Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Nelly nuzzled each kid in response. They were both brown, spotted, and super fluffy…like adorable stuffed animals.
“Hey, Tanner. I thought I might find you here.” Janey, one of our college student assistants sailed into the barn, her long black hair swept into an untidy bun.
“Just checking on the princess and her babes.”
Janey squealed. “Could they be any cuter? OMG! What are we going to name them? Hudson says he’s giving you till tomorrow before he lets Moody do the honors. And since Moody’s already gearing up for the holidays at his bookstore, I hope you don’t mind Rudolph, Blitzen, Comet—”
“All right, all right. Message received. I’ll give it some thought,” I promised as I straightened, towering over the petite woman by a solid foot. “Did you need something?”
“Yes, you have a visitor.”
“Who?”
“The new vet.” Janey widened her eyes expressively. “By the way, he’s enormous. Like part giant or something. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to send him out here.”
I frowned. Axel was here? Now?
“Uh, yeah. That would be…yes,” I stammered. “Thanks.”
Janey flashed a quizzical smile. “You got it, Boss.”
Axel didn’t have to say a word. I felt his presence before I spotted his shadow filling the doorway. With the sun behind him, I couldn’t make out his features at all.
I held one of the kids to my chest and stepped forward to greet him, my pulse racing so fast, I felt dizzy.
Get your shit together, Tanner.
“Hi, there. Good to see you again.”
He grunted a response that might have been a neutral “You too,” or a sarcastic “Is it?” Not exactly socially graceful, though after our first encounter, it was almost expected. But his sheer largeness was another matter.
Christ, Axel really was a damn giant. A very fucking attractive one…in a rough and tumble way. And my thing for hulking men wearing plaid shirts and jeans that accentuated what I was guessing was a seriously big cock had officially reached a concerning phase.
I averted my eyes and reached for a baby bottle.
“I came to check on the herd. Make sure they’re acclimated,” he said in a gravelly tone that hinted at infrequent use.
O-kay…
“That’s nice of you.” I smiled and tipped my chin, wordlessly inviting him to enter. “They’re doing well, but since you’re here, you can see for yourself. I’ll come with you…as soon as I’ve fed this little one.”
Another grunt. He pushed his hands into his pockets and moved into the barn, immediately taking oxygen and filling space.
“A week old?” Axel guessed, his gaze fixed on the kids.
“That’s right,” I confirmed. “Nelly’s been able to feed them, but she’s not producing as much milk as the twins need, so we supplement and—hey, if you don’t mind, this will go quicker if you feed the other.”
Axel’s brows knit in a thick line across his forehead. I almost thought he’d refuse, but he rolled up his shirt sleeves, scooped the kid into his arms, picked up the second bottle on the ledge, and gently set the nipple against its mouth. The little one latched on, staring up at the beast of a man as if unsure or mesmerized or just…in awe.
Same, little dude. Same.
There was something incongruously charming about an oversized burly man cradling a tiny goat in his arms.
“This one has a good appetite,” he stated with the type of inflection reserved for reading the ingredients from a can of soup.
I inclined my head. “They both do. You’re good at that…giving him the bottle.”
Axel hummed. “I’ve done it a few times.”
“Right.” My cheeks flushed, and I wasn’t sure why. I couldn’t tell if Axel was an awkward bugger or if it was me. I tried again. “How do you like the ar—”
“How many goats do you have?” he interrupted.
“Uh…forty-three.”
“You make goat cheese?”
“We do, and we outsource the milk to a local firm that makes soaps, lotions, and cosmetics.” I could have continued, but the faraway look in his eyes indicated that I’d already lost my audience. “Was there someth—”
“You might have a problem with Hazel.”
“How so?”
“She lost her last calf, and that’s not in the records. Also, milk fever was a bigger issue than Dennis let on. Not that you should have any immediate concerns, but you should know.”
I blinked at the rushed delivery and lack of eye contact. “You signed off on the health charts.”
Axel finally met my gaze. “Yeah, it’s all in there. Read Hazel’s report. She’ll be fine with proper care.”
“And she’ll have it.”
“Good.”
Another scowl.
Dennis had been right about this guy. Axel was about as cuddly as a cactus.
I put the kid in the pen with Nelly and whispered my usual sweet-nothings to her. Axel took the hint and returned the twin too.
“Something tells me you didn’t come all the way out here to tell me to read your report.”
He shook his head but didn’t speak. The near constant baa and maa broken by an occasional oink filled the space. I waited…and waited.