Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Quinn and Abby were coming over tonight. We planned another evening by the watering hole, the water refreshing and helping to keep us cool. I had bought and built a gazebo, which offered us great shade. Bob and I had added some chairs and a nice table, and we made great use of it. Quinn was bringing a cold dinner we would eat in the shade, and I had a large jar of iced tea brewing in the sun, the way Mom had done for years. I added lemons, limes, and grapefruit, then sweetened it with honey the way she had taught me. Quinn loved it, exclaiming over the burst of citrus. Abby wasn’t particularly interested, but she adored the watermelon lemonade I always had on hand for her.
I heard Quinn’s SUV, turning and waving as she got out, helping Abby from the back. They headed over, Abby greeting me in her usual exuberant fashion. “Farmer John! You’ll never guess what happened today!”
Quinn took the hose from me, and I brushed a kiss to her mouth before hunching in front of Abby. “What, Pumpkin?”
“I went down the slide too fast, and Joey was standing in front of it. I yelled, but he didn’t move. I knocked him over, and he got mad and he pushed me. Bethy punched Joey and knocked his tooth right out!”
Bethy was Abby’s “bestest” friend. She was wild. Rough and tough and didn’t put up with any shit from anyone. And she loved Abby fiercely and was very protective. Hearing she’d punched a boy wasn’t a shock, although I was sure her dad wasn’t happy. Since his wife had left him, he’d been trying to tame Bethy, but she was incredibly determined and outspoken.
“Did she apologize?” I asked, lifting my gaze to Quinn, who shook her head, trying not to laugh.
“Nope. He was madder than a hornet, but Bethy told him not to be such a whiny baby and to put the tooth under a pillow, and he’d get money. He was happy then.”
I tried not to laugh. “Not to be such a whiny baby.”
That little girl was something else. I feared for the man who fell for her one day.
And I felt equal parts worried and amused for her father, Jason.
“And Mommy and me made treats!”
I stood. “In this heat?”
Quinn laughed. “We did it at the restaurant in the cool.”
“Is the house not cool?” I asked, worried.
“Not as nice as the restaurant. The air is cool, but not cold the past couple of days.”
“I’ll come look at it. Maybe it needs a top-up. You should have said something,” I scolded gently.
“You’re up to your eyeballs right now. We’re fine.”
“I’ll look tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” She paused. “Laura and company coming tonight?”
“No. Cody has soccer practice and a team barbecue.”
“So, I get you all to myself?” she asked with an exaggerated leer.
I bent close, brushing my lips over hers. “Every last inch.”
“Yay, me.”
I snickered. “Now, let’s get our swim stuff and head to the water.”
“We made submarine sandwiches and brought chips.”
“Plus treats!” Abby added.
“Sounds great.”
The water was refreshing, and I felt the lingering exhaustion the heat always brought lift off me. We ate the delicious sandwiches, and I smirked as I was offered a large square of Rice Krispies treat. I took the gooey treat eagerly. “Haven’t had one of these in years.” I bit down and chewed. “It tastes about a hundred times better than I remembered, and that was pretty damn tasty.”
“Momma has a secret in…ingrad.”
“Ingredient,” Quinn corrected her.
“Yeah. Ingredient.”
I took another bite, munching slowly. “It’s very chewy.”
“I add toffee to the marshmallows. Gives it more flavor.”
“Great addition.”
“I helped stir in the Krispies!” Abby informed me.
“I knew it had been stirred extra well,” I said with a nod. “Great job, Pumpkin.”
She beamed at me—one of her bright, sunny smiles. It took so little to make her happy. A kind word. A hug. A teddy bear.
“Can I swim again?”
“Yes, just make sure we can see you.”
We watched as she launched herself into the water, floating on one of the toys we had.
“You are so good with her.”
“It’s easy to be good to her. She deserves it.” I cleared my throat. “You both do.”
Bending forward, Quinn pulled my mouth to hers, and I cupped the back of her head, groaning as her tongue stroked along mine. We kissed deeply, getting lost with each other until the splashing made us look up. Abby was observing us, obviously disgusted. Chuckling, I pressed one last kiss to Quinn’s lips. “Eww,” I murmured, using Abby’s words from the other night. “Is that all you want to do to me? Kiss?”
Quinn lifted her eyebrows. “Not all.”
My shorts suddenly felt tight, and I decided I needed to get in the water.
“I feel so used,” I teased.
“Wait until later.”
I was looking forward to that.
15
JOHN
Ted stepped back, wiping the back of his neck with his handkerchief. “Sorry, John. The compressor is toast. It’s running, but nothing’s working. You need a new unit.”