Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
“Is there anybody else on the farm that would open their doors to us?” I ask, keeping my voice soft so he doesn’t think I’m rejecting him. I’m not sure I can withstand the temptation of being around Flint day after day.
He drops his hands from my shoulders and comes around beside me. He taps his chin, beard moving with the spring breeze. Then he snaps his fingers. “Well, there's Bronco.”
Hope swells in my chest. “Do you think he’d let me stay with him?”
“Probably,” Flint answers. “He’s a good man. Of course, his girl, Lauren, just moved in with him. And you know, there’s Cord and Mira. They have a cabin. They’re newlyweds, but she’s your friend, right? I'm sure she'd love to host you and your rambunctious boys and your grandmother. I bet Cord would love that too.”
The longer he talks, the more I realize I only have two choices. I can either quit my job on the spot to avoid a long daily commute, or I can live with Flint for a little while. “How much time do you think it will take to repair the burned cabin?”
“Just a matter of weeks, probably even faster if we get a good crew on it,” he reassures me.
I think about it for a moment. Staying with Flint for a few weeks would give me the chance to tell him about the baby, and it would help me with my plan to save for the baby since he’s not asking for rent. “Are you sure having us in your cabin won't be a problem?”
“I'm hardly even there most of the time, and I'll bump this cabin up the priority list. I’ll make sure it gets fixed straight away.”
I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay, it looks like we’re roommates then. If you’ll have me and my huge crew.”
He grins. “Not roommates. Friends.”
Chapter 9
Flint
“This is your big plan?” Kane demands, surveying the lumber and the rough sketch I made. I bought the build plans, but I’ve already modified them. A few marks of my pencil, and I think it’ll turn out even better than the author’s original finished draft.
“Pretty cool, huh?” I walk around the workshop. It’s one of many on the grounds, and Bronco leaves them open for us to do whatever we want inside of them. This project is going to be an around-the-clock one if I hope to finish it in time. Ridge has already said he’ll help too.
“You’re an asshole.”
“You volunteered, so you’re the asshole. Don’t help if you don’t want to,” I argue. He said he wanted to help, but he’s been busting my balls ever since I told him the plan.
“Those boys aren’t just a fucking accessory she comes with like a purse or coat.”
“No shit,” I mutter. I was excited when he agreed to help. Kane doesn’t do things for anybody, and he’s a grumpy bastard who keeps mainly to himself.
“They’re real people,” Kane says, taking two steps toward me. The fury on his face makes me think he’s about to throw a punch.
I brace myself, not even sure why he’s about to fight me. Before I moved into my cabin, I stayed in the barracks. We weren’t the closest, but I liked Kane. He’s a straight shooter who always tells it like it is. Don’t know why he’d be so protective over kids he’s never even met. As soon as I think the thought, everything clicks into place. “This about those scars on your back?”
“You know what? You’re not worth it. Have fun with your stupid project.”
He stomps toward the door, and I’m not sure what the right thing is to say. For all my life, there’s one truth I’ve known and carried with me. I’ve known every moment of every day that I was loved. That’s a powerful thing to carry, but I’m realizing the opposite message might be ten times more powerful. “I’m not going to hurt them.”
He pauses.
“I’ll love them and protect them. I’ll take care of them.”
“They’ll hate you some day for some random kid reason that makes no sense to you but perfect sense to them.”
“I can deal with that.”
He turns. “And the first time one of them mouths off at you, are you going to put your fist in their stomach?”
I swear under my breath. “You didn’t deserve that bullshit. No kid does.”
“Yeah, well, it happens. It happens every day, and no one steps in to stop it.”
“What was his name?”
“Does it matter?”
“Want to make sure I kick the right ass.”
That gets an almost smile from him. “To be a kid is to be at your most powerless, your most vulnerable. A lot of fucked up people in the world think that makes it okay to hurt them.”
I hadn’t thought about it like that, how vulnerable you are when you’re small and defenseless. I never had to think about that stuff because I had a dad who was willing to lay down his life for his family without a second thought. “Those people who hurt kids, people like your stepdad, they deserve to be put down.”