Total pages in book: 224
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
I stroke hair from her face and drag her gaze to mine. “You really do rock my world, woman.”
“Yeah well, you’re not so bad yourself.”
I press my forehead to hers. “I hate this, baby, but we should talk a little more before morning.”
“Do we really have to?”
“Yes. We do.” I reach over her and grab her a tissue and press it between her legs before I pull out. “Where’s your robe? I can’t focus when you’re naked.”
“I’ll get it. I need to go to the bathroom anyway because you know, that’s what us girls do after sex. We pee.”
I laugh. “Is that right?”
“Yes. That’s right.” She rolls away from me or tries.
I catch her and kiss her. “I have no confession to make. It’s nothing like that. Just a few details about my trip you need to know.”
“I didn’t think you were making a confession.” She caresses my cheek and then rolls away before standing up and walking toward the bathroom.
I’m momentarily distracted by her naked body but that comment that she didn’t think I was going to make a confession doesn’t sit right. I don’t know if it’s about trust or something else. I stand up and pull on my sweats, sans the underwear, since I don’t plan to stay dressed. Carrie exits the bathroom in a knee-length silk robe with her nipples distractingly puckered beneath the silk.
“What are we doing, Reid?”
I close the space between us and link our fingers. “Making sure what happened at my sister’s house doesn’t happen again by getting everything on the table before someone else does it for us.”
“If this isn’t a confession, why I do feel dread in my stomach?”
“Because it’s not all good, baby.” I lead her to the bed and sit us down. “I now know why our parents hate each other, and I know what your father is doing in Montana. Which do you want first?”
“Oh God. I don’t know. Pick my punishment for me.”
“The worst first then. Why they hate each other. You won’t like this, Carrie.”
“Just tell me. Did my father tell you?”
“No. I called my father and told him I needed to know. He decided that considering what I now know, which means, considering I read my mother’s letter, there was no reason not to tell me.”
“What does your mother’s letter have to do with this?”
“Our fathers were friends. My father fucked your mother.”
“What?” she gasps.
“That’s right and your father told my mother. And so the war began.”
She presses her hands to her face and then looks at me. “How can we be together?”
“We’re not them, baby. We have nothing to do with this and it’s not like we’re going to have family events with my father. He won’t be invited ever again.”
“You’re right. It just feels weird. I want to blame your father for her leaving us, but I can’t. She made her choices. She cheated. She left and never looked back.” She swallows hard. “What else? I need it all now. Montana. Tell me about Montana.”
“Montana,” I repeat. “He knows I’ll tell you what I’m about to tell you. That’s why I know he’ll call you tomorrow and tell you I tried to convince him, or threatened him most likely, to lie to you. I need to know you aren’t going to believe him.”
“I’m here. I’m with you. I trust you.” She shifts more fully toward me. “What is he doing?”
“Fucking a young pretty widow who owns a horse ranch she won’t give up.”
Her brow furrows. “He wants to buy a horse ranch? Is there money in a horse ranch?”
“There’s oil under the land. He wants that. She wants to protect the horses. I think he might go so far as to marry her. He didn’t say that, but that’s my gut instinct.” I think of his comment about cash stashed away and the realization hits me. “I’m speculating, but something he said makes me think that he looks at that land as a retirement plan.”
“And he’s using my money for this? Surely he knows I won’t think that’s acceptable. He wants me to go there.”
“I’m sure he planned to convince you the horse ranch was a good long-term investment. He wants you to fall in love with it.”
“But now you know and so I know.”
“Yes. I’m sure he’ll have a backup plan and tell you I’m full of shit. Royce found out about the oil.”
“My money is basically gone.”
“No. We’re going to make a fortune with Grayson, both of us. You. Your own money and, Carrie, it’s enough to never need another dime.”
“We are far from closing this deal.”
“We will. I feel it, but I need to know that when he calls you, you’re ready for what he’ll say.”
She lays back on the bed. “I can’t do this anymore.”
I lower myself to her side, resting on my elbow. “Carrie—”