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)
He’d keep an eye on his woman and see how the festivities were going. It was set to be a fun day, and that was what he was looking forward to.
In the pocket of his jacket was an engagement ring. He had already told Wade about it. His friend knew he had every intention of proposing, he just hadn’t found the right time to do it. He was torn between proposing on Halloween night, after she closed the shop, where everyone in town would see. Then, there was the slight fear of rejection that might come if she turned him down. He didn’t know if he should do it in private, seeing as they hadn’t exactly put a label on their relationship. There was a lot he wanted to do and experience with her.
“What’s up?” Peyton asked.
She had this huge smile on her face. It was one he had seen her give out to so many people, and the fact she was looking at him and smiling meant the freaking world to him. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, she was looking at him with laughter in her eyes.
“Nothing, just, you know, thinking.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shook his head. “Nah, it’s all good.”
Pulling his hands out of his jacket, he couldn’t believe he felt this way. He had never been a coward in his life. Never, not once, yet here he was, acting like a freaking coward. It made no sense to him. He should just ask her. They were in a good place, and yes, he had blackmailed her to get to where they were, but they had moved past it.
There was a chance she was already pregnant. They had been together for longer than two months, and he was aware she hadn’t had a menstrual cycle in all the time she had been with him. He didn’t want to bring it up. Shae wanted to get a pregnancy test, but that would open up a whole set of other problems.
He tried to think of all the stories his father had told him, and even his mother, when it came to getting together. His father had pursued his mother, until she eventually fell in love with him.
What did he have to do to get Peyton to confess any feelings for him? He didn’t have a freaking clue. Just as he was about to ask her how she felt, it was like someone intervened. His cell phone started to ring.
“I’ll take this.” Pulling out his cell phone, he saw it was a call from Wade.
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Uh, I don’t know if you are going to want to know this, but your girl’s bakery is on fire, and they are working like crazy to put it out right now.”
He turned to look at Peyton. “We’re on our way.”
Peyton looked at him. She was wiping her hands on a towel. “What is it?” she asked.
“Your bakery. It’s on fire.”
“What?”
The smile, the happiness just faded, she started to round the kitchen counter, and he caught her in his arms.
“It’s okay.”
“No, there is no way this can be okay. My bakery is on fire.” He saw the panic in her eyes.
“Stop worrying.”
“Damn it, Shae. I need to go and see.”
And he drove, breaking every speed law as he got to town, and as they arrived, it looked like the firemen hadn’t long put it out.
Peyton climbed out of the car and rushed to the bakery, but he was there, stopping her.
“What happened?” Peyton asked.
He felt her shaking.
The building was completely black, and already he could see there was nothing to salvage. Her shop was not attached to any other shop. It was one of the few not connected to a row of shops.
Wade was there, as were several of the locals and a couple of tourists. Leah was there as well, with a somber expression on her face. Peyton just broke. He knew the bakery was killing her, and he was waiting for the perfect time to offer her a solution. Burning the place down was not one of them.
Shae helped Peyton into the truck, then saw Bill, the head fireman, waiting for him.
“What is it?” he asked.
Bill looked toward the truck. “I’ve seen enough fires to know this was started on the inside.”
“You think she left something on?”
“Hell, no, the color of this fire ... there was an accelerant. I don’t know who would have wanted to harm Peyton or this business, but someone started this fire from the inside,” Bill said.
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, and Shae, whoever did it had a key.”
He looked toward Leah. Peyton wouldn’t have done this, as she had been home with him. He nodded toward Leah, as Bill left. He knew there would have to be an investigation.
“You set fire to this place?” Shae asked.