Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I wanted to say that I thought I would feel more secure in my relationship, but I kept my mouth shut. As much as I didn’t like Abby, I wasn’t in her shoes, no matter how much I wanted to be.
“Clearly, she is insecure, if you’re just tossing Lily to the side. Girls come and go, Ben, you know that. But Lily has been by your side for everything. It’s just strange to me that you can’t find a middle ground. And Abby has been jealous of Lily since day one, and you know it.”
“Renee,” I softly said. “It’s okay. You have to do what you have to do, Ben. After all, you love her, right?”
“Of course, I love her. But I love you, too, Lily.”
I felt my cheeks heat.
“Not in the same way, you know that. I love you like a sister.”
Forcing myself to smile, I said, “Then we simply cut back on the time we spend together.”
Ben sat back in his seat. “I still want to help with the riding camp this summer. I committed to one day a week, and I won’t back out.”
“My parents will appreciate that.”
He smiled…then looked beyond my shoulder and frowned. “What’s Maverick doing here?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled. “Granddad wasn’t feeling good, so my mother asked him if he would be Grams’s date.”
“That is so hot,” Renee said. “I would fall over right here on this table for him if he asked me to. I mean, look at him. Tall, hair that looks soft enough to run your fingers through, and eyes that look so light blue, I could swim in them for days.”
Ben gagged.
Laughing, I looked back at Renee. “His eyes are gray.”
“How do you know?” Ben asked.
I focused back on Maverick, taking in his strong body and easy smile…and a tingling sensation swept over my body. “I see him every day on the ranch, Ben. It’s hard not to notice. And,” I said as I directed my attention to Renee, “he’s not only handsome but also one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. My father thinks of him as a part of the family.”
“Yeah, he eats dinner with you guys more than I ever did.”
I looked at Ben. “What? Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?”
He scoffed. “Over that guy? Don’t be ridiculous. I see the way he looks at you, though. I don’t like you being alone in the barn with him. Who knows where he even came from.”
My mouth fell open. “You don’t even know him, Ben. Have you ever spoken two words to him?”
He snarled his lip. “I’ve met guys like him. He’s a nobody, and your dad better be careful, or that guy could try to take advantage.”
I stared at him in disbelief. When had he become such a snob? Had he always been, and I’d just never noticed before?
Renee hit Ben on the arm. “Shut up! He’s coming this way!”
I felt a strange sensation in my chest as Maverick walked up and stopped at the table. “Renee, Ben.” Turning to me, he smiled bigger. “Lily.”
“Hey, Maverick,” Renee replied with a megawatt smile. Was she batting her eyelashes, or did she have something in her eye?
“What’s wrong with your eyes?” Ben asked.
Renee’s smile faltered for a second before she looked at Maverick once again.
Laughing, I glanced back at him and couldn’t help but notice how incredibly good he looked tonight. I’d never seen him in a suit, and my, oh my. His gray eyes almost seemed like a light baby blue, after all, against the blue tie he wore. And Renee was right about his light-brown hair. He wasn’t wearing his usual cowboy hat or baseball cap, and his hair looked so thick and silky that my fingers itched to run through it and see if it was as soft as I imagined. He was maybe around five-foot-eleven, not as tall as some of the men in my family, but he was built. Even in the suit, you could see how broad his shoulders were, and I knew if I touched his arm, I’d feel the muscles there as well.
I swallowed and looked down at my wineglass for a moment. Why was I thinking about touching a guy who worked for my father? But peeking at him again, I smiled wider. He wasn’t just any guy who worked on the ranch. Since I’d graduated from college and moved back home, we’d gotten to know each other better, and he really was a nice guy. And really nice to look at.
“Would you like to join us?” Renee asked.
Ben shot her a scowl, then looked at me. Before I could second Renee’s request, Maverick spoke.
“I came over to ask Lily for the next dance.”
“Why?” Ben asked with a snarky laugh.
My head snapped to my left to look at him. “What do you mean, why?”