Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 115683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
“But guess what!”
“What?” She’s grinning ear to ear.
“Dad drove me all the way to Austin yesterday to go to this store that was all LEGO! Can you believe it? Look what I got!” He holds up the half-completed Star Wars ship we’ve been working on since, oh, six thirty this morning. “Isn’t it the coolest?”
“Whoa whoa whoa.” Lainey holds up a hand. Thankfully, it’s not the one holding the cucumber. “You like LEGO sets?”
My son smiles up at her. “I don’t like LEGO sets, I love LEGO sets.”
That has us all laughing. And then—Goddamn it—my eyes are raking over Lainey because my guard slipped for all of two heartbeats.
She’s barefoot. Wearing a long black dress that hugs her waist and buttons down the front, the deep V of the neckline revealing just the tiniest bit of her full chest. Her hair is loose and wavy.
Lips bright red.
She looks pretty. And sexy. And perfectly put together in a relaxed kind of way.
I wish I were that relaxed. That free to just…kick back and enjoy the evening.
Why don’t you? Right now?
“I just so happen to love LEGO sets too. I miss playing with them,” Lainey is saying. “Maybe you and I could build something together?”
Dean, suddenly shy, grins. “Okay. Are you Mimi’s friend?”
“That’s right! Y’all haven’t met yet.” Mom puts a hand on Dean’s shoulders. I notice she’s still leaning a bit on her right leg, which makes me frown. “This is Miss Lainey. She’s here to help me and Pawpaw come up with some new ideas for the ranch.”
“New ideas?” Dean shrugs. “Like what?”
Lainey grins. “You know how everyone recognizes a LEGO brick? Like they immediately know what it is because it’s so different and cool and special?”
“LEGO bricks are super cool,” Dean replies.
“Well, I’m going to do that for the ranch. Make sure everyone knows what it is because it’s so different and cool and special.”
Dean is grinning now too. “That sounds fun.”
“Do you like to draw?”
“Yeah. Only with markers, though. Crayons are for babies.”
“Well, would you like to help me draw up some ideas for a new logo for the ranch? It’s a symbol that will represent what y’all do here. We could play around with horseshoes, horses…”
My heart twists at the look of utter delight on my son’s face when he replies, “Cowboys too? ’Cause that’s what I wanna be when I grow up. A cowboy, just like my dad.”
Lainey’s eyes flick to me. “We can play around with cowboys too.”
She’s good with kids. She’s also funny.
And that makes me want to trust her, which I know is a dumb fucking idea.
I should run. Right out the front door. I’ll skip Sunday supper until Lainey leaves. Six weeks isn’t that long, right?
I can do anything for six weeks.
Instead I’m stuck in place, legs like concrete as I try not to smile at the way she lights up Dean.
“Sure,” Dean replies. “I’ll draw with you.”
Someone laughs, and I glance into the dining room to see Billie, Beck, and Tate walking into the house.
“This sounds fun.” Billie is all smiles as she strides into the kitchen.
My sister really is lit up. Different. No trace of the weariness we’ve all seen in her over the past few months.
Turning back to Lainey, I put my hands on my hips. “You got some mouth on you.” And that smart mouth is turning me on, which is a problem.
“Colt.” Dad eyes me from his perch on the recliner in the family room that adjoins the kitchen.
“Dad, you’re not being very nice to Miss Lainey,” Dean says.
Lainey nods. “Thanks for sticking up for me, Dean. We don’t like bullies, do we?”
Inhale. Exhale. I don’t want to give Lainey the upper hand. I also don’t want my son to think I’m a bully. “I’m sorry if I came off that way,” I manage. “Bad joke.”
“Mimi, can I help you guys make dinner?” Dean peers at the pile of food on the counter. “Miss Lainey, you’re very good at making salads. Did you know I like salad?”
Tate laughs, turning on the sink to wash his hands. “Since when?”
“Since now.” Dean is beaming at Lainey again.
Lainey finishes peeling the cucumber. “We’d love to have your help. How about I slice this baby up, and then you can put it in the salad bowl? We need to wash some tomatoes too.”
“Okay!” Dean bounces on his toes. “You smell nice, Lainey.”
She laughs, a genuine, throaty sound. “So do you. What’s your secret? Soap?”
I’m suddenly aware of the way my blood moves through my body, pooling low in my belly.
“Yup,” Dean replies. “A good scrub goes a long way. Dad says everyone likes a man who smells good.”
Lainey laughs again. “He’s not wrong.”
Dear Lord, does my son have a crush on her already?
I mean, it does make sense. Lainey’s not just good with kids. She’s great—with my kid at least. She’s a fucking smokeshow in that dress and lipstick. And she does smell good. Really good. I can pick up on her perfume from here. It’s floral. Pretty.