Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
“Holy shit,” Jenn breathed.
“What?” I questioned, breathless even to my own ears.
She stared at me with wide eyes and a face full of amusement. “Were you checking him out?”
“Absolutely not,” I stated, and it wasn’t a lie because I pretended she was talking about Apollo.
She narrowed her eyes. “Devon, not Apollo.”
Dammit!
I turned away and started back toward the house. “Yes, fine. He’s attractive. He’s also my bodyguard and a dick.”
Laughing, she followed behind me. “Hey, no judgment here. I’m the queen of ‘look but don’t touch.’”
I trotted up the three porch steps and paused before opening the door. “Does Terry know about your royal status?”
She flashed me a wicked grin. “No. And if you keep my secret, Devon will never find out about yours either, Princess Looks-A-Lot.”
10
DEVON
While Lofton and her sister cared for their Dad, I spent my first day on the Beck family farm learning the land. Security work always started the same way. Checking any potential point of access. Fences. Gates. Sightlines.
In an old side-by-side ATV, Apollo and I had made a slow loop around the property that afternoon, the Tennessee sun beating down while he guided me through everything they’d already put in place.
Motion sensors. Cameras. Guardian’s personal equipment installed in places that would blend in as normal farm equipment to anyone who didn’t know what they were looking for.
Overall, he’d done an impressive job.
But it wasn’t perfect.
“I get what you’re saying, Apollo, but this stalker isn’t our only concern. The first time she wants to go into town, word will get out that she’s here and then we’re gonna have every wannabe paparazzo in the country on this fence line trying to snap a paycheck. There’s too much tree coverage. I’d rather the old man be pissed about me cutting back some branches than have an asshole with a camera hiding behind them.
Staring out over the field like I’d insulted his manhood, Apollo crossed his arms. “It’s private property.”
“Since when has that stopped anybody?”
His jaw ticked. “Leo already approved all of this.”
“Yeah, well, Leo isn’t working the day-to-day on this, is he?”
We stood there in silence for a second.
Him avoiding eye contact.
Me shooting daggers at the side of his face.
Finally, he muttered something under his breath and pulled out his phone. “I’ll have someone out here tomorrow.”
“Good.”
He shot me a look. “You know, most people would say thank you now.”
I patted him on the back, far more gently than I would have liked. “In this job, thank yous only come in the form of a paycheck.”
He blew out a hard exhale. “I hate you. Have I mentioned that yet today?”
I chuckled and turned back the pile of junk side-by-side ATV. “It never hurts to hear it again.”
We continued the loop after that, checking the rest of the property and arguing every time I hit the brakes.
Before we’d left, I made her promise to check in hourly. I was close by, but I didn’t like that she was alone. Well, alone as she could get with her sister, brother-in-law, and father. I’d received multiple “all good” texts and one letting me know she’d left us dinner on the porch. That ancient side-by-side had never driven so fast. I wasn’t sure if it had been Lofton or Jenn who had baked that Buffalo Chicken Pizza, but it was off-the-charts good. Apollo and I had nearly come to blows over the last slice.
When darkness finally settled in, we parked in an old shed behind the house, and I texted Lofton that I was back.
“Front gate?” I asked, locking the shed door.
He nodded. “Matt checked in at shift change. Don’t worry, it’s crazy quiet here at night.”
“Good, let’s keep it that way. Where are you staying?”
He pointed off into the distance. “The neighbors rented us a loft over their barn, big enough to set up a command center. It smells like horse piss, and Mr. Blake stumbles home drunk around three each morning. But after living above the bar for so long, it feels like home.”
I barked a laugh. “I guess it could be worse.” I tipped my chin toward the house.
“Yeah, from what I’ve seen, it’s a circus in there.”
My head snapped up when I heard the screen door creak open in the distance. Apollo fell into step beside me as long strides carried us around the house.
“Hey,” Lofton called from the porch, arms folded loosely as she leaned against the railing. She’d changed into a pair of buffalo plaid pajama pants and a black t-shirt, and pulled her long brown hair back into a messy bun.
“I’m gonna take off,” Apollo lifted his hand to her in greeting and goodbye.
I jerked my chin, never tearing my eyes off Lofton.
“Have a good night,” she called after him before turning her attention back to me. “Do you want to come in so I can show you to your room? Daddy’s asleep and honestly, I’m not far behind him.”