Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“What ladies?” I asked as she pulled me in her wake.
“Well, I’m pretty new myself,” she told me. “I arrived only last month, much to my brother’s annoyance.”
“Why would he be annoyed that his sister is back from wherever she went?” I asked in confusion as she led me into the house.
The minute my feet crossed over the threshold, my feet came to a stuttered stop.
“Oh, wow,” I breathed. “This is really nice. I didn’t expect that from the outside.”
She grinned at me. “This is the entrance, as you can tell.” She pulled my hand and led me around, showing me everything in a blur of activity.
The ‘clubhouse’, as Ellen called it, was a hidden gem.
On the outside, it didn’t look like all that much.
On the inside, though, it was a beautiful palace.
Rich warm colors coated the walls, and beautiful hardwood planks the color of cherry donned the floors.
The entrance led into a giant great room with ceilings that were at least twenty-five feet high. The gabled ceiling led into a wall of windows that overlooked the rolling hills of the estate beyond. And then, there was the kitchen.
That bad boy was beyond amazing, and it was something that I aspired to be able to afford one day. It had state of the art appliances, black countertops with flecks of blue interspersed throughout, and the sink.
That sink was my dream sink.
A stainless-steel farm sink that was so deep I could probably fit inside of it.
It was freakin’ awesome!
“Wow,” I breathed.
“Isn’t it amazing?” Ellen asked. “I about fell over when I saw this. This is a freakin’ dream come true to a designer.”
“You’re a designer?” I asked, turning to survey the woman who had the potential to become a great friend.
“Yep.” She nodded her head. “I used to work in Chicago, but…” she stopped when she saw her brother coming. “I’ll tell you some other time when Mr. Grumpy Pants isn’t here to listen in on what I have to say.”
I sensed a story, but I wouldn’t be pushing it. I had my own overprotective brother to deal with.
One who was constantly on my case lately.
One who thought—ever since I got pregnant out of wedlock—that it was his job to keep me in line.
“I have one of those,” I told her conspiringly. “He’s on his way home as we speak. He feels that he can be of some help now that we had the flood. He’s actually a disaster specialist, and usually works out of California and the surrounding areas where forest fires are prevalent. His team is usually one that deals with situations in other states since he prefers the West Coast.”
She blinked, then grinned. “That’s pretty amazing, actually. Has your brother met Tommy yet?”
“No,” I shook my head. “And it probably won’t be for a while. I have a feeling that the two of them will go together like oil and fire.”
“What’s your brother’s name?” she asked, not realizing what kind of reaction that would pull out of me.
Any time someone asked about my family, it was hard.
They always inevitably ended up hitting on the hard topics, even though they never intended for it to happen.
“His name is Brett,” I murmured softly.
“Is he the oldest?” she questioned.
I swallowed.
He is now.
“Yes,” I cleared my throat. “Are you older or younger?”
I needed to change the subject.
Otherwise I might just cry in front of all these badasses.
Badasses who were currently staring at me like I was a bug.
One that was likely to bug the shit out of them or sting them…neither of which I intended to do.
“Younger,” she grinned. “By a couple years. I’m the big thirty-one, and don’t plan on ever aging past it.”
I snorted.
“My mother says that,” I told her with a laugh. “She hasn’t aged beyond thirty-five for fifteen years now.”
Ellen’s laugh sounded like tinkling bells.
Her laugh didn’t just catch my attention, but also the attention of a man across the room.
One I’d seen while working my shifts at the hospital. He was the paramedic that worked for the county, and he was beautiful.
Rough looking, but beautiful nonetheless.
He reminded me of my brother, actually.
A permanent scowl on his face. Tattoos. Beard. Angry eyes.
I’d bet the cake that was sitting in my SUV that they’d be the best of friends if they were to meet.
Not that Tommy didn’t also seem like he’d fit right in with my brother, but my brother would hate him on principal.
Nobody was good enough for me, and he made no attempt to hide that fact from anyone else.
My sister, Morgan, and I were sweet, innocent girls who would be virgins forever. As far as he was concerned, I’d had my child by way of immaculate conception. Apparently, I was the modern-day Mother Mary.
“And who do we have here?” a man boomed.
I blinked, and then turned to find the police chief staring at me.