Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
He closed his eyes and cursed.
“Why do you hate her so much?”
Snapping his eyes back open, he stared at me in surprise. “I don’t hate her.”
“Really? Could have fooled me. Every time she comes around, you’re glaring at her or saying some smartass remark. And you call her ‘sweetheart’ when you know she doesn’t like it.”
“She doesn’t seem to give a shit what I say, since all she does is smile and go out of her way to try to be so damn…happy!”
I laughed. “Because she’s a bubbly person.”
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. But I’m not doing peach cobbler.”
Before I could say anything else, he stomped off.
“What was that about?”
I spun around to see Levi staring after Caden. He was looking so handsome that I almost let out a moan. His black cowboy hat made his eyes stand out and gave him a boyish appearance. I longed to remove the hat and run my fingers through his thick hair.
“Caden doesn’t like Lilibeth because she’s too happy.”
Levi laughed. “Why am I not surprised by that?”
“How do you not like someone because they’re happy?” I asked with a shake of my head.
Levi looked back to my brother. “I think he likes her.”
Shocked by that statement, I asked, “You think Caden likes Lilibeth?”
He nodded. “I do. I think she’s the polar opposite of Rachel, and something about her clearly drives Caden insane. If he isn’t glowering at her, he’s staring at her pretty intently.”
My brows lifted. “Is he? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Yep, he sure is.” He glanced down at me and smiled. “And how has your day been?”
Smiling at him, I replied, “It’s been good. Long, but good. The kids are all excited about the dinner ride and the chuckwagon cookout.”
“So am I, if I’m being honest.”
“You’re going to love it.”
We started to walk toward the barn. Levi stepped closer, and every part of me wanted him to take my hand. It was silly, I knew. We hadn’t even been out on an official date yet. We talked every night, though. If he wasn’t here at the camp, we texted back and forth. Today, he helped his father for half the day at the vet clinic.
“How did it go at the clinic today?”
“It was good. I spent most of the morning shadowing my father. I did see a couple of patients right before lunch.”
“Really? Did your dad go easy on you?”
He laughed. “He did. It was a kitten due for her first shots, and a golden retriever there for an annual checkup, and a few shots as well. Easy-peasy.”
“And how did things go with the staff?”
Levi frowned. “Everyone was great.”
“You don’t sound like you mean that.”
He rolled his eyes as he sighed. “Logan Miller is going to be a challenge.”
A tinge of jealousy ripped through my body at the idea of Logan getting to spend hours at a time with Levi. “How so?”
“She’s an endless flirt. Either my father’s going to have to talk to her, or I’ll have to talk to her myself. If she doesn’t stop, I don’t see her working for me for very long. That is, after I take over for Dad.”
Surprised, I asked, “Did she flirt with you that much?”
“Let’s just say she was a little handsy, as well.”
That made my blood boil. “She touched you inappropriately?”
“No, just light squeezes on my arm, a playful tap on my chest. Things like that. But it’s not professional, and something I won’t put up with at all.”
“I don’t blame you. How would she like it if you did that to her?”
His brows rose, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay, so she might like it, but any normal person wouldn’t.”
He chuckled, then grew serious. “I’m going to have to talk to Dad about it. But for now, I don’t want to think about any of that. I want to enjoy this evening. How did Rhett do today?”
“From what I could tell, he did great. He’s made a lot of new friends and everyone adores him.”
Levi smiled. “That makes me happy.”
“It’s about time you got here,” Ensley said as we reached the barn, hands on her hips. “We have a lot of horses to get ready for the ride.”
I held up my hands in defense. “I’m sorry!”
“Put me to work,” Levi stated.
“Everyone is out in the paddock; follow me.”
When Levi looked at me, he winked, and my stomach fluttered. I smiled, followed my sister, and willed my heart to stop acting like a damn teenager.
Levi
I watched as Rhett rode next to his new best friends, Jimmy and Theo. They were the same age and had been inseparable since they’d arrived at camp. My heart warmed at the sight of my son laughing.
“Rhett seems to be enjoying camp,” Caden observed as he rode up next to me.
“He really is. You have no idea how great it is to see him laughing like this. I don’t think I’ve heard that belly laugh since Brooke left us.”