Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 17853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
“It got considerably colder in the hour or so we were out in the barn,” he agrees, and once the fire is roaring once more, he walks over and joins me on the couch. “You’re curled up in a tight ball over there. Come over here with me. I’ll warm you up.”
Without hesitation, I scramble over and slide onto John’s lap, letting him cover us both with the quilt, and we stare into the fire for a long time, not saying anything at all. It’s nice to just listen to the crackle of the flames, the sound of John’s breathing, and the wind as it batters the cabin as I snuggle in against him. He must have grown after high school because he’s much taller than I remember him being, and I have to admit, that feels nice when he’s holding me.
“This is nice,” John says, echoing my own thoughts as his hand runs up and down my arm. “You know, I don’t remember if you have any siblings.”
“Nope, just me. And you have Melissa.”
“That’s right.”
“She’s quite a bit younger than you.”
He nods and kisses the top of my head, and I feel it all the way to my thawing toes.
“Mom had a hard time getting pregnant with me,” he says. “And when no other babies came along in the few years after I was born, she and Dad assumed that they were done. Then, when I was about ten, surprise! Here comes Missy.”
“A happy surprise.”
“Definitely,” he confirms. “I wanted a brother, but hey, you take what you can get. She’s a hard worker and loves the farm a lot. I don’t know if she’ll stay here after she finishes school, or if she’ll move on and go to college. I suspect college is the answer for her.”
“But it wasn’t for you.”
“Nah.” He kisses my head again. “I love this ranch. It’s in my blood, and it’s who I am. I enjoy it. I’ll show you all of it sometime soon, not just the barn.”
“I’d like that.” In fact, just the thought of seeing all of John’s family’s land makes me excited. I loved being in the barn with the animals. “So, your family sells cattle?”
“Beef cattle,” he confirms. “I’m glad we’re getting this bitter cold out of the way now, and not in February, when calving season starts.”
“Is that hard?” I ask him. “Calving season?”
“It’s nonstop work for about a month, being out with the cows as they’re calving, making sure everything goes as it should. Sometimes, it’s so cold I have to bring the newborns into my truck and turn on the heat so they don’t freeze to death.”
“Oh, my God, that’s awful.”
“It’s Mother Nature,” he says, and I look up to see him smiling humorlessly. “And sometimes, she’s a bitch. Once they’re all born, we have to patrol regularly and make sure none of the calves have gotten lost or wandered away from their mamas. They cry like crazy, and then we have to gather them up and find their moms.”
“It’s a lot of work,” I decide, having a new respect for the man that I’ve admired for so long. “How many head of cattle do you own?”
“A few hundred,” he says. “Every year, we take the cows that are full grown—so about a year and a half old—to be sold for beef. And then, more babies are born.”
“It’s a circle,” I add with a soft smile. “I like that. And your beef is amazing.”
“You’ve had it?”
“Of course. Several restaurants in town feature it, and sometimes it’s in the grocery store. I always buy it if it’s there. I have to support local businesses, you know.”
He smiles down at me and kisses my forehead. “We should sleep. It’s late.”
“Can we sleep here?” I ask him. “By the fire?”
“Sweetheart, we can sleep wherever you want, as long as it’s warm and I have you in my arms.”
I grin and burrow my face into his neck, ready to drift off to sleep.
CHAPTER 9
JOHN
Aloud noise jolts me out of sleep, and I blink my eyes, looking around my cabin in confusion. Why can’t I breathe?
Joy.
Joy’s lying on my chest, her arms wrapped around me, sleeping soundly. I remember lying down at some point, and Joy assuming this position, with a blanket over the both of us. I fell right to sleep as the fire crackled in the fireplace.
I can hear the wind still howling outside. It’s unusual for us to have so much wind here in western Montana. We’re sheltered by mountains and don’t usually get wind storms here in the valley.
But it sure is blowing tonight.
I check my watch and see that it’s only two in the morning. We haven’t been asleep for long.
Deciding to quickly check the cabin for any damage, I carefully move out from under the gorgeous woman I’m spending the weekend with and walk to the back of the cabin to fetch some dry boots and a coat.