Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“I’d love that.” We finish saying our goodbyes, and then I’m heading out the door, back to the gym to do my not-so rigmarole morning deal. Today is going to be a great day, I can already tell. Plus, I checked the weather for where I’m heading. Nothing but blue skies are in the forecast.
CHAPTER 4
Clay
Ihear it before I can see it. “Goddamn it.” I climb out of bed, completely naked. There’s nothing worse than sleeping in clothes and waking up wrapped in the material with a tangle of sheets and a comforter. Unless you’ve got a certain cat who thinks she’s more human than cat. Damn thing even expects me to share my food with her. Jasmine with her tiger-striped coat, yellow eyes, and soft purrs. Makes it damn hard to hold a grudge even when she tries to trip me up every damn morning.
“Jasmine, you’re trying to kill me.” She’s slinking around my ankles, trying to get as much attention as possible. As if sleeping on top of the pillow right next to where I lay my head isn’t enough. I grab a pair of discarded jeans off the floor; I’m sure they’re ripe in the stench department and should be tossed in the laundry basket. But fuck, man, I worked on the fence line, made sure the salt blocks were where they needed to be and the water lines were run before nightfall. That meant working my ass of for two days straight, sometimes continuing into the night, using the lights from my truck. I knew we’d be getting a hell of an ice storm followed by three damn feet tonight, which gave me one hell of a time.
The last thing I want is to put on layers to protect me against the wet and cold, except here I fucking am. I never expected to be jarred out of a dead sleep. Exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks once the daylight faded.
When night fell and the weather turned ugly, I called it. The cows had water, heaters bubbling beneath to keep it from freezing over, round bales were set up, and their shelter is in place. I highly doubt they’ll use it. It’s more than likely the goats will seek a warm place to bed down. The chickens, who usually free-graze all day and night, were put up with the horses tonight. All my animals are spoiled in one form or the other. They’re all I’ve got, so spending a few extra dollars or time with them isn’t a hardship.
Nala’s deep bark greets me as I take the stairs down to the main living area. I’ve still gotta grab my jacket, gloves, and boots, but everything else I haphazardly put on while trying to bob and weave with Jasmine. Who is still hellbent on getting in my way even though I’m doubling my pace.
The loud noise that woke me up sounded like a freight train when a car is stuck on the tracks. Which means there’s definitely an accident somewhere on my property. The bad part is I’m sure we’ve got a lot of snow on the ground, along with ice from earlier, and damn if they should have shut this road down. All the way up here, we’re thirty minutes away from a hospital, and getting up here would require a damn helicopter.
“Stay, Jazzy girl,” I tell her, opening the door and realizing I almost forgot a fucking hat. I backtrack and grab whatever I left on the counter. Keeping a variety of clothes in the laundry room off the side entrance has helped when I’m in a rush. Jasmine doesn’t listen, of course. She jumps up on the railing and walks along it while sniffing the air. The ground is packed with snow, the outside lights are shining brightly, and still it’s not enough to give me a view of where I’m sure there’s a vehicle stuck in some way. I head for the barn, trudging through the wet snow. Maybe I made a bad decision in moving to a state that gets a fuck ton of this shit. In Texas, I’d be sweating right about now, while in Colorado, I’m freezing my goddamn balls off.
“Nala, come.” I smack my hand to my thigh. She’ll guide me once I’ve got the side-by-side up and running. It doesn’t take me long to push the barn door open. Luckily, the animals are in the other barn, and I’m able to keep my skid steer, side-by-side, and other tools in here. I’m in my seat, cranking the engine, and Nala is settling in the passenger seat. She doesn’t usually stay there long once I clear a certain part of the property, and tonight, I’m hoping she’ll do the same. I’ve yet to see headlights or smoke. This is going to make for a long night and will probably take well into the morning light, if my gut instinct is as right as I think it is.