Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
That’s not where I’m going, though. Angie Simpson’s aunt and uncle live in the main ranch house.
I’m going to another huge-ass house several miles west, where Bryce and Marjorie Simpson live.
Where Angie grew up…along with her three siblings, Sage, David, and Henry.
My breath catches.
Henry.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Henry Simpson. I’m a sucker for blond men. I’m also a sucker for gorgeous and muscled men.
Henry Simpson fits all those bills.
I spent some time at the ranch after everything that went down with Angie and her fiancé, Dr. Jason Lansing. But I didn’t get to spend much time with Henry.
He was a little distant after…
Who can blame him, though?
He’d just killed a man.
In defense of Angie, Jason, and me, of course.
We were all wrecks afterward, and the fresh air of the ranch was just what the doctor ordered.
I’ve been through a few months of therapy since then, and Angie and I were both able to complete our first year of medical school. Jason got a life-changing surgery that gave him back the use of his hand, so he’s no longer a professor at the medical school. He’s once again a full-time surgeon, about to marry into the Steel family.
Now I’m headed to the ranch.
For the wedding.
Angie didn’t have to ask me to be a bridesmaid. She has a twin sister—her maid of honor, of course—and two cousins she’s really close to. Then there’s Dave’s wife, Maddie, who Angie grew up with. That’s already four attendants.
But she asked me anyway.
Her new bestie.
I’m truly honored.
And a little apprehensive, to be honest. I’ll be the only non-Steel in the lineup. Jason asked Henry to be his best man, and he’ll be the only groomsman. I’ll quite literally be the only person standing at the altar without a multimillion-dollar trust fund to my name.
Besides Jason, I guess. Until he signs on the dotted line.
I ease the car to a stop at the Simpson house, which is just as gorgeous and luxurious as the main house and kill the engine. The silence that follows is full—birds, wind, the distant low of a cow. My phone buzzes once before I switch it to silent and slide it into my purse.
I take a deep breath and step out, my boots hitting gravel. Yes, I bought some cowboy boots, even though it’s the end of July and too hot for them.
They fit the vibe of the ranch, and I won’t lie, I look damned good in them.
The sun warms my skin. It feels so much warmer here than in the foothills. I spread my arms around me and take it all in. I even do a Julie Andrews twirl.
And then my heart kicks against my ribs and I stop dead in my tracks.
Because standing outside the front door on the wraparound porch is none other than Henry Simpson.
Two
Henry
I’m petting my dog, Zach, when a small sedan rolls up the driveway at my parents’ house.
“Who’s that, boy?” I slide my hand over Zach’s soft head. His hair coats my fingers. He’s half German Shepherd and half Husky. Gorgeous and smart, but he sheds like a maniac.
Angie’s miniature schnauzer, Tillie, is yapping at us, but she’s staying inside. She’s used to a fence, and she’ll go running. Zach knows to stay put.
The car is a Honda Civic, silver with dust caked along the wheel wells and a small crack in the windshield that catches the sun just right.
It doesn’t belong here.
On Steel Acres Ranch, we either drive luxury sedans or beat-up trucks—nothing in between.
The car comes to a stop, and the driver-side door opens.
And out steps…
Fuck.
Tabitha Haynes.
Angie’s friend from medical school who’s blond and gorgeous with amazing tits and an ass that won’t quit.
She’s here for the wedding. One of the bridal party.
Jason, Angie’s fiancé, doesn’t have any groomsmen.
Except for me, of course. He asked me to be his best man.
I guess when you save someone’s life, you get that privilege.
I sigh.
Tabitha walks forward, and Zach perks up his ears.
She looks different, somehow. Maybe it’s the sleek brown cowboy boots. They seem out of place on her. Don’t get me wrong, they flatter her, but it feels like the boots are wearing Tabitha and not vice versa. She otherwise looks amazing in skinny jeans and a T-shirt that says Trust me. I’m almost a doctor.
I haven’t seen her since the end of May, when I was in Boulder to help celebrate Jason’s first surgery after his own operation to repair the nerves in his right hand.
It’s July now.
Her hair is lighter, I think. Maybe she’s been spending time in the sun. She certainly seems to enjoy it. She was spinning around just a moment ago before she realized I was watching her.
Now her pretty face has the slightest blush covering her cheeks, enhanced perfectly by the Colorado afternoon sun rays.