Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Looking now at my darling twin boys, however, I wouldn’t change a thing. Sure, there was a lot of gossip at first, and needless to say, my parents weren’t too happy to find out what had happened. But what could they do? After all, I’m an adult. I’m twenty, and I’ve chosen to live my life with two men instead of one. It’s an untraditional way of enjoying life, I understand that. But it’s my path, and I adore it.
Now, we live together blissfully on the ranch. Shane and Stanton put off accepting another cohort of girls, and as a result, it’s been peaceful here. But I look forward to opening our doors once more. The Lazy R did so much for me; maybe it could do the same for some other lucky women.
Except when it comes to Karina.
My mouth twists at the memory. After her embarrassing day locked up in the stocks with shit running down her legs, Karina broke down. She became a hellion. The angry blonde screamed profanities to the sky, raging at God, her mother, her father, her first-grade teacher, and half the girls at the Lazy R. When she was finally released, she stormed off to the dorm showers, except the other girls wouldn’t let her in because she reeked to the high heavens. Instead, Karina had to take her first shower out in the barn, where Sarah sprayed her down with the hose used for cows. I hear that that was a sight to behold because the water from outside never gets warm. Needless to say, Karina raised another ruckus with her outraged screams.
I shake my head. I know she deserved it, but still, some people never learn. The blonde left the Lazy R immediately after, and last I heard, Karina is now dancing for dollars somewhere outside Vegas. Not in Vegas because she couldn’t get a job at one of the big casinos. I hear she’s literally dancing for one dollar bills at some seedy joint populated by old men with big bellies. How just the world is sometimes.
Suddenly, a chubby hand grabs at my leg, interrupting my thoughts.
“What is it, Sammie? You want your bottle?” The baby’s grubby fingers reach for the proffered bottle, a little gleeful whoop escaping his lips before he clamps his tiny mouth down on his nighttime snack.
“What about you, Stuart? A bottle before your fathers come back in from the fields?”
Stu, the quieter of my two boys, waits patiently for me to hand him his bottle. He pats my leg with satisfaction before going to lie next to his brother on the plush carpet, happily sucking away. Looking at my sweet babies contentedly drinking, I wish that everyone could find the same peace and joy that I have found in this place.
Suddenly, there’s the familiar click of the front door opening and I get up, dusting myself off with a smile.
“Where are our boys?” Shane asks from the front hallway and the two tots scream in happy surprise as they scramble up and run to their fathers.
“Come here, little guy,” Stanton says as he steps behind his brother, scooping up Stuart. The toddler slips his chubby arms around Stanton’s bronzed neck and kisses his cheek. My heart turns over at the sweetness of the moment.
“And our darling Juniper,” Shane says as he turns to me, pressing a tender kiss my lips. “We missed you.”
“Hey honey,” Stanton adds before smooching me with an equal amount of love. “Something smells delicious in here.”
I smile at the compliment. “It’s chicken pot pie, and I made it from scratch!” I tell them proudly, excited by my culinary feat.
Shane’s deep blue eyes sparkle. “That sounds perfect for a night like tonight,” he says mysteriously.
“A night like tonight?” I repeat, my eyebrow arched playfully. “By the way, I have to remind you that Bess is visiting next week. So if you have something up your sleeve...”
The twins roll their eyes.
“Bess?” asks Stanton. “Your friend? How is she?”
I giggle.
“Up to no good, as usual. She’s having fun though. She told me that she was pulled over during a traffic stop recently, and her dress popped off again, just like it did when we were at Skye One.”
“Really,” says Shane with a droll smile. “What a coincidence. Somehow, I’m not surprised.”
I giggle gleefully.
“I know, right? But yes, my best friend is coming to visit next week, and it will be good because she loooooves her godchildren. Bess can’t wait to see little Stuart and Sammie!”
My boyfriends just laugh, always entertained by my zany best friend.
“Okay, but tell her not to cut a swath through the men of our little town,” says Stanton with an amused grin. “I don’t think Old Man Tucker can survive another heart attack.”
“Old Man Tucker?” I ask with pretend shock. “I was thinking those new cops who just started. You know, the handsome ones who are also twins.”