Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
She smiled at me, warm and motherly. She was everything maternal that I missed about my own mom. She had taken charge of cooking for her crew and mine every night. The house was full, as many chairs as possible gathered around the table. It reminded me of when I was younger and the hands stayed on the ranch and ate with us. My mom would cook for hours, and everything would disappear, the men showing their appreciation in their hard work and extra efforts. Sitting with Sammy’s family, the laughter and teasing were constant, the jokes risqué, and the love evident. I understood Sammy even more now. Her drive and passion. Her love for her family.
Rachel and Tyler joined us most nights. His parents on occasion. Callie and Jeff. I never knew who would be there, and I didn’t mind. It brought the house back to life, and I knew my parents would approve.
Aiden leaned over to me one night. “How does one buy one of your cows?”
“I don’t think one would fit on that plane of yours.”
He waved me off. “Not mine, Bentley’s. Well, the company’s. But not to take home, although…” He trailed off. “How much land does a cow need?”
Ronan laughed. “Forget it, Dad.”
“Fine. I want to buy a cow. To eat.”
I lifted one eyebrow. “All by yourself?”
Everyone laughed.
“No, for the family. To send back to Ontario. I have never tasted beef this good.” To prove his point, he sliced off another mouthful of steak and chewed it with a groan.
“I’ll give you the name of the local butcher. He can package, dry-ice it, and ship it.”
“Awesome.”
Rachel spoke up. “Friends and family discount, of course.”
Aiden grinned. “What if it’s both?”
Sammy blushed, shaking her head. Rachel chuckled.
“We’ll look after you, Aiden.”
“I figured you would. I might need two cows. We feed a lot of people on the weekends.”
She laughed again. “I’ll hook you up.”
“I knew I liked you.”
“The weekend,” Ronan snorted. “Mom has to feed you every night too.”
“Whatever,” Aiden sniffed, making everyone laugh again.
It felt good to be part of it.
Callie beamed constantly, the cookhouse full all hours of the day. I walked in with Van, hungry from a morning of moving walls and building frames.
“What smells so good?”
Callie grinned. “Homemade tomato soup, and grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. Made by Sammy and Liv.”
Van grinned. “Our favorite lunch, right, Mouse?”
Sammy laughed and set down bowls of steaming soup and a platter of sandwiches.
I sat down, tucking in, not talking until I had finished an entire sandwich.
“So,” I began. “Mouse?”
Van laughed. “The day I met Sammy, she thought I was a giant. I told her she was as tiny as a mouse. The name stuck. It suited her. Still does.”
I met her eyes across the room, trying not to smile at her subtle wink. “I see.”
“I took her and Liv to lunch and introduced her to grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. Liv added the tomato soup a few weeks later. It’s a standard in the Morrison house.”
I finished off my second sandwich. “I can understand why.”
He smiled. “Mouse fell in love with these, and I fell in love with her and Liv.” He met my eyes. “Family isn’t always blood. My kids mean as much if not more to me than if I had made them with Liv. They’re a gift to me. To us. I treasure them.”
I nodded, unsure what to say.
I had a feeling there was a hidden meaning there.
The best part of the days, though, was when it was late and dark and I would hear the soft footfalls, then Sammy would slip into my bed. I eagerly reached for her, anxious to feel her body molding to me, her mouth moving with mine as I kissed her with a hunger I’d never known was possible.
I craved her. Seeing her in the day, hearing her laughter, wasn’t enough. Sneaking to the stable or catching her behind the barn to hold her, kiss her, or even listen to her tell me the progress only eased the ache temporarily. It never faded entirely until I was alone with her.
I refused to think of how empty the house and my life would be once she left.
Because she would leave. She had her life, and I had mine. She traveled and looked for new landscapes. New adventures and people to work with. My life was this ranch and the people I employed to keep it running. Her family was wealthy, powerful. I was simply a rancher.
“Where’re Hunter and Van?” I asked, bringing myself out of my thoughts.
“Arguing with Sammy over the color of the floors.”
I chuckled. “Why? She’s going to win.”
“You and I know that. They just like to push her. And she enjoys the tussle.”
“She would. She loves to argue.”
“Found that out, did you?”
I laughed. “Quickly.” I leaned down, lowering my voice. “She flipped me onto my back the first day I met her.”