Page 28 of Cowboy Daddies

Once inside the barn, she looked down the row of horses.

Daisy was too mild, she decided. She needed more of a challenge. So instead of the sweet mare, she chose Buttercup. Buttercup sounded gentle. With a name like Buttercup, Sage should be fine.

In the dark, it was hard to find things, so she flipped on the barn light. Pulling the saddle off the gate was harder than it looked. That saddle was heavy. She stumbled back, saddle in hand, and knocked over a bucket filled with horseshoe nails, scattering them everywhere.

She froze.

As it turned out, a nail bucket falling could be very loud. The crash sent a clatter echoing through the barn like thunder. Not moving, she listened for the sound of the house door opening. When it didn’t come, she let out a relieved breath and continued on.

Sage walked into Buttercup’s stall and dropped the saddle inside the gate, her heart racing so hard she could feel it in her throat. Picking up the saddle, she lurched forward, trying to lift the saddle high enough to get it on Buttercup’s back.

She’d thought the palomino was gentle, but right now Buttercup was dancing sideways, hooves shifting nervously on the straw as if trying to avoid Sage. She clung to the saddle with both hands, trying desperately to keep her balance, while the heavy load made her lean sideways.

Choosing Buttercup had seemed like such a good idea. All she’d wanted was to show her Daddy she could learn to ride a horse so he would be proud of her and want her to stay. Now she was beginning to panic.

Buttercup was snorting and sidestepping. The horse had nearly knocked her off her feet twice already. As she tried to move out of the way this time, her bare foot landed on something sharp. What else could possibly go wrong?

It was about that time she heard the bang of the door against the barn wall. She looked up. There stood her Daddy holding a gun, and he looked… less than impressed with her plan.

Uh-oh.

This was not going to be good.

First putting the gun on top of a box, Grady moved toward her like lightning. He grabbed Buttercup’s halter with one big hand and calmed the animal with a firm stroke and a low, commanding voice. The pony settled almost instantly under his authority.

Sage lowered the saddle to the ground and stayed bent over, trying to breathe. Two boots walked into her field of vision. Turning her face up to his, she smiled and waved. “Wait till you hear my explanation. It’s really a funny story.”

“I am laughing already,” he said.

Strange, he didn't look like he was laughing, she thought. His face was a storm. Worry, shock, and pure, thunderous anger flashed across it in rapid succession. She felt very small all of a sudden, her bare toes curling into the straw as heat rushed to her cheeks.

“Wildfire,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous, “what in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Sage’s bottom clenched at the sound of that tone. She shifted on her feet, feeling smaller and squirmier by the second. “I… I wanted to surprise you,” she whispered, voice wobbling. She paused for a minute. Standing up straight, she put her hands beside her face with fingers splayed, smiled as big as she could, and said, “Surprise!”

Grady’s jaw flexed. Towering over her, he didn’t seem amused. That strict Daddy look pinned her in place like a butterfly on a board. “Let me get this straight. You snuck out of the house, barefoot… in the dark. Then you tried to climb on a horse you don’t know how to handle, after I specifically told you not to put yourself in danger. And you did all this to surprise me?”

“Well, when you put it that way, anything can sound bad.”

His eyebrow rose at the same time as his voice rose. “It is bad.”

The rebuke stung. Her eyes filled with unshed tears, but something else was happening too. Underneath the shame was that familiar fluttery warmth—the one that always appeared when he got all strict and protective.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she whispered, voice tiny and sincere. “I just wanted to make you proud of me so you’d want to stay with me when you put me to bed.”

Grady exhaled through his nose, rubbing a hand down his face. For a moment, she thought maybe the warm, loving Daddy who held her close and kept her safe would overrule the strict Daddy ready to bust her bottom, not really sure which one she wanted. She took a step forward to hug him, but when she did, the pain in her foot had somehow gotten permission to express itself and remind her of the injury.

“Ouch,” she said and started to falter.

He reached out and gently lifted her into his arms. He walked out of the area where the nails had scattered before setting her back on her feet in front of him.

“You’re going to be one very sorry little girl in about two minutes,” he promised. “First, I want to take a look at that foot,” he said, voice low and firm. He reached up and pulled a first aid kit off a bracket on the wall Sage hadn’t even noticed was there.

“And then, Wildfire, you and I are going to have a long talk about following rules.”

Chapter Ten

Grady had Sage sit down on a bale of hay so he could take care of her foot. It turned out hay was just as prickly as it looked, and her pajama shorts did nothing to protect her bottom and the backs of her legs.