Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
We navigate the driveway. Fortunately, I threw salt on the gravel driveway on top of every other chore I did yesterday. A few short minutes later, I’m parked at the gate, keeping the engine running, and Nala, who usually hops off long before now, stuck with me and only gets off when I do. Tonight is different. There’s an ominous feel to the air. It’s inherently quiet. Not even the noise of animals can be heard. I pull the gate open and wait until it latches on the post. I’ve learned my lesson; the damn thing catches on the wind and slams closed sometimes. One time, that’s all it took. The weather said, ‘Watch this’ and blew it into me while I was driving through.
“Come on, girl, load up.” Letting her run out into the unknown is not going to happen. She may be a working dog, but the last thing I want is for her to get in an accident of sorts. I grab the flashlight out of the cupholder, holding it with one hand while steering with the other. I stop at the end of the drive before hitting the street, trying to figure out which direction the crash sounds came from. My head swivels to the right. Nothing is going on that way. When I shift it to the left, that’s when I see it.
“Son of a motherfucker.” There, wedged into the side of the mountain, is a van. One of those travel types. The reason there’s no smoke is because it’s sitting lopsided. This is going to be a doozy to get down the mountain. I shake my head. I’m a damn fool. Should have kept my ass in bed, pretended like I didn’t hear a damn thing. Hell, there’s still a chance I can turn around without the person in the vehicle seeing or hearing me. I could just call it in to the sheriff’s department and be on my way.
Nala, of course, has another scenario in mind. She barks before setting off toward the accident. Jesus, I have no choice now. Looks like I’m playing knight in shining armor once again. I swear the townspeople of Alpha Mountain better not catch wind of this, or I’ll have a namesake besides the grumpy old man who moved here from Texas.
I follow my dog, hoping Jasmine keeps her tail at home. Finding a cat in this darkness would be near impossible. I’m sure Jazzy girl would come home, but I’d still be fucking worried. I see Nala sitting on her rump, tail swishing on the road, and she looks away from whatever she sees to yip in my direction. I get as close as I can on the all-terrain vehicle before I shut it down. I’m on my feet as soon as everything is safe and secure, remembering I left my phone in the bedroom. A dumb move on my part, but Nala not growling or ready to attack gives me the high sign that shit is good. I roll my shoulders, take a deep breath, and walk toward them.
“I’m so sorry,” are the words I’m greeted with when I make it to where my dog and the woman are sitting. One hand is on Nala’s head, and she’s slowly scooting closer to the woman who’s knocked the wind out of my sails. She has long dark hair, stick straight, tear-stained cheeks, and as I move closer, I can see her pretty blue-gray eyes. Her ass is on the ground, back to the van, legs up, one arm is dangling on one knee while her other hand is petting my dog. It’s hard to tell who’s comforting whom.
“No need to apologize. Are you okay?” I look her up and down. There don’t seem to be any injuries at first glance, and the second one I take is for selfish reasons. I know in this moment that this woman is going to be my greatest downfall, and I’m going to enjoy every damn minute.
CHAPTER 5
Minnie
Ishould stand up.
I should quit petting the dog that’s sitting in front of me.
I should call nine-one-one.
I should do a whole lot of things, except I’m glued to my spot looking at the green-eyed cowboy.
His slow Southern drawl is an anomaly considering the people I’ve come in contact with since landing in Colorado. The cowboy’s voice has a cadence that’s soothing yet exciting. It does something to me even in my shaken-up state. Is this what they call falling hard and fast? Because if so, I can see my future right before my eyes. The cowboy hat he has on doesn’t show very much of his hair, only dark tendrils peeking out here and there. He’s got green eyes you could get lost in for days, long lashes that I’m insanely jealous of, and a strong jawline with a dusting of more than a five-o’clock shadow. His cheeks are red, probably from how freaking bitterly cold it is right now. I probably should have looked at his hands first before going through all the trouble of having stars in my eyes.