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)
Louise glares at me, but I don’t flinch. Instead, I snag the seat next to Reine, reaching around her to grab a napkin. I brush the syrup off her cheek, letting my thumb linger for half a second longer than necessary. Her eyes go wide, and her jaw drops a little, like she can’t believe I just did that in front of her grandmother.
Best decision of the day. I love seeing how she reacts to my touch.
“Missed a spot,” I murmur, letting my Texas drawl drip slow and thick. Reine’s cheeks go bright red, but she doesn’t move away. God, I love that I can get to her like this. I want her blushing and soaked and totally fucking mine twenty-four-seven.
I let my thumb trail a little lower, just to tease, but then I force myself to behave because Louise is right there watching me like a hawk. She doesn’t miss a thing—not the way Reine leans into my touch, not the way my hand lingers on her skin.
Louise clears her throat. “You planning to help with chores today, or just distract my granddaughter until she can’t remember her own name?”
I flash her my best “I’m harmless, trust me” grin, even though I’ve got every intention of bending Reine over the nearest flat surface as soon as I get her alone. “I’m happy to do whatever Reine needs.”
“We need to discuss Thunderbolt’s transfer today.” My girl’s pain-laced words throw a bucket of ice water on the situation. For a second, it’s dead silent. I fucking hate seeing that gut-punched, braced-for-impact look in Reine’s eyes.
“First, I want to know why you had to sell him in the first place.” Hudson sent me a copy of the investigation report he had prepared on The Rolling R Ranch, but I haven’t read it. I want to find out from Reine.
My girl sits back and stares into my eyes. “It’s a long story.”
“I have all the time in the world.” And I’m not going anywhere. Ever. Now, I just need to convince her of that fact.
Louise gives me a look that could freeze whiskey, then levels her gaze at me, daring me to interrupt. “I’ll tell him,” she grits out, jaw tight with eyes going sharp as knives. “Reine’s daddy, Jacob, died in a car wreck when she was in grade school. Damn near broke us all. Anne Marie, my daughter-in-law, tried to hold things together for Reine, but it wasn’t easy.” Louise’s hand is rock-steady on her coffee mug. “About ten years later, Anne Marie got sick with brain cancer. The kind no one survives.”
Fucking hell. My heart breaks for Reine and all she’s been through. “Anne Marie fought like hell. But just before the end, she married a man named Chet Hayes. Shady bastard. He was a nurse at the cancer clinic where Anne Marie got her treatments, and he wormed his way right into her life when she could barely remember her own name. Didn’t give two shits about my daughter-in-law, just wanted a payday,” Louise growls, and I’m so goddamn incensed, I could murder the bastard who did this to my girl and her grandmother. Louise takes a sip of her coffee before continuing. “We hadn’t even buried her before he was trying to sell Anne Marie’s third of the ranch.”
Motherfucker. I grip the edge of the table so hard my knuckles pop. The urge to break something is almost too much. All I can picture is that asshole Chet Hayes counting his blood money while my girl and her grandmother barely had a chance to grieve. “And I take it he finally managed to sell it.”
Louise nods, her lips pressed so tight I’m surprised they don’t disappear. “Sold it to some fly-by-night investment outfit. Not a rancher among them. They just wanted a quick flip, probably to break up the land and sell it off in chunks.” Her glare could burn through granite. “But they need the other two-thirds, so they’re resorting to underhanded means to get us to sell.”
The second the words leave Louise’s mouth, I’m ready to torch the earth. No one fucks with my girl, or her family, and walks away breathing easily. My jaw is clenched so tight I’m surprised it doesn’t crack.
Reine’s hand is shaking where it grips her mug, but she tries to hide it. She’s so tough, always putting herself last. Makes me want to wrap her up and never let anyone touch her again.
“Who are these assholes?” I growl, my voice low enough to rumble the porcelain. “The investment firm. Names, numbers, threats, whatever you got—I want it all.”
Louise narrows her eyes. “We’re not afraid of a fight,” she finally says, “but those bastards are persistent.”
I lock eyes with Louise, letting her see just how little I give a shit about persistent assholes. “They’re about to meet someone a hell of a lot more persistent,” I growl, and my Texas drawl emerges. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”