Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
You are not supposed to be lusting after the bodyguard who’s keeping you safe, Lena. Absolutely not. It’s highly unprofessional, and he isn’t interested anyway. Don’t make an ass out of yourself.
“Did you just call me an ass?”
I blink rapidly. Shit, did I say that last part out loud?
“No, my brain was just waking up. Ignore me until after my second cup of coffee. Nothing that comes out of my mouth makes sense.”
His lips quirk up on the side, and I wish with all my heart he’d smile at me. But then the moment is gone, and he turns to the stove to cook our food. Less than ten minutes later, we’re both eating.
“I’ll never eat all this,” I tell him after I swallow a bite. “I mean, it’s really good, but it’s too much.”
“You need the calories,” he says. “You’re going to work them off.”
“So what are we doing this morning?” I pop a mushroom in my mouth. “Also, where did you learn to cook? Because this is delicious.”
“Spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my mom.” His brows pull together, and before I can ask more about his parents, he keeps talking. “You’ll see what we’re up to when we get out there.”
“Am I at least dressed appropriately?”
He doesn’t even look my way as he nods. In fact, he’s hardly looked at me at all after the coffee spilled on my hand.
Great. I’m over here lusting after his hot body, and he’s barely tolerating me. It’s so flattering. Such a boost to my ego.
Mentally sighing, I shake it off. Who cares what he thinks? I’ll only be here for a short time, I’ll go on his little jogs in the morning, and when my art supplies get here, I’ll shut myself away and work. Maybe I’ll find places to hike. I’ll figure it out.
When we’re both finished eating, we clean up our dishes and set them in the dishwasher, and then we step out onto the porch off the kitchen, and my jaw drops.
The sun is just coming up over the mountains, and the sky looks like it’s on fire, with reds and oranges shooting through wispy clouds. I had no idea that there’s a lake out here, along with those jagged mountains, already topped with snow, in the background. The trees have started to change color, so along with the burning sky, the trees are yellow and orange, with a touch of red, and I’m pretty sure I just found what heaven looks like.
If heaven exists at all.
I swallow hard and sit on the top step when my knees give out, just taking it all in.
A tear spills out of the corner of my eye, but I don’t care. My breaths are coming faster, and I can feel the pulse in my neck, but I’m not on the verge of a panic attack. That’s not what this is.
I’m . . . awestruck.
There’s no other word for it, and I don’t think that word has ever been in my vocabulary before.
Because I’ve never seen this before.
Suddenly, Gideon lowers himself next to me, leaving at least a foot of space between us, and rests his elbows on his knees, silently waiting for me as he watches the sky change over those rugged peaks.
“I don’t even know what to say.” It’s a whisper, because I feel like if I speak any louder, I’ll shatter this moment.
“I know.” He whispers it back to me. I wish he’d touch me. Maybe just hold my hand. Because this feels like a big moment, and I don’t even know why. I’m a visitor here. This view isn’t mine to keep.
After a few minutes, my tears dry up, and I stand, then shiver.
“Are you cold?” Gideon’s frowning at me.
“It’s cold here,” I reply with a nod. The air is crisp, making goose bumps rise on my skin. “But I’ll warm up. I could sit right here all day, so we’d better go.”
He watches me for one long moment, and then he leads me down the stairs and starts to jog.
It’s easy to keep up with him. It’s as if he remembers my pace from all those years ago, and that’s the pace he’s setting for me.
There’s a worn path that meanders around the lake and then into the woods, where the temperature dips even more. My teeth chatter, but I don’t say anything because I’ll be damned if I complain, and I have a sweatshirt on the way from last night’s shopping spree. I’ll be sure to wear it after it arrives.
As my muscles warm up, I settle into the run and enjoy the smell of the trees. We jog into a clearing, or a pasture, and there are men out here on horseback.
Gideon waves, and they wave back, and I offer them a smile. These must be the ranch hands that he talked about last night. I feel their eyes on me, but I ignore it, and soon we’re circling back the way we came, which I only know because the mountains are in front of us again.