Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“I know she’s here. At this”—he flung a hand around, barely missing Kirk—"this place.”
Nolan pulled in a breath to cool his annoyance. “Who’s the guest you’re seeking?”
One side of the man’s lip pulled up in a sneer. “She’s not a guest! She works here.”
Great. “And her name?”
“Hope Reed.”
All the blood drained from Nolan’s face. This jack wagon had to be Darren, her ex. Because Nolan and Cam were her current boyfriends—and lovers—but he kept that important tidbit to himself.
Nolan wasn’t sure that Hope was even on the property since he didn’t check to see if her vehicle was still parked in front of the cabin. Sometimes she hung around the resort if she didn’t have to run home to teach another class from her home studio or get housework done.
“She’s probably at home,” Nolan forced through clenched teeth.
“She’s not. That was the first place I checked.”
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
First of all, why was Darren back in town? Second, why was he looking for Hope?
Whatever the reason was, it couldn’t be good.
It took everything in him to ask, “Did you try to contact her?” since he’d rather Darren not contact her at all.
“She’s not answering. What have you perverts done with her?”
Nolan ground his teeth to avoid knocking Darren’s out of his mouth. His law enforcement training taught him to deescalate, not throw punches.
No matter how much he wanted to knock out Hope’s ex.
You like your job here. Don’t do anything stupid.
A screaming engine could be heard coming up the lane.
Nolan spared a glance in that direction to see Cam speeding toward the gate in one of the trucks belonging to the maintenance crew.
The pickup came to an abrupt halt at an angle directly behind the ATV. As soon as the driver’s door was flung open, Cam burst from the driver’s seat. Before his feet even hit the ground, he asked, “What’s going on here?”
When Nolan’s eyes flicked to Kirk, the guard gave him a chin lift that said he could hold down the fort while Nolan pulled Cam off to the side.
Nolan kept his voice low. “Did you hijack that truck?”
“It’s commandeering when the good guys do it, and of course I did. What’s going on?”
“Where’s Hope?”
Cam jerked his chin into his neck and frowned. “She texted me earlier and said she’d be spending a few hours at the spa.”
Good. She needed to stay far away from this belligerent asshole.
“Sir, you need to calm down,” Kirk warned with extreme restraint.
“I want to speak to my girlfriend! By barring me from entry, I’m beginning to think this is a hostage situation. Don’t make me get the police involved.”
Nolan rolled his eyes so hard, he swore he busted a blood vessel.
“For fuck’s sake,” Cam muttered. “Is that her ex?”
“Yep. The one and only Darren Von Dump Her.”
Cam blinked at Nolan’s snarky answer before walking away. Out of the corner of Nolan’s eye, he saw his lover on his cell phone. Was he calling for backup?
Between the three of them, they could easily handle one pissed off man. As long as Darren wasn’t packing. If so, they’d soon be wishing they were, too.
A few seconds later, Cam took determined strides toward the gate and Nolan followed closely behind him.
Cam’s nostrils flared in irritation when he asked, “What do you want with Hope?”
“I need to talk to her. That’s all.”
“Does she want to talk to you?”
“Of course she does. I left her, not the other way around.”
What an asshole.
“You left her and you truly believe she wants to listen to what you have to say now?”
“Stay out of our business.”
“You’re making it our business by showing up here,”—Cam jabbed a finger toward the ground—"and creating a scene.”
“I wouldn’t be making a scene if you’d give me access to her.”
“She has a phone.”
“She’s not answering.”
“That should be a sign she doesn’t want to hear from you.”
Nolan realized exactly who Cam had called when he glanced over his shoulder to see Hope’s Subaru coming up over the rise.
As soon as she parked and climbed out of her car, Darren leaned into the metal barrier gate. “Hope! I need to speak with you.”
“If you walk around that gate, you will be arrested and charged with trespassing,” Nolan warned. “This is your one and only warning.”
Darren ignored him. “Hope! You owe me that much!”
“You don’t owe him anything,” Cam said with his expression hard and his hands balled into fists as she joined them.
With her features grim, her eyes slid between Cam and Nolan before fully focusing her attention on her ex. She shrugged. “So talk.”
“Not here. Not in front of these people.”
These people.
What did Hope ever see in this cretin?
“I don’t think we have anything to talk about. You made it clear with what you believed about me, my career, and about working here before deciding to give up on us.”