Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Rule number one, Declan, know the laws.”
“Fuck you, Gavin, I do know the law. And by the way, let me do the talking, please.”
He chuckled, then quickly sobered up as we approached my brother and Harper.
“How’s it going?” I asked, jumping out of the water spray just in time when Harper spun around. Gavin, unfortunately, was too slow.
Karma.
“Oh my gosh, Gavin, I’m sorry!” Harper said, quickly turning off the water and dropping the hose as if it were on fire. Sean let out a laugh, and when I glanced over at him, he quickly stopped.
“It’s okay,” Gavin said, smiling as he looked down at his pants. It looked like he’d pissed himself.
“Bad luck,” I mumbled, earning a look from Gavin.
Harper covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. She quickly controlled herself and said, “I’m so sorry, Gavin.”
“No worries, Harper.”
“How’s it going?” I asked again, as I looked at my brother. “Off work early?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m on my lunch break. I was trying to talk Harper into coming to dinner tonight.”
“Why don’t you want to have dinner with your boyfriend?” I asked her. When her cheeks turned bright red and she looked away, Gavin and I exchanged a look.
“It’s at Mom and Dad’s house. Did you forget? It’s their anniversary, and Mom wanted us all to have dinner. She’s also inviting some other people, so it’s not just the family.”
“Really?” I asked. “Who else is invited?”
Sean suddenly looked nervous. “Um, the Stevens family.”
“The girls too?” I asked.
The way Sean glared at me, as if I didn’t have any right to ask about them, made me arch a brow.
“Caroline and Crystal, right? Mom always thought you and Crystal would end up together. No offense, Harper.”
She lifted her hands. “None taken.”
“I asked Caroline out once, and she turned me down,” Gavin said.
Sean’s head whipped up so fast, I was surprised he didn’t hurt himself. “You what?”
Gavin nodded. “Yeah, she turned me down flat. I should probably try again, now that she’s moved back to town.”
“She’s dating someone,” Harper said, looking at Sean, then back to Gavin. “At least, I heard she was.”
“She is,” Sean said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the one dating her, Sean,” I drawled, folding my arms over my chest and glaring at my brother, who was glaring at Gavin, who was utterly oblivious to what was happening. An investigator, he would not make.
Sean cleared his throat…again…before looking at Harper. “So, you’ll come?”
Watching her closely, I saw her jaw tic, like she was clamping down in frustration. Her eyes grew dark, and she drew in a slow breath before releasing it even slower.
“I’ll try, but I’m making no promises.”
Sean smiled. “Great. Thanks!”
He turned to walk off before Harper cleared her throat. “Sean?”
When he looked back, she tilted her head subtly and raised her brows.
“Oh, right, sorry!”
He quickly returned to her and kissed her on the lips—it was another peck. Then he waved to me and Gavin. “Later.”
“Later,” Gavin said, as he watched Sean walk away, while I studied Harper. She looked like she wanted to throw something at my brother.
When she turned and saw me watching her, she smiled. “How do you like being a police officer in the crazy town of Moose Village?”
“It’s quiet.”
She laughed, and I tried to ignore the way that made my insides warm.
“I bet it is. Gavin showing you the ropes?”
“He’s trying to get me fired.”
Harper’s brows shot up, and she gave Gavin a questioning look as he held up his hands in self-defense.
“It was a joke! And I would have stopped him if he’d tried to ticket the guy.”
“Ticket him for what?” Harper asked.
“Jaywalking,” Gavin and I said at the same time.
A look of surprise moved across her face. “Is that illegal? Shit, I do it all the time.”
Gavin laughed as I shot him a dirty look. “No, it’s not. I was just messing with Declan here. Tried to talk him into going after a jaywalker, but he’s holding out for a hardened criminal.”
Harper giggled. “Well, thanks for the warning. I’ll have to make sure I don’t do anything illegal, then.”
The image of a completely naked Harper handcuffed to my bed flashed through my mind. I shook it away…and let out a sound that was something like a groan mixed with a sad attempt to clear a frog away.
“We should get going. Have a good day, Harper.”
Gavin gave her a wave. “See ya around, Harper.”
Harper waved back. “Sorry again for the pants!”
Gavin laughed as he started down the road. When Harper gave me one last look, I had to fight to keep my breathing under control. She was so damn beautiful. Her brown hair was pulled back into a low pony and those eyes seemed as if they could gaze right into my soul. Today, they were more on the gray side than blue.