Page 19 of Glacier

“Ma, only you.” He grinned. “No, I don’t need anything. I've got it covered, and yes, I’ll be careful.” His expression softened. “And if I meet a girl I actually like, I’ll listen and be respectful. I’ll keep an eye out for the other girls too. I promise you don’t have to worry. It’s just the usual crowd.”

God, he was such a good kid. Pride swelled in my chest as I listened to him. I’d had help raising him, sure, but he’d grown into someone I genuinely admired.

“Love you, Fin. Have fun.”

He smiled. “Love you too, Ma. I’ll see you at supper.”

I waved him away and tried to return to my paperwork, but my concentration was shot.

Picking up my phone, I sent Glacier a message.

Me: You still want me to stay?

Glacier: Yeah. Weekend?

Me: I’ll have to leave Sunday.

Glacier: You want to go to a fight Friday night?

Me: Does a bear shit in the woods? Fuck, yeah, I do. Sweaty men and blood… yum.

I laughed when the typing bubbles immediately appeared.

Glacier: Woman! I’ll tell Bet to book me in for a fight. Your eyes don’t need to be on anyone but me.

A surprised snort escaped me. Possessiveness wasn’t something I’d expected from him, considering this was only supposed to be fun.

Me: I look forward to feasting my eyes.

Glacier: I’ll be keeping an eye on you, baby. Are you getting here early Friday?

Me: Yeah, I’ll leave around eight in the morning, so I should be with you around three.

Glacier: K. Drive safe.

Me: Always.

Closing my laptop, I went to the main part of the feed store to speak to Sam, the manager we’d hired to help while Dad recovered and Gabe helped Libby with the baby.

The second I stepped through the doorway, I froze.

Then I immediately ducked behind a shelving unit.

Well, hell.

The last thing I expected to see was my dad kissing the hell out of Sam.

Who knew?

I liked Sam a lot and was thrilled when she applied for the job. She took to running the feed store like a natural, picking up everything quickly.

So if something serious happened between her and Dad, I’d be thrilled.

He’d been alone too long.

My mother had run out on us when I was six, then got herself killed in a car accident a few years later. She and the guy she’d been with had both been high as kites.

Dad had been my rock my entire life. He deserved a good woman. And Sam was good people in every sense of the word. They were both in their mid-fifties, with plenty of life left to live.