Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
“Stanley, please. Coffee?”
I really liked him. Hell, the man saved my life and didn’t try to kill me when I demanded forever from his daughter. “Please. Thank you. Where is Grace?”
He smirked, then handed me a cup of steaming-hot black coffee, just like I liked it. “She’s gone already. It’s a thirty-minute drive to the hospital.” I felt the disappointment acutely in my damn chest.
Soon we wouldn’t be sleeping alone ever again. My heart and soul belonged to her and her pretty blue eyes. They captivated me from the first moment I saw them filled with so much emotion. Everything about her revitalized my being, so much so that I couldn’t imagine her not in my life. I had to find her and tell her that I’d never let her go. I’d never had those feelings for anyone else. Could it be love at first sight? Damn right. It was exactly that, and I planned on making her mine as soon as humanly possible.
“Does she call when she’s working?” Fuck, I sounded like a stage-five clinger. I took a sip and looked around the white country-style kitchen, trying to hide my embarrassment.
“Not most of the time since she works at the hospital for only one week a month. Besides, we’re both very independent and solitary people. I run the clinic when she’s there, so she knows how busy it can get.” I couldn’t contain the frustration and the sense of defeat, and he read it off my face. “If she does call, I’ll make sure to give you the phone.”
“Thanks.” I took another drink, attempting to find the right words. The silence grew awkward as the seconds ticked by.
“Sit down. I’ll whip up a small breakfast for you before I head into the clinic area. All I ask is that you stay hidden. You won’t have to worry because no one comes into the house. It’s one of the things I made a number-one rule.”
“I understand. You would probably have the entire town creeping in when they were bored.”
“Yes. So tell me more about the men you have meeting with my daughter.” I’d been waiting for the interrogation to begin. No father in his right mind would let his daughter get involved with a man without knowing everything he could about him.
“I belong to a motorcycle club in my town. We’re a bunch of former soldiers and friends who moved to the town our president built with his brother.”
“A town built around the club? That sounds dangerous.”
“Not in the least.” I paused and took another gulp of my coffee as I formed my response. I didn’t want him trying to take her away from me. Not that I’d let that happen, but I sure as fuck didn’t want a family rift, especially when I owed him so much. “Well, it didn’t used to be an issue. A few months before I left, we started to feel the hand of the cartels in our area. We got rid of some of the issues, but not before they got to us. The town is now monitored for safety at all times to keep our residents secure. It has grown over the past five years, but the town for the most part is peaceful, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
“So you were a soldier?” he asked, taking a seat at the breakfast counter.
“Special forces for six years.”
“Damn. You look young. How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.”
“Okay. That’s not too bad when it comes to Grace.”
“How old is she?”
“Twenty-five.” I knew she had to be at least twenty-four since she was a doctor, unless she was a super genius who skipped grades like people skipped rocks.
“There isn’t some boyfriend that I need to get out of the picture, is there?”
“No, but I will warn you that if you hurt my girl in any way, I’ll deliver your ass to the cartels myself.”
“That’s understood.”
“Enough. Eat, so you can get your strength back.” I dug into the bowl of oatmeal, and I was surprised at not only how good it was, but that I’d polished it off in minutes.
“I see you’ll be getting your strength back sooner than expected with the way you’re eating.”
“When can I start lifting again?”
“I’d give it another couple of weeks. The ribs are still healing, and we don’t want any added stress on them.”
“Thanks. I want to be able to protect Grace personally. I hate that I have to leave it to others.”
He nodded with genuine respect. As crazy as it sounded, I was in love with his daughter. I’d been given a second chance, and I wasn’t going to squander it. “Give it time. Any setback can make it a hell of a lot harder to recover from.”
“I’ll take that advice. Now I need some real food. Do you have any eggs?”