Page 24 of Cowboy Daddies

After all, he didn’t have to imagine her on her knees, looking up at him with those wide, trusting eyes while she waited for his next command. Wondering how soft her skin would feel under his rough hands. Or how sweetly she would purr when she submitted to him, when she let go and gave herself over to him completely.

You’re doing a great job of “restraining” yourself, his cock mocked.

Damn it! The more time she spent in his house, the harder it became to remember why he shouldn’t want all those things. He needed to get to work and give himself something else to focus on.

“Breakfast is on the table,” he called to Sage from the kitchen.

“Aren’t you joining us?” she called back.

“Got chores to do, babygirl. The horse stalls aren’t going to muck themselves.”

Once in the barn, he grabbed a pitchfork from the wall and got to work. Each lift of soiled hay sent a satisfying burn through his shoulders and back. The familiar scent of straw, leather, and horses wrapped around him like an old friend. A friend who whispered things like, “I wonder how she would like leather play,” and, “Hay is for rolling in too.”

Sage had become a part of his house—no, a part of his family. Hell, she was quickly becoming the foundation of it. She’d worked her magic in more ways than he wanted to admit just by being herself. All he had to do was look at the flower gardens beginning to bud and the bird sanctuary she’d created, filled with bright, colorful birdhouses swinging in the breeze. She was turning this house into a home.

Speaking of the house, all the wooden floors shone with fresh polish, and pictures now hung on walls that had been bare for two long years. His babygirl had turned his cold, sad house back into a place of joy and warmth.

Maybe he’d need to change that middle name of his. Restraint didn’t fit anymore. More than anything else, he desired to stroke her wild red curls and tell her she was safe—that she was his.

Grady jammed the pitchfork into another pile of hay with more force than necessary, muscles burning. He had about two months. A lot could happen in two months.

His cock pounded against his zipper at just the thought of her.

Boots clicking on the wooden floor brought him back to reality.

Sage’s wild red corkscrew curls bounced with every step as she walked toward him. It was cute as fuck. She was a vision of joy, trouble, and sexiness all wrapped up in a tight pair of jeans. A lot of girls tried hard to give off those vibes. For her, it came naturally.

Those jeans hugged her dancer’s frame like she’d been poured into them. A bright teal tank top accentuated the light freckles across her shoulders. Her bright-blue eyes fixed on him with the expectant look he was already learning to recognize. She wanted something.

Jaw tight, he did his best to ignore the way his body reacted to the sight of her. His old, disciplined self was back, relaxing him and giving him clarity of thought.

“Daddy, I need to go into town,” Sage said without preamble, her voice bright and determined.

Standing there, a silence hung in the air. It was clear she was waiting for him to respond, and he was expecting her to continue.

“Okay,” he drawled. “I’ll bite. Why do you need to go into town, babygirl?” There could be any number of reasons, but he was pretty sure he knew why.

“I still want to talk to the first-grade teacher at Wilder Elementary School about the skills Rose’ll need to be ready to test into second grade this fall. She’s more than capable. And that way, our Rosie can be in class with kids her age.”

Our. The word warmed his heart.

He leaned the pitchfork against the nearest stall and wiped his hands on a rag. She’d been telling him this for a week straight, but he was still thinking it over. The school principal had told him that, because Rose had missed kindergarten, it would be “in her best interests” to start her in first grade. It felt wrong, but he didn't know what to do. Now here was his Wildfire, offering a different solution.

There was no doubt Rose was finally blossoming. She was breaking out of the shell that had kept her locked away for the past two years. The last thing he wanted was to put too much pressure on her and watch all that hard-won progress disappear.

Grady watched Sage, taking in the way she shifted from foot to foot, that hopeful, slightly nervous look in her gorgeous indigo eyes. She was trying so damn hard to do right by his daughter. She had proven herself already and earned his trust, but it was still hard letting someone else take that big a role in Rose’s life.

“You think she’s ready for second grade?” he asked.

Sage nodded. “She picks things up so fast. I just want to make sure we’re doing right by her.”

We.

She’d been doing that more and more lately… referring to Rose as ours instead of his. Try as he might not to read anything into it, it was getting harder and harder to beat back the dangerous hope that those words meant she wanted to stay on longer than this summer.

Rose and her needs were, it seemed, the only subject that could distract him from Sage. He rubbed a hand down his face, thinking it over.

“I want to do right by her too, Sage. I’m worried about the pressure it might put on her.”