Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“How old was your mother when she had him?” another asked.
“In her late fifties.” Sorcha chuckled. “Mom thought she was going through menopause. Color us all surprised when she went to the doctor to get checked out for a kidney stone, and she came home with another baby.” Sorcha raised her hand and cupped Major’s jaw. “Denver kicked Mom and Dad’s ass. I feel like he spent just as much time at Sawyer’s and my place as he did at home. It was a good thing that we were all on the same property.”
Major nuzzled at his wife’s cheek. “We got our learning curve taken care of with Denver. By the time our own kids came, we were naturals and didn’t fuck them up like we did Denver.”
I snickered.
“What are y’all even talking about right now?” Hux, the second hottest Dixie Warden, asked as he came to a stop behind the broken chair Boone had once been sitting in.
“How pretty you look with your new tattoo,” Boone lied.
Hux looked at his arm where I could now see a fresh tattoo peeking out from beneath his shirt sleeve. “It is pretty badass, isn’t it?”
“It’s a lamp.”
“It’s a stained-glass window,” Hux countered Boone’s assumption.
“It’s pretty,” I said. “I like it.”
Hux’s grin was wicked as he said, “Glad someone at this table has some taste.”
“I never said it wasn’t pretty,” Sorcha pointed out.
“You said that I looked like a bad coloring book when I showed you it yesterday.”
“It’s a lot.” Sorcha shrugged. “I can’t even see your skin anymore.”
“You can, too.” Hux shrugged. “You should get one.”
“No way.” Sorcha shook her head. “Over my dead body.”
“Yet, you have no problem with your man putting your name on his chest?” Hux asked.
This sounded like an old argument.
One that they’d had time and time again.
Which, of course, made me nervous and my babbling problem came out to be witnessed.
“Did you know in ancient Rome, when two men wanted to make a pact or agreement under oath, they would hold each other’s testicles as they made the agreement? That’s where we get the term ‘testify.’”
The table was silent for a few long seconds, and then raucous laughter sounded out over the table.
I smiled, my cheeks flushing.
When I finally looked away from the table in front of me, it was to see Denver watching me over a beer bottle.
His eyes were curious and hot as he studied me for long enough that I started to squirm.
Only when he finally looked away did I take my next breath.
I would not examine how his gaze made me feel.
Nor would I acknowledge how I wanted him to stare at me like that again.
EIGHT
People think I go out of my way to piss them off. Trust me, it’s not out of my way at all.
—Sorcha to Denver
DENVER
The night had passed way too fast, and by the time I woke up from a minuscule amount of sleep, I was in a really bad mood.
That mood got even worse when Sorcha said she couldn’t come over today and cook because her grandbaby was sick and she’d be staying home to watch them.
Instead of getting up and cooking food, I sent Jetty to get donuts that would hopefully hold us over until lunchtime, and got to work.
When I got to the barn, it was to see the lights already on and all of the horses munching away on feed.
I found Holly in the last stall filling up the hay for Applesauce.
She happily munched away as I caught up the closest shovel and got to work cleaning out the stalls.
I’d been working for over an hour when the first rays of sunlight started to stream through the open barn doors.
“Food!”
I looked over to see DeeDee in the doorway holding up a box of donuts.
I yawned and acknowledged her with a tilt of my head. “Just put it on that stall right there. Can you make sure that Greta is fed before you go?”
“Sure,” DeeDee said as she walked past me into the closest stall to the stairs. “Hey, Holly!”
“Hey, DeeDee,” Holly’s sweet, angelic voice said. “You look super cute today. New jeans?”
“Kind of,” she admitted. “I need to wear them in. They’re a bit stiff. So I’m wearing them around here doing some chores so when I wear them to the dance next week they actually allow me to breathe.”
I stopped and turned. “You’re going to a dance?”
“It’s the Sadie Hawkins one that I go to every year, Dad.” DeeDee rolled her eyes. “Go wash your hands and eat. You, too, Holly.”
“Oh, I’m good. I don’t need…”
“Jetty literally bought them out of donuts. Trust me when I say there’s plenty.”
DeeDee left after that, making sure to give both of us a pointed look that said, “eat or else.”
“Who’s the parent again?” Holly snickered.
“Sometimes, I wonder,” I grumbled as I walked toward the box. “She only brought my favorite.”