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)
I liked it exactly how it came.
My girls.
We dropped Abby off, Quinn walking her in with her little knapsack and clutching Enid and Fluffy. I stayed in the truck, not wanting to overstep. Pumpkin had kissed me, flinging her arms around my neck. “Remember what I told you,” I whispered.
She nodded, and I felt my stomach tighten a little as she left the truck. I had no idea how Quinn handled it.
Quinn came back, and I looked over at her. She looked worn and tired. “Do you want to just pick up a pizza, go home, and put our feet up? Have some wine, watch a movie, and be close, in case?”
“But you made plans.”
I ran a finger down her cheek. “Darlin’, as long as you’re with me, then my plans are complete.”
She sighed. “I’d love that.”
I winked. “Done.”
We picked up a pizza and headed to the farm. Quinn was quiet, staring out the window. I reached over and took her hand. “Something upsetting you?”
She turned her head with a rueful smile. “No. Just thinking about today.”
“You planning on offering me a job? I have the need to tell you that pouring water and coffee are my only skills. I have a feeling carrying trays is beyond me.”
She leaned her head back with a snicker. “You were awesome today. How is it you seem to know exactly what to do?”
“I don’t,” I admitted. “It’s all guesses. And today, I happened to be in town to pick up some wood to rebuild the chicken coop ramp. I dropped by because I was hungry.” I shrugged. “Didn’t take many brains to figure out what was happening. You should have been closing, not serving a group of ten.”
“But they were great. In fact, the mother told me her daughter wanted a different kind of wedding. A picnic. She asked if I catered because they all agreed the sandwiches and potato salad were the best they ever had. And that’s what she wants on the menu. Sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, cake. Lemonade and iced tea. They’re getting married just themselves in the morning and want to do a country lunch after.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I gave her my number, and she’s going to call me next week. So, a late table would be worth it.” She traced my arm as I pulled into the driveway. “But I was at my wit’s end when you walked in. You made all the difference.”
I parked the truck and leaned across the cab. “Glad I could help. Now, how about some pizza, a glass of wine, maybe a soak, and a movie? We can go to bed early.” I waggled my eyebrows. “Seems to me I have a promise to keep.”
“And if…” She trailed off.
“If Pumpkin needs picking up, I’ll go. Just relax tonight, baby. Let me take the load.”
She leaned close and kissed me, tangling her hand in my hair and pulling me close.
“Deal.”
The pizza was delicious, tasting better somehow shared with Quinn on the sofa, a bottle of wine on the coffee table, napkins catching the messy sauce and dripping cheese. We talked about everything. The town. Growing up here. How Laura and Bob met. My parents.
We touched briefly on her past, but I knew it made her sad. She shared a few stories of spending time with her grandparents and liking it here.
“It was such a different place from the city,” she explained. “I could run, play, be free. At home, I was more restricted. Once my parents died and my grandparents were in a home, the foster family I was with was right in the middle of the city.” She smiled sadly. “I never got to see my grandparents again. They died close together less than a year after my parents.”
I kissed her hand that was restlessly pulling on her denim-clad leg. “I’m sorry, baby. Were they good to you?”
She smiled. “They were nice people. I never felt as if I really belonged, though. I helped Joanna—the mother—a lot. She liked to cook, and I enjoyed it. It made me feel as if I wasn’t taking more than I was given. He worked as a salesman, so he was gone a lot. But he was nice as well. Their kids were older than me and couldn’t really be bothered one way or another.” She lifted a shoulder. “I was lonely a lot. Which is probably why I fell so fast for Preston.”
“Probably.”
“Anyway, I missed coming out to the country. Life seemed simpler. Better. I wanted to give Abby the chance to experience living that way.”
“And you are,” I assured her. “I’ll have her countrified in no time.”
I got a real smile at my remark.
After we ate and she checked with Mandy’s mom that Abby was doing okay, we watched a romantic comedy on the TV. It had been so long since I had done anything so domestic. More than once, I saw her roll her shoulders and stretch her legs as if they were sore, so when the movie was done, I headed to the bathroom and ran her a bath. I returned to the living room, trying not to laugh at the fact that she was dozing, curled up in the corner, her hand propped under her chin. She startled awake as I slid my arms under her and carried her down the hall.