Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“He’d have to start his own firm. That takes mon…” My voice trailed off as I heard how ridiculous that sounded.
“Huh,” Silas said, tapping his chin with his forefinger. “Wonder where he could find an investor. Or five.”
“Six,” Rowe said with an impish grin. Even though it had been a year since he’d turned his business idea into gold, he still wasn’t used to having money to burn.
Foster waved his hand dismissively at Silas and Way. “I may not have any money to invest, but even a lowly sheriff needs a will. And there’s plenty of contract law around here if he’s willing to get familiar with ranches and agricultural stuff.”
“His dad was a rancher,” I said. “The man’s from Texas, for god’s sake. I’m sure half his clients are related to agriculture or oil.” Before anyone could pipe back in and argue that I was proving their point, I held up a hand. “That doesn’t mean he wants it. He hated growing up on a ranch.”
Kenji’s soft voice interjected. He usually kept fairly quiet when the rest of us were together. “He hated growing up on his father’s ranch. Don’t assume that means he hates ranches in general.”
Thinking of Tully watching the sun set against the peaks of Three Daughters and showing Lellie the horses, I knew Kenji had a point. But we’d gotten off track.
“We’re not even dating,” I reminded them. “We barely know each other. And Tully’s smart. He’s cautious. He’s not going to uproot his life and move to small-town Wyoming so he can watch a guy he barely knows stumble through single parenting. That would be… foolish.”
“Beyond foolish,” Kenji agreed. “If that’s what he was doing. Personally, I think there are good reasons why Tully might want to move to Majestic, but I’m not sure he’s aware of all of them. Have you even explained that it’s an option?”
Again with the options?
Landry leaned closer to the camera, making sure the angle was still complimentary, although the man didn’t have a bad angle. “What Kenji’s trying to say is that Tully might as well be the father of your child, Devon.” His eyes flicked. “Tell him, Kenji.”
I turned to see Kenji, who still stood by the coffee maker. His cheeks were a little pink, possibly from the heat of the coffee, and he huffed out a frustrated breath. “No, that’s not what I’m saying,” he argued. “The point I was trying to make was something altogether different. But… it’s true that there are some things you should see that might help you understand things better, Dev.”
“Wait, what?” Landry asked. “What point were you trying to make, then?”
Kenji ignored him. He met my eyes and tilted his head toward the tablet lying on the kitchen counter.
“Kenji?” Landry asked again. “You know I hate it when you ignore me, damn it.”
I squinted my eyes to see what was on the tablet, but the screen was dark. Kenji used his tablet for everything, but nothing about it was related to Tully or Lellie.
Oh.
Except the messages from Katie, which I still haven’t read.
“We’ll see how it goes with Tully,” I told the others, turning back to the laptop screen and trying to smile. “Right now, I need to finish feeding Lellie and get her dressed. We’re heading back to Majestic today, so I’ll see you soon, Silas and Way. And the rest of you… I’ll see you at the AdventureSmash concert in a couple weeks.”
Before they could talk me out of it, I walked over to the computer and ended the video call.
Without a word, Kenji picked up the tablet, swiped to unlock it, clicked an icon, and handed it over. “I’ll handle Lellie. Take all the time you need.”
I hadn’t wanted to do this right now. Quite frankly, I hadn’t wanted to do it anytime soon.
But if there was a key to the Tully situation in the messages from Katie, I had to find it. She was one of his closest friends. Even if she didn’t mention anything relevant to Tully’s career dreams, maybe I’d learn something in here that would give me some indication of whether he might want a serious relationship one day.
I moved through the house to the tiny study in the back corner. It had old wood-paneled walls and an antique desk. But it also had a light pink overstuffed chair and matching ottoman right next to a box of Kleenex.
Perfect.
There was no way I would get through any message from Katie without shedding a few tears.
Fifteen minutes later, I gasped for breath and realized I’d drastically underestimated the waterworks.
Katie’s messages ranged from short and sweet “Doc said baby is the size of an ostrich egg. How TF am I supposed to know how big an ostrich egg is?” to long, narrative passages more like a diary entry in which she worried about the pain of childbirth, wondered if she was doing the right thing, and waited patiently for the next stage of her journey. There were photos of pregnancy tests, ultrasound images, cute maternity clothes with a barely noticeable bump, and swollen ankles. And then there was an actual video of her face the moment she delivered. The camera was moving around enough to make me seasick, but when I heard the sound of Lellie belting out her first complaints, I couldn’t believe I’d missed it.