Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“That’s because they’re sheep.”
“Right. Well, that pretty much leaves me with walking them the rest of the way to Tad’s, so that maybe when they see him, they’ll get over me.”
At the mention of Tad’s name, his lips turn down in an almost-frown—a state in which I’m completely used to seeing his handsome face. I don’t know what he has against the sheep farmer, but I do know that this is our MO. I mean, I’m almost always annoying or disappointing him.
Though, I am surprised when he simply responds with, “I’ll take the sheep to Tad’s.”
I don’t know what I expected, but I take it as a good sign. He hasn’t said the word fired once. Maybe things won’t be weird between us. Maybe we’re both just going to forget Friday night even happened.
“Really? You’ll take the sheep to Tad’s?”
“Really,” he affirms, shoving away from the post and coming down the steps toward me. “Summer’s so excited to see you, she’s already in the studio. I wasn’t quite ready, but she made Charlie go ahead with her so she’d be there when you got there.”
My chest warms so much it almost feels fuzzy. I haven’t known Bennett’s daughter long, but her spirit is the kind that infects you immediately. Her positivity, her radiance, her eagerness to learn about anything she can—it all defies the body she’s been given like space defies gravity. She might only be a seven-year-old little girl, but there’s something special about her. It’s like she’s wise beyond her years. It pains me to think that her daily battle with her disease has made her grow up faster than any little girl should.
And the thought of her waiting for me to arrive in the studio trumps any and all vague notions I had about running home and taking a shower. I refuse to make her wait anymore.
“Okay. If you think you guys can bear the smell of sheep on me all day, I’ll go ahead and head to the studio now and save my shower for after work.”
Bennett’s face contorts again, and then he jerks his chin back toward the house. “You can shower here if you want. Won’t have any of your girlie shit, but at least you won’t smell like livestock all day.”
Take a shower in Bennett Bishop’s bathroom? As in, I’ll be naked in his house?
A shiver passes over my whole body at the thought. Still, with one secret sniff to the collar of my sweat-drenched T-shirt, it quickly becomes a viable option.
“I don’t have any clothes or anything.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m sure you can find a shirt and some sweats in my closet.”
Now he wants me to wear his clothes?!
Clearly tiring of me, he sighs and walks down from the porch with a directness I’m not ready for, stopping right in front of me. I have to look up to meet his eyes. “Take a shower or not, okay? Neither will bother me. Just make a decision before snow covers the ground, would you?”
Without another word, he grabs one of the big sheep by the fluff on its neck, making it baaaa in a way that gets the rest of their attention. As Bennett turns toward Tad’s, so do the sheep, and just like that, he’s off with the flock, leaving me in their wake.
Funny how they were so attached, and all it took was one strong hand from the scary macho man to change their minds.
“Can’t say I blame you,” I mutter in the direction of the sheep. For as much bad blood as Bennett and I have had, I’m still pretty sure I would crumble at the first sign of sexy manhandling. I have two unexpected but all-consuming kisses to thank for that.
He is your boss, you know.
I sigh. Maybe a shower is a good idea, and maybe I should make it a cold one.
I scramble toward the front door and open it carefully, calling inside for extra people I don’t know about or, I don’t know, monsters or something. “Hello?”
No one answers, which is good since Bennett is gone and Summer and Charlie are already in the studio. I’ve had just about as many Bennett-related surprises as I can take for a while.
It’s weird being in his house alone when I’ve never really been inside it before. Sure, the day I demanded this job and met Summer, I breached the front door and found my way into the hallway, but there’s so much more beyond that I couldn’t possibly have imagined.
I see tons of pictures of Bennett and Summer throughout the years. Some of them feature other familiar faces from town and some of just the two of them, but in almost all, Bennett showcases a huge and handsome smile. He looks more carefree—not entirely, of course, he is a grump after all. But there’s a happiness behind his eyes that you can’t miss.