Bitterroot Queen by Jove Belle

Author:Jove Belle [Belle, Jove]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Dirt Road Books
Published: 2017-06-30T22:00:00+00:00

∞

“Come on, Ramp.” Olly patted the side of her leg. A sandwich would have been nice, but she wasn’t really hungry yet. Besides, she’d made a deal with herself that she would finish the back side of the shrubs before taking a food break. She had at least an hour, maybe two, before that would happen.

She did take a moment to drink some water and dump her flannel into the Scout. She’d started off cool that morning, but was sweating way too much now. She stripped off the tank top, too, leaving her only in her razorback sports bra.

“What do you think? Should we stay in Bitterroot for a while?” Her initial panicked urge to run away had settled to the back of her mind. Bitterroot spoke to her in a way she’d never before experienced.

Rampart looked up at her, his eyes full of devotion and a sincere curiosity.

“Is that a yes or no?”

Rampart barked once and wagged his tail.

“You like it here?” She took another drink of water and checked Rampart’s bowl. It was still half full, but she didn’t want him to run out. She dumped the last of hers in to top it off.

Rampart barked again and sat down.

“George is a pretty good guy. And Bitterroot feels really good. Doesn’t it?”

That morning, over eggs and toast, George had offered her the use of his spare bedroom. More than that, he didn’t freak out when she stiffened and didn’t answer immediately. He was a gruff, crusty old guy, but he totally got her. She couldn’t remember that ever happening with anyone else. As further evidence, he had brushed off the offer and replaced it by saying she could use the loft in the barn, if she wanted, and convert it into an apartment.

The whole thing filled her with an unfamiliar feeling of warmth. In some far recess of her mind, she was almost willing to call it a feeling of home. Since she’d never really had that, she couldn’t say for sure. But it felt good. Not scary. Not like a trap. There was a ton of work to do here at the motel. Maybe while she was doing that, she’d give the loft a test run. Maybe pick up some furniture. Did Bitterroot have a Craigslist? Or was that bulletin board their version of online postings? Probably.

“What do you say, tonight, after we finish up here, let’s set up the hammock in the loft and spend the night up there? We’ll have to figure something out for stairs. That ladder is a little steep for you.”

Rampart barked agreeably in response.

She put her water bottle in the Scout, adjusted her hat, and tucked the wayward strands of hair back up under it before she returned to the hedge.

She worked at a steady pace, stopping occasionally to check that her edges were straight. A line of shrubbery that was pruned wider in some spots and narrower in others would be tragic, and she didn’t want Sam to think she’d hired the wrong person, especially not when she was contemplating an extended stay in Bitterroot.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.