Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Why did you do this? Let me into a room you hate?”
He looked at me, his gaze softening. “Because I can’t stand to think of you in pain. If this tub can help that, then at least it is good for something.”
I slid forward. “Come in with me.”
He shook his head.
“Luke, please. I would feel better if you were in here with me.” I knew he wouldn’t be able to say no if I asked for his help.
He hesitated, then slipped in behind me. I lay back against his chest, feeling the tension in his body. He draped his arms over the edge of the tub, and I took his hand, lifting it to my mouth and kissing the knuckles. Then I laid our entwined fingers on my chest, doing the same with his other hand, so he was holding me.
His body lost some of its stiffness, and I let the heat and quiet soothe him for a while.
“Did you do this?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“The rocks are from the property?”
“Yes, I carried them here from the stream.”
“That must have taken a long time.”
“Yep.”
“It’s beautiful, Luke. What a wonderful room to relax in.”
He didn’t answer right away. “You really like it?”
“Yes.”
He relaxed a little more. “Good.”
“Can you tell me why you hate it?”
“It brings up bad memories I don’t want to talk about.”
“Maybe you should.”
“For what purpose?” he scoffed.
“Maybe if you spoke them out loud, released them into this room, you could leave them behind—let them drain away like the water when we’re finished.”
“Leave it, Sammy.”
I kissed his hand again. “Okay.”
I felt the press of his lips on my head, and we drifted quietly. The heat felt so good on my sore ass and back. The ache was dissipating slowly.
“I built this room for someone I thought I was in love with.” Luke’s voice broke the silence.
“Ah,” I replied, hiding my surprise. “I thought as much. Your fiancée?”
“No. Someone else—years later. When my mom died, both Rachel and I were grieving. In her will, my mom had left us everything equally, but there was one specific request. She wanted us each to have a set amount of money and take a trip. Rachel went to Scotland with a friend. I had always wanted to see the ocean, so I chose something closer to home. I went to BC.”
“It’s beautiful there.”
“It really is. I decided to make it a trip to remember. I planned to stay at a really nice hotel, eat at fancy restaurants, and sit by the ocean. Rent a boat and have them take me out so I could experience the vast expanse firsthand.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” I paused. “I assume you met someone?”
He sighed, his arms holding me closer. “Yeah, I did. I’m not going to go into a lot of details, Sammy. I don’t want to rehash everything. But you’re right, maybe I need to get it out.”
“Okay.”
“I met Marie, and we hit it off. She worked in one of the bars at the hotel. She was pretty, funny, and we got along really well. I took her with me when I could, and she seemed genuine. She wanted out of the city and somewhere open. She seemed fascinated when I talked about the ranch.” He paused, playing with my fingers. “She said all the right things, seemed to want all the same things I did. I told her I couldn’t have kids, and she was okay with it. It didn’t seem to bother her.”
“Hmm,” was my noncommittal reply. I didn’t want him to stop talking.
“She was so sad when I left, and we kept in touch. I missed her, and one thing led to another and I asked her to come and be here with me. She wasn’t happy in the city, I wasn’t happy here, I thought it was what I needed. To be together.”
“But it wasn’t?”
“The ranch wasn’t what she thought. What I did on the ranch wasn’t what she thought. I had lived it up on my holiday, and she thought my life was that way all the time. Nothing was enough here. She hated the house, hated the dust and the animals, was shocked I expected her to do a few things if she was going to live here. Like cook or help Rachel.”
“What did she expect?”
“To live a life of luxury with others doing the work. I told her at one point this wasn’t Dallas and I wasn’t J.R. Ewing. She didn’t find it funny.”
“And this room?”
“She had told me she enjoyed a nice soak in the tub while we were together in BC. This was part of the original bathroom, and I changed it to make it a private oasis for her as a surprise.” He sighed. “She hated it. She wanted white marble and a Jacuzzi tub. Mirrors. The same as the hotel had. Not rocks and wood. Not a skylight to see the stars. She wanted luxury. She never once used it.”