Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“What’s that?” I scrubbed at my face.
“When y’all have an animal that’s brought in that’s been killed, y’all usually donate the meat, right?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed.
“Well, they’re the ones that get the meat. There’s a good ol’ boy agreement between one of the men at your department and Vito. When an animal is found—which they call in about might I add—they’re the ones that get the call to come get it. They take it to the processor and take a good chunk of the meat.”
“Fucking fantastic.” I snorted. “Who’s the asshole at the department that’s calling them?”
“Some man named Pastry.”
“Pastry,” I scoffed. “I should’ve known. He’s a fuckin’ dick bag. He’s the reason I don’t have a newer snowmobile. His ‘I have seniority’ comments among the staff. He doesn’t even leave the office half the time anymore. I have yet to see him on a snowmobile this season. What a dick.”
“I’ll be finding a way to turn all this information in in a way that y’all can use it. Pastry might be incentivized to share. Then you can have Major let him go,” Apollo suggested before clapping me on the shoulder. “Get home to your girl.”
I offered him my hand. “How’re the wife and kids?”
“Perfect.” Apollo smiled. “Take care.”
I headed back home and forced myself not to stop when I passed Gentry’s cruiser pulled behind a brown SUV.
I did, however, flip Grace off when she was taken to the back of a cruiser and shoved inside.
She had a cast on her left leg and her left arm, which happened to coincide with my bodily tackling her to the ground and that side of her hitting the concrete.
She started cursing, and Gentry flipped me off in response.
I missed the rest, pulling up into my drive a few minutes later.
Boone and Odin met me on the porch as I got up to it.
“What happened?” Odin grumbled.
I gave him a rundown, and he shook his head in exasperation. “What fuckin’ morons.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” I agreed. “Everything okay?”
“Ladies are still sleeping,” Boone said as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. “I gotta get home. Let me know if you need anything these next few days.”
I offered him my hand, which he took before heading out. It left Odin and me standing on the porch watching him go.
“Your girl’s parents are fucking shitty,” Odin muttered.
“Agreed,” I said. “I think she got shafted. Then again, mine weren’t any better. Hopefully y’all can step in and be the family neither one of us has.”
Odin looked at me. “I think that’s asking a little much.”
I chuckled, knowing damn well and good that he would be part of that family before long.
He just didn’t know it yet.
The time would come, and then I could remind him of this moment.
“I’m headed out, too,” Odin murmured. “Got a couple of things to do before I head back.”
“Take care, buddy.”
Odin shot me a grimace before heading to his truck.
I watched him leave and kept watching as the sun slowly started to rise in the sky.
It was just peeking over the trees when I heard the door open behind me.
Bernice.
“Hey,” she said softly.
I held my hand up, and she walked under it, leaning into me.
“I’m glad you got her to like you again.” She bumped me with her hip.
I snorted. “I am, too.”
“Is now a bad time to tell you that I’m going to live with you for a while?” She snickered.
I looped an arm around her shoulders before saying, “How about, if they’re amenable with it, you take over Birdie’s lease?”
“Perfect,” she said. “As long as it’s not a shithole. I don’t do anything less than excellent accommodations anymore. Been there, have the t-shirt, don’t wear it.”
I chuckled. “Birdie’s old place is nice…now. The club bought the place from Reyelle, the local coffee shop owner. We fixed it up after everything that went down. Small, but nice. And even better, I have a couple of club members that live on the street. Plus, it’s right in the middle of town.”
“Perfect.” She bumped me with her hip again. “Seeing as my job is right smack dab in the middle of town.”
“You already have a job?”
“I do.” She paused. “For now. I’m going to be working at the General Store. I saw the help wanted sign when I was here puttering around town. They needed help, and I needed a temporary job.”
“Are you going to go back into work as a nurse practitioner?”
“No,” she sighed. “I wouldn’t mind, but when I said I’d drop off the side of the planet, I meant it. I can’t very well register as a NP in Montana unless you want them to have a paper trail. Your friend set me up with a new Social Security number, but I’m not sure how that’ll work with the state licensing board and all that fun stuff.”