Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“Hi, kitty. Were you waiting for me?”
Doors didn’t seem to lock Marmalade out of any room he wanted to get into. She’d woken several times to find him curled up on the pillow next to hers. With a silent meow, Marmalade stood and walked down the hallway. When she didn’t fall into place behind him immediately, the orange tabby looked back to scowl at her.
“I’m coming.” Essie forced herself to move faster.
She followed him to the last corner into the kitchen and stared at the empty room. Turning in a circle in the room, she tried to spot where he was hiding. “Treat?” she offered, trying to lure him out.
When long seconds passed with no reappearance of the furry creature, Essie shook her head and walked toward the shiny coffee maker. Why had he led her down here? Silly cat.
With ease stemming from practice, Essie ground the coffee beans and steamed some milk. The fancy device cranked out a fragrant brew that she could taste without inhaling a sip. Breathing in deeply, Essie lifted the cup to her lips.
“I’ll take one of those,” a familiar voice growled.
A shriek burst from her lips as she slammed the cup back to the counter. Deep brown liquid splashed onto the countertop. Whirling, Essie stared at her early morning visitor. His lips twitched in amusement.
“Not expecting me?”
“For fuck’s sake, Zander! Of course, I wasn’t expecting you. The sun isn’t even up yet,” Essie said in exasperation as she pressed a hand to her chest to calm her thudding heart. “How did you get in?”
“Your aunt gave me an emergency key.”
“A caffeine craving isn’t an emergency, Zander.”
He didn’t argue as he scanned her, and she closed her eyes in embarrassment as she tugged the edges of the garment together at her throat. The thin flannel robe probably clung to every roll on her body. The slippers her neighbor’s Rottweiler had chewed on, clung to life by a few threads. Darn dog. He’d stolen them off her feet one morning at the mailbox. Wrestling them away from Killer had taken several minutes.
Essie lifted a hand to her hair. Was it sticking up more on one side than the other? Kill me now.
To give herself a chance to pull herself together, Essie repeated her brewing process to create a fresh cup. She carried both to the table and sat down across from the man she refused to notice seemed well-rested and still too handsome for his own good. “Why are you here, Zander? You haven’t talked to me since our mothers decided our friendship wasn’t appropriate.”
“Did you miss me at all?” he asked.
Did he sound like he regretted losing their relationship? She’d always figured he’d easily moved on. Essie squashed the burst of hope that blossomed in her chest. “Of course not. Besides, you were too busy dating Mary Lou Jenkins.”
“Oh, yes. She was the head cheerleader.”
Was he trying to piss her off? Essie hadn’t attended school in this town. With her lack of coordination and aversion to short skirts that revealed her chubby thighs, she couldn’t have been a cheerleader even if she’d wanted to join the squad. And she hadn’t.
“Your love life survived just fine, I’m sure, Zander. I’d think you’d be ready to thank me for interrupting your teenage fling. Mary Lou has nine children, and each of them is worse than Nelson ever was.”
“True. The poor woman runs the children’s choir. She never had that nervous twitch when we were young,” Zander said.
Delighted laughter exploded from Essie’s lips. When the sound died out, Essie couldn’t help but notice that worry lines creased Zander’s forehead. “Why are you here, Zander?”
“Your aunt promised to sell me her property and land. I came to find out if you’ll honor her word.”
“Zander….” Essie struggled to figure out what to say. In her heart, she was positive Ferguson’s Folly was where she was supposed to be. Not for a short time but for her life. Whatever claim he thought he had wouldn’t change her mind.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Zander muttered, shaking his head.
“I haven’t had my final meeting with Mr. Woods or read the letter my aunt left me. Can you understand I can’t… I can’t figure out what my aunt wanted me to do until I see everything through.”
He stared at her hard before nodding. “You aren’t saying no immediately. I’m going to take that as a win.”
“I’m not saying yes either, Zander,” Essie warned.
“But that’s still not a no.” Zander set his hands on the tabletop and pushed himself up to stand. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“That’s not much time for me to make any decisions, Zander.”
“That’s all I have.”
“What does that mean?” Essie searched his face, concerned by his statement. Was he ill? In trouble?
“I have a herd and crops planted on your land. I’ll need some notice to move the cattle somewhere. Tomorrow, Essie.” He stopped and scanned her face. His lips twitched at the corners. “I’d come later, but I wouldn’t want to miss this excellent coffee.” Zander drank deeply and set his cup down.