Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Faster than I thought possible, I see Trace coming out from the barn, a horse following him. He’s got the horse by what looks like a leash as they make their way over to me.
She’s completely white and looks like something from a fairytale.
“She’s beautiful,” I tell him when they get closer.
“Her name’s Snow. She’s real sweet and won’t give us any problems.” I go to step off the porch, wanting to pet her, when I trip over the boots I’m wearing and get tangled in my own feet. Trace catches me before I can hit the ground and pulls me up into his body.
“Oops,” I say, loving being in his arms.
“You don’t need them, baby doll,” he says, swinging me up and placing me on the horse. He takes them off me and sets them on the porch. “I’ll carry you when we aren't riding.”
“You calling me a baby doll is starting to feel more real by the second with how you carry me around like that so easily.”
“Get used to it,” he says as he swings up on the horse behind me, pulling me to snuggle against his chest as he takes the reins.
The horse takes off, and I gasp. Trace holds my hip, letting me know I’m not going anywhere.
“So, what are we doing?” I ask as the cowboy hat once again slips off my head. He catches it, and I smile. “You wear it. I’ll lie back on you and you’ll block me from the sun.”
He grunts, but I look over my shoulder as he slides the hat onto his head. His hand returns to its resting place around my waist. I lean into him.
“I always ride Dolly’s north fence line for her after a storm. She’ll be expecting me to do it without asking. Her land runs against mine on the north side.”
I stiffen at his words.
“Relax, baby doll, I won’t let you fall,” he says, misreading my reaction.
“Who’s Dolly?” I push out. I both hate and like this. I like that he’s so willing to help someone, but I don’t like that it’s another woman. “You said you didn’t have anyone.” I repeat his words from earlier, that he didn’t have a girl that belonged to him.
The hand around my waist tightens. “Dolly’s my sister,” he says, and relief washes through me. “But I have someone now, don’t I?”
His thumb brushes back and forth across my stomach.
“Yes.” I nod as his lips touch my neck, sending shivers racing across my skin, even in the Texas heat. “So, Dolly’s your sister, and you said earlier you have two brothers?” I ask, wanting to know more about him.
“Yeah. Ty is the eldest and he’s married to his wife, Mary-Jane. Then there’s Blake, me, and then Dolly. We all have land that our parents left us.”
“They’re gone?”
“Yeah, a while back. We’re all pretty close. I’m probably the most distant out of all of us, though. I tend to keep to myself. I like the quiet. Well, at least I thought I did,” he corrects himself as we ride along the fence lines. “I’m sure it won’t be long until they’re showing up and asking what I’m up to.”
“You going to tell them about me?”
“Nope.” The word flips out fast. “I like having you all to myself.”
“I like it, too,” I admit. It’s nice. I feel like we’re lost in our own little world, and I want to stay here, not thinking about anything else.
“What do you do with your land? My father mainly grows corn for feed and raises some hogs.” I stiffen, realizing what I just revealed. I don’t know if it’s anything I should or shouldn’t say. I’m still not sure how far I’d gotten from my father’s farm, but I have a feeling it wasn’t far enough. Or maybe it was. Most of yesterday is still foggy.
“I won’t dig. You give me things when you want to.” He places another kiss on my neck. “I have a few animals here, but they aren’t for any real use. We have oil. I watch over the rigs, but they don’t really need much tending to. We have a company that works them, so I more or less watch over them. Make sure nothing big happens.”
“Sounds boring,” I admit, and I feel his body shake, giving off a soft laugh.
“And what would you do if you had a farm?” he asks.
“Probably not a lot. I’ve always wanted to have my own little garden, maybe a few chickens and even a cow. I like the idea of cooking using stuff I grow myself, or with what my animals give me. I guess I’m not any more exciting than you,” I admit.
“I think it sounds nice. Simple and nice. We’d really never have to leave then, would we?”
I turn to look at him, and he’s got one of those dimples showing that I keep noticing. Without having to ask, he leans down, taking my mouth in a kiss. It’s soft and slow, like we have no place in the world to be. Nothing but us matters in this little world we’re in.