Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
"I have a few head of cattle," I murmur. "And a bastard goat." I wrap my hand around hers and then turn and whistle sharply. A few seconds later, my crazy ass dogs come racing around the size of the house with the goat following behind.
"Oh my gosh." Jamie clamps a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"His name is Rufus. He thinks he's one of the boys."
Shep, Tye, and Yoda run up and immediately heel, their tongues lolling as they stare at Jamie with interest. Rufus screams his crazy head off the whole way. Unlike the dogs, he doesn't heel. He runs right up and headbutts me in the thigh, knocking me back a step.
"Rufus, chill," I order him, scratching his ears. "I'm happy to see you too."
He bleats again, dancing from side to side.
"He's so cute."
"He's a bastard."
Jamie laughs again.
"He's cool, though." I scratch his ears again and grin. "You can't tell it now because the fucker eats everything you put in front of him, but he was the runt. I guess his mom decided he was too small to make it, so she covered him with hay and left him to die. I had Shep at the vet when an old farmer brought him in. They didn't know what the fuck to do with him, so I brought him home with me. He's been here since."
"That's really sweet, Jonas," she whispers, reaching out to pet him.
Rufus bleats quietly and nudges her hand before licking her. She laughs at the feel of his rough tongue against her skin and then coos to him.
He eats that shit up, naturally. He's an attention-whore.
"This is Shep, Tye, and Yoda," I tell her, pointing at each of the three Border Collies. "They guard the property. And by guard the property, I mean annoy the ever-living shit out of the cows." The dogs are the only reason I have cows, truthfully. Border Collies are working dogs. They need jobs to keep them occupied and active. So they herd the cattle and guard the property.
"They're beautiful dogs."
"Shep, come."
Shep pops up and trots over to greet Jamie. She coos at him like she did Rufus, winning him over as quickly as she did the damn goat. I kneel at his side, calling his attention to me.
"You protect her when she's here," I tell him. "She's important."
He watches me intently with eyes that are far too wise for a dog. He's smart, far smarter than a lot of people I know. He knows exactly what I'm saying to him. When she's here, he'll keep her safe. And Tye and Yoda will help him. Shep leads, and they follow.
"Jonas," Jamie whispers.
"Go," I whisper to Shep.
He nudges me with his head and then lopes off.
I scratch Tye and Yoda before they follow behind him.
Rufus dances from hoof to hoof, glancing between us and the dogs as if torn on whether he wants to stay or go. And then Shep breaks into a run. Rufus screams his crazy head off and takes off like a fucking rocket.
Jamie and I watch them in silence. She wants to say something. I can practically hear the wheels of her mind spinning from here. I wait her out, knowing it's only a matter of time. She wasn't made for silence any more than I was.
"You don't have to do that," she finally blurts, spinning to face me with her face all screwed up in anxious lines. "You don't have to pretend this is something it isn't."
My brows pull down, my eyes narrowing on her. "You think I'm pretending?"
"I…." she trails off and shrugs helplessly.
I stare at her for a moment and then hold out my hand. "Come with me."
"Where?"
"I want to show you something."
She chews on her bottom lip for a heartbeat and then slips her hand into mine. I lead her toward the house, not wasting any time. I'm a man on a damn mission now. She thinks I'm pretending. I want her to see that she's wrong. She's got me all wrong.
"Your house is beautiful," she says once we're inside.
"That would be Parker's doing." The three-story farmhouse is beautiful. Natural light spills in from every angle, filling the place with warmth. The rustic décor and soft furniture remind me of home. I miss the hell out of that place. Never thought I'd say that shit because I couldn't wait to be drafted and see the world, but it's true.
"Your little sister," Jamie says knowingly.
Of course she knows about my sister. I'm beginning to think there isn't much she doesn't know about me. And that just proves that I'm a fucking idiot. All this time, I've been watching her, but I never let myself see how intently she was watching me in return. I chalked it up to curiosity, to her doing her job. I explained away the fact that her eyes were always on me. But they were. For months, they've been on me.