Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 114793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
As we pulled up, I spotted a familiar figure stepping out of the barn.
Marcus. Tall, broad, and serious as hell. He squinted at the truck, yanked off his hat, and looked straight up at the sky like he was asking the universe for a refund.
I winced.
“Great,” I muttered. “He’s doing the sky thing. I was hoping he’d be in a normal mood.”
“You’re new to this family, huh?” Drew snickered, putting the truck in park. “There’s no such thing as normal with the Townsends. It’s just different shades of 'ready to lose their shit' in a multitude of ways.”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and grabbed my bag. “Yeah, I’ve met enough of them to know their DNA’s got a built-in self-destruct button.”
Drew opened his door. “You’ll fit right in.”
That was what I was afraid of.
Marcus didn’t ask me what was going on. He didn’t say hi, didn’t ask how I was, didn’t even look surprised to see me wobbling out of Drew’s truck looking like the before photo in a desert survival documentary.
He just walked straight to the passenger door and opened it like it was his truck, pulled out his phone, and muttered into it. “Is the reason you hightailed it out of here a relative of Sasha’s, by any chance?”
I bit my tongue—literally bit it—because I could feel the smartass bubbling up, and while I wasn’t opposed to going toe-to-toe with a Townsend, I also wasn’t in the mood to pass out mid-argument from dehydration.
Also, really, he didn’t even remember my name? I let out a tiny sniff. It was dramatic and only just loud enough.
Marcus barely glanced at me, still listening to the person on the other end. Then his eyes narrowed, head tilting slightly.
“Because she’s just pulled in with Drew,” he replied flatly, “her hair matching her skin.”
Okay, that was it. “I didn’t expect my car to explode or to have to walk through the temperatures and suns of hell to find you people,” I snapped, throwing my arms wide. “So, forgive me if I’m the one suffering right now.”
Marcus didn’t blink as Drew sighed beside him.
“Yeah,” Marcus said into the phone, tone dry enough to make toast. “I’ll keep an eye on her ‘til you get here.”
From the other side of the truck, Drew snorted. “Not like you can miss her. Pretty sure she’d glow in the dark at this point.”
I turned my head and glared at him, my voice like gravel. “It hurts, Drew.”
“Yeah, I bet,” he shrugged with zero remorse, hauling my overloaded bag out of the truck bed. “We’ve got aloe, so you should probably bathe in it. Hourly.”
And off he went, strolling toward the massive house like this was just another Tuesday. Which, knowing this family, it probably was.
I sighed, dragged my feet out of the truck, and turned to face Marcus. He’d ended the call and was just standing there, watching me like I might start smoking at any second.
“Webb’ll be back in a few hours. You can hang tight here with Adrienne, Santana, and the kids until he gets here. Apparently, he's got a lot of questions for you.”
I was shocked at that, and then it clicked that my cousin's husband had probably contacted his family for help when she couldn't reach me. Not wanting to play my hand, though, I asked, “Santana’s here?”
“She and Adrienne are wrangling small children, and whatever animal has escaped the barn today.”
Of course they were. I nodded and started following him toward the house, my limbs protesting every step like they’d unionized on the walk over.
“And we’ve got shit tons of aloe,” he added, glancing over his shoulder. “So definitely start lathering it on before you combust.”
I groaned. “That’s the plan.”
If this didn’t kill me, the embarrassment might. But at least I wasn’t alone anymore. I was sunburned, dehydrated, and being shepherded toward a house full of chaos and judgment, but at least I was safe.
I hoped.
Chapter Five
Webb
As soon as Marcus’s name appeared on my phone, I pulled off to the side of the road. I’d been driving around in circles, searching for Gabby’s broken Camry when the first call had come in, and I’d been waiting for the follow-up to it. I could feel a deep, sharp instinct telling me that I was about to feel very, very stupid.
“Tell me you’ve seen her,” I clipped, skipping any greeting. My voice came out rougher than I intended, but I didn’t care. I didn’t just mean laid eyes on her. I meant really looked—checked if she was hurt, shaken, bleeding, breathing. I needed to know someone had taken the time to see her the way I would’ve.
“Oh, I’ve seen her,” Marcus replied, deadpan.
Relief hit like a sucker punch to the chest. “Is she okay?”
“She’s walking and talking. Mainly roasting.”
“What?”
“Webb, she rolled up in Drew’s truck looking like she lost a fistfight with the sun and forgot sunscreen was a thing.”