Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
He shook his head. His mother was always hopeful he’d find someone. “Pretty sure he’s straight, Mom. Besides, he’s only here a short time.”
“Maybe he’s not so straight, and you could have some fun.” She bumped her hip against his, one corner of her mouth quirking up in a half grin. His mother had a sense of humor that could rival a comedian’s.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You do know it’s unusual for a mother to be so vested in her son’s sex life, right?”
“Pshaw,” she scoffed. “All mothers are. The ones who care enough, anyway. I say give it a go. You got him all cozy in your place and everything.”
“I don’t think so, but thanks for caring so much.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. He had the best damn parents. They’d accepted his bisexuality completely. His mother was always trying to fix him up with both men and women.
He could admit that this time, her taste ran well. Cole was fucking gorgeous, and JB would love to have some fun with him, but he couldn’t see that happening.
“Come on, we’ll walk to the stable and rescue your friend before your father puts him to work.” Belinda turned and started toward the building.
JB fell into step beside her, his gaze going out over the beautiful land he loved with all his heart. Dillinger was shit out of luck, but it still burned him that the man kept at them. He was tenacious as hell and had big plans for a resort off the lake.
How could the others have caved?
Well, Eddie and Gladys he kind of understood since they had no children and wanted to retire.
But the Jenkinses? That ranch had been in their family for generations too. Why stop now?
His hands balled into fists. Would Dillinger be satisfied with the two neighboring ranches? Was that enough to turn the pristine lake into a playground for tourists?
The thought alone soured his stomach.
Right now, the water stretched out in front of him, clean and pretty as a postcard. It was so calm, he could see the trees and sun reflected off its surface. He couldn’t imagine having it overrun by vacationers with boats zipping about the place. He’d been to public lakes in the past, seen the trash left out, the torn-up beaches. This was their own private paradise, and he wanted to keep it that way.
The sharp smell of fresh hay hit his nose as they reached the stable to find Jesse showing off his prized stallion. Cole fed an apple to Razor and stroked his nose. The man had a kind streak JB found as attractive as his looks.
Yeah, he was drawn to Cole and would love nothing more than to follow his mother’s advice and have some fun while he was there, but nothing had shown him that Cole swung that way. Still, he couldn’t help but wish.
But he secretly wished for more than a fling. He’d seen the beauty of a strong, loving relationship with Rowe and Noah, and he still wanted that. Wanted someone to come home to, someone to sleep next to.
He wanted love.
Cole’s blue eyes turned his way, and JB had to suppress a shiver of awareness. Every now and then, he saw something in that gaze that made him think maybe Cole held some interest in him, but he was afraid to hope.
Besides, they lived so far apart, and Cole had a whole life in Cincinnati. Plus, he barely knew the man, so having these thoughts made little sense. It was just lust, and he’d felt that plenty of times in the past. So, he squashed that small bit of hope and focused on what his father was saying.
“I’ve had Razor since he was a colt. Best damn horse I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He’s sired some of the fillies and colts, works the ranch better than any other horse here.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Belinda cut in, humor lacing her voice. “But you are slightly biased when it comes to Razor.” She moved forward to stroke the horse. “Granted, he is one of the best.”
“He’s the best,” Jesse argued.
JB’s anger waned a bit with the familiar old argument. His father was definitely partial, but Razor was a damn fine animal.
Inevitably his thoughts drifted to Dillinger and the man’s threat to the entire area. He couldn’t let it go. “I think you shouldn’t listen to Dillinger anymore, Dad. Don’t even give him the time of day. Man thinks he can come in here and take over generations of Alexander land. Like we’d just up and give up on everything we’ve built here.”
Jesse narrowed his eyes. “Now JB—”
“There you go JB-ing me again.”
“I wasn’t the one who did it before,” Jesse snapped.
“JB, calm down.” His mother frowned. “No harm came from being polite, and that’s all we were doing. Your father and I love this ranch as much as you do, so nobody has any intentions of selling.”