Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Jordan pauses her movie and glances up, a smile splitting across her face. “Snow? Yay!” She jumps up from the couch and runs down the hall to what I assume is her room to get dressed.
“Do you need anything?” I ask.
“No, I’m good.”
I nod and stand. “All right, well, I’ll let you head to the store then.”
“Thank you for breakfast…and the gift…and well, everything,” she says, as if this is the last time she’ll see me.
“You’re welcome,” I tell her, not bothering to mention that this is not the last time she’ll see me since I have no intention of going anywhere. Once she realizes I’m not trying to take up all of her time—just some of it—she’ll be more inclined to say yes to my date.
She walks me to the door, and I itch to touch her in some way, but I refrain. “Take care, Kels. If you need anything, I’m here.”
“Thank you,” she mumbles, her cheeks tinting the most beautiful shade of pink.
I’m halfway down her street when I realize that if she needs something, she has no way of getting ahold of me because she doesn’t have my number. I turn around and head back to her house when I spot her and Jordan walking along the sidewalk.
“Hey,” I say when I pull up next to them and roll down my window. “Where’s your car?” It’s damn near thirty degrees outside.
“Umm, I don’t have one,” she murmurs, looking at me sheepishly. “It’s a long story.”
“No, it’s not,” Jordan argues, scrunching her nose up in confusion. “The man with the big truck took it away and brought it back to Grandma.”
Kelsie closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Thanks, kid.”
“Welcome!” Jordan says, missing the sarcasm and embarrassment in her mom’s tone.
“Get in.”
“What?” Kelsie quirks a brow.
“Get in. It’s too cold for you guys to be walking. I’ll drive you. I was going to the store anyway.”
I wasn’t, but she doesn’t need to know that.
She glances at the road, debating if she should be stubborn, then says, “Okay, thanks.”
I get out and help them up, since my truck is lifted. I buckle Jordan into the booster seat I keep on hand for Tilly, then I open the passenger door for Kelsie, stepping up behind her.
“May I?” I ask, not wanting to touch her without her permission. She nods, and I grip the curves of her hips, hoisting her up into her seat.
“You know,” she says once I’m back in my truck. “In the books I read, men who drive trucks this big are always overcompensating for other things that are small.”
She smirks my way, and I’m so shocked by her cracking a joke, it takes me a minute of staring at her before I start to laugh.
“Oh, Kels,” I say, shaking my head. “My family owns a ranch. My truck is lifted to go through the rough terrain, but if you need me to prove that I’m not overcompensating, just say the word.” I hit her with a flirtatious wink, and she groans, her comment clearly not going the way she planned.
I hang out with her while she pushes the cart—and Jordan—through the store, noticing that she’s frugal with what she buys. At one point, I’m almost positive she’s counting the cost of each item to make sure she doesn’t go over. I wish I could offer to pay so she could buy what she wants, but I’ve already done that once, and the last thing I want is to make her feel like she’s a charity case, when she’s not.
I grab a few things to make it look like I was really coming here and then head to a different register, so she doesn’t feel self-conscious, telling myself that this thing with Kelsie isn’t going to be quick. It’ll take time and patience, but I’m okay with that because I have an ample amount of both.
The ride to her house is quiet. Despite her saying she’s got it, I help them out of the truck and insist on carrying the groceries.
“Thank you,” she says, then rolls her eyes. “God, I must sound like a broken record with how many times I’ve thanked you the past few days.”
“You don’t sound like anything,” I tell her. “We’re friends, right? Friends help each other out.”
“Yeah.” She snorts out a humorless laugh. “I’ll be waiting for the day you need help.”
“Never know.” I shrug. “Do you have your phone?”
“Umm, yeah…” she says slowly. “Why?”
“So I can give you my number.”
Her brows furrow, and her lips form a sexy pout.
“In case you need anything,” I clarify. “Remember… Storm…coming through tonight.”
She exhales a harsh breath. “Right. Thank you.” She chuckles and shakes her head at having said those two words again.
She grabs her phone, and I give her my number, making her promise to call if she needs anything. It’s not supposed to be a major storm, but she’s new to this town, alone with her daughter.