Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 91434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“Well then, better for me.” I sit on the stool. “All to myself.”
“All to yourself,” she confirms and then stops talking when she looks up and sees ten people walking in with Charlie as the leader of the pack. “What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you work at the bar by yourself.” He pffts out, stopping in front of me and kissing my cheek. “Everleigh, these are my boys.” He points at the men following him.
“I’m Emmett,” the tall one beside him tells me. His blue eyes are striking, and his blondish-brown hair sticks out from the back of his baseball hat. They are all wearing Mustang Creek Ranch shirts. “I don’t believe we’ve met.” He smirks at me, holding out his hand.
“I’m Everleigh.” I extend my hand to shake his. “But we’ve met before,” I remind him. He started working for Charlie when he opened the ranch. Even though we only met a couple of times when I went out there to ride with them.
“Oh, I know,” he says, “I was just wondering if you remembered me.” He winks at me. “How are you doing, darlin’?” He pulls out the stool beside me as Charlie groans, and I laugh.
“How are you doing?” I ask, and he folds his arms on the bar.
“I would be better with a beer,” he tosses out, and Autumn just looks at him. “Please?”
She walks over and grabs two beers, handing one to me and then another one to Emmett. “So what have you been up to?”
“Not much,” I reply, taking a pull. “What about you?”
“Same old, darlin’.” He brings his bottle to his lips. “Same old thing.”
Charlie comes over and leans by my side on the bar as the rest of his crew grabs tables, giving the server something else to do. “So when are you going to come and let me take you for a ride?” Emmett asks after we finish eating. He’s standing beside me, leaning on the bar, while Charlie sits on my other side. The music is a bit louder than it is normally, and a couple of the guys have gotten up to show a couple of the other guys how to line dance. I’m about to answer him when a shadow fills the doorway. I would know that shadow anywhere, even in the dark.
He walks in and looks at the guys dancing on one side before shaking his head, laughing, and then coming up to the bar. His eyes look around and stop when he sees me, but he quickly looks away to where Charlie is sitting, which is right beside me. He walks toward where Charlie is and nods at Autumn.
“I’m sorry, what?” I turn back to Emmett, giving him my attention and not showing that Brock has any effect on me. We can be in the same room without anything happening.
“When are you going to let me take you on a ride?” He grins at me, and then his grin turns into a smile. He said it so loud you would think the whole bar would stop to wait for an answer.
“What kind of ride are we talking about?” I flirt back with him, but I feel like I shouldn’t because I’m only doing it to take my mind off the one person I should stop thinking about.
“Whatever ride you want me to take you on.” He winks at me, and then we both laugh.
“I don’t know.” I push out the stool. “Can you dance?” I ask him as my head screams at me this isn’t going to end well, but my heart. My heart is beating for someone else entirely. Someone who I vowed I would never love again. “Let’s see you move those two left feet.” I hold out my hand to him, not knowing what he’s going to do. I feel all eyes on us, but the ones I want on me are looking straight ahead.
Chapter Twenty
BROCK
I stand at the bar, facing ahead, trying not to let anything show on my face when I hear her voice. “What kind of ride are we talking about?” The minute she says the words, the tightness happens again. I don’t know what I was thinking by coming here today. I should have just walked away when I heard the loud music. But my feet had a mind of their own, and my heart felt as if it was beating for the first time today.
“Whatever ride you want me to take you on,” Emmett replies to her. I’ve never had a problem with him, but I suddenly want to throat punch him.
“I don’t know.” I don’t turn my head as she pushes her stool away. I can see from my side view. “Can you dance? Let’s see you move those two left feet.”
“Autumn,” I say, holding up my hand, “can I get a double of the house blend?” I ignore the need to turn around and watch her. I can hear the hooting and laughing coming, and I can imagine what is going on. She always could turn heads when she would dance.