Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
I freaking loved it.
After being a mother to my own depressed mom, it was kinda nice to have someone else in charge. Someone taking care of me for a change.
Still, I didn’t want to be a burden. “But–”
He cut in, “No way are you sleeping next door with a tarp over the side of your house and another on your roof. That won’t keep people out. Or critters.”
I opened my mouth to respond then shut it. He had me at critters, and he knew it.
“Fine.”
I saw the twitch of a smile again. “Are you more afraid of a raccoon breaking in or a bad guy?’
“Definitely raccoon.”
His lips quirked higher. It was almost a smile.
I’d take it as a victory.
14
WES
I picked Remy up from preschool, and we hit the drive-thru for hamburgers and fries, then the hardware store for plywood.
Even though there was a shit ton of work to do on the ranch, Johnny and Colton were meeting me over at Joy’s place to wall up the gaping hole in her window for the time being.
I’d spread the tarp across the hole in her roof, but it wasn’t going to be enough to protect the house, even for one night. I needed to build something more stable to keep out the elements and protect her things.
Fate knew how long it would take the insurance to fix her roof if the adjuster wasn’t even coming for a couple days.
I now realized I’d been in a protective, sex-induced haze when I informed her she was staying with me. That had been my wolf talking.
But it went directly against my plan to shield Remy from Joy’s radiance. If I didn’t want Remy thinking she was getting a mommy, why in the hell did I bring her under my roof?
But I could manage this. Joy was staying while her house was getting fixed, not because I was dating her. As a favor. As a good neighbor. We helped each other. That was the way I needed to present it to Remy.
Not that we were fucking. Or that I wanted to do it again. And again.
“Can I help fix Joy’s window with you, Daddy?” Remy asked as I pulled into Joy’s driveway.
I unbuckled her car seat and let her climb out of it on her own. “You can supervise,” I told her. I learned a long time ago that if you tell a kid what they can do instead of what they can’t, things went a lot easier.
“You want me to tell you how to do it?” Remy scrunched up her tiny nose.
I booped it with my finger. “You’re gonna have to stand back on our porch and let us know if we covered all the holes or not. It’s important because we don’t want to miss any spots. Okay?”
“Okay.” She looked disappointed.
“You can also get beers out of the fridge for the guys. That would be a huge help.”
Remy brightened and took off running. “Okay, I’ll get the beer!” She made it to the front door and slapped it repeatedly with her palm, as if that would magically open it.
Meanwhile, Joy had come out of her open garage, probably to see why I was parked in her driveway instead of mine.
I took in the sight of the detached building. She didn’t use it to park her car. The garage was an art studio. There was a potter’s wheel on one side, and a kiln in the back corner. Racks of plain white pottery lined one wall. The other held racks of finished pieces. Beautiful vases, bowls, mugs, and plates in colorful hues were lined up neatly.
“Thank fuck the tree didn’t hit the garage,” I muttered.
Joy’s eyes went wide and a huge smile lit her face. “That’s what I said! I figure I got lucky.”
I cocked my head trying to figure out that logic. I was a half empty kind of guy, so all I saw was the damage to her house. “I don’t know about lucky,” I grumbled. “You could’ve died.”
“Daddy! Open the door!” Remy shouted from our house.
“Come and get the key,” I told her. She probably wouldn't be able to open the door herself with the key, but I was all about letting a kid try to do grown-up things. It would keep her busy for another few minutes, anyway.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’d say I got pretty lucky.” The innuendo in Joy’s tone got my dick instantly hard.
“Listen…about that and with you staying at our place...” I rubbed the back of my neck.
Remy ran up, and I handed her the key to the front door. “Hi, Joy!” she said. “I’m gonna supervise and get beers!” She raced away, more interested in her job than the neighbor. I was the opposite. I was here for the job, but my attention was all focused on Joy.