Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 142214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 711(@200wpm)___ 569(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 711(@200wpm)___ 569(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
She was bluffing.
“You should.”
“You’re right. I mean, if you guys sell off the company, the estate could go next. Where would that leave me? The Haven needs to be surrounded by nature. I can’t have a bunch of box stores and cookie-cutter houses cropping up in my backyard.”
Shit. That was a good point. He didn’t want that for her either. Most of the backwoods acreage was Hawthorne land, but they gave The Haven full access to the trails, allowing the guests to do whatever tree-huggers did out in the woods.
“You wouldn’t lose the woods,” he promised. No matter what happened with the fishery and his family, he’d make sure her woods were safe.
“Still, a girl needs to protect her interests.” She swiped her thumb over the screen of her phone. “Who should I call, Soren or Logan?”
She was still at this? Fine. He could play along with her little charade. “Does it make a difference?”
“Not really, since this is all about money and contracts. The sex should be interesting.” She flicked her thumb over her contact list.
Greyson’s mind flashed to an image of Wren naked. Fuck no. He was not picturing his brothers in that scenario.
“Oh, lucky Logan. His name comes first alphabetically. This should only take two seconds.”
His hand closed over the phone before she could hit send. “Enough.”
She smirked. “Is this more of you not interfering in my dating life?”
This wasn’t about that. They both knew she wasn’t going to date Logan. “Don’t mess with him like that.”
“Like what?”
Logan got way too sensitive when it came to relationships. Plus, he’d always had a soft spot for Wren. “Don’t lead him on.”
She laughed. “This morning, he proposed marriage, Greyson. He’s too far ahead for me to lead.”
Had the dumbass actually asked her to marry him? “We both know you’re not into Logan, so maybe leave him out of it.”
“And what is it?”
“It’s nothing. You and I both know that nothing’s going to change.”
“Do we?”
Of course they did. They’d always had a hard limit regarding Wren. His father’s ludicrous proposal might have slightly disrupted that, but at the end of the day, right was right, and she wasn’t marrying any of them.
“You and I both know you’re not going to date my brothers.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Those winter nights can get awfully chilly.”
He growled, not wanting to imagine his brothers near her any more than he wanted to picture her frolicking in his woods with that limp-dicked yogi dork. But he wasn’t going to give her a reaction.
“Do whatever you want.” He released his hold on her phone.
She raised a brow. “Thanks. I was hoping for your permission.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she paced, searching for a signal. “It gets damn lonely on those cold nights, all alone, in my little house.”
“Get a dog.”
“The cats won’t like that.”
“Then get a fish.”
“I have a feeling I’d enjoy Logan more.”
His jaw tightened, but before he could respond, she pulled the phone to her ear and held up a silencing finger.
“Hey, Logan.” She pivoted and wandered toward the hedge of arborvitae to talk in private.
What sort of game was she playing? Was she actually considering getting involved with his brother? She could do so much better.
Her laughter carried like a soft breeze, and he irritably reorganized his toolbox, making as much noise as possible. He should get moving. He still had several more stops to make, and regardless of Bodhi’s predictions, the flurries were starting to stick to the trees.
Setting her shovels aside, he gathered up the file and oil to put away. When she returned to the parking lot—still on the phone—he busied himself by checking the cab of his truck, not really sure what he was looking for.
“Perfect. Can’t wait. I’ll see you Wednesday.” She ended the call just as he returned to the back of the truck and smiled up at him. “Soren says hi.”
He did a double-take. “Soren? I thought you were calling Logan.”
“I did. Then I called Soren. I agreed to go out with both of them. Figured I might as well play the field and test out all my options.”
His irritation bubbled but he didn’t understand why this was pissing him off so much. “Have fun.”
“Oh, I plan to.”
He slammed the tailgate. “Shovels are done.”
“Great.”
He carried them back to the shed. The gravel crunched behind him as she followed.
Bodhi kept all the brooms, rakes, and shovels upside down in a metal trash can. It was a stupid, top-heavy system that spilled whenever anyone touched it. Greyson cursed and fumbled with the shovels until he was sure they wouldn’t topple over. When he pivoted, Wren crashed into his chest.
She looked up at him, her features slightly shaded by the shadows. Her soft jasmine fragrance filled the cramped space, despite the fading scent of drying herbs and fertilizer.
“If you don’t want me to date your brothers, Greyson, say the word and I won’t.”