Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 14459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 72(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 72(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
“I don’t know why he needs me to go. We have three other brothers. Surely, they’re enough.”
Poor Ben. Did he know what he was getting himself in for by inviting Trent along with him?
“You have to go. He’s your youngest brother. He loves you.”
Trent grunted.
“It’s only three nights.”
“Don’t remind me,” he grumbled.
“Come on, Grumpy Badger, you need to get ready, they’ll be here soon.”
He rolled out of bed. “Fine, I’ll go. But when I get back, you’re going to have some fun with your mouth. On me. Got it?”
Oh yeah. She got him. And she couldn’t wait.
“The house is to stay locked whether you’re in it or not, understand? Same with the alarm. It’s to be on at all times,” Trent bossed.
“Sir, yes, sir!” She saluted him.
“You know, I do have time to spank your smart ass,” he told her.
April gulped. But just then, a car horn beeped, and she gave him a smug smile.
“I don’t think you do, Daddy.”
“This will wait, brat,” he warned.
“Um. I don’t think that’s very nice.”
“What isn’t?”
“Making me think about you spanking me the entire time you’re away.”
“Oh, I disagree. I think that if you know you’re getting your bottom spanked that you’ll behave yourself while I’m away.”
Yeah. She wouldn’t bet on that if she were him.
“I still don’t like the idea of you staying here alone. I should have had Aunt Therese come and stay with you.”
Her mouth dropped open. His Aunt Therese was about eighty-three, deaf, and had to use a walker to get around.
“Daddy! What sort of help would Aunt Therese be?”
“She raised my three idiot cousins, not to mention she helped Dad with the five of us. So, she just might be able to keep you under control.”
Trent was the second-oldest of five brothers. Their mom had died when Ben, the youngest, was only five.
“Jeez, what trouble do you think I’m going to get up to?” she asked, tapping her foot as she glared up at him.
His lack of faith in her was starting to piss her off.
“With you . . . I have no idea.”
“Rude,” she muttered.
“Just . . . behave yourself.”
“I have a lot of work to do. I have orders coming out my ears. I’m going to stay home and work. That’s it.”
“Well, don’t work too much.”
She threw her hands in the air. Honestly, he was impossible. There was more beeping from outside.
“You better go. I will be fine. I promise.”
“I’ll call every day. If you need to go anywhere, text me before you leave, then when you get home.”
Lord. He was next level.
“I will be fine, Grumpy Badger. You’re going to give yourself wrinkles, worrying about me this much.” She peered at him closely. “Well, more wrinkles.”
“April,” he grumbled. “You know, it’s not too late for you to go and stay with Aunt Therese.”
“Um, I think it is.” No way was she doing that. “If I’d known you were going to be this worried, I could have stayed with Chardonnay.” Her cousin, Chardonnay, lived in Billings.
Trent grew pale. “Fuck, no. You’re not going to stay with her.”
“Why not?”
“Because that woman is trouble. You’re dynamite and she’s the match.”
“Daddy, don’t you think you’re exaggerating just a bit?” She held up her finger and thumb about an inch apart.
“Last time you were together, you ended up in jail.”
“That was a misunderstanding.” She waved her hand in the air dismissively.
Although, as his face grew red, she thought that perhaps she shouldn’t have been so blasé.
“I could have stayed with Effie.”
“No way. I don’t really know Effie’s men. You’re not staying there. You’ll stay here.”
“Okay, done.” She clapped her hands. “Daddy, you have to go.”
“Why do I feel like I just got manipulated?” he asked, sounding bewildered.
Poor Trent. It was hard for him to keep up.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She gave him her most innocent look.
He cupped her face between his hands. “Promise me, you’ll be a good girl.”
“I promise. What mischief could I possibly get up to?”
2
“Right, Scruffy Dog. We have everything we need for a night in.” She settled down into bed and pulled the covers over her and her worn stuffed toy. She’d had Scruffy Dog since she was five. It was the last gift her dad had given her before he’d left them. She’d never seen him again and her mom told her years later that he’d died in a car accident about six months after leaving them.
After her dad left, her mom had grown bitter and mean. Scruffy Dog had become her friend, confidante, and savior in that household and she adored him.
“We have all the major food groups covered. A bottle of whipped cream. That’s dairy. Maraschino cherries. That’s fruit. Potato chips. Vegetables. Chocolate fish. Protein. Damn, we’re good.”
Scruffy Dog looked suitably impressed. As he should be.
Turning on the T.V., she found a Christmas movie. Yes, Christmas had been and gone a few weeks ago. But she loved Christmas movies. And Christmas music. Sometimes, when she was feeling down, she’d turn on some Christmas music and dance around to it.