Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 112249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 561(@200wpm)___ 449(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 561(@200wpm)___ 449(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
The sun was barely up, but she found him at this exact place every morning, waiting on the same phone call.
Alora’s good morning.
“I meant later,” she agreed. “After work—then we can catch the sunset. You still want coffee?”
Pushing away from the bench, Gracen headed for the barn’s doorway. Over her shoulder, she found Malachi thoroughly enjoying the sight of her walking away, too.
“Love the dress, babe,” he murmured.
And she loved this man.
“Coffee?” she reminded him.
“Yeah, yeah. That, too.”
Gracen took the walk back to the house slowly, giving herself the chance to properly enjoy the autumn morning before she had to head off to work. In the kitchen, she found her phone ringing on the counter.
And three missed calls.
All from the same person, too.
“Delaney, what’s wrong?” Gracen asked as soon as she picked up the phone.
She didn't have any reason to think Delaney’s rapid calls were the cause of anything bad, but a pit settled deep in the bottom of her stomach the very moment she picked up the phone.
Delaney’s gasped sob crackled over the phone. “It’s burning, Gracen!”
Did her heart stop?
It felt like it.
“What’s burning?” Gracen demanded, her desperation clear.
“The Haus—it’s burning! The firetrucks, they’re ... Oh, my God, I don’t understand what happened. Everything was fine when we closed it last night. What would do that?”
Or who?
“It’s not burning, right?” Gracen asked, refusing to believe her best friend. Delaney didn't reply, prompting Gracen to ask again, “Right?”
“I don’t know why this is happening,” Delaney whispered back. “I’m sorry.”
Gracen didn’t hear the phone clatter to the floor after falling from her trembling hand, but Malachi had heard her scream all the way inside the barn. He would swear on it later that he’d felt it in his own chest as her heart broke in those few seconds when time stood still, too.
Apparently, the universe wasn’t done with Gracen yet.
She had more pain to get through.
More growing to do.