Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
“Yeah, but—”
“Second of all, if he only lasts eight seconds, kick him to the curb, woman.”
“Oh my God,” I laugh. “That isn’t what I meant, and you know it.”
“Katie, tell me you wouldn’t rather have just a kiss from Jake than a night of wild sex with someone else?”
“You mean, Jeff,” I respond with a sigh.
“I mean anyone, but if your mind went to Jeff, then you should truly know what your heart wants, right?”
“Jake,” I answer. I’ve known that since the conversation that I was having with my mom the day of the wreck. Those feelings have only grown stronger since Jake has been by my side all this time.
“Call Barb,” she instructs. “You’ll be surprised how much better both you and Jake will feel when you find common ground.”
“Are you really calling a make out session common ground?” I squeak out with a startled laugh.
“You’d be surprised how much better everything is when you connect on an intimate level.”
“I don’t remember intimate. Jeff and I… we were getting married, but we didn’t do that a lot. We just never seemed to have time….”
She gives me that look and hands me the phone. I don’t have to ask what she’s thinking. I know. If what we had together was natural and passionate, we would have found the time. If I’m honest, I had that thought myself more than once while Jeff and I were dating. Eventually, I just stopped questioning it because it became normal. I take the phone with a sigh. Then, I dial Barb. I hope to God I’m doing the right thing…
CHAPTER 7
Jake
I was at Mom’s mucking out the barn when Callie called upset because she couldn’t get anyone on the phone. I knew it was a bad idea to leave Katie alone. She promised me she would be okay for a few hours. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to let it happen. Honestly, I just needed a break. She’s planning on going to dinner with my damned brother and I couldn’t sit around and wait for him to show up. If I did, I’d probably go ballistic on them both when he got there. She said she would call Callie, but apparently, that didn’t happen.
My mind is going in a million different directions, and I can’t seem to figure anything out. It’s hard for me to believe that in just a few short days since my brother arrived in town that my life feels like I’m surviving the fallout from a nuclear war. I haven’t had to see Jeff yet, and that’s a good thing. Mom says he's upset with her and staying at a hotel in town. I’m more than okay with that. I wish he’d go back to wherever he’s been since the wedding was called off. Everyone keeps expecting me to forgive him—to be the bigger person. That is not me because, mostly, I just want to kill the asshole.
Visions of Katie on the floor in pain because she fell going to the bathroom or something assault me. If you had asked me last week, I would have thought I was ready to be the man she needed. Now, I just feel like an idiot.
“Katie!” I call out again as I move toward the bathroom, praying she hasn’t broken a hip or her bad leg. Panic claws at me as I yell once more. “Katie!”
“In here,” she finally answers. I immediately shift direction and go to her bedroom. My heart is pounding as I open the door.
She’s sitting on the bed, wringing her hands together. Her hair is brushed out and down, the golden tresses are almost glowing from the sunlight filtering through the windows. She’s wearing a black silk robe that is loosely tied and creating a deep ‘V’ at her neck that allows me to see the valley between her breasts.
“If you think you’re going to look like that when my brother picks you up, you are out of your fucking mind, Katie.”
“I’m not waiting on your brother.”
“You’re not?” I question, suddenly confused.
“I was waiting on you,” she confesses, grabbing my full attention.
“I feel like I missed something here,” I finally say, taking off my hat and putting it on the dresser. I thrust my fingers through my hair. I’m so damn tired of this rollercoaster. I just want to rewind the clock and give Katie and I more time to connect. I’ve loved her my entire life, but still, we were just getting accustomed to one another again. We needed more time to get on solid ground.
“I told Jeff he could come by the house tomorrow,” she says.
“I’m going to go out and check on the horses,” I mutter, hate and bitterness burning in my gut. As I turn around to walk back out, her words stop me.