Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
I turn to leave but she calls my name again. Fuck, it sounds sweet on her lips. Not like it belongs to the man who beat the shit out of half his graduating class or broke his own father’s nose. My rough, calloused hands are stained with a lot of blood. It’s never bothered me before, but I wonder if it’d make her look at me different.
She wraps her arms around herself and the expression on her face is pleading. It seems wrong somehow. She’s mine. She should never have to beg for anything. I’ll always provide for her every need. Her wants too if it’s in my power.
“You don’t go into town much.”
It’s not a question so I don’t answer. Truth is, I’m in town a whole lot more since she came back home four months ago. But she doesn’t need to know that. Not quite yet. In time, she’ll see how obsessed her cowboy is with her.
“And well, you don’t seem like the type to be sitting around and gossiping.” She lets out a little laugh like she’s nervous.
I take a deep breath, clean pine air and the soft lilac smell that is Maisy fills my nostrils. It instantly soothes the knotted place in my chest. Whatever she’s about to say, we can work through it.
“Tell me, pearl.” The soft endearment leaves my lips without my permission. It’s what her name means, precious pearl and well, that’s exactly what she is to me.
She smooths down that tiny skirt, not looking me in the eye as a moth flits by her head, attracted to the porch light. “I’m getting married day after tomorrow.”
Fuck me. I knew she was getting married. Kind of hard to miss that information in a small town. Just didn’t realize that Tristan was rushing her into it. He’s a snake and I don’t trust him, but maybe he isn’t as stupid as I thought.
She gestures toward her truck. “You can’t do this. People will talk.”
“Do you love him?” I grind out the words. My blood is too thick to pump. That’s the reason that it feels like my heart has stopped in my chest. It doesn’t have anything to do with the question I just asked.
I swear I see the sheen of tears in her eyes before she whispers, “Night, Striker.”
Then she goes into her house, leaving me standing at the bottom of her steps. She’s gonna marry that bastard? Fuck that. I’m the kind of cowboy who takes what he wants.
3
MAISY
“Now remember what I said, Dex,” I tell my little brother and reach to adjust the tie he’s wearing. It’s Friday morning and we’re going to brunch with Tristan and his parents. Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll get married in the tiny church in town. It’s where my parents got married but something about the whole thing feels awful.
I mean, the idea of marrying him always has. It’s just that after last night with Striker, it feels as if I’m betraying someone. It’s a crazy feeling but it kept me awake, tossing and turning in my bed.
Striker isn’t anyone to me. We didn’t even talk for the first time until yesterday. Besides that, he’s over twenty years older than me. I have to be reading the whole thing wrong. He was just looking out for me.
A little voice in my head calls me a liar but I ignore it. Now is not the time to be getting my first crush and certainly not on a grumpy cowboy like Striker.
Dex nods enthusiastically at my reminder. He’s the oldest and my serious one. He’s a great kid, but he’s never met a truth he wouldn’t blurt out. “Lie good this time.”
“No, no!” I blow out a frustrated breath.
“Tristan is stinky,” Davis agrees. He’s the middle one and he has an obsession with science and the stars. He’s been trying to get me to buy him a real telescope for the past month. I thought he’d forget about it, but he hasn’t so far.
“It’s just the cologne he uses,” I explain and reach to smooth Dustin’s hair down. He’s the youngest and he’s fearless.
“He smells like stinky skunk poop,” Dustin says, ducking my attempts to fix his hair.
Dex and Davis break into giggles and for just a moment, my heart is lighter. They can still laugh. That must mean that I’m not messing them up too badly, right? I’ll marry Tristan, keep the farm, and raise the boys. I can do it all and make my parents proud.
“Well, maybe don’t tell him that,” I say, standing up to grab my purse.
“Lie good,” Dex repeats because to him not telling the whole truth is the same as lying.
“You know, let’s just get in the truck,” I finally say. Nothing could have prepared me to become a parent at nineteen but I’m learning that distracting the kids is half the battle.