Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 48446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 242(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 242(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
The girls, Vanessa and Victoria, at five and seven years old, were as cute as they could be with their raven-black hair and big brown eyes. All the kids were adorable, and the sound of their laughter made me smile. I lost track of time, and it was nice.
“Hello.”
I turned to a man I’d seen earlier in the house. “Sir,” I greeted him, knowing of course who he was. There could be no mistake; this was the patriarch of the Benning clan. He was a bigger, more muscular version of the man I hadn’t been able to get out of my head since the first day I met him.
He came forward, hand extended, smiling at me. “Owen Benning.”
“Weber Yates,” I said, shaking his hand.
“It’s awfully nice of you to be the only one out here watching my grandchildren.”
Vanessa came up beside me and put her little hand in mine.
“Looks like you have a friend already.”
Vanessa passed me a muddy, slobber-covered tennis ball a second before one of the dogs came loping back. As I threw the ball hard, she squealed with delight.
“Once you came out here, my son put the fear of God into us.”
I grimaced. “I’m sorry about that.”
“No, not at all. I’ve never seen him…” He trailed off, as if unsure how to continue, then said, “So you came with Cy and Lyn.”
“Yessir.”
“May I ask how she seems to you?”
I turned back, for a moment, to him from watching the kids and the dogs. “Sir?”
“She’s putting on a brave face for her mother and me—that’s easy to see.”
“Well, I reckon however she’s feelin’, she will be a rock for her boys.” I wasn’t about to tell him how she’d broken down in front of me. That was for her to share with her father if she wanted.
“Of course,” he agreed.
“I do believe that husband of hers should be beat,” I stated under my breath, because my remarks were a given, but I didn’t want Vanessa to hear. At the same moment, I saw Victoria grab one of the dogs’ ears and pull. “Sweetheart!”
She looked over at me.
“Darlin’, don’t pull on his ears or put your face right up to his, all right?”
“Okay, Weber!”
“Excuse me, sir,” I said, still holding Vanessa’s hand as I crossed the yard to where her sister was. Reaching her, I knelt on one knee so we were closer to the same height. “I’m not scoldin’ you, you understand.”
She nodded. “No, I know. You just don’t want Rusty to bite me.”
“And you gotta be gentle with him, yeah? You wouldn’t like it none if someone tugged on your ear, so show him the same kindness.”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, looking like she might cry.
“It’s all right, but now give him a pat and tell him.”
She gently petted him, apologized, then hugged him. The dog received the affection, looking at me like he was ready for that to be over. I couldn’t help chuckling over the way his eyes went back and forth.
“Is he okay now?” she asked after a moment.
“I think he’s just fine.”
She studied my face, then huffed out a breath. “Weber, Tristan said I can’t be a fireman. Is that true?”
“No, of course that ain’t true. You can be whatever you please.”
“That’s what I told him.”
“Weber,” Vanessa interrupted, “will you tell Grandpa to let me ride the horsey?”
Since the man himself was suddenly right there, I told her to ask for herself.
She looked scared.
He squinted down at her.
“Grandpa.” She bit her bottom lip. “Can I ride the black-and-white horse?”
“Well, I promised the boys they could ride with me first.”
“But there’s two horses. Can’t Weber ride one?”
He looked at me. “Can you ride?”
“Yessir. What’ve you got, Appaloosas?”
“Yes.” He smiled at me.
“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d love to ride.”
He nodded. “Let’s get all the kids rounded up.”
When I stood, Vanessa was hanging on to my neck, and Victoria decided she was going to hold my hand, and Pip the other, as I walked over to the tree where Tristan and Micah were. Tristan wanted to ride, but Micah shook his head.
“You ain’t stuck up there, are ya?” I stared up at him.
He shook his head again.
“You sure you don’t wanna come?”
He nodded.
“All right, then.”
We sent Tristan back to the house to call his mother to the backyard to watch over Micah.
After a few minutes, the back deck filled with people. Mr. Benning called over to his wife that he was taking the kids riding and would be back.
“And who’s that with you?” a beautiful woman asked, obviously Victoria and Vanessa’s mother—same black hair, but with pale-blue eyes. I had not seen her earlier in the living room.
“This is Weber, Cyrus’s friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Weber. I’m Rachel.”
Oh, perfect Rachel, the sister-in-law. I looked at Lyn, and she smirked. It was nice we had us an inside joke already.