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 bit her lip. “Oh dear. My daughter does have a bit of a temper. Did she apologize?”
I shook my head. “I deserved it. She did it again.”
“You must rile her up well.”
I had a feeling there was a double entendre there, so I simply shrugged. “We strike sparks on occasion.”
She laughed. “All the best, most passionate relationships do. Van and I have had our share of sparks.”
“Oh, ah, no—we’re just friends.”
She glanced up at me. “Really,” she murmured.
“Yes.”
She pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. “You remind me of Hunter.”
“Hunter?”
She nodded. “You should get to know him a little better. You might find you have a lot in common.”
“Such as?”
“Denial is not only a river in Egypt,” she said, then walked away.
What the hell did she mean by that?
I walked into the bathhouse the next day, where Van, Hunter, Liv, and Sammy were talking.
Van was shaking his head. “It’s too time-consuming, Mouse. Lining the walls with the river rock is a heavy load job. We have to think scaled back.”
“I don’t like that.” She pointed to a sample Hunter was holding. “It’s cold.”
“Do all cedar, then,” Liv offered. “It would smell incredible, and it’s easy to maintain.”
“I wanted some contrast.”
“What about a few niches lined with the rock? Where you can put, ah, stuff?” I suggested. “I can set it. Two or three of those would look nice on that wall—” I indicated the biggest one “—and it would only take me a few days. I’ll just line the inside and three sides so the bottom shelves are smooth.”
Sammy tilted her head, studying the walls. Liv smiled. “That would look lovely.”
Sammy smiled. “I like that idea.”
Hunter looked down at the floor. “What about a small border running along the edge of the floor? I can help with that. Tie it all in.”
“You know,” Liv mused, working on her phone. “There is this lovely preset rock. I know it’s not from the property, but it would make the job easier and is very pretty. It’s cut, so it’s level and smooth, no chance of tripping.”
Sammy looked at it and nodded. “That would work.”
I took the phone and studied it. It was nice but not as nice as the rock we had here. But Liv was right. It was practical and would do the job.
Liv frowned. “The only problem is you can only get it in Calgary.”
“I’ll drive in,” Hunter offered.
“I have to get some supplies that are waiting there. I can pick it up,” I said. I had hoped to steal Sammy away with me and spend a little alone time with her, but my hopes were dashed fast.
“We’ll drive in together,” Hunter offered.
I had a feeling I had just been set up, but I was fine with it. I liked Hunter—he was no Sammy, but he was a decent guy.
“Sure. Order it, and we’ll make plans.”
We left early in the morning a couple of days later, wanting to get the supplies and head back. I had paused before walking out of my room. Sammy was curled up in my bed, still asleep. I didn’t have the heart to wake her or carry her back to her room in case someone came into the house. I set her alarm, giving her another hour of sleep—she’d still be up before anyone else. I made sure she was wrapped up tight, and she was burrowed under the blankets, clutching my pillow. I liked waking up with her beside me, slowly coming into awareness with her warmth wrapped around me, her breath on my chest, and our legs intertwined. I’d never been much of a cuddler, but Sammy seemed to bring that out in me.
Hunter sat in the passenger seat, sipping a thermal cup of coffee. He’d brought me one as well, which I appreciated. We hadn’t spoken much aside from our greeting. His phone rang, and he answered it with a smile.
“Hey, little dragon.”
He listened a lot, asked a few questions, and caught her up on the progress.
“I’ll be home soon,” he said.
She replied with words that made him smile.
“I know. I miss you too. I’ll be there soon. I love you, Ava.”
He hung up, looking out the window.
“So, you’re married to Aiden’s daughter.”
“Yep. My little dragon.”
I huffed a laugh. “Cute nickname.”
“First time I met her, she was going to town on some low-level city clerk who was trying to bulldoze her. She took him down brilliantly. Breathed fire. I was a goner right then, although I fought it. It suits her.”
I felt his side glance. “She was everything I didn’t want to want. She had a big, rich family. She was sweet, funny, sexy. Loving. Grounded. I was a wanderer. No roots. I didn’t believe that love was real and certainly not for me. She became my anchor. My home.”
“Ah.”
“I almost gave it up. The best thing that ever happened in my life. All because I didn’t know how to move away from my past.”