Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
She chuckles. “You expect me to believe I’m going to scoot over there next to you and you’re just going to hold me?” She barks out a laugh. “I’m smarter than I look, D.”
I groan. “I promise. This past week… it’s been hell without you, honey. I just need to have you in my arms.”
I know I sound weak, but I don’t care. I have nothing to lose at this point.
I wait, and it may appear as if I’m being patient, but I’m feeling anything but that. I’m about to reach for her when she slowly starts to slide toward me. I hold my breath until I feel her body skim mine, and I wrap an arm around her waist and tug her flush against my body. Without hesitation, I roll to my back, pulling her with me. I have my arms around her waist and my legs threaded with hers.
I try to savor this feeling because I wasn’t lying. This time last week, I never thought I’d have her in my bed or in my arms again.
“Dustin…” she whispers.
“Yeah, honey?”
She puts her hand on my chest. “You’re holding me a little too tight.”
Reluctantly, I loosen my grip on her. We lie here in silence, and eventually she burrows into me, and when she sighs softly, her breath fanning my chest, I say a silent prayer that I won’t fuck this up. I can’t.
CHAPTER 10
ANNIE
He’s gone.
I woke up this morning, and that’s the first thing I noticed. I shouldn’t be surprised because that’s how it’s always been, but today it hurts a little worse.
I go about my business, getting ready for the day, and after that I’m trying to decide if I’m going to garden, read, or maybe go into town when I hear the stomping of boots on the front porch.
I go to the hallway and see a smiling Dustin walking inside. “Morning, wife.”
I almost run to him but hold myself back. “Morning. What are you doing home? I thought you’d be out on the ranch all day.”
He looks at me pointedly. “I had to feed the animals, but I thought I’d come and see if you wanted to go ride the fence line with me.”
My mouth falls open, and I point a finger at myself. “You want me to go with you?”
He nods, opens his mouth, closes it, and then walks toward me. When he’s a few feet away, he stops and lets his hands fall to his sides. “I uh, wanted to wake you up this morning but thought you’d want to sleep. I would love for you to go with me, Annie.”
My heart feels like it’s about to pound out of my chest. “Okay. Yeah, I’d like that.”
He doesn’t attempt to move away. “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”
I shake my head, and he turns toward the kitchen. “I can get you a thermos of coffee. I have chocolate croissants, or I can make you some eggs.”
I shake my head. “Just coffee.”
He wants to argue with me, but he just pours the coffee, and then with one hand wrapped around the thermos, he holds his other hand out to me.
The weight of this moment is heavy. I could keep my distance and refuse to touch him, but when I think about what I want, I know what I need to do. I put my hand in his, and instantly he laces our fingers together.
Speechless, I walk through the house and outside with him. He walks me to the side-by-side and helps me sit down before putting my thermos in the cup holder. He helps me with my seat belt, and I laugh. “I can do it.”
He just shrugs and blushes. “I want to.”
As soon as it snaps, he doesn’t move away. Our faces are inches apart from each other, and he looks as if he may kiss me but then backs away. I watch him walk around and get into the driver’s seat.
We ride around the ranch. Every now and then, he stops to fix something, and I insist on helping him. In the past, he would never have let me. Heck, he wouldn’t even have thought of bringing me out here, but today is different.
He tells me stories about the ranch and how it’s always been a dream of his to own his own land. He talks about wanting a family, and I practically gawk at him. Yes, we were married a year, and we never talked about kids.
He’s looking out at the land. “I always knew I wanted kids, and when we got married, I was even more sure. I would love to have a little boy to teach how to ride.”
I clear my throat. “What if you have a girl?”
He blinks at me. “That’s easy. I’ll teach her to ride too, and I’m sure she’s going to be as pretty as her momma, so I’ll have to ground her until she’s thirty.”