Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Devin has been obsessed with Joy since the first time he teased her and she gave it right back. For weeks he’s been trying to find a way to get this feisty woman in his home. Now that she’s here, he’s never letting her go.
Warning: Not even family drama can keep these two off each other, and we are here for it! Grab your cowboy boots and kick back with us as we watch these love birds find their happily ever after!
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
JOY
Why didn’t I listen when Roy told me I needed new tires? Oh, that’s right, because I couldn’t afford to listen.
Snow pelts my windshield as I attempt to navigate to the address I scribbled down. How is it possible this place wasn’t even in Google Maps? What’s really unusual is that I'm unfamiliar with this location. I grew up in Mittenville, and I know everyone. I thought I knew every corner of this place, but there’s a lot of land around.
I was told it’s a ranch, so I suppose it could be secret. If someone built on the edge of town and hired builders from outside, nobody would know about it. It seems like whoever this person is must really want to be left alone. Or to stay out of town gossip. Working at the diner puts me in the center of the gossip circle, and I hear everything. It’s understandable if someone doesn’t want to be around that.
My car slowly rolls to a stop so that I don’t slide into the ditch as I double-check the address. I’m getting closer. I grab the sweater in my passenger seat and wipe away the fog on the inside of the windshield.
“Could you breathe a little less, Joy?” I huff, which isn’t helping the situation. I better get this job.
The sun has quickly faded, so I turn on my headlights. I can see in the reflection up ahead that one of them flickers and then goes out. Great. I need a whole new car at this point.
When I turn down the road and continue my search, I spot a fence running along one side. I’m sure that means I must be close. Someone has to live nearby if they have a cattle fence up. A very nice one at that. I don’t see any cattle, but that doesn’t mean that they don't have them.
“Yes!” I squeal when I see a mailbox, and I stop to check the number. My windows are still fogged so I have to roll down my window, but I’m relieved when it’s the right one. “Thank goodness.”
The problem is when I turn onto the driveway, there’s no house in sight. The driveway goes on forever and then disappears into the trees. I keep driving, telling myself that this has to be it. Luck is on my side when I finally make it to the end and a house comes into view. It’s truly tucked away, but the closer I get, the more I see how stunning it is.
Smoke is coming from one of the chimneys, and I can’t help but think that if this place were adorned with Christmas lights, it would be a sight worthy of a holiday postcard.
My curiosity begins to rise, and I'm wondering who could possibly live here and whether I've seen them around town. They are on the edge of Mittenville, outside the city limits, but Mittenville is still the closest town. It would take twice as long to get to Smithville from here, and that’s the next closest one.
I cringe as my car screeches loudly before sliding to a stop. There’s a bang and then it sputters and dies like a heap of junk. Oh god, this did not just happen. Roy clearly missed a lot of other things when he did my inspection. How can I commit to coming out here to help when I don’t have a reliable car? This interview is dead in the water. Or dead in the snow, I suppose.
Embarrassment and shame wash over me, but I’m here so I might as well go through with it. I grab the cinnamon rolls I brought to try and sweeten up the owner. They've been a big hit in town. If you ask me, they're the only thing keeping the Nutmeg Diner open these days. I'm sure George, the owner, would argue otherwise, but he's always been a bit of a jerk.
When I step out of the car, the wind hits me hard, and it almost makes me fall on my ass. For a second, I debate throwing in the towel and calling it quits. All of this has been a mess, but it’s not as though I can make an escape. Not with my car dead in the owner's driveway. The only thing left to do is hope this works out. So instead of trying to walk back home, I make myself head to the front door. My hand rises to knock, but before I can, the door swings open.