Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
SHIT.
Thornton could feel himself whitening as he started remembering all the things he had practically yelled - fucking yelled - at Blake's face.
You can only look at me. Because I'm your man.
Stop looking at other men. Can't I be enough for you?
You're mine, Blake.
A shudder wracked his frame. Shit. He tried getting his limbs to work again but immediately ended up staggering. Shit. His stomach was still turning over, and he was feeling increasingly nauseated. Shit, shit, shit. His brothers should've just thrown him into jail than have him shoot his mouth off like that. It would've been infinitely kinder and a thousand times less humiliating—-
Another memory popped, this time of Ethan cheerfully recording everything with his phone.
Asshole, Thornton thought again.
And knowing how much of a prankster Ethan could be—-
SHIT.
REDWOOD CAFE WAS UNUSUALLY noisy and crowded on a Wednesday, and looking around, Blake quickly realized that none of them were locals.
"Over here, B," Elizabeth called out and pointed to the last vacant seat by the counter.
"Thank you," Blake said with a smile of gratitude. The cast and crew had turned the entire cafe into a madhouse, the atmosphere lively with table talk and laughter.
"It's their first break for the day. They've been filming outside since four in the morning," Elizabeth explained, seeing the curious look on her friend's face.
Blake took another look around her, but it was as she had guessed, and not a single local was present. "I still can't get over at how amazingly immune everyone seems to be to celebrities," she couldn't help remarking.
"We had a bad experience with a celebrity a few years back," Elizabeth lied, "and I'm afraid the memory's stuck."
"Oh. Now I get it."
Elizabeth quickly changed the subject after that, asking, "Are you looking for Thornton?" Honestly, if it were up to her, she'd long have told Blake the truth about herself and the rest of the town. But since it wasn't, she could only follow protocol and feed her friend with all the standard lines provided by Hartland Initiative.
"You know where he is?" Blake asked eagerly.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do, but before that..." Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I need you to answer one question first."
"Shoot."
"The guy who came here last night," Elizabeth said promptly. "Who is he?"
"A childhood friend," Blake answered just as quickly. "Now, your turn. Where's he?"
"At the library, where all the others are." Elizabeth gazed at her friend thoughtfully. Childhood friend?
"I bet he knew I'd come here and look for him." Blake was thinking out loud.
"He didn't leave a message, if that's what you're going to ask," Elizabeth said. "So, that childhood friend of yours..."
"Yeah?" Blake was starting to feel depressed. Thornton was avoiding her. Right?
"Is he from Laramie, too?" Elizabeth couldn't help asking.
"Not quite. He moved to Denver about two years ago." Distracted as she was, Blake missed seeing the way Elizabeth's eyes widened.
Guys who were only "childhood friends" wouldn't have flown all the way out to a middle-of-nowhere town like Hartland just to catch up, Elizabeth thought pensively. Could that mean...
A movie crew member came to interrupt them, ordering another bucket, and Elizabeth quickly took care of this before rushing back to her friend. "So..." She tried her hardest to sound casual.
"Mm?" Blake was still mentally chewing nails over the possibility that Thornton was avoiding her. Did it mean he wished he could take all those words back from last night? That none of them was the truth?
"Does he like you?"
"Who?" Blake asked, distracted.
"Your friend."
"Well, of course he likes me—-" Sheep! Blake stopped speaking as soon as she realized how her words could easily cause confusion. She had answered that way because she had been thinking Curt as her half-brother would have no choice: he had to like her. But since Curt had strongly discouraged her from claiming any filial relationship to him—-
Blake saw the look on Elizabeth's face and said immediately, "It's not what you're thinking."
"Oh. Of course." The distraught look on the other woman's face made Elizabeth think twice about saying anything else. Privately, however, Elizabeth relished the idea of Thornton finally having some competition. She would make sure he knew this, too. It might just be the kick the man needed to finally make a move and stop playing hot and cold with Blake's feelings.
Chapter Ten
DEAR CONSTITUENTS OF Hartland, Wyoming:
As a thank you for everyone's sincere cooperation, you are all cordially invited to join us in a residents-only breakfast party at the dining hall of the Hartland Public Library. Breakfast will be served from six to ten in the morning only.
Please direct any inquiries you may have to my secretary.
Sincerely,
Oliver Winterbourne II
Mayor of Hartland, Wyoming
The library's dining hall was close to full when Thornton strode past its door at just a few minutes past six. His brothers were there as well, occupying one of the window-side tables, and both men grinned the moment they saw Thornton striding towards them.