Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Yeah, that’s an issue since she hasn’t the first clue how to do that. Then an old friend suggests a trip to Wishingbone, Montana.
And that’s where she meets him.
Dominic.
Charming. Gorgeous. Protective.
She never expected to find him . . . and now she has no idea how to live without him.
After losing his wife, Dominic never thought he’d find love again. He had his job, his friends, and that was enough.
Or so he thought.
Then a quirky, sweet girl walked into his life, stirring his Daddy instincts.
And nothing will be the same again.
Can this gorgeous, gray-haired Daddy protect his girl while she heals his heart?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
Welcome to Wishingbone.
Population: We can’t keep up because everyone keeps breeding like darn rabbits.
It was so ridiculous she had to grin and pull over to take a photo. The population part was spray-painted on a piece of cardboard and pinned to the sign.
Gwen bet the town officials loved that.
Steering her car back onto the road, she drove toward the town of Wishingbone and its baby-making population.
Perhaps this trip wasn’t going to be as boring as she’d thought. She’d been reluctant to leave New York. She loved how alive it was. The people. The fast pace of life.
But apparently, that life didn’t like her.
She heaved out a sigh just as her phone rang.
Bossy bastard calling. Bossy bastard calling. You better pick up or he’ll fire your ass.
The ring-tone sang in a cartoon voice, making her giggle.
At forty-five, you’d think she’d be beyond giggling at a stupid ringtone. But apparently, she had the sense of humor of an eight-year-old.
“Hey, boss,” she said, answering the call.
A long-suffering sigh greeted her. Her grin grew. She figured it was her mission in life to hassle Reuben Jones as much as she could.
Otherwise, he took life far too seriously.
Like you can talk . . .
“I am not your boss.”
“Ahh, but I’m here doing a job for you and you’re paying me. So that makes you my boss.”
“We never talked about remuneration,” he said stiffly. “I merely suggested a holiday and asked you to do me a favor while you were there.”
Lord, he was full of bull.
“And that’s why there’s ten thousand dollars in my bank account today?”
“Was there? How interesting . . .”
“Reuben.” He couldn’t try to lie his way out of this one.
“Well, you are doing me a favor. The least I can do is pay gas money.”
“Gas money? Reuben, I could probably drive for years on that sort of gas money.” He was terrible.
“You’ve got accommodation and meal costs as well. Just remember, when you get to the Lucky Hotel in Wishingbone, do not mention that you know me. In fact, don’t mention to anyone in that town that you know me.”
“Why?” she asked suspiciously.
“Ahh . . . reasons.”
She could imagine what those reasons were. Reuben was an acquired taste, as her nana would have said. Most people didn’t understand him. Or they got on his bad side. And there were a lot of people who fucked him off.
Reuben didn’t suffer fools, or anyone that hurt someone he cared about. It didn’t matter how small the supposed slight . . . Reuben was an avenging angel.
Well, probably more like a vengeful devil if she was honest.
Not that she had a problem with his vengeful ways since she was lucky enough to be one of the people he cared about.
“Just best not to say anything to anyone.”
She rolled her eyes. “They aren’t going to chase me out with pitchforks, are they?”
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
“Reuben, what have you done to these people?”
“I didn’t do anything to anyone who didn’t deserve it. If you do anything to hurt or harm or speak badly about my sister, then you will pay.”
Yeah. Gwen knew how much he loved his sister, Juliet. It sent a pang of sadness through her. It must be amazing to have this man as your brother.
Well, wonderful, and probably frustrating as hell too.
She’d had plenty of thoughts about strangling him when he became overly protective and she was certain he was worse with poor Juliet.
“I get it,” she said quietly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the latest transgressor.”
“Good. I want him ruined, Andy.”
She sighed at the nickname. He’d called her that since they first met a few years ago. “No one talks badly about Juliet.”
“You got it. Asshole is going down. Down to hell. All the way down. No coming back up from hell.”
“Stop talking now.” It was said gently but firmly.
“Oh good. I didn’t know where I was going with that.”
“Nowhere good fast,” he said dryly.
See? She really would have strangled him years ago if he wasn’t the best thing in her life.
“Juliet doesn’t know I’m coming?”
“No, she doesn’t. She’d just try to talk me out of my revenge. If you see her, you don’t have to keep quiet about knowing me. But just don’t tell her why you’re there. Shit, she might guess.”
It seemed crazy that she’d never seen or spoken to Juliet. But sometimes that was the way things went. Juliet didn’t leave Wishingbone often, and Gwen had always been busy working.
“Where are you now?” he asked.
“Um.” Shoot, she should have realized that question was coming, and he wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Gwen,” he said warningly.
She sighed. That was his Dom voice. He’d guessed almost straight away that she was a sub. She had no idea how. He claimed it was his superpower.
Once, he’d tried to convince her to go to a club with him so he could help her find a Dom. But Gwen had never felt safe showing anyone her submissive side. And the closest she’d ever gotten to letting her Little out was allowing herself have a soft toy to cuddle when she went to bed.