Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32454 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32454 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Marsha was given a burial, and her family was compensated. As for the man whose skull he had smashed, he was disposed of the best way possible.
From that day forward, he learned the true meaning of being heir to the Marino Ranch. His dad never kept another thing from him. There was no point. He became a man that day, and with it, a hell of a lot of training he took to like a fish to water. His dad always said he was a natural.
Pulling out of the memory, he looked at Lily-May and waited.
“You can’t be serious,” she said. “Peyton wouldn’t do it. She’s a fucking prude.”
She was and always would be a first-class lady. Peyton was well-loved and respected. Neither of the sisters knew their parents had no choice but to sell him the business. They didn’t know where the money came from that was keeping the business afloat for so long. When they died, he should have taken it and destroyed it.
One day, he happened to walk into that bakery and saw Peyton working her ass off. Customers adored her. They stopped by to help her out, but she had also turned out to be a better baker than her parents combined.
He never took the shop, never invested another cent, but he did keep an eye on everything. He always would.
As for Peyton, she was good at what she did, and she knew what the people of Fort wanted, so she baked like a fucking maniac for them.
He was always awake early. Sometimes he’d trek through Fort, take long walks, and each time he would end up looking into the only shop that was aglow in the dark, and see her working her ass off. Lily-May was never around. But he knew Peyton had bailed her out before. He had to wonder if she would do it again.
“Well, you better hope she listens to you, because otherwise, I’m taking your fucking legs. With what you owe me, I’d say that was the start, and I don’t mean cutting them off. No, I’m going to break them, wait for them to almost heal, and then break them again.”
He saw the fear in her eyes.
Peyton was the only one who could save her.
****
“Beautiful, when are you going to marry me and promise to have my babies?” Hank asked.
Peyton couldn’t help but smile, as she knew this was no true wedding proposal. Hank was a happily married man, with five children, and he had even told this joke in front of his wife, Lucy. In fact, Lucy had even asked when they were going to run away together. It was a running joke.
She found it sweet that they loved her baked goods so much that they were willing to fight over her. Not that there was any need to fight over her, in all honesty. They were good people.
She tutted. “You know, Lucy is not going to like you propositioning me without her counteroffer.”
Hank burst out laughing. “Damn, when it comes to my wife, I just know if she ever divorced me, she would take you with her just out of spite.”
Peyton smiled. “I do not see you and Lucy ever divorcing. You’re too good for each other, and I will not allow it.”
“You won’t?”
“No, you guys give me hope that real love exists.” She winked at him. “Now, you go on and get those cookies and buns to those kids I love. You tell Lucy she has to bring them by. I need my little cake testers.”
Hank chuckled. “You take care, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon.”
She gave him a wave. It was nearly six o’clock, and she knew Hank was working one of the late shifts, which is why she stayed open as long as possible.
There would be no more customers, and she wanted to package up the few remaining boxes of leftovers, which she always distributed to the home for the elderly in town. She never let anything go to waste. They didn’t have a homeless shelter in Fort, and she had never seen a homeless person in town, otherwise she would divide it equally.
Humming to herself, she heard the bell ring and called out. “So sorry, we’re closed,” she said.
When no one answered, she turned around, still with a smile on her face from chatting with Hank, to come to a completely dead stop.
Lily-May looked like shit, but that wasn’t what instantly terrified her. Her sister was not alone. Behind her was Shae Marino along with a couple of his cowboys, and she knew this was not a good thing. They did not visit shops after closing, and she had already clocked their pieces in the waistband of their pants.
She should have known that any distance she went without seeing her sister would always mean trouble.
Clenching her hands into fists, she moved closer to the main counter. “We’re closed,” she said, not looking at Lily-May, instead focusing on Shae.