Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
I glanced down and smiled. “It looks like a perfect little home. I can’t wait to see the inside.”
“I can’t wait to show you soon,” he said, a lightness to his voice that hadn’t been there a few moments ago. Had he been worried about showing me where he planned on living? I’d count myself lucky to be able to live in that little cabin, on this beautiful ranch, surrounded by family.
We sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Ladd glanced at me. “We should head to the house. Mom’s expecting us.”
I nodded and drew in a deep breath. This was it. I was going to meet the entire Wilde family, and I was excited and terrified at the same time.
Ladd
When I showed Vivianne the hunter’s cabin, I couldn’t help but notice how she smiled when she saw it. She didn’t turn up her nose or ask why I wouldn’t want to live in a bigger house. She said it was perfect.
If things went the way I planned this week, it would be our house next summer.
We turned back onto the main road of the ranch and drove a bit more before I turned right and headed to my parents’ house. Once it came into view, Vivianne gasped.
“Ladd! That’s the house you grew up in? That’s the house Lawrence built for Sarah?”
I smiled. “That is the house.”
The two-story ranch house was in full view now. The sun was just starting to set, casting a red glow on the house and the trees behind it. It was a phenomenon that didn’t always occur, but when the sun was positioned just right in the sky and the clouds were at just the right density, the sunset cast the entire valley in an orange-red glow. It was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
“I’ve never seen anything so amazing in my life,” Vivianne whispered as I pulled in and parked behind my father’s truck.
“There are certain times of the year when the sky turns that orangish-red like this, and it paints everything this incredible color.” I helped her out of the truck, then turned her by the shoulders. “Look at the river.”
The river was a good bit down the hill from the house, but the colors of the sunset reflected off the waters.
Vivianne put a hand on her chest and slowly shook her head as she said, “I’d never want to leave this place.”
Placing a hand on her lower back, I said, “Come on, let’s get inside. I’ll come back out to get the luggage.”
We weren’t more than two steps up the porch when the door flew open and Mom rushed out. “You’re here! We held off on dinner, hoping you’d arrive in time to eat with us.”
I held out my arms and hugged my mother, then kissed her on the cheek and took a step back. She engulfed Vivianne in a tight hug, as well.
“You didn’t have to wait for us to eat. I pulled off and showed Viv my favorite spot on the ranch. If I’d known you were putting off dinner, I would have come straight home.”
My mother waved off my concern with a flick of her wrist before wrapping Vivianne’s arm in hers and leading her into the house.
“Ladd, get your luggage,” she called over her shoulder.
I stood there, mouth hanging open as I watched Mom steal my girlfriend and sweep her into the house.
My father stepped onto the porch, laughing at my expression. “Let’s get the luggage before my nuts freeze off!” he said. Then it was my turn to laugh.
Once the luggage was put in the appropriate rooms, mine and the guest room, I made my way to the kitchen. I could hear laughter floating up the steps and couldn’t help but smile. I heard my grandmother, Lilith, my mother, and what sounded like David. He’d left right at the beginning of our holiday break to come home and help our father around the ranch. I’d waited a few days, so I could travel with Vivianne, who still had a couple shifts at the pizza place and didn’t want to leave them in a jam.
The house that I called home my entire life had been remodeled a few times since my great-grandfather had built it. Mostly to modernize it. The layout hadn’t been touched; well, except for the sunroom that my mother and father had added. There was something nice about knowing previous generations had grown up in this very house. That tradition would stop with me and my brothers. I highly doubted any of us would want to move in with our parents once we were married. I knew I didn’t want that.
The hunter’s cabin had been well cared for under my father’s hand, and there really wasn’t a whole lot I needed to do to finish fixing it up. Last summer when I was home for a few weeks, David and I worked on updating the bathroom as well as the fixtures. This next summer I’d be putting in appliances. Knowing that Vivianne liked it just from the outside view was a relief. I planned on asking her to marry me and we’d be starting our life together in that cabin. And if my plans went as I hoped, I’d need all the money I could spare in the immediate future for the store, so my dream home on the ranch would have to wait a few years.