Teresa Southwick - Just What The Cowboy Needed

“Oh, honey, it looks like fun but—” He sighed “—I came up here because I have to eat lunch and then get back to work.”

“But it’s too early,” she said.

“Not for me. I’ve been working since before the sun came up.”

“While I was still sleepin’?”

He knelt on one knee beside her. “That’s right.”

“You must be tired. And really hungry,” she said thoughtfully. “I have an idea.”

“Oh?”

The tone was cautious, uneasy, and the look on his face said he’d rather walk barefoot on boulders than hear what his daughter was going to suggest.

“You should bring your lunch outside and we’ll keep you company. Me and Abigail and Hattie and Grace.”

Grace watched his reaction closely and couldn’t quite put it in the fear category, but there was a definite dash of discomfort there.

“I sure wish I could, honey. But I have a busy afternoon and I need to eat quick.”

“But, Daddy, it won’t take that long.”

“Maybe next time.”

“Ookay.” There was disappointment in her voice along with a measure of acceptance, as if the suggestion had been a long shot in the first place. Clearly she’d been turned down before.

“I’m really sorry.” He held out his arms and without hesitation the little girl stood and moved into them, sliding her arms around his neck.

When his hold slackened, Cassie stepped away and looked at him a little sadly. “When I hug you, you always let go first.”

“Do I?”

Grace didn’t believe Cassie intended to hurt his feelings, but the words had sliced into him and hit their mark. It was clear by the tortured look in his eyes.

She really felt his pain and wanted so badly to say that five or ten minutes wouldn’t make a difference to the horses and cows but could mean everything to his child. She opened her mouth, and he happened to be looking right at her.

A muscle jerked in his jaw. “Something on your mind?”

Just in time, she closed off the words and shook her head.

“Okay, then.” He smiled at Cassie. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay.” She watched wistfully as he disappeared inside. “Mommy says the very best hugs are the ‘never let go’ kind.”

“I know what she means, sweetie.” And that’s all she could say really.

Because it wasn’t in her job description to comment on the father/daughter relationship, no matter how much she was tempted.

* * *

Logan was pretty sure Grace thought he was the lowest life-form on the planet for not joining the tea party yesterday. She’d almost said something but then checked the words, and he was glad she’d kept them to herself. Except he hadn’t been able to get her disapproving look out of his mind. She wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings, but he had his reasons—and they were good ones.

He’d been a kid living in a car with his younger siblings when he figured out that behind his mother’s optimistic mask was fear. And that was his father’s fault. No, he knew Grace’s opinion of him ranged somewhere between snake and slimy single-cell organism. He’d had a dream last night and no expert was needed to analyze it. She’d pointed an accusing finger at him and before she could tell him he was a terrible father, he kissed her. That woke him up, and from then on it wasn’t a restful sleep, which made a man crabby, short-tempered and careless.

He was in the barn repairing tack when he heard the sound of female voices just outside. One was Cassie’s. The other was sexy and sweet, and he knew it belonged to Grace. Then his stomach clenched. Something was wrong or they wouldn’t be here.

He left the little room where tack was stored and hurried to meet them in the hay-scattered main aisle that separated the rows of horse stalls. “What’s going on?”

Grace frowned at his tone, but Cassie seemed unfazed. She ran up to him, her eyes bright with excitement.

“Hi, Daddy!” She was dressed in denim shorts and a pink T-shirt. Her hair was in some complicated weave. “Grace French-braided my hair. Isn’t it pretty?”

“Beautiful.” He looked at the woman standing beside the little girl and could have said the same thing. Her hair was pulled up in a sassy ponytail that brushed the shoulder of her skinny-strap shirt. Her shorts were black and revealed smooth, tanned skin that made his stomach clench again, for a very different reason. Beautiful.

“I was tellin’ Grace about the cats and goats, so we came to see ’em.” She ran past him and peeked into each of the empty stalls.

“Be careful,” he said.

“I will.”

He followed her and watched as she inspected every corner of the barn without success.

“Snowflake must be outside. I’m gonna go look,” she said, then raced toward the wide opening and disappeared.

“Cassie—” Either she didn’t hear or chose to ignore him. “I’m going after her.”

“I’ll go, but could you tag along? I’d like to speak with you about something.”

“Okay.” They walked to the open barn door and he saw his daughter looking around a bale of hay.

“She’s just exploring. This won’t take long, Logan. Promise.”

“She needs eyes on her.” The knot in his stomach tightened.

“Agreed. But this is a ranch, not a razor blade factory.” Grace’s mouth pulled tight for a moment and there was stubbornness in her expression, a clue that she wasn’t going to back off on this. “Please, talk to me. I have some questions and need clarification.”

He met her gaze and mentally braced himself. “Okay.”

“Good.” Her smile was polite, but something simmered beneath it. She looked at his daughter as she said, “For starters, I need to know what is and isn’t okay to do with Cassie.”

“That’s your job. To know how to take care of her. It’s why I hired you. For your judgment.”

“That’s what I thought, too.” Flecks of gold were scattered in her hazel eyes and started to glow, the only hint they might shoot fire any second.

“Good, then we’re finished here.”

“Not quite. The thing is, I used my good judgment this morning. Cassie wanted to show me the baby goats and see if the cat had her babies. My judgment told me that would be fun for her, but I’m sensing that you don’t agree, because you’re acting as if we cut the stirrups off your favorite saddle.”

Very perceptive. “She’s five and has a lot of toys. Isn’t that fun?”

“As you said—she’s five, and that means she has a short attention span. This is a ranch. They’re harmless animals.” Her gaze slid from his to where Cassie was crouched down looking at a rock and poking it with a stick she’d picked up. So much for all the toys.

Why did she have to be so damn logical? And so sexy while she was doing it? “Cats scratch. Goats get frisky.”

“Very true. And that’s why I’m here to watch.” Her gaze narrowed on his before looking at Cassie again. “But I’m sensing you disapprove of my decision. So I have to ask—what are approved activities?”

“Ones where she can’t fall off a fence or wander too close to a horse and get kicked and hurt.”

“So, indoor play only?”

“Exactly.” Good. That was actually easier than he’d expected. Then he saw the defiant look in her eyes and he figured the laser beams were charging. “What?”

“I’m curious.”

Curiosity killed the cat. If he didn’t miss his guess, this was a trap set for him to step in and snap the jaws shut. “About?”

“Cassie visits with you here on the ranch almost every weekend. So, how do you fill the time? What do you do for fun?”

He thought for a moment and saw no downside to telling her. “I take her to movies. Into Blackwater Lake for ice cream. There’s a mall about forty-five minutes to an hour away and she likes to shop.”