Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 73(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 73(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
“I’m guessing the same thing has happened to you.”
“I was so focused on work, I didn’t even realize it was my thirtieth birthday. My friends are all married, and we—I—was focused on work. I stopped returning calls. Stopped turning up for lunches and dinners. Work became my world.”
Elijah nodded. “Comes as a shock, doesn’t it?”
“A little bit, yeah. After that, I knew I had to do something, and that’s why I came out here. I don’t even know what I’m looking for. Answers, I’m guessing.” She sighed.
“You won’t find answers out here. What you’ll get here is a lot of experience.”
“What did you find out here?” she asked.
“I found my freedom. I found my love of life. I found Buster and Trixie.” He’d not found anyone to share it with.
Every now and then, he’d traveled into town to enjoy a beer, and a few women had been interested in him for the night. He wasn’t interested in screwing around. So, he stopped going into town.
“Don’t get me wrong, living up here is not easy. It has never been easy, but this is my home. This is my life and I love it here.”
“And you’re not lonely?” she asked.
“Sometimes I’m lonely, but I’m not looking for some quick fun, Josie. I want a woman who is willing to live like this. Off the beaten track. Work the land—it’s hard work, but I love it. I’m my own boss. Every now and then, we can travel into town to stock up on essentials. To me, this is the best life.”
“It sounds amazing.”
“What did you used to be?” he asked.
“I’m in advertising. I’m an artist, so I help to sell things.”
“I’m guessing you’re pretty good at it too.” The only way she’d be a workaholic was if she was in constant demand all the time.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“I bet they would hate to lose you.”
She shrugged. “This wasn’t what I had planned for my life.”
“What did you have planned?” he asked.
“To work, obviously, to have a career, but to turn my art into something else. I used to imagine building a studio of my own, becoming an artist that people want to hire. To have people ask for me personally to do a portrait or a piece especially for them. I don’t know. I wanted a lot of things.”
“Ah, the real world is a destroyer of dreams.”
Josie burst out laughing. “I don’t think this is the best kind of conversation over breakfast.”
“True. But what else is there to talk about?” he asked, winking at her. “I’m forty-five years old, by the way.”
“I’m thirty.” She held her coffee cup up to him, and he clinked her mug with his own.
This had to be the best way he’d spent any kind of breakfast.
Chapter Three
“How’s the ankle?” Elijah asked.
Josie glanced down at her ankle. “A little sore, but other than that, it feels fine.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I’ve made you do too much.”
He’d not made her do anything. He merely offered to give her the grand tour and of course she’d accepted.
His home was stunning. It was a nice large size with a living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, and there was another room in the back that seemed to have a chair, a few books, and a couple of beds for the dogs. Upstairs were three bedrooms, one bathroom, and an attic. He’d not shown her the attic. Then, they had ventured outside, not that she could have gone too far.
He was there to help her as he gave her a rough idea of what his garden was like. They stood on his porch, and he pointed to where his vegetable garden was, with a small lawn for the dogs. His front yard was also large, and there was a gate at the bottom, not that it was needed.
He lived so far out in the wilderness, she was surprised he had electricity. Elijah had told her about a generator. The only thing he didn’t have was a live television and Internet access. And she didn’t care. Completely off the grid.
He had a television and several shelves filled with movies. He had admitted that he’d not watched them all, and he often preferred reading over watching a movie. Then of course, there was just sitting in peace.
Stepping back into the house, Josie wanted to ask if there was any way she could get to her cabin back in town. At the same time, she didn’t want to appear rude. She really didn’t want to leave.
This had been the first time in a very long time that she had woken up and felt at peace. Even at the cabin, she had checked her cell phone, with the excuse of it being “just in case.” Just in case what?
“With all the snow, that is quite dangerous, right?” she asked.