Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Another beautiful laugh slipped free from her soft pink lips. Lips that I longed to kiss again. “I would never say that.”
“Come on, help me with the horses, and then we’ll go show Ty and Kaylee how to decorate the shit out of some sugar cookies.”
She rode Rosie next to me, and as we slipped off the horses and started to take the saddles off, Timberlynn ducked her head under Trigger’s neck and looked at me with a worried expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“I should probably disclose to you that I’ve never made sugar cookies, let alone decorated them.”
“What?”
She nodded. “You might want to pick a different partner.”
I slipped under Trigger and stood in front of her. I placed my finger on her chin and tilted that beautiful face up so I could look directly into her eyes.
“You are the only partner I want.”
“What if I’m not good enough at the decorating part?”
I slowly shook my head as I leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “Trust me, I know a good thing when I see it, darlin’.”
Her breath caught for a moment as our eyes locked.
I was going to listen to Brock’s advice. I’d be patient, because it was obvious there was something behind the sadness in her eyes. A reason for those walls. But I wasn’t going to give up. I was going to fight for this woman, because I knew deep in my heart, I was truly starting to fall in love with her.
Chapter Fourteen
TIMBERLYNN
After Tanner and I took care of our horses, blanketed them, and turned them out, we headed toward the house. I wasn’t surprised when he took my hand in his, and I fought the urge to pull it away, while at the same time holding on as tightly as I could.
I was confused. Lord, I was so confused. I wasn’t sure I could open my heart, even though I desperately wanted to. I needed things to go slow, and the way things were going between the two of us, slow didn’t seem to be in the cards.
It had taken everything out of me not to burst out with the news about the property Kaylee had showed me earlier. It had been perfect, and the moment I laid eyes on the darling, completely restored farmhouse, I knew it was the place I belonged. It was two-hundred acres of land tucked up against the Bitterroot Mountains, and the barn was perfect for all my needs. There was a large indoor arena, as well as one outside. Even in the winter months I could keep training horses.
Before we walked into the house, I pulled Tanner to a stop. “Tanner, I need to tell you something.”
He faced me, his expression serious. “Okay. Out here or would you rather go inside?”
I shook my head, still not exactly sure what I was going to say. I glanced down as my hands twisted together nervously. Was it about the property? My decision to move to Montana? The truth about my trust issues with men? How utterly terrified I was of letting anyone in?
I’d only given my heart fully to two people. And they had ended up leaving me in some form or fashion. For years I struggled with why my mother had been taken from me when I was little. With my father’s refusal to ever talk about her, it was like I lost her over and over again. Then my father’s lack of interest in me seemed to be the ultimate betrayal. I always came back to the same conclusion: I wasn’t good enough to have a mother in my life. I hadn’t been good enough to help my father heal from my mother’s death.
When I looked back up at Tanner, his brows were pulled down slightly, and those pale blue eyes stared directly into mine. “We can go into my father’s office—it’s too cold to stand out here and talk.”
“That sounds good,” I agreed as I followed him through the back door and into the large mud room. After I took off my coat and gloves, Tanner took them from me and hung them up. He truly was such a gentleman. I’d never had a man treat me like I was the only thing they thought about in the moment. I liked how that made me feel, and I felt myself smile.
“Follow me,” he said with a grin that made my heartbeat race faster.
As we walked into the kitchen, I noticed everyone was already here. Lincoln glanced over and noticed us first. She had Morgan in her arms and gave me a wink when I met her gaze. How in the world was she going to bake while holding a baby? Tanner walked over to his dad. “Can we use your office for a second, Dad?”
Ty Senior looked up from the dough he was already mixing. “Of course.”