Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Still, not a single glance.
“I’m going to fix this.”
A breath of sarcasm pushes through her nose, and she slowly shakes her head. “Fix what?” she mumbles, moving to the opposite side of the nursery, staring at the horse mural on the wall. “My imprisonment? Outing me to Fletcher?”
“I didn’t out—”
“Or the baby?” Her head tilts a fraction like she’s studying the horse's head. “Are you going to unmake that baby with Jolene? Are you going back in time to tell me about the day my real mother came to get me? Are you going to rewind every time Fletcher or Ty hit me?”
“Ty will never lay a hand on you again.”
“It’s okay, Milo. He didn’t hurt me nearly as much as you did.”
“Indie, you can go to bed now. Milo and I will take it from here tonight and give you a chance to settle in. You’ll have him all day tomorrow. Might as well get some rest,” Jolene says.
Milo and I?
“I’m going to take a bath, babe. Feel free to join me when you get Benjamin down.” Jolene leans down to kiss me.
I turn my head slightly so her lips land on my cheek instead of my mouth.
What does Jolene want me to say that she doesn’t already know? I just showered. I don’t take baths. And I’ve never taken a bath with her. Oh, and she’s been sleeping on the other side of the house and using a different bathroom. But I want her to get out of here as quickly as possible, so I don’t respond.
Not that it matters.
By the time Jolene stands straight and adjusts the belt to her skirt, Indie’s gone.
I take my time, holding Benjamin until I can barely keep my own eyes open, then I lay him in the crib and check the monitor before closing his door.
“There you are.” Jolene smiles from the bed, rubbing lotion on her legs and wearing a short black nightie. “Want me to massage your shoulders and back?”
I make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. “I want you to sleep in your bed, not mine.”
“What are you talking about? This is our bed.”
“Since when? I haven’t seen you in this bedroom since Benjamin was born.”
“Well, that’s about to change. We must do better about being here for each other in every way.”
I nearly choke on the toothpaste before spitting it into the sink. Wiping my mouth, I peek around the corner. “If Indie being here makes you so paranoid, why’d you let Fletcher kidnap her?”
“Kidnap?” she scoffs. “That’s a strong word. A little exaggerated, don’t you think?”
“If it’s too strong, tell her she can leave right now.” I shrug off my shirt.
Jolene tips up her chin. “She’s not my business. Fletcher wants her here. He wants to give her something to do, so she’s watching Benjamin until Leah comes back. I’m trying to be agreeable and pleasant, but if you think I want her here, you’re mistaken. I hardly think having her here is a good idea after what you did to her before she even graduated high school. But you’re a father now. You’re married. You’re in line to take over this ranch with me someday. I don’t think you want to risk everything for her, do you?”
I shake my head and grunt a laugh. “You and your fucked-up perception of my relationship with her.”
Her arms cross. “It was inappropriate. She wasn’t even an adult, Milo.”
I sit on the edge of the bed and set the alarm on my phone. “You dunno what you’re talking about.”
“I do. She told me. On. Our. Wedding. Day. The things she confessed out of sheer spite and hatred made me want to vomit. They made it hard to smile behind my veil. They made it hard to say ‘I do.’ And maybe she made it all up. Did she? Did she lie about everything? Did you fuck a high schooler? Did you fuck your boss’s daughter?”
I shut off the light and lie with my back to her.
“If you so much as look at her too long, I will make both of you pay. But I’ll start with her. Keep that in mind, Milo.”
“Morning, son,” Fletcher’s raspy voice grates along my nerves while I ride Ranger toward the rest of the ranchers waiting to redirect the herd to Sunflower Pasture. A special thanks to Ty for wheeling Fletcher’s miserable ass onto the porch just in time to greet me.
“Did Indiana take an instant liking to Benjamin?”
I’m going to end his life. When I find Annie, Fletcher will burn in a fiery hell.
“Did you hear me?”
I don’t give a single glance in his direction.
“Milo,” he says louder.
If he wants to put a bullet in my head, that’s his call. I’m so fucking over submitting to him.
The rest of the day, I keep my head down and my body busy with inventory, checking grass, and making sure the herd gets redirected to Sunflower Pasture without too much resistance. Before heading home, I send Jared to town with fresh meat for Fletcher’s favorite butcher, who happens to be his pastor. I imagine he’ll preside over the funeral after I kill Fletcher.