Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I missed you, too.” More than they knew.
“Two weeks felt like a lifetime,” Heath admitted next.
It was crazy but true. “Agreed. Thank you for that titillating entertainment you two provided last weekend.”
Heath’s lips curled up at the corners. “Knowing you were watching—”
“And participating,” Dayne added, grabbing the wine and working free the cork partially jammed into the bottle.
“Made it even better,” Heath finished, handing him the first glass to fill.
As soon as it was, Dayne offered it to Cara. “Don’t drink yet. We should make a toast.”
Hmm. “What are we toasting?”
Dayne avoided her question as he filled the other two glasses, giving one to Heath and keeping the other for himself. He lifted his cup in the air. “To six months together.”
“Has it really been half a year?” Cara whispered, also lifting her wine. Time had flown.
Heath lifted his cup, too. “Crazy, right?”
At once, they tapped their glasses together before taking a sip. The Cabernet Sauvignon was from a local vineyard and was one of her favorites.
What was going on here?
This picnic by the lake that included both her favorite wine and favorite men couldn’t be because they’d been seeing each other for six months. There had to be more to it than that. She couldn’t imagine someone like Dayne celebrating six months of exclusivity.
“So…” Dayne started after he downed what seemed like half his wine.
Her eyes sliced between the two men. The fire reflected off their faces, creating pockets of shadows so she couldn’t read their eyes or expressions.
Her stomach twisted. “So…”
“We have to tell you something,” Dayne announced next instead of simply saying what needed to be said.
Why was he dragging out whatever it was?
She pressed the backs of her knuckles to her mouth and held her breath.
“I’m moving onto the ranch.”
For a few seconds, what Heath said didn’t sink into her brain. When it did, her mouth dropped open and she glanced between the two. “What does that mean exactly?”
“He’s moving into the farmhouse.” Dayne then added, “With me.”
Wow. That was unexpected. Especially when there hadn’t even been hints of this previously. “When?”
“As soon as I can sort some things out,” Heath answered. “As you know, I can work from anywhere.”
“I hate when he’s gone so I asked him to move in.” Dayne shrugged like it was no big deal.
But it was a big deal. That also meant the men viewed their relationship as more than just sex. At least between the two of them.
Them excluding her bruised both her heart and ego a little. Had they bonded with each other more than with her? Had she been too much work for them? Would they eventually cut her out all together and find someone more their speed?
Of course, she hadn’t come to the ranch with the expectations to fall in love with any man, much less two, but… “That’s…great.” She was struggling to be more enthusiastic about their news.
Apparently, Dayne wasn’t done with his announcements. “I also hate when you’re gone.” He lifted her hand from her lap and pressed his lips to the back of it.
Hold on here.
He continued. “We want you to join us. It wouldn’t be the same without you. We wouldn’t be the same. You’re an important part of this relationship.”
They wanted her to do what? “You mean you want me to move in with you, too?”
A minute ago she was sad when they didn’t include her. Now that they were, her anxiety spiked. While this was something she wanted, she had no idea how to make a move like that happen.
She couldn’t just pick up and leave Carlisle. She owned a house and had a job. Add in the fact that a job like hers wasn’t easy to find and it became next to impossible. She had worked too hard and too long to earn her master’s degree to simply walk away from her career.
She was torn. While this was what she hoped for, she couldn’t simply give up everything. What if things went wrong? How would she support herself? She didn’t want to be financially dependent on Dayne or Heath. She didn’t want to be a “kept” woman where she had no independence.
And while she was sure positions were available on the resort, she was doing what she loved: helping people find their next favorite read, do research, or utilize all the resources provided for free in a public library.
Mucking stalls or sanitizing playrooms was not for her.
The bottom line was, wanting to live with her men and actually doing it were two different things.
“I can’t simply quit the job I love. That’s just crazy.”
With a tilt of his head, Heath swept a lock of her hair over her shoulder. “But we’re crazy about you.”
Cara shook her head. “While that’s all well and good, that doesn’t pay my bills.”
“What bills would you have if you sold your place in Carlisle and came to live with us here?” Dayne lifted one finger. “You would have no mortgage.” He lifted a second. “No utilities.” Then a third. “Hell, you’d even eat for free. Your expenses would be slashed.”