Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Logging in with the ranch’s Wi-Fi was easy enough. She scrolled through her email out of habit more than anything. It had been over a week, and the messages had piled up. As always, there were plenty from work that she should probably deal with—but she was on vacation, and she knew Carter would be annoyed if she did.
But she couldn’t help looking, especially when she noticed the subject lines getting more and more agitated as she scrolled down the list. If the aggressive punctuation was any indication, her office had been desperately trying to reach her.
Info Needed!!!!!
Please reply immediately!!!!
DO YOU WANT TO BE FIRED?!?!
On Carter’s orders, she’d set her phone to DND for everyone except for him. Without the notifications popping up, it had been easy to ignore work calls and texts. She didn’t even want to know how many would be waiting by now, but at some point, they’d switched to emailing her.
She hesitated and opened the first email, scanning it quickly, then the second, and on down the list. She didn’t reply to any of them, but her hands were shaking long before she got to the bottom. The urge to slam her laptop shut and throw it out the window was strong.
They weren’t all from Edward. Some had been from her team, and those she was tempted to answer. After all, it wasn’t their fault this had all been dumped on them. But then she remembered the bathroom conversation, and it left her feeling petty.
Petty enough that when she reached the last email and was confronted with a long vicious rant from Edward, she decided she was done. Entirely done with him, the team, and the company too. He’d questioned her professional behavior, her skills, and even her intelligence.
She forwarded his email to HR along with a short note, and then she shut off the computer and went back to bed. To her surprise, she did eventually sleep a little more. Maybe doing something about her situation had helped release the stress so her body could relax.
The next morning, they were still sleeping when there was a knock on the door. Allegra rolled over to watch as Carter grabbed a robe and pulled the breakfast cart inside. It was beautifully decorated. Fully as nice as any room service she’d seen at a fancy hotel. There was even a bouquet of cut flowers in a crystal vase.
“It’s really hard to believe this is a working ranch, when they roll up with five-star service like this,” Carter commented. “Someone said they have a chef who went to the Cordon Bleu.”
“Seriously?” She shook her head, sitting up and scootching back against the padded headboard. “This place is such a weird mix. The amenities are amazing… but you have to break your back before you can use them.”
Carter laughed as he slid a tray in front of her. “It works though. The fees are high and most of the guests are probably rich. I think there’d be more tantrums about having to get their hands dirty if they didn’t get pampered a little too.”
She’d begun to eat before he even got back in bed with his own tray. It was just too good to wait, and with her mouth full, she mumbled, “I guess.” She was quiet while they ate, thinking about the dream that had ruined her sleep, and the emails. By the time her plate was empty, she’d made a decision.
“I’ve got something to tell you,” Ally said, finally.
“Oh?” Something about her tone must have alerted him, because he put his fork down and looked at her. “Everything okay?”
She shook her head silently and scooted closer to rest her head on his shoulder. It was easier not to see his face when she explained. “Some things happened at work that I didn’t tell you about.” When he didn’t say anything, she made herself continue. “I needed time to figure things out myself, and I knew you’d want to help if I told you.”
“And have you figured it out?”
“Yes, I think I finally have. I hate my job.”
He chuckled. “Sweetheart, that’s not a secret.” One arm went around her waist snugging her close.
“Yeah, that wasn’t what I needed to tell you.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “After you talked to Edward …” It was easier than she expected to share the whole story with him. What she’d overheard in the bathroom, how her boss had been demolishing her reputation.
“He’s stepped well over the line of appropriate. This is into lawsuit territory,” Carter said when she was done. There was a tenseness in his body and a harsh note to his voice.
“Are … you mad at me?” She’d been feeling guilty about not telling him. The ranch kept them busy enough that work hadn’t entered her thoughts often, but every time they did, she thought about how she should have told him. His open honesty about his past had probably added to that.