Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Way rubbed one of his boots against the gravel, causing a few pebbles to scatter. His eyes flicked to the cabin and back to his boots. Suddenly, I remembered something he’d said the night we met.
“Eden’s never been here?” I asked.
He shook his head and then pulled off his hat. “No one comes here. That is… I mean, my siblings. But they don’t come inside. It’s not very big.”
I got the feeling the size wasn’t the reason people didn’t come inside. “You said it’s your sanctuary. You don’t want people in your space.”
He pursed his lips. “That’s not it, exactly.”
“Way… I can get a motel. Or, hell, why don’t I stay at the big house with your sisters?”
He shook his head and fingered the edges of his hat before putting it back on. “They’d know, and they can’t know.”
“Why not? They’re your family.”
He rubbed a hand across his mouth. “You see, it’s like this. Sheridan means well, she does. And she loves me like nobody’s business. But she’s super tight with my aunt Blake. And Aunt Blake’s never met a secret she doesn’t share with a few of her closest friends in the strictest of confidences.” He used finger quotes around the phrase. “So Sheridan would mean well, but she’d let something slip, and then it’d be all over Majestic before we could even ride back to town.”
“Is your sister truly going to believe you’re bisexual?”
He threw up his arms. “Silas, I am bisexual.” His cheeks flushed. “Apparently. So how can she not believe it? Whether she believes it or not, it’s just how things are.”
“You seem to be handling this awfully well,” I said with more than a little suspicion.
“I can’t imagine why you think so,” he said, his emotion clear in his words. He sounded overwhelmed and exasperated. “Maybe because everything around me’s spinning out of control, and that’s the smallest thing I have to deal with. But I also can’t deny I’m… I’m attracted to you. I mean, obviously. So I guess that means I’m bisexual. I already told you my best friend is gay. This may be a small town in Wyoming, Silas, but it’s not Brokeback Mountain.”
“I guess I don’t understand how you can have a gay best friend—I’m assuming we’re talking about the sheriff from earlier—and not have known you were bi before now. The man’s undeniably attractive.”
He gritted his teeth. “He’s also my cousin. Aunt Blake’s son. So, no. He’s like a brother to me, always has been. And… to be honest… I’ve found men attractive in the past, I just haven’t acted on that attraction because I’ve always had women to date.”
I let out a surprised laugh. “Spoken like the golden boy you clearly are.”
He eyed me from under the shadow of his hat brim. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re beautiful and perfect. You were probably the star quarterback in high school. You’ve literally been voted Mr. Majestic twelve times—”
“Eleven,” he muttered. “So?”
“So… you’re that guy, Waylon. No wonder women have always thrown themselves at you.”
This seemed to annoy him, and I wondered if I’d overstepped. I had a tendency to be judgmental and sarcastic, which wasn’t the key to making new friends and endearing myself to people.
I tried to rein it in. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“The truth is, I haven’t had much time for women or men these past few years. I’ve been too busy busting my ass to keep from losing this ranch and, since the old mayor took off, trying to fix the town, too. So the only… the only…” He sighed and pulled his hat off again to fiddle with the brim. “The only casual encounter I’ve had in a very long time was with this city boy in Vegas.”
The confession took me off guard. I’d meant what I’d said. Waylon Fletcher was a catch. He was sexy and fit, kind and earnest. Hardworking and generous. He could have any woman he wanted. The idea he hadn’t at least been getting regular sex from some local woman surprised me.
“I thought you and Eden…”
He waved his hat through the air. “Eden and I haven’t slept together in probably a year. Yeah, for a while, we’d hook up because… because it was easy. We’re good friends. Comfortable with each other, you know? And you’ve met some of the gossips in this town. You can imagine that hooking up with someone new would cause… well, problems.” He shrugged. “But then Eden’s travel schedule picked up, and my job—jobs—got crazier, and… Anyway, can we stop talking about my sex life, please? I’d rather share my damned cabin with you, to be honest.”
I let out a laugh and stepped closer to him. “You know, while I’m here, I could help you with your little… problem,” I teased.
His cheeks turned pink, and he used his hat to hide his face as he turned around to head toward the house. Thankfully, the sound of his laughter followed him.