Page 14 of Her Dream Mafia Daddy

“He’s mine and I love him to the moon and back. Well, he’s not actually mine, but I kinda sorta claimed him to be mine and Uncle Eamon can’t say no to me, so he’s mine.” She grinned wide at him.

“That’s right, nugget, he is yours whenever you want to ride him.” He watched as Daphne approached cautiously, speaking in hushed tones.

“Which one do I get to ride?” Daphne asked him.

“You get to ride Ghost. He is a Clydesdale Quarter horse hybrid I rescued. I picked him special for you because he is gentle and calm and the perfect horse for anyone.”

“He’s so pretty. Can I pet him?” She looked at him with wonder-filled eyes.

“Of course you can.” He smiled indulgently at her.

She approached him quietly and softly, stroking his muzzle and scratching his neck. “You are such a good, strong boy, Ghost. Do you think you can carry me to the ridge? I would love to go with you.” Ghost whinnied at her, nudging her with his snout. She let out the sweetest giggle and he nearly fell to his knees. The crack of a whip in the distance caused her to snap her gaze toward the sound and he couldn’t help but notice her thighs pressing together.

He cleared his throat. “Let’s get on these boys and head up to the ridge. We want to make sure we have plenty of time to get up there and back before dark.” He watched in fascination as she confidently led Ghost to the mounting post and effortlessly saddled up.

“You really know what you’re doing there, Little girl.” He smiled.

“Yes, I do. I used to ride when I was younger but I haven’t in a long time. My ex-husband told me I was too fat to ride and I took that to heart. But this big boy can easily hold my weight. He’s gorgeous.” She smiled and leaned forward to pat Ghost’s shoulder.

“Your ex-husband is a dick. I’d like five minutes with him.” His voice was cold as ice. He needed that name now. He would make him pay.

“He’s not worth it. But regardless, Ghost is gorgeous and I feel comfortable on him. Although my left stirrup is a little long, can someone help me adjust it? It’s hard for me to do it from on the saddle.” Murphy was there in a second to adjust her stirrup and make sure the girth was tight enough.

“Everything else feel ok?” Murphy asked her.

“Feels great. Well, everything you can fix feels ok.” She glared at them as they all chuckled.

“Next time, don’t be so naughty before a ride and your bottom won’t hurt.” Liam smirked at her and she just stuck her tongue out at him. Cheeky brat.

Once they were all saddled and situated, he addressed the girls. “I will be in the lead and Liam will bring up the rear. Do not go ahead of me under any circumstances. Clear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Yes, Uncle Eamon.”

“Ok, let’s go then.” He got in front and walked them all out of the round pen towards the trail that would lead them to the ridge.

“Um, Mr. Eamon, Sir. Why do you have so many guns with you?” Daphne asked. He noticed a slight quiver in her voice.

“Well, I have one for self-protection and the other one is a tranquilizer gun in case we come across any aggressive wildlife. We protect the wildlife here and don’t want to hurt them, but we also don’t want to get hurt, so we always carry tranquilizers with us so we can keep everyone safe.” He watched her face, trying to decide if she believed him or not. “Your Uncle Liam also has a tranquilizer gun. You girls are our priority, and we will do anything and everything to keep you safe. That is a promise.”

“I guess that makes sense. I don’t really want to become a bear’s dinner tonight.” She and Kiera giggled.

“We don’t want you to become a bear’s dinner either.” He chuckled at their silliness. Daphne seemed to relax and turn into a completely different woman on top of this horse. He was determined to let her ride as often as she wanted. When she was finally his, he would get her a horse of her own. He couldn’t wait to share this world with her. Well, the legal side anyway. She would never know about his…less than legal operations.

“Thanks for keeping us safe,” she said as she rode up beside him. Kiera and Liam had dropped back, giving them a chance to talk. “I think I was lied to, maybe. Well, I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you tell me what happened and I can answer any questions you have. And I promise to be honest with you. If I can’t answer your question, I will tell you I can’t.” He wanted to put her mind at ease, and he needed her to open up about the ex-husband of hers so he could fucking destroy him.

“I was married. Technically, I still am, actually. But turns out he’s an abusive asshole.” Looking sheepish, she apologized. “Sorry for the language, but it’s true.”

“It’s ok, he sounds like an asshole.” He wanted to scold her but didn’t want her to clam up, so he kept that to himself for now.

“Anyway, he was charming and amazing in the beginning. So much so that even Damian liked him and he doesn’t like anyone.” She gave him a wry smile.

“That’s the most accurate thing ever. Your brother is tough. I have some stories about him I’ll have to share with you later.”

“Ooooo yes, please! I need all the dirt on him.” She threw her head back laughing, so carefree. He didn’t want to dampen this mood, but he really needed more information.