Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Both of them gave her concerned looks.
Crap. She’d just made a complete ass of herself.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Jeb told her firmly. “How are you feeling?”
“Really tired. Foolish. Embarrassed.”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed either,” Jeb told her.
“Why’d you freak out, Casey?” Wyatt asked.
“Wyatt, that’s not a nice word to use,” Jeb told him.
“Accurate, though,” she said with a grimace. “I . . . I grew up on a horse farm. Lots of horses coming and going. My father expected all of us to help out. But there was this one horse . . . he was mean. He didn’t like me. The only person he liked was my father. My dad . . . he . . . I was twelve when he told me to get that horse out and put the saddle on him.”
“Even knowing you were scared of him?” Jeb asked.
“Yeah.”
“Jesus. Fucking bastard.”
Wyatt stared at his dad with wide eyes.
“For a start he was really calm and I let my guard down. I went behind him. It was so stupid. He kicked me, broke three of my ribs.” She let out a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
“Jesus, baby,” Jeb said.
“My father said it was my own fault for going behind him.”
“Your father is a poopface,” Wyatt declared.
“He sure is. Now, I’ve got a fear of all horses. I know not all of them are like that horse. But I just . . . it’s irrational.”
“Frost is a good horse,” Jeb told her. “Calm and steady. But you didn’t know that. And it’s not your fault you reacted that way.”
“It’s your dad’s,” Wyatt told her.
“Yeah. It is.” She let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry you’re mad at me, Wyatt.”
Wyatt stared at his shoes. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have run off like that. I was just upset because everyone was saying you were Papa’s girlfriend and I thought you were gonna stay. I want you to stay.”
God.
Her heart was hurting right now.
The thing was . . . she wanted to stay. She wanted to belong to this man and boy.
More than anything.
“It’s not that I want to leave,” she said. “But this was never meant to be permanent. I have a job in Santa Barbara. My best friend is waiting for me.”
“Who told you that Casey was my girlfriend?” Jeb asked Wyatt.
“Billy did. He’s been saying it since we went back to school. I think he was saying it to upset me, but I was happy. Because I love Casey.”
Oh god.
Tears dripped down her face. “I love you too, sugar.” She held out her arms and he climbed into her lap as she sat on Jeb’s.
Jeb held them both, supporting them.
“Why would Billy think that?” Jeb asked.
“His dad,” Casey said. “Apparently there have been some rumors about us being at the motel together.”
“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “We were there to drop you off. We didn’t even get out of the truck.”
“I know. But you know how rumors are.” She leaned her head against his chest.
“So when you guys got home, Wyatt ran off? And you followed?”
“I ran off in town too,” Wyatt said miserably. “I know I’m not supposed to, but Megan was being mean.”
“Megan was being mean?” Jeb asked. “What does Megan have to do with anything?”
“She approached us while we were eating ice cream. Man, I didn’t get to finish that ice cream,” Casey said sadly.
“Sorry, Casey,” Wyatt said.
“Not your fault, sugar,” she said. “There will be more ice cream. There’s only one Wyatt.”
He gave her a small smile.
“Someone tell me what Megan said,” Jeb ordered. “Now.”
Oops. Boss man had spoken.
Jeb was fast running out of patience. He didn’t like that his son had been upset by those rumors. And he also didn’t like that his woman had just been terrified. He hated the way he’d found her and he wanted to make sure it would never happen again.
How are you going to do that when she moves away?
Well, that was simple. She just wouldn’t be allowed to move away.
The thought settled something inside him. He hadn’t realized how upset he was about the fact that she was moving away. That she was leaving.
Not happening.
She was his. Theirs.
And she was going to stay that way.
Decision made, he wanted to claim her immediately. But she might need some persuasion and it wouldn’t be fair to do any of that in front of Wyatt.
“Um, she came into the ice-cream parlor as we were talking about the rumors,” Casey said. “And she said that I wouldn’t be staying so I couldn’t be your girlfriend. That I was going to leave soon.”
“In front of Wyatt?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yes.”
That bitch.
“And she made fun of me for thinking Casey was gonna stay,” Wyatt added.
“Don’t worry, I’ll deal with Megan. Wyatt, can you go wash up? I’ll put together something quick for dinner after I talk to Casey.”