Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
He didn’t need me.
“I guess I’m… I guess this is it, then,” I finished, not appreciating the way the statement ended like a question.
Dev surprised me by letting out a rumble of laughter. “This isn’t it.”
“It’s… not?”
“Not unless you want it to be. I do want to get back to Majestic to check on Trigger and two of my breeding mares, so I’ll bring Lellie by later to say goodbye for now, but… I can have Kenji arrange to fly you out to Majestic in time for Zane’s concert in a couple weeks. That is… if you’re interested?”
He acted like this was no big deal. Like we were already together and simply discussing logistics.
“Yes,” I blurted, my heart doing an embarrassingly happy jig. “Of course. But I can buy the ticket myself. Kenji doesn’t have to—”
“He’ll send the plane for you. It’ll be quicker than connecting through Denver or Salt Lake.”
I could hear the sound of Lellie fussing in the background while Dev told Kenji what was going on. When he came back on the line, he sounded more serious. Intentional. “I’ll be okay.”
I wasn’t sure who exactly he was trying to convince.
Me or himself.
Either way, it definitely didn’t feel like it would be okay. It felt like we were papering over a fault line that was about to rupture.
TWENTY-TWO
DEV
I’d woken up with Lellie’s warm, pajama-clad body in my arms and the scent of Tully in my nose. When had I ever felt so content and complete?
Unfortunately, I’d forgotten about his need to be at the office early, so when I got Lellie up and brought her downstairs, I was disappointed to find him gone.
“Is he coming back with us to Majestic?” Kenji asked. His hip was propped against the counter by the coffee maker as he took a sip from a steaming mug.
Bam, right to the heart of it. It had occurred to me last night, while I’d been enjoying the easy company and stories of Katie and baby Lellie, that there would be no real reason for Tully to return to Wyoming with us when we went.
And I was ready to go.
Not only did I feel uncomfortable leaving Trigger while he was still recovering, but I had two mares in the final stages of high-risk pregnancies. I knew Way would take good care of all of them, but I itched to be there myself.
And Lellie deserved some stability. She deserved a new normal instead of days in which her schedule was completely fucked like it had been yesterday.
“Dunno,” I admitted. “I’d imagine not.”
Kenji studied me across the top of the mug while he took another sip. I pretended to ignore him and settled Lellie in her chair before handing her the cup of milk Kenji had already prepared.
“Your ass looks nice in them jeans.”
The exaggerated cowboy swagger didn’t come out of Kenji’s mouth but out of Foster’s. I whipped my head around and saw his face on Kenji’s laptop screen. He was crowded into the same little window that held Way and Silas. Bash and Rowe were in another, and the final one had Landry and Zane in it.
“Fucking Christ,” I said, clutching my chest.
Landry’s lazy voice tsk’d. “You should probably learn to use cleaner language now that you’re an old man.”
“What are you all doing up at this hour? Way, how’re the horses?”
While they reminded me that New York was an hour ahead and ranchers woke up early, I moved to the fridge to grab food for Lellie. It was comforting hearing their voices while I put together a simple breakfast for her. Foster finally couldn’t take it and intervened.
“How’re you gonna convince that city boy to come back home with you?”
I stared at him until Lellie flung greek yogurt at me. Kenji snickered and handed me a paper towel.
“He’s not coming back with me,” I said. “He lives here. His career is here.”
Silas’s face was pinched in thought. “More rich people moving into Majestic every day. Ask me how I know.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t imagine there’s enough work for him in trusts and estate law, Silas. Even you, me, and Way wouldn’t be able to give him enough work to keep busy.”
While Foster didn’t know about our billions, he knew enough to know we had enough money to need looking after. Once Silas had turned up, Fletcher Ranch had never seen another dollar in debt after years of struggle. And he also knew that I’d bought a hundred acres of prime acreage and was building a house with a sprawling footprint on it. Even his mother would know I couldn’t afford that on any ranch hand’s salary.
“Everyone needs a will,” Landry said, allowing his serious side to emerge in a rare moment of vulnerability. “You never know when shit’s going to happen.”
“Language,” everyone warned, causing him to shoot his middle fingers at the camera.