knot.
“Friends, Pierce,” I say, reminding him—and myself. “That’s all I can give you.”
“I don’t know about this.”
I glance up at the gigantic horse, having second thoughts. They’re beautiful, and the thought of riding them sounded fun, but once you’re standing in front of them, they’re kind of intimidating.
“C’mon, Mommy, you can do it!” Jordan yells from the horse she’s sitting atop, along with Tilly, while Jackson, Pierce’s brother who runs the family ranch, holds the rope so the horse doesn’t go anywhere. Tilly usually does it by herself as she’s been riding before she could even walk, but since the girls wanted to ride together, Pierce has asked Jackson to join us so he could pull them along and ensure they’re safe.
Meanwhile, I’m standing next to Jingle Bells—because all the horses are Christmas themed to match the town’s vibe—with Pierce cupping his hands so I can use them as a makeshift stirrup. Apparently, he’s too cool for a saddle. The whole situation has me wondering if it’s too late to chicken out because the horse is tall, and if I fall, it’s a long way down.