Page 128 of Cowboy Daddies

“We are not done yet,” Callum said growling.

If he would look up he would understand what the issue was! “No, Daddy-”

“Hush, babygirl.”

“Respectfully? Look out the fucking window, Sir.”

“Do not curse at me, spitfire.” Callum finally stopped what he was doing. There in the window was my horse chewing on black-eyed Susans like they were her breakfast. He let out a string of curses, quickly fixing my panties and jeans. “Is she smiling?”

“Smiling. Yes, Daddy. My horse is clearly amused while there’s clearly a big problem on our hands.”

“Glimmer is smiling,” he repeated, tugging me around to face him. “We’ll revisit the rest of this conversation later.”

“I’m so sorry for snapping at you. I wasn’t trying to be rude, Sir.”

“I forgive you.” Callum kissed my forehead, each of my temples, my nose and then my mouth. “Daddy has to take care of whatever is going on in the barn, but we are still spending the afternoon together. Come on.”

We got our boots and flannel shirts on before walking around to the front porch. Cedar ran freely throughout the main part of the ranch like he’d always had dreams of being a racehorse. If it wasn’t so serious, the sight would be comical. Callum shook his head.

“Fuck. All right. It’s clear that Cedar is going to be a challenge. Get Glimmer to the temporary stall. Do not go near the barn.”

Before I could argue or protest, Callum continued.

“I don’t know what the damage is yet only that two horses were displaced. The structure could be unstable. Daddy doesn’t need to worry about you getting hurt while he’s handling everything else.”

I actually wasn’t going to argue for once. Nodding, I went up on my tiptoes. Callum leaned down and kissed me one more time. “Yes, Daddy.”

“I see my hand has improved your mood. I’ll give you an update as soon as I have one.”

With that he rushed off toward the barn, cell phone already to his ear. Violet Meadows was gated, so there wasn’t a huge risk of Cedar breaking free into open land. I knew Callum would take care of everything. I trusted him to handle it. I grabbed a spare lead rope and halter from my truck.

Walking to Glimmer, I clucked my tongue lightly. “Hey, pretty. Are you chomping on Nana's flower garden? Such a naughty thing.”

Glimmer whinnied.

“Yeah, I know. Why put such delectable treats out if they weren’t meant to be eaten?” I held out the halter and Glimmer dipped her head, clearly done with her snack. After the halter was on, I clipped the lead rope under her chin. “I hope you had fun, nearly gave me a heart attack.”

As I led her to the temporary stall in one of the other barns, she chuffed. Of course her belly was full of yummy flowers. I got her some hay, adding some fresh water to the nearby bucket and her grain. Routine and stability. Pausing as my sweet mare ate, I realized that Callum had added the same thing to my mornings. Everything had improved with him around. My stress levels were way down, and I was smiling at nothing more often than not. I was also very interested in the plans he had for us and what they’d entail. Spending time with him away from the ranch sounded like a dream.

For the second time today, I was shocked. Callum had caught Cedar. He was already back and walking him toward the temporary enclosure. That was fast! It had been less than three hours since Glimmer appeared in the window. Hardly any time at all since our morning went sideways.

“Should I add roping to your list of talents, Sir?” I teased him as he entered.

“Nah. I think Cedar was tired out after his jaunt. He walked to me.” Callum gave me an infuriating smirk.

“Oh, yeah? Cedar? He just walked to you.” I shook my head smiling.

“He did. Such a good horse,” he replied, chuckling. “Maybe he needed the morning off. Stretch his legs.”

“You’ve got jokes, Daddy.”

“Always, spitfire.”

“What’s the damage to the barn?”

“I’m happy to report it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Contractors provided an estimate and repairs will be underway by early tomorrow morning. We should have everything fixed within a few days. Luckily the structure is solid overall. We’ve moved the remaining horses out. Easy-peasy.”

“With you at the helm it sure feels like it. Thank you for taking care of it.”