Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
The back door creaks open, startling me so hard I nearly launch my hot chocolate across the room. Grams strolls in.
“Why are you alone?” she grumbles, tossing her purse on the counter.
“What?” I stare at her, confused.
She raises an eyebrow, clocking my wrecked hair and the fading flush on my cheeks. “I suffered through three hours of bingo so you could spend the evening with Cole.”
Oh my God. “Grams!”
She laughs, this wicked, cackling sound that shakes the kitchen cabinets. “I was your age once. I know how wooing works.”
I’m not sure what Cole and I did earlier really counts as “wooing,” but we’ll go with it.
“Thank you for letting us have some alone time.”
“Cole’s a good man,” she says, surprising the shit out of me. “Kinda cocky. Real pain in the ass. But he’s got that look.”
I squint at her. “What look?”
She sips from my mug without asking, smearing whipped cream on her nose. “The look your grandpa used to get. Like he found the last piece of pie in the county, and he’s not about to let anyone take it from him.”
I snort. “Are you comparing me to me pie?”
She grins, a glint in her eye. “If the shoe fits. That boy would burn down the world to keep you, Reine. I saw it clear as day.”
I don’t know what to say to that. My mouth opens, but the words get lost somewhere between my brain and my heart.
Grams reaches across the table and pats my hand. Her skin is warm and papery, but the grip is as strong as ever. “Don’t screw this up because you’re afraid of change, okay? Life’s too short to chicken out.”
A lump lodges in my throat, thick and hot. “What if he isn’t for real?” The words slip out before I can swallow them. “And I get my heart broken?”
She shrugs. “Then we finish him off and hide the body where no one will ever find him.”
I nearly snort the sip of hot chocolate through my nose. “Don’t you think that’s going a little overboard?”
Grams just grins, eyes glinting. “Nope,” she says, dead serious. “A girl’s gotta have standards. You find a good one, you hold on. But if he messes with you? All bets are off.”
I can’t help it—I start laughing so hard I nearly choke. Of course my grandmother plans to go all mafia if some man breaks my heart. “You are totally insane.”
She shrugs, like that’s old news. “Runs in the family, honey.” She eyes my mug, then swipes another sip of my hot chocolate. “Besides, I can already tell that Cole isn’t the type to walk away from something he wants, and he’s head over heels for you.”
I choke on a laugh, my cheeks turning red. “You really think so?”
Grams rolls her eyes. “Honey, the man spent all day staring at you like you were dessert and he was starving. I’d bet my pension he’s planning your wedding already.”
The words hit me like a body slam. I nearly drop my mug. “Wedding? We’ve known each other, like, two days.”
She shrugs, totally unimpressed. “Sometimes that’s all it takes. Your granddad proposed after our second date, and we made it sixty years without killing each other. When you know, you know.”
And I already know I’m head over heels for Cole. Now, I just have to hope I’ve given my heart to someone who’ll treasure it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
COLE
I wake up with one purpose: win the heart of Reine Rockwell and, if possible, her battle-hardened grandma. Okay, two purposes. I rush through a cold shower, hoping the icy water will wake me the fuck up, then pull on my flannel shirt and jeans.
I pull up at The Rolling R Ranch and knock on the kitchen door. “Come in,” Louise calls, and I step into the warm kitchen. The smell of bacon hits me before I turn the corner, and my stomach growls even though I just fucking ate. Reine and Louise are sitting at the table, forks scraping the last of their breakfast.
Reine’s hair is a little wild, and she’s got syrup on her cheek. Damn if I don’t want to lick it off, but I play it cool.
Louise gives me a look, not unfriendly but sharp, like she’s still making up her mind about me. “Hungry, Cole? There’s plenty left.”
I shake my head and flash my best smile. “Appreciate it, but I swung by The Chik’n’Shack in town on my way over. I didn’t want to show up late and miss any of the action.” When Reine grins at me behind her coffee cup, I barely resist the urge to drag her into my arms for a kiss. God, I can’t stop thinking about last night. Her hair wild, her lips pink and swollen from my mouth, the way she screamed my name as I pumped her full of my come. I might be a fucking maniac, but the only thing I care about right now is making her smile. And maybe getting her alone for a little dessert before lunch.