Page 29 of One Kind Goal

“Trust me to keep her away from the public.”

Carina nodded, but Sawyer could tell she wasn’t one hundred percent okay with him taking Nia. Hopefully, after this trip went well, she’d see there was nothing to worry about. This could be the beginning of him having a real relationship with his daughter and he was beyond thrilled at the prospect.

He leaned into the back seat and made sure Nia was all buckled in properly. Carina checked his work and deemed it correct.

“Bye, sweetie.” Carina dropped a kiss on Nia’s forehead. “I’ll see you in a few days. Have fun.”

“Bye, Mommy.” Nia waved and Carina shut the back door.

“We’ll call you,” Sawyer said.

“I’d appreciate that, Sawyer. Thank you.”

He squeezed her arm. “No, thank you for letting me take her. It means so much to me.”

Carina rested her hand over his on her arm for a moment then stepped back. “Now get out of here before I change my mind.”

Sawyer hopped into the driver’s seat, not sure if she was kidding or not. He didn’t want to take that chance, so he started the engine and backed out of that driveway before Carina could stop him. He pulled onto the main street and navigated to the highway.

“Daddy?” Nia asked after a few minutes.

“Yeah, Nia-bunny?” He glanced at her in the rearview, loving the sight of her in his back seat.

“Are we there yet?”

****

Why wasn’t Sawyer there yet? Morgan had arrived at the cottages about thirty minutes ago and had checked in. Isabel had upgraded them to a larger cottage, which was fine with Morgan. The bigger one was as charming as the smaller, but it had a grander fireplace and Morgan pictured Sawyer and her naked in front of a blazing fire.

But that scene wouldn’t become a reality until the man showed up. Ugh. When had Morgan gotten so impatient?

Precisely when I met Sawyer Lundin. The man made her want so many things.

She pulled her phone out as she sat on the leather sectional in this cottage’s living room. The ceilings were higher and the room had a more cavernous feel, but it still had that Pine River Cottages’ coziness Morgan enjoyed.

Tapping the screen, she hovered her finger over Sawyer’s contact, but after noting the time, she figured chilling would be better. It took about five hours to drive from Bristol, Rhode Island to Maplehaven, Vermont according to her online calculations. It had only been four and half hours so far. Technically, Sawyer wasn’t late. Plus, maybe he had to stop because his arm was bothering him. She’d offered to pick him up in Austin’s jet, but he’d said driving would give them a car while they stayed in Vermont. It may have been the more practical course of action, but practical meant Morgan had to wait to see him.

Waiting sucked.

A soft knock sounded on the cottage door. Morgan popped up from her seat, hoping Sawyer had arrived. She ripped open the door, prepared to throw herself at him, but Isabel stood there instead with her dog, Blaze, by her side.

“Oh, hey,” Morgan said.

“You thought it was him, didn’t you?” Isabel stepped into the cottage.

“Well . . . yeah.”

“Sorry to trick you,” Isabel said as Blaze entered and set about sniffing around the wood pile near the fireplace. She held up a basket covered with a checkered linen napkin. “I brought over some baked delights from the dining hall for a snack.”

Morgan took the basket, lifting the napkin to take a peek. “Wow. Those chocolate chip cookies smell amazing.”

“Freshly baked this morning.”

“Thanks, Isabel.” Morgan placed the basket on the kitchen island. “I’ve stayed in tons of hotels and resorts, but I can honestly say that nowhere is as homey as this place.”

Isabel bowed slightly in front of Morgan. “Music to my ears, my friend. Pure music.” She slapped her thigh. “C’mon, Blaze. Let’s go find your daddy.”

“Oh, is Jackson back?” Morgan walked Isabel to the front door.