A False Start (Gold Rush Ranch, #4)

by Elsie Silver

“Once is an accident. Twice is a mistake.”

The woman in front of me is talking a mile a minute, hands gesturing like she’s conducting a goddamn orchestra.

I absently think to myself that Tommy is like a Golden Retriever. Cute and friendly, but just a bit dumb. Or a little too eager to please. But I stomp on those thoughts—it’s unfair to a Golden Retriever now that I think about it—and

“My dad was a drunk.” I grunt. So was I. What am I supposed to do? Judge the guy? “He beat the hell out of our mom.” Yes. I am supposed to judge this piece of shit.

“We’re just friends. I’ve been giving Nadia riding lessons.” My dad can barely hold back his guffaw as he says, “Is that what kids these days are calling it?”

“A woman who feels like a goddess when you leave a mark like this on her. A woman who doesn’t want a goddamn thing from you other than to be worshipped any time, any place.” The intense way he’s staring at me almost makes me squirm. “You deserve a woman who drives you crazy every damn day, and nothing less.”

“Age is just a number, little Dalca. And the only number that counts is eight.” She points over to where Griffin stands, panting and glowing under the scorching sun. “Because that’s how many abs I can count on him.”

This place is . . . me. It’s simple, it’s cozy, it possesses a wild and unruly sort of beauty.

“I’m scared because I want to give you the world, and I know I can’t. Not yet.” My hands go from fists to sliding across him, exploring the hard lines of his abdomen. “Just give me right now. Give me one day at a time. With you, they’re always better,

“Meet you at the top, Wildflower.”