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)
“It’s fine. I know one of the guys he was with. He’s in one of my classes.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, Vivianne.”
I sighed and turned toward her. “Stop worrying. I’ll be fine.”
The doorbell rang, and my stomach lurched with excitement. “That’ll be Ladd!”
Mollie rolled her eyes, then smiled. “He is really cute.”
“He’s more than cute,” I called over my shoulder. “He’s a handsome cowboy!”
“Hopefully he’s packing a full load!” she shouted back.
I laughed and shushed her, but quickly got myself under control before I opened the front door.
Standing before me was the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on. His hat was in his hands, and his dark hair looked as if he’d run his hand through the strands a dozen times, and I loved that. You could tell he’d styled it, but the hat and the fact that he’d clearly run his fingers through it gave the glossy hair a slightly messy look. Tonight, he was wearing jeans, a white button-down shirt, and even a tie.
“You look handsome,” I commented before I even realized I’d spoken.
He laughed. “Thanks. You look stunning.”
I glanced down at my floral dress. I had my favorite sandals on as well. When I looked back up at him, his eyes seemed to be on fire.
“Thank you.” I stepped back and motioned for him to come into the house I shared with three other girls. “Ummm, if you don’t mind, let me grab my purse and sweater. It’s warm out now, but I heard it’s supposed to cool off this evening.”
He didn’t say anything when he walked in, just glanced around, running the brim of his cowboy hat through his hands in a nervous gesture. There was something sweet about him being just as nervous as I was.
I quickly grabbed my things—then came to an abrupt halt when I saw Mollie talking to Ladd. She was jabbing a finger into his chest and wearing her best mom expression.
“Oh gosh,” I mumbled as I quickly made my way back to save him.
“Do you understand me?” I heard Mollie ask.
Ladd seemed amused and was clearly trying not to smile. He held up his hands and nodded. “The rules have been laid out clearly enough for me to understand.”
“Good,” Mollie said before turning to me. “I’ll be home all night, so if you need anything, you can call.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Mom.”
That time, Ladd did chuckle. He opened the door for me, and I walked out first. We made our way down the sidewalk, and I glanced around for his car.
“It’s such a beautiful night, and the restaurant I wanted to take you to isn’t that far. I hope you don’t mind walking.”
I smiled. “I don’t mind at all.”
He held out his arm, and I felt my cheeks blush as I slid my arm through his. “What a gentleman.”
“My father would box my ears if he ever saw me not treating a lady as one should be treated.”
“Some might say that’s old fashioned.”
Ladd stopped walking to look at me. “Do you think it is?”
I looked away, as if giving it some thought, then focused my gaze back on his. “No, I actually think it’s really romantic.”
He laughed. “No one has ever told me I’m romantic.”
“Then I’m the lucky first.”
When he winked, my heart fluttered.
Once we started our walk again, Ladd began to ask questions.
“What year are you in?”
“Junior? You?”
“The same. What are you majoring in?”
I smiled. “English. When I was in high school, I had a dream of writing a book, and that was my original plan for the degree. However, now I think I’d like to teach English.”
“High school?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I can remember my fifth-grade English teacher the most, and I adored her. She was the reason I fell in love with reading, and she’s maybe even part of the reason I wanted to write a book. She used to have us keep a journal, and we had to write in it every day. On Fridays, we used to have what she called ‘free write’. She would always tell me how entertaining my entries were, that I was clearly a storyteller. Looking back, I think I used that time to escape reality.”
I wasn’t sure why I shared that last part, and was thankful when Ladd didn’t ask what I meant by it.
“Why don’t you want to write a book now?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’ve just placed that dream on the back burner.”
We walked for another minute in silence before he asked, “Where’s home?”
“Colorado Springs. What about you?”
“River Falls, Colorado. It’s a small town west of Granby. If you blink at all when driving down Main Street, you’ll miss the whole town.”
I squeezed his arm. “I’ve always wanted to live in a small town. Colorado Springs isn’t as big as Denver, but it’s not small either. I want to live somewhere that’s so small, everyone knows everyone. You walk into the grocery store, and people are greeting you by name. Where there isn’t even a stoplight on Main Street!”