Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“And you do it on horseback?”
I shook my head. “Not always. Most of the time, we’ll drive it, which saves time. Some ranchers are using drones now to check on their fence lines and their cattle. I like to look at them with my own eyes, or send out one of the guys, to make sure nothing’s wrong. The only way you can really do that is to get up close and personal with them.”
“So, you raise cattle, breed horses, grow hay…and it’s just you and five ranch hands? How do you get all the work done?”
Laughing, I said, “There are more people than just the six of us. We do a majority of the work with the cattle, but when we need to do vaccines and branding, or bring the cattle down into the valley before winter hits, there’ll be a lot more people here working. There are plenty of days I’m gone all day. It’s a long day being a rancher, a lot of hard work, but I wouldn’t want to be anything else. I grew up watching my granddaddy and my father doing it. It’s in my blood.”
She remained quiet, and I had a feeling I knew what was going on in her beautiful head.
“You must do well with it. Your house is amazing. Not to mention, you have your own plane.”
I smiled. “If you manage it correctly, you can do very well.”
“You mentioned before that Chad didn’t get along with your parents. Do you know why?”
Shrugging, I replied, “I’m not sure. Everything was fine until my brother was about ten, then something changed. He changed. He grew distant and angry all the time.”
“Did you ever ask him what was wrong?”
I let out a harsh laugh. “Plenty of times. He never would say, and I eventually got to the point where I no longer cared. He did his thing, and I did mine. When we were in high school, we hardly spoke.”
“That had to be hard for your parents.”
“Yeah, it was, but they tried their best.” We rode on a bit longer, and I brought Moonshine to a stop. “Do you want to stretch your legs for a bit?”
She smiled. “Okay.”
“Remember how I told you to get off?”
“Yep!” she said, swinging her leg over and getting off like she’d done it a million times. “Will the horses be okay?”
I tossed the reins over Moonshine’s back and did the same for Goldie. “Yeah, they’ll be fine.” Taking her hand in mine, we started walking toward one of the small lakes on the ranch. “Do you want to talk about what happens next, now that you have your memory back?”
She drew in a breath and exhaled. “Well, I was offered this amazing job as an assistant.”
My eyes went wide and it felt like my heart stopped.
“And the location is stunning. It’s surrounded by mountains, the place where I can live is out of my dreams, and I can go horseback riding anytime I want…I kind of have an in with the owner. Plus, I think he kind of likes me.”
I released the breath I’d been holding and let out a soft chuckle. “Really? That sounds like a dream job. And he’d be an idiot if he didn’t like you.”
She nodded as she looked out over the mountain range. “I thought so, too. The downside is he’s really hot. My potential new boss, that is. He could be a distraction.”
“That does sound like a problem. This doesn’t sound like it’s in Illinois, though. Are you okay with not returning to where you grew up?”
Mallory stopped walking and faced me. “That’s the other thing. There’s nothing for me back home. No family, no job, and…well…can you keep a secret?”
I put on a fake wounded expression. “Of course I can.”
“I’ve kind of already slept with the potential new boss.”
Raising a brow, I asked, “Really? Was he good in bed?”
She giggled. “Oh yes. But that’s not all. He’s kind and caring. He was there for me like no other person has been in my entire life. I honestly don’t think I could live a day without him.”
Tugging her hand, I drew her body against mine. “He couldn’t live a day without you, either. In fact…I’ve heard from a very reliable source that he’s fallen in love with you.”
Her eyes teared up as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “I love him too.”
I bent down and captured her lips with mine. The kiss was slow and sweet. When it broke, I leaned my forehead against hers. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, Mallory, but it feels like you’ve been in my life forever. These feelings I have for you…I’ve never felt them before with anyone.”
Her hands moved to my chest, where she traced her finger on the pattern of my T-shirt. “I’ve only dated one other guy; Mitch was his name. He was a high school boyfriend, and he would tell me all these stories about how when he graduated and went to college, he was going to bring me with him, and we could start our life together. I thought I’d get a part-time job and maybe take one or two classes here and there until I graduated. I was so happy with the idea of getting out of Arcola, even though it meant leaving my grandmother. Mitch was the only other person besides my grandmother whom I thought loved me.”