Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
I skip down the stairs, expecting an empty kitchen and maybe a few minutes to panic in peace. My heart squeezes when my eyes fall on Cole Carrington. Darn. How is he so annoyingly hot at this time of the morning? He’s sitting at the kitchen table next to Grams, his hat perched on the back of an empty chair, and they’re both grinning at me.
"Good morning, Montana." He pushes back from the worn oak table, his chair scraping against the faded linoleum. The morning sunlight catches in his tousled dark hair as he walks over, his boots clicking deliberately with each step. "How'd you sleep?"
"Morning." The full force of him of him washes over me, making it hard to form words. "It was a really short night," I manage to mumble, breathing in his clean scent.
"Sorry about that." Cole smirks, the look in his eyes warming me in a way that sends shivers down my spine.
"No, you aren't." I laugh and step toward the coffee pot for some desperately needed caffeine.
"You're not wrong." He turns to Grams. "She already knows me so well." When he winks at her, my no-nonsense grandmother falls under his spell.
CHAPTER EIGHT
COLE
Reine’s hips sway in front of me as she stomps through the frost grass, and for a second, all I can think about is how damn good she’d look wearing nothing but my flannel shirt and a smile. Instead, I have to settle for watching her ass in tight jeans as we cross the yard. Pure torture. I almost groan out loud.
She doesn’t slow down, just tosses a look over her shoulder like she’s daring me to keep up. Challenge accepted, Montana. I match her stride, boots thumping behind hers, doing my best not to haul her back against me and press my mouth to that stubborn jaw.
Inside the barn, it’s all dust motes and the heavy smell of horses and leather. Reine walks into the ranch office and sits down behind the desk. I lean against the door, arms crossed, just to admire her.
“What would you like me to do?” She doesn’t look up, just flips through a stack of paperwork like she’s too busy for my shit. “Thunderbolt needs his stall spruced up. If you’re feeling useful.”
I can’t help grinning. “You’re in luck, sweetheart. I know my way around a manure fork.” My Texas drawl thickens on purpose, just to see if I can make her blush.
She rolls her eyes, but her lips twitch. “Then get to it, Texas.”
Fuck, I love a woman who gives as good as she gets. I push off the door and stride down the aisle, boots thudding and muscles itching to work. Thunderbolt flicks an ear and gives me a look like he’s not sure if he approves of my existence. Yeah, same, buddy.
I grab the pitchfork and roll up my sleeves before attacking Thunderbolt’s stall. Thunderbolt gives me a look that says, “Don’t fuck up my house, useless,” and tosses his mane like he’s the king of the barn. “Relax, big guy,” I mutter. “I’m just making it sparkle for my girl.” He snorts in approval. I swear he knows what’s up. Smart fucker. I work up a sweat scooping out every last speck of manure.
By the time I’m done, my shirt clings to my back, and my arms are on fire. I flex my biceps just for the hell of it, then glance toward the office. Reine’s watching me. She thinks I can’t tell, but I can feel her blue eyes crawling all over me like a brand. Fucking hell, if she stares any harder, my cock is going to punch straight through my jeans.
I wipe sweat from my brow and lean on the pitchfork, giving her a little show. “All clean, Montana. Want to come inspect my handiwork?” I toss her my best shit-eating grin.
She stands in the doorway, arms crossed over that perfect chest, a smile twitching on her lips like she’s fighting the urge to laugh at me. “You planning on admiring yourself all morning, or do you want to grab new bedding for Thunderbolt?”
God, I love this woman. The meaner she is, the harder my cock gets. I want to drag her into an empty stall and have my way with her. Fucking hell. I can just picture it.
Reine’s legs wrapped around my waist, her soft little moans echoing in my ear as I bury myself so deep inside her she forgets her own name. She’s got no clue how close I am to tossing her over my shoulder and dragging her gorgeous ass off to the first room I can find.
Instead, I grab a bale of fresh bedding and haul it over like it’s nothing. Thunderbolt watches me with murder in his eyes, but I just laugh and toss the straw around until the stall is four-star comfy.