Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“Speak of the devil … that’s King Salazar, isn’t it?” Jaiden said in a low voice, not wanting anyone other than us to hear him.
I glanced back over my shoulder to see King speaking to some man I didn’t know. He turned his head then, and his gaze locked on me. A small lift at the corner of his lips was followed by a nod. He started to look away when his eyes shifted to Haines. His body tensed. It was slight, and I was sure no one else noticed it. He turned back to the man in front of him and said something.
I looked back at Jaiden. “Yes, that’s King.”
“Do you work with him too?” Jaiden asked.
“The Shephard Ranch horses are owned by the Salazars, Shephards, Kingstons, and Jones. It’s like most things they own; it’s in their corporation or something.”
I wasn’t exactly sure how all this worked. I just knew that those four families were in business together.
“The Mafia,” Esther said under her breath.
I cut my eyes to her and scowled. “Don’t start with that.”
She pursed her lips and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “You’ve been warned. Everyone knows it. What else would they be doing, owning everything? They even own this restaurant.”
“Everyone doesn’t know it,” Jaiden said, correcting her. “It’s gossip. It’s not fact.”
“They do own most of the buildings in this town,” she argued, not happy her fiancé wasn’t siding with her on this.
“They do?” Haines asked.
I glanced at him. He’d lived here his entire life. How did he not know this?
“Dude, who do you think owns the building your dental practice is in?” Jaiden asked him.
He looked confused. “It’s owned by SKSJ Enterprises. An older lady—sweet grandmother sort with a strange name—she’s the real estate agent who showed me the building, and I had my lease and payments all set up by her.”
When he was done with his explanation, he was looking from me to Jaiden as if we were clueless.
“SKSJ,” Jaiden said slowly. “Shephard, Kingston, Salazar, and Jones.”
Haines’s brows drew together as if that hadn’t occurred to him.
“Are you sure that’s what it stands for?” Haines asked.
“Positive.”
The single word hadn’t come from Jaiden. I recognized the deep voice instantly.
I noticed Jaiden’s complexion instantly pale before turning my gaze to King, who was standing at the end of our booth. He was wearing his typical jeans, T-shirt, and boots. His eyes scanned the others in a bored fashion before meeting mine.
“King,” I said, staring up at him. I hoped he didn’t think I was the one talking about them. It would be unprofessional of me.
“Hello, Capri,” he replied.
Feeling as if I should explain but not sure how to do it, I shifted nervously in my seat. “Did Bloodline head north already?”
He nodded. “They left at about six this morning.”
Great. Okay. Well, what did I say now? Oh, introduce everyone. That would be the polite thing to do.
“King, this is my best friend, Esther,” I said, pointing in her direction. “And her fiancé, Jaiden.” Then, waving a hand to my side, I forced my smile. “This is Haines. He leases one of your buildings for his dental practice. He just wasn’t aware that SKSJ stood for, well, your last names.” I was now rambling and sounding like an idiot.
King looked at Haines, and I could see a flash of concern in his eyes. I wasn’t sure what that was about or if I was just reading it wrong. His gaze lifted, and this time, when he tensed, it was obvious. Even his jawline was more pronounced.
I turned back to see what he was looking at when my eyes collided with Thatcher’s dark ones. Several things happened that I wished did not. Starting with my heart rate picking up speed and my stomach feeling all fluttery.
He excited me. Thatcher kept my emotions spinning. I was either terrified, anxious, or giddy. Sometimes all three. I never knew if he was going to acknowledge me or not. When he did, it felt amazing. When he didn’t, my mood sank.
“We just stopped by to grab some lunch,” King said to me, reminding me he was standing beside me. “It was nice to meet all of you.”
I tore my gaze from Thatcher’s to look back at King. I was going to say something, but he was already walking away. In Thatcher’s direction.
“Okay, wow. I’ve never seen that man up close or heard his voice,” Esther said with clear fascination in her tone.
“He’s married and has a baby girl,” I told her.
“And you’re engaged,” Jaiden added, sounding pissed.
Esther rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean I was going to go jump him. Chill. But he’s kind of gorgeous. You can’t deny that.”
King Salazar was rather attractive. He had the kind of face that could be on billboards. But it had never been him who caught my attention. I preferred the mystery that was Thatcher Shephard, apparently. Leave it to me to be intrigued by the supposedly dangerous one. It was a good thing that this was a one-sided attraction. The thought of him even seeing me as anything other than a jockey was comical.