Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“You’re funny. We both know the mortgage firm would die if you upped and left on a whim.” Nelle blows out a breath of air, like she’s exasperated with her job when we all know the girl loves her work, her boss, and the company as a whole. “I’m okay now. Thank you for getting me through this. I’ll call back if I can’t make it into the actual house this time, okay?”
“Whatever you need, Tulsa, I’m here. We’ve got each other’s backs. Forever,” she replies as I stand up.
“Forever,” I reply our motto. When she went through the hardest thing a woman ever should, it was me who held her hand the entire time, sleeping in her bed with her, wiping away the tears as her body rejected something she had no idea she’d truly want.
“Love you, Tulsa.”
“I love you, too.” I hit the end button and place my phone in my back pocket, feeling marginally better after the pep talk Nelle gave me. A smile crosses my face for the first time today, the dread that was sitting inside me slowly dissipates, and just as I’m turning around, ready to head inside, a voice comes from around the corner. A voice that I know like the back of my hand, making me second-guess every single thought I only just overcame.
“Tulsa Rose, what are you doing here?” I take a deep breath before turning toward Ledger Sinclair, completely unprepared to see him after all this time.
2
LEDGER
“She’s back and about thirty minutes out from the house,” Flay, the Williams’ family attorney, told me when I answered the phone. No pleasantries were necessary, only the fact that I had to step off a job site, ask my employee to take over, then leave. I had to get home and let Tulsa in her own damn house. My roofing company hit the ground running the year after Montgomery passed away and Tulsa was at school. It got even bigger, needing more of my attention, when she told me how she really felt. There’s not a day that goes by that I wish her brother were still alive. I’d gladly take his place if I could. Which is probably why I worked my ass off, trying to drown out all the memories, the mistakes I’ve made by sending her away even if it’s what Montgomery wanted. Clearly, it was a fuckup considering it’s taken her ten years to get her ass back to Orange Blossom.
The one thing you couldn’t prepare yourself for happens before my eyes. Hearing what I heard made me want to turn around, travel back through the path from her place to mine, get in my truck, and drive like the flames of hell are on my ass. Tulsa Rose is just as pretty as she was the last time she was standing where she is now. The only difference is that the confidence she exudes now wasn’t there last time.
“I’m pretty sure it’s self-explanatory since this is my home, Ledger Sinclair.” The full effect of her beauty shouldn’t surprise me. It wasn’t that long ago I was in the same town as her. Tulsa had no idea, and I’m not going to tell her. I take her in, my eyes drawn to her face at first, clear hazel eyes shooting daggers my way, soft kissable lips, a redness tinging her cheeks, whether that’s from a happiness to see me or anger, I’m not sure. Her long soft brown hair flows down in soft wavy curls to her waist. She used to prefer to keep it in its natural form even when she was a teenager. I see not much has changed, including her preferred jean shorts, this pair is a dark wash, a light pink tank top, and her legs are bare besides the sandals on her feet.
“You haven’t called this place home in a lot of years. You’ll have to forgive me for not knowing I’d need to get off work to meet you here.” Her back goes ramrod straight, hip cocked out. A light tap of her foot is the only hint of annoyance she gives away that I’ve hit a nerve.
“No one said you had to be here. I have a key of my own.” I walk up the steps of the wraparound porch, making my way closer, watching as her eyes take me in. Probably because I’m filthy from the half day at work I was doing, tearing roofing materials off an old house. It makes for dirty work. The shirt I’m wearing is stained no matter how many times I’ve washed it. Same with my jeans, a few holes adding to the mix, and my boots are well worn.
“It won’t work. I changed the locks last year.” I don’t tell her that the cleaning lady started poking around, and I caught her slipping something into her pocket. Confronting her wasn’t going to do any good. So, I called Judd, the now Sheriff. He knew the deal with the Williams’ house. By the time he walked inside, the woman was as white as a ghost. I didn’t have her arrested. She emptied her pockets, left, and I called the cleaning service to cancel their service from then on out. I changed the locks, found a different service, and everything’s been fine since then.