Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
She lay dangling there, terrified that she was going to fall, or that she would set the gun off.
“Come on, Lily. You can do this.” She swung her hips from side to side then managed to get her foot up high enough to hook it onto the roof. Then, inch by agonizing inch, she pulled herself up.
It was insane, and she shouldn’t have been able to do it. She could only think that fear and adrenaline managed to get her up onto that roof.
Once she was up there, she realized one problem though—the ladder was still down there, and he could easily set it back up again once he got rid of Chuck.
Oh God.
She was going to have to shoot him. She stared down at the gun. Her entire body was shaking, her heart racing.
Could she do it?
Do you have any choice?
There was movement out of the corner of her eye and she glanced over to find a car coming down the driveway again.
Relief filled her followed instantly by anxiety.
Harvey jumped out of his car just as she spotted Chuck Roast attempting to head butt that guy again. He yelled, dodging out of the way.
“What the fuck? Lily? What is going on?” Harvey demanded.
“That guy held a gun on me,” she yelled down at him. “He threatened to kill Piggy Wiggy if I didn’t send you away. He’s the one that killed Dr. Wallace. He’s dangerous. Be careful.”
But Harvey obviously didn’t feel like heeding her warning as he threw himself at the guy. To her surprise, Chuck backed off as Harvey and the guy wrestled.
It looked evenly matched and fear filled her. She slid to the end of the roof and sat there, watching worriedly with the gun held in her hand.
Did this thing have a safety? How did she even work it? What was she going to do? She was too scared to fire it in case she hit Harvey.
But suddenly, Harvey landed a heavy smack onto the guy’s face, and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. For a long moment, Harvey just stood there with his hands on his hips, breathing heavily.
Then he took off his belt and rolled the guy onto his front before tying his hands behind him. He glanced up at Lily. He looked rugged and messed up. So sexy she could barely breathe.
Now isn’t the time, Lily.
“Is there rope anywhere?”
“Yes, there’s a loop of it in the barn, hanging on the wall.”
He disappeared and returned quickly with the rope, hog-tying the guy. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Relief filled her, and she started to breathe easier. At least she did until she saw Harvey’s face as he glared up at her. “How the fuck did you get up there?”
“With the ladder?” she said quietly.
“And where is the ladder now?”
“Down on the ground. Oh shit! Watch out for Chuck Roast!”
Harvey turned to see the steer pawing the ground behind him. But he’d had enough. He had had enough. No damn steer who thought he was a bull was going to attack him. He wanted Lily down off the roof and safely in his arms, and then he wanted her over his lap, where he was going to spank her ass until his arm tired.
As he’d been driving away, something had been niggling at him. He’d known that there was something he was missing.
She wouldn’t just change her mind like that. He’d let his hurt feelings overrule his common sense.
She did love him. He knew that she did.
And so he’d turned around, realizing that something had to be wrong. Never in a million years would he have guessed that she’d been threatened by a man with a gun.
“Stop,” he told the steer, holding out his hand. To his shock, it actually worked. Chuck Roast came to a stop and stared at him.
Harvey turned and walked toward the barn.
“Oh my God, he’s following you, but he’s looking at you like he loves you,” Lily said. “How did you do that?”
“Chuck Roast knows what’s good for him, and he knows that what’s good for him is to obey me.” He held a finger up to her. “You would do well to learn that, Lily St. Clary. I can’t believe you sent me away like that, that you lied to me.”
“He threatened Piggy Wiggy!” she cried. “He had a gun. He was going to shoot her unless I sent you away. Clem loves Piggy Wiggy. She loves all the animals on this ranch, and so do I. I couldn’t risk their lives. And I definitely couldn’t risk yours. Because he threatened to shoot you too unless I managed to send you away. I’m so sorry, Harvey. I didn’t mean a word of it.”
He felt some of the tension inside him ease. “I know you didn’t mean a word of it, baby, but that doesn’t mean that your ass isn’t toast as soon as I get you down from there.” Actually, maybe that was a bit harsh, considering everything she’d just been through. “And once you’ve recovered from this.”