Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
We nod, more than willing to do whatever it is we need to do to earn his trust, and with that, Ray turns on his heel and walks away, leaving me staring up at Stone, my jaw hanging open. “What the fuck just happened?”
30
STONE
Four weeks have passed in a blur, and to say this little farm in Cedar Falls has quickly become my home is an understatement. Riley and I have never truly had a place to call our own, but every single day, I come back to the cottage to find something new that only cements the fact that we’ve landed in the right place.
Floors repaired. Cobwebs gone. A new laminate stuck over the kitchen counter. And tomorrow’s job; fresh paint. To be honest, if it were up to me, I would have started with the fresh paint before doing the floors and counter, but this is Riley’s baby, and she’s handling it her own way. Even if it means I’m going to spend tomorrow night on my hands and knees, scrubbing splattered paint off the new floors.
The first week, she worked with me out in the field, learning the ropes, but she didn’t quite take to manual labor the way I have. I was born for this shit. Using my hands and putting my body to work is what I do. As for Riley, she quickly discovered that she wasn’t cut out for it, no matter how hard she tried to make it work. She’s far too accident-prone for this. Her hands were blistered after the first hour, and once Barbara saw the bruises across her ribs, she demanded that Riley earn her keep in other ways.
So now, while Ray and I spend our days putting this farm back together, fence by crumbling fence, Riley spends her days gardening with Barbara before heading into town and picking out new curtains, clothes, and fixtures.
It’s been a hard adjustment. Especially starting from day one with a fresh bullet wound in my chest. Every day was a struggle. I pushed myself to my limits, and because of that, healing from my injuries took longer than it should have. I tore open my wounds more than I care to admit, but as Ray watched me, I quickly realized that this was a test to see what kind of man I am. Will I break under pressure? Do II know the value of a hard day’s work? Am I the kind of man worth putting his time into? And considering he hasn’t told us to pack our shit and leave, I can only assume I passed his test.
Ray and Barbara never had kids of their own, so the moment Barbara laid eyes on Riley, there was a magical connection. They became instant best friends, even more so when Riley told Barbara about the barbed demon dick and the pentagram back in the abandoned farmhouse. She also got Barbara into something called smut. Apparently there’s fairy smut, monster smut, and just plain hardcore dark smut. I haven’t quite worked out what any of that is, but judging by the secretive glances the two of them share during our nightly dinners, I can only imagine.
It’s not just a home here. It’s becoming a family. Our way of life.
Ray is still weary, and I don’t blame him. I’m a convicted murderer. He should be keeping an eye on me. And after everything I’ve had to go through just to get us here, I’m weary too. I don’t trust easily, especially when it’s Riley’s life I’m putting in their hands. But it’s only natural, and the more time Ray and I spend mending fences, the quicker we start figuring one another out.
It’s not easy. Neither of us are open books, both men of little words, but there’s a camaraderie there, and I find it comforting out under the blistering sun. I even caught myself chatting to him about what livestock should go in which field, getting excited for what we could do here. Ray quickly told me I was wrong and rearranged my hypothetical paddock arrangements.
I mean, fuck. Is that what it’s like to have a father?
One thing is for sure, nobody gives a fuck that we’re here.
I’ve headed into town twice. The first time with Ray. He wanted to stop at the local hardware store to pick up some new tools and wood for the fences and needed a hand with the heavy lifting. And just like in any small town, new faces are ogled. People stared, they were curious, but seeing me with Ray, they decided that must have made me somewhat trustworthy.
The second time I ventured out was with Barbara and Riley, and the second we got into town, I suddenly understood the smirk on Ray’s face and why he was so insistent that he couldn’t come.