Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 160042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 800(@200wpm)___ 640(@250wpm)___ 533(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 800(@200wpm)___ 640(@250wpm)___ 533(@300wpm)
“Told you what?” I whisper, my eyes glued to him, his tortured face, his tight frame.
“That she was workin’ for the Turners,” he says, his liquid eyes boring into mine, and I freeze. “For Hank Turner. Said she met him at this strip club she worked at. She gave him a lap dance and he, drunk and horny, told her all his secrets. He promised that he’d pay her mother’s medical bills and help out with her brother if she did this one thing for him. Find an in with the Graysons and find out about the Rawhide Redemption program so they could get our land. And she was desperate enough to say yes. Desperate enough to come up with a plan, seduce me, lure me out and use me. Mostly because being the reckless asshole I am, I was the easiest target. Mars would never have fallen for her and Ax was so young. So she found me, targeted me at the town fair, tryin’ to establish a relationship with me. She said she was feedin’ him information about our business, our bids on the livestock and other contracts, but she hadn’t found anything about what he really wanted from her. And now she didn’t want to either. She didn’t want to do this anymore because she’d fallen for me and she…”
This time his breath is so big and large that I feel it all the way over where I’m sitting. I feel it waft over me, his scent, and I hold on to it, because for some reason I think the worst is yet to come. There’s something life-changing that’s coming, and I need to brace.
“She was pregnant,” he says, and my heart drops. “Four months. She said it was mine, but she didn’t have to because I knew. I could see the truth on her face. She was scared, terrified. She said she loved me. Again, she didn’t have to either because I already knew. Said she didn’t wanna betray me anymore. Didn’t wanna betray my family that’s been so good to her. She wanted to start fresh, get a clean slate. Wanted to have this baby with me, raise it together. And I…”
He takes a few deep breaths, pausing, and I find myself relating to Annie. In that she fell in love with him, fell in love with the Graysons. I could see how. When I leave, I realize I’m going to miss them too. Haven, even Ax, Rad. Maybe I’ll miss Mars, too, just because he loves his brothers so much. I’m not sure, but I think that’s why he did what he did, getting information on Annie. I understand that sentiment.
“I promised that I would. I would raise the baby with her. Even though I…” Again, he pauses as if he doesn’t know what to say or rather how to say it. “I didn’t love Annie, not even a little bit. I realized that as soon as she told me she loved me. But I loved her. The baby. It was going to be a girl.” He swallows thickly. “Didn’t even know you could tell the sex of a baby that early but apparently, you can. At ten weeks and as soon as she found out it was going to be a girl, she decided she had to tell me and God, I… I understood why she had to. Because the moment I heard she existed, somethin’ shifted inside of me. Something big. Something that changed me. It wasn’t anything I’d ever experienced. All I knew was that I wanted her. I wanted her so badly in my life. She was mine. I made her. Rose.”
“Rose,” I repeat, because I have to after how reverently he said that name.
“Her name,” he says gutturally. “Knew it the moment I heard about her. Knew I was gonna name her after my ma. She always wanted a girl, see, but she got stuck with us three rowdy boys. So I thought I could… give her that. All my life, everyone told me that I was reckless. That I did things without thinkin’ them through and they weren’t wrong. But the moment Annie told me about Rose I knew I had to be smart. I had to think things through so I… bought a ranch. Away from Black Rock. I always wanted to do it but it was somethin’ way into the future. Somethin’ that I would do once my rowdy phase passed. But I knew I had to do it for Rosie. My baby girl wasn’t gonna grow up on Rawhide. I had to keep her away from all the Grayson-Turner bullshit. All the bloody history, the feud, the war. I promised Annie I’d keep her safe until then. Until we were ready to move. Told her I’d take care of it all. Hank Turner, her family, everything. I promised to be there for her, throughout her pregnancy, love her, love Rosie. But I knew I was lyin’. I knew I’d never love Annie but for Rosie, I was gonna try. I was gonna try to give my baby girl everything but I…”