Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“I might hurt them.” It’s the tiniest whisper, and it breaks my heart.
“No, you won’t.”
“I already am. Willow—”
“Is fine. Apparently she has some misdirected anger, but she’s going to be just fine. You’re important, too, you know.”
That has her pulling back and frowning up at me as she blinks through her tears.
“So you’re going to unpack that bag, and take a deep breath, and then we’re going to have some breakfast.”
She licks her lips and wipes the tears off her face. She’s not crying anymore, which is a huge relief.
I can’t handle it when any woman cries, but Lena? Hell no.
“Do you like it here so far?” I ask her as I tuck her hair behind her ear. I can’t stop touching her.
“It might be the best place I’ve ever been.” She swallows hard. “Your mountains are just so amazing.”
My mountains. She’s adorable.
“Yes, I like it here, but I honestly don’t want to be a burden. This is not the panic attack talking. I never want to make anyone uncomfortable.”
“You’re in my house, and you’re not a burden to me. If Willow has a problem, she can stay at her house.”
Lena shakes her head, but I catch her chin in my fingers.
“Keep shaking your head like that, and you’ll give yourself whiplash. Tell me you’ll stay, Lena.”
Only a second passes before she whispers, “I’ll stay.”
“Good. I’m making steak and eggs for breakfast.” Her stomach growls, making me grin. “I’m hungry too.”
She nods, but she’s not smiling. “I’ll just freshen up and meet you downstairs.”
“Take your time.”
I have to make myself turn to walk away, because every cell in my body wants me to stay here with her. To hold her and comfort her.
Before I reach the door, Lena says, “Gideon?”
“Yeah.” I turn back to find her pulling my hoodie over her head, showing me her bare midriff and the bottom of her white bra. Jesus fuck. Her skin looks smooth and inviting, and I want to know what it tastes like.
“Here, you can have this back.” Her head pops out, her hair in disarray, and she offers it to me.
“Nah, you keep it. You look better in it than I do. See you in a few.”
“You grilled these steaks at six in the morning,” she says as she takes the last bite and closes her eyes. “Like, on the barbecue.”
“How else am I supposed to make them?”
She lifts one shoulder and then finally smiles at me. “It was really good. I can probably hit a target today. We’re shooting, right?”
“That was the plan.” I eye her as I push my empty plate away and pick up my mug of coffee. “But I have questions first.”
“Okay.”
“Have you ever shot a gun?”
“No.”
“Have you ever held one?”
“Not that I remember.” I narrow my eyes, and she smirks. “No.”
“We’ll start here with some instruction, then. Never point the barrel of a weapon at a person, unless you plan to shoot them. So if you’re holding it, keep it pointed at the floor.”
“Okay. Point it at the floor or kill someone. Got it.”
“Some of the weapons I’ll be training you on will have some kick.”
“But you’ll tell me before I shoot it, right?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
I chuckle and stand to put my dishes in the dishwasher, and Lena follows me. “You’re excited for this.”
“Look, I have some aggression to get out, okay? Sure, I could go punch one of those bags in the gym, and I might do that later, but shooting the hell out of something sounds cathartic.”
It definitely can be, yeah.
But before we can head out of the house, my phone rings, and our ranch manager’s name is on the screen.
“Hey, Dusty.”
“Hey, boss,” the old man says. “A big delivery was just made over at Ryker’s, and we thought it was for the barn, since there’s so much of it. But it’s not for us. It all has your name on it. Want me to bring it over?”
An idea starts to form in my head.
“No, keep it all there. I’ll come get it. It’ll be a couple of hours before I get there.”
“You got it.”
He hangs up, and I turn to Lena. “Change of plans today. You’re getting a tour of the ranch.”
Her eyebrows climb in surprise. “So no target practice?”
“We’ll save it for tomorrow.”
“Cool. How big is it, anyway?”
“About fifty thousand acres.”
Lena coughs. “Holy shit, Gideon. That’s huge.”
I grin at her, and that sassy roll of the eyes has my cock paying close attention.
“The ranch, big guy. Not, you know.”
“No, I don’t know what you could possibly mean.” I cross my arms over my chest, my lips twitching as she scowls, her lips tipped down in the corners. I want to kiss her. “Enlighten me.”
“You have a dirty mind.”
“I have a dirty mind? I’m not the one who went there.”
“Yes, you did. You totally did.”