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)
“Not sure that’s a good idea, city boy. Things seem complicated enough as they are.”
He was probably right. That didn’t mean I wasn’t tempted—more tempted than I’d been in a very, very long time. But it was critical I kept my focus on the bigger picture and remembered what was at stake.
Now that I’d gotten his verbal agreement not to bring money matters into our divorce, I needed to get everything in writing as soon as possible, which meant finding time to message Kenji to tell him to get the legal paperwork drawn up ASAP…
Regardless of how good my husband’s ass looked in those jeans as he walked away from me.
NINE
WAYLON
Maybe it was because I’d built the place myself, or perhaps it was because I’d never intended to share it with anyone else, but seeing my house through someone else’s eyes was nerve-racking.
“There’s really just this one main room,” I explained, hanging my hat on the hook by the door. “Sofa, fireplace, eating table, kitchen stuff. Then, over there through the archway on the right is the bedroom… well, it’s not really a room so much as a nook with my bed in it. And then the archway on the left is the bathroom. No laundry or anything. I have to do that up at the main house.”
Silas was a tall man with broad shoulders, and I was pretty broad myself. With the two of us in the tiny space, it seemed more like a dollhouse than anything.
“Sorry it’s not much,” I said. “But you’re welcome to—”
“It’s amazing, Way.”
I glanced over at him. “You like it?”
“It’s perfect. I love it. Is that a tin roof? It looks like it has a story to tell.”
The curved ceiling was one of my favorite features. “Yeah. I used reclaimed materials as much as I could. We have lots of neighbors who were willing to donate stuff or sell it to me cheap. The ceiling is corrugated metal from the side of an old barn at Jenks’ dairy farm. He was the guy who stopped us to ask about horses for Georgie Pollner.” I nodded in the general direction of Jenks’s farm. “Their spread is about ten miles south of here.”
Silas moved to the small love seat against the wall and sat down, immediately taking up less space and allowing me to breathe easier.
As he asked a few more questions and pointed out several other aspects of the house he particularly liked, I began to relax. Even though my house was tiny, it would be easier to share it with someone who appreciated it for what it was.
Finally, he met my eyes. “Way… if at any point you decide me staying here is too much, just tell me, okay? We can find a solution. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s solving problems.”
I sucked in a breath. It was a novelty, having someone so concerned with my comfort. It was kind of him, and I was grateful, but it made me unsettled, too. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
He nodded and stood. “Okay, then I need to touch base with… that corporation to let them know about the change in… strategic consulting for the next couple of months.”
I closed my eyes and groaned. “Shut up. I was working with what I had.”
His rumbled laugh filled my home. “It was cute. And I appreciate that you did some investigating about me.”
“Didn’t you do the same about me?”
He placed his hand over his heart. “Me? Go snooping on the internet? Waylon Fletcher, how could you accuse me of such a thing?”
When Silas smiled, his entire face changed. He went from this intense, almost scowling man to a complete charmer. I was convinced the man could smile the pants off any human on earth.
He’d obviously done it to me at least once.
“What did you find out?” I pressed. “Surely there’s not much about me on the internet besides my role as mayor.”
“Not true. Apparently, some cute kid with your same name won quite a few junior rodeo titles back in the day.”
I groaned and covered my face with my hands. “Jesus. God. Tell me there weren’t any photos.” Except I knew there had to be. Those pictures had been on the front of the Majestic Beacon several times over the years.
“Is it perverted if I was a little turned on by your teenaged booty?” he asked with a laugh. “It seems horse racing is good for the glutes.”
His eyebrows bounced up and down, making me laugh despite my intense embarrassment. “You should try it. Might give you a better workout than your corporate hamster wheel.”
Silas turned around and patted his ass, which looked plenty good already despite the overly large jeans he wore. “What exactly are you saying, Waylon? You don’t like it the way it is? I’ll have you know I work hard for this ass. Squats, lunges, donkey kicks… you name it, I do it. All in pursuit of the rodeo ass I saw one time on the cover of a small-town newspaper.”