Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 114068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“Good food makes life worth living.”
“Hard agree.”
“Y’all seem close.” Wheeler eyes me. “Your family and the Powells. Well, your family and really everyone else who works on the ranch.”
I nod, sipping my coffee. “Yep. Patsy and John B kind of took us under their wing after our parents died. Garrett Luck too. Not sure what we would’ve done without all those helping hands.”
“That’s so nice.” Wheeler turns her head to look out the window. “I know you said you couldn’t wait to get out of Hartsville, which I understand. But it’s not like that in most places.”
“What do you mean?”
“That people are willing to help out like that. Also, that you love your family and like them too.” She lets out a long, low breath. “Mollie adores that about y’all. She feels so lucky to be a part of your family.”
“We love her. Dearly. She’s been so good for Cash and for the ranch.”
“Cash has been so good for her. You all have. I’ve never seen her so happy.”
I glance at Wheeler, who is still turned away from me. There’s a wistfulness in her words. She’s definitely going through some shit, and that shit’s definitely making her unhappy.
Something to do with her family, maybe?
I shift my grip on the wheel, glancing in the side mirror. A thin, pink line has appeared on the horizon. It burns to red just as I look away. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.
“Hey, Wheeler?” I drop my thermos into a cupholder. “Check the weather for me if you don’t mind.”
She straightens, grabbing her phone from the purse at her feet. “I did last night before I went to bed.”
“I did too.”
“Said the worst of the storm is supposed to miss Aspen. The snow won’t start until early tomorrow morning, so we’ll be fine.”
“Check again, please.”
Wheeler rolls her eyes, but her thumbs still move over her screen. “Such a Boy Scout.”
“You wanna sell these boots? We gotta make sure we can get to the store. Weather up in those mountains is a lot more unpredictable than we’re used to.”
“Whatever you say.” She scrolls for a beat. Then her thumbs go still. “Hm.”
“What?”
“It appears the forecast has changed just the tiniest bit.”
I groan. “Lemme guess. They’re calling for a direct hit?”
“I mean, there’s a blizzard warning in effect in Aspen from eight o’clock tonight until—”
“Shit.” I hit the gas. The truck shudders, its engine roaring in protest. “I’m glad we got on the road early. I hope you don’t need bathroom breaks, because we ain’t got time for ’em.”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Think you can pee in a soda bottle?”
She reaches across the dash to give me one of her playful shoves. “I can, but you don’t want me to because I’d be very, very tempted to dump it over your head.”
I love getting her riled up. She’s cute when she can’t help herself.
“Desperate times.” I reach for my coffee. “Mind grabbing me one of those burritos?”
Wheeler crosses her arms. “Grab it yourself.”
“You really have a lot of faith in me keeping this thing on the road with just one hand.”
“Bet you have lots of practice doing things with just that hand. Don’t tell me you haven’t built up those forearm muscles.”
Laughter, real and unexpected, bursts through me. “I have. From playing darts.”
“I’m sure that’s what you play with.” Her lips twitch as she reaches for the bag behind her seat.
Fuck, she’s quick. And dirty. I like that.
I haven’t stopped thinking about the amazing chemistry Wheeler and I had that night at the Rattler. Which of course has me thinking about whether we’ll hook up on this trip. I’m down to have some fun between the sheets, obviously. I haven’t had interest in sleeping with anyone else since I met Wheeler, so of course I’d love the chance to get naked.
We’re staying at a cabin in Aspen that belongs to a family friend of hers, which they graciously offered to let her use since they’re out of town. She and I will be seeing a lot of each other.
A lot.
But the potential for hooking up with Wheeler is not why I wanted to come on this trip. Sure, getting her naked would be an excellent bonus. But I’d take just being around her—getting to know more about her and her business.
Let’s be real, though. She’s made it pretty clear she wants to keep things friendly between us. I still haven’t figured out what happened the night we met, but I’m relatively certain she hasn’t changed her mind about friend zoning me. Which sucks.
Then again, who knows what will happen on this trip? Maybe a change of scenery will change her mind about me. Maybe it doesn’t.
Either way, I got out of Hartsville, and I get to learn new things about a new girl in a new place.