Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“You should have just bought a new one,” I tell her.
“A new one would have been a lot more than what I just paid for the repairs. Besides, it won’t get driven as much now, since I use the Suburban so often with the kids.”
If I have my way, she’ll be in the Suburban most of the time.
Hell, every time if I can talk her into it.
“Thanks for the ride,” she says with a smile and opens the door. “I’ll see you later.”
She gets in and turns the engine, smiling even wider when it roars to life. After a quick happy dance in the front seat, she pulls out of the parking lot.
Brooks and I watch her go, and he slides his hands into his pockets. “She’s a great girl.”
“Yeah.” I nod slowly. “She is.”
“There something going on between the two of you?”
“Yeah.” I turn to him now and level my gaze with his. “There is.”
“Figures.” Brooks lets out a humorless laugh. “The good ones are always taken. Well, good luck there, man.”
I’ve always liked Brooks. He’s about a year older than me and moved to town when we were in middle school. He’s always been a nice guy.
“Thanks. And thanks for fixing her up.”
“It was kind of a shit show,” he admits. “But it’s solid now.”
“Good to know.”
“I bought some horses,” Ryan says as I walk into the barn after returning to the ranch.
“How many is some?” I counter.
“Six,” Brady replies with a grin. “Our brother doesn’t do anything halfway.”
“That’s a lot of horses for one person.”
Ryan shrugs. “They were all together at this farm, and I couldn’t break them up.”
“Aww”—Brady ruffles Ryan’s hair—“you’re just a big softie.”
“Where are they?” I ask.
“At my place, but I’d like it if you and Brady would come out and take a look at them. They were neglected for a while, and they’re a little skinny. I got a clean bill of health from the vet, so none of them have disease, but they need some work.”
“You have time for six rescue horses?” My eyebrows climb in surprise. My brother is a workaholic. He barely takes time to eat.
“Yeah, I do. I told you, I’m here for the long haul.”
“Let’s go see them, then. Hey, Lucky!” The older man turns when I call over to him. “Want to go see some horses?”
“I’ll never turn that down,” he says with a grin.
The four of us ride in Ryan’s brand-new truck over to his ranch. It’s about a ten-minute drive. The first thing that comes into view is the house.
It’s fucking massive.
Ryan had the old house that once stood here torn down, and, to his credit, it needed to be. It had been abandoned for a long time, so the house was crumbling and not safe, even for restoration.
The new dwelling has a wall of windows that gives him a view of the mountains, and now the six horses grazing in his pasture.
The new barn is also nice, with ten stalls and a tack room that most cowboys would drool over.
Which Lucky does when we walk inside.
“We have a tack room at the ranch, you know,” I remind him with a laugh.
“Not this fancy,” he replies. “Of course, once it starts getting some use, it’ll get dirtied up.”
“I hope so,” Ryan says. “It’s just been sitting here, and it’s time there was some life in this barn. Come on, I want to show you the horses.”
As we walk out to the pasture and get a better look at the horses, I see what Ryan was talking about. Their manes and tails haven’t been brushed out in a long time, so they’re full of burrs and are tangled.
Three of them are way too skinny. One has a broken hoof.
“This is going to be a lot of work,” I murmur as one of the mares nudges my shoulder. I turn and rub my hand down her neck, and she sighs. “God, they’re just a bunch of lovers.”
“They’re all like that,” Ryan agrees. “They’re docile and sweet, and someone really failed them. None can be ridden as is, but I’ll get them healthy again, and then they’ll be great for riding.”
“You said you had them all tested for disease?” Lucky asks.
“Yeah, and they were all negative. They’ve been treated for worms and given vaccines. The corral they were in was just mud. They were all caked in it, and I washed them all. You could tell they felt so much better after a bath.”
“I bet they did,” Brady murmurs, nuzzling one of the horses. “I’ll help in any way I can.”
“We all will,” Lucky puts in, making Ryan grin.
“Thanks. I’ll need some help.”
My phone rings, and when I glance down, I see that it’s Will Montgomery.
“This is Erin’s dad,” I say as I accept the call. “This is Rem.”