Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
His eyes turned glassy and he blinked heavily. “Yeah, well, darlin’. I’ve never been blessed with children, that is, until the day I met you.” Reaching out, he took hold of her good hand. “I want regular updates. Call me. Don’t text.”
She snorted. “I know you hate text messaging, old man.”
“Stupid form of communication. So much misinterpretation and time involved. Nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned phone call. Or even one of those video calls. I can do that now that Silla got me that new phone.”
“You’ll look after her. And yourself.”
“Don’t worry about us, darlin’. You go to Montana. And you do what that boy tells you to do.”
She bit her lip, wondering how Hayes would feel about being called a boy. “I will.”
“Promise me,” he said sternly.
“Mac, when have I ever not done what I’m told,” she said with mock-horror.
He snorted. “All the time. All the fucking time. Gonna miss you, girl.”
“Gonna miss you too.”
“Why don’t you go to sleep, baby?” Hayes said as she yawned for about the fifth time in a row.
She couldn’t believe she was finally out of the hospital. “I can’t sleep in cars.”
“What if I made you a bed in the backseat?” he asked.
“Lie down without a seatbelt on?” she asked in surprise. He was very big on the rules so she was shocked he’d suggest that.
“Of course not! When you’re in a moving vehicle you always need your seatbelt on. And there’s no texting while driving or disobeying the speed limit or other laws. That’s a rule.”
Yep. There he went with those darn rules again.
“What if I don’t agree it’s a rule?” she asked.
“Being safe and healthy is always a rule. Put either at risk and you’re going over my knee.”
Hmm, it had taken longer than she’d thought for him to start talking about rules. They’d already been driving for about an hour.
She’d been so relieved to get out of that hospital that she hadn’t really thought about the fact that she would be leaving the town she’d grown up in. She’d barely been anywhere else. In fact, she hadn’t even left Colorado before.
And now she was headed off into the complete unknown with a man that she was really, really attracted to.
In a way that wasn’t really healthy.
Because she kept thinking about him. Wanting him. Dreaming of him touching her.
They hadn’t even kissed for goodness sake! Sure, she’d thought about it a lot.
He’s still in love with his wife.
You cannot think about him like that. He might pick up on your desire.
And that would be humiliating.
Especially since they would now be living together. No way did she want him to know how she felt. Or for him to have to explain to her that he didn’t feel the same.
Nope. She’d just need to bury those feelings deep. Which shouldn’t be hard. Most of her feelings were in a bubble right now.
“It’s going to be a long drive, baby. Go quicker if you sleep.”
“For you or for me?” she asked.
He snorted. “Both of us, I imagine.”
“Hey, boy, that’s rude.”
“Boy?” he asked.
“That’s what Mac called you.”
“Mac’s a hundred and three. He can call me boy. You get to call me Graham, Hayes or Daddy. That’s it.”
“Fine, Daddy,” she grumbled.
He shot her a look but didn’t comment. “Do you want some music on, baby girl?”
“Uh-huh.” She snuggled back against the pillow that rested between her and the car door. She was really tired and she just wanted to drift for a while . . . to not think about anything.
“What sort of music do you like?”
“Have you got The Wiggles?” she asked. “I loves their music.”
Loves? Wow. She’d slipped into Little headspace easily.
“I don’t. But let me see what I can do. Here is my phone. See if you can find their music on the app.”
“Okies-dokies. I’ve never done this before, you know?”
“Done what? Use that app. It’s easy.”
“No, silly Daddy. I’ve never been on a road trip before.”
“Never?” he asked.
“Nope. I’ve never even left Colorado.”
He grunted. “I would try to make this a good road trip, but I don’t want to make too many stops. Riskier if we stop. We’re going to get to Sanctuary Ranch late as it is. Well past your bedtime.”
“I don’t have a bedtime. Where’s Coco?”
“Shit, baby. Coco is in the trunk. I’m sorry.”
“Oh no. Coco will be so scared in there.” She actually felt tears come into her eyes.
Come on, this is silly.
You’re a big girl. And Coco is a toy.
But she felt the tears drift down her cheeks.
“We’ll stop soon,” he told her. “Get you some road trip snacks and Coco out of the trunk.”
“We can do that?” she asked.
“Yes, but you have to stop crying. Please,” he said almost desperately.
“Okay, I will try.”
“Thank you,” he told her.
“What are road trip snacks?”
“Ahh, baby, you’re in for a treat.”