Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
I squeezed past Cole’s big form into the room. As I’d expected, it was on the dark and dreary side. A queen-sized bed with an unfortunate dip in the middle dominated the room. The dressers were big and bulky and made out of some kind of dark wood. Nothing looked new, but to my relief, nothing looked dirty, either. But the vibe was rather on the depressive side. My preferred style was gleaming stainless steel in my kitchen and light-colored furniture that didn’t take a pair of bodybuilders to lift it. The only things even remotely light-colored in here were my suitcases.
A doorway led off to the world’s smallest bathroom, with a shower stall big enough for an extremely petite person, a toilet, and a sink. At least I didn’t have to share it with anyone.
I padded across the well-worn carpet until I reached the heavy curtains over the window. With effort, I pulled them back.
My room sported a view of the weathered barn, but I paid no attention to that. I could also see the deep green woods around them, and it was a refreshing sight. “Why don’t you keep the curtains open?” Surely the few people who came out here did so for the trees. It wasn’t not like there were a bunch of other reasons.
“Are you an innkeeper now, Ms. James?” Cole said archly.
“No, I’m not, but that view has to be your inn’s best selling point.”
“You won’t be saying that after you’ve tried my cooking,” Brady said with an easy grin.
There was no smile on Cole’s face as I addressed him. “Since we’re stuck together for a week, you really should consider calling me Lila.”
“Fine. Ready to continue the tour?”
“I can’t wait.”
He rolled his eyes, looking unconvinced. Honestly, I couldn’t really say that I blamed him, but I followed him down the hall. He’d changed out of the white dress shirt he had on before and was wearing an olive-green sweater that looked homemade. Had the late grandmother made it? Probably.
I thought about the info I’d seen at the Donovan’s Mill High School website. Cole definitely looked like he’d played football. His shoulders were broad and his biceps well defined, even under the bulky sweater. He strode along the hallway with confidence. I didn’t know much about football, but I could imagine a member of the opposing team trying to tackle him—and failing miserably.
From behind me, Brady spoke up. “That’s the kitchen on the left.”
I glanced in as we passed by. It was large and the appliances looked like they’d seen a few decades. But they weren’t ancient, and they were clean. Seeing it made me wonder what we’d be eating tonight. I hoped the guys had something planned, because until Penny arrived, I didn’t have any way to get into town. Somehow, I didn’t think that DoorDash delivered out here.
Cole led us past a half-opened door that seemed to house some kind of study. Ahead of us was a glass door that led to a deck. He slid the door open and ushered me out ahead of him.
Blinking from the bright light, I examined the backyard. There was a good-sized clearing, and I could imagine Brady and Cole playing there as kids. There was an old tire hanging from an enormous tree, plus some boards about ten feet up that might have once been a treehouse. On the opposite side of the yard was what looked to be a very old log cabin.
Brady came to stand next to me as I leaned against the railing. “That’s the old smokehouse,” he said.
“Smokehouse?” My first thought was that it was a place for people to smoke.
“It’s where meat was cured. But long before I was born, it was converted into a cottage.” He scooted closer and pointed with one long finger. “See the part that’s darker? That was the original smokehouse. Then the part to the right is the add-on.”
The addition looked newer than the smokehouse, but still pretty old. But there were perfectly modern-looking windows on either side of the door. They looked brand new.
“They are,” Brady said when I mentioned it to him. “I told you, we’re expanding.”
“It’s going to be the honeymoon suite when it’s done,” Cole said from behind me.
Okay, now I knew these guys were delusional. They seriously thought that people were going to spend their honeymoon in a shack that was used to house dead animals? It was astonishing that Brady and Cole had kept this place in business as long as they had.
“Come see my pride and joy,” Brady said, ushering me over to a grill. A grill—that was his pride and joy. This guy needed a girlfriend. From the way he looked, with his boyish charm, it kind of surprised me that he didn’t have one. Then again, he did live in a town of only 1600 people.