“Last chance,” I tell her, letting my voice take on a sing-song tone. When she remains stubbornly silent, I heave a deep sigh as I shift her on my lap. “All right. Time for Daddy to get mean.”
Shocked squeals fill the car as I dig my fingertips into her sides. Tabby comes alive on my lap, kicking and wriggling as she tries to escape my fingers.
“Daddy, no!” Her words are breathless from her shrieks of laughter. “Stop, stop, I’m awake, I’m awake!”
“I think we need to beextrasure,” I say with a laugh of my own as I double down, tickling her even harder.
“Daddy! Stop! I can’t breathe!”
Taking pity on my babygirl, I let my fingers go still. “Are you sure you’re awake, little firecracker?”
Chest heaving with deep, ragged breaths, she glares at me. “Very sure!”
“Good.” Helping her to sit up, I point out the window as the car turns onto a long, winding driveway. “Because we’re home.”
CHAPTER 10
TABITHA
My heart, which was already beating far too fast after being tickled awake, slams against my ribcage at the sight of the giant wooden structure looming ahead of us.
“I thought you said you lived in a cabin!”
Behind me, his chest rumbles with laughter. “We do. Just a very large cabin.”
“That’s not a cabin, it’s apalace.”
Mouth open, I stare up at the “cabin” as it grows closer with every passing second. Palace doesn’t seem very far off, though this is a palace made of wood instead of stone. There are two stories, with balconies wrapped around the top. The roof slants upward in a steep triangle, I assume in deference to the heavy snows an area like this is likely to get.
It’s stunning, not just in size but in sheer beauty.
And this gorgeous palace is my new home.
Someone pinch me, I’m dreaming.
Our car hasn’t even come to a stop at the top of the long driveway when a door opens and two women spill out, racingtoward the vehicle. Unlike me, they’re both dressed in denim overalls, though their hair is braided in pigtails like mine.
“Uncle Colt, Uncle Colt!”
Their squeals of excitement are cut off by a booming voice. “Melanie! Josephine! Stop right there!”
Both girls freeze and whip around, and I watch with horrified fascination as they throw their hands behind them to protect their bottoms. A loud sigh fills the car, and when I glance over, Daddy is shaking his head.
“I was wondering how long it would take them to get themselves in trouble once we got home. But I figured they’d wait at least ten minutes,” he says with a deep chuckle.
My gaze snaps back to the scene playing out in front of me. A giant man, maybe even bigger than Daddy, stops in front of the two recalcitrant Little girls, his arms crossed and his features twisted into a scowl. He’s saying something, lecturing them by the looks of things, but I can’t make out his words with the window up.
I’m debating the wisdom of just rolling the window down so I can hear when the car finally comes to a complete stop. Fear and excitement and worry and what feels like a million other emotions tumble around in my stomach as we wait for the driver to open the door.
“What if they don’t like me?” I blurt out, my vision blurring with tears.
“Oh, baby.” Daddy’s arms tighten around me. “They’re going toloveyou. I promise.”
I nod, the lump in my throat blocking any protests I might even try to give. It’s stupid, I know, to be so worried about if people will like me when I’ve literally been kidnapped here against my will. But apparently I’m stupid, because that’s literally all I can think of as Daddy helps me out of the car, taking my hand tightly in his as we approach the trio a few feet away.
“...can’t believe you would go running toward a moving vehicle. If it wasn’t a special occasion, you’d both be grounded,” the gruff, terrifying man is saying. Both of the women in front of him have their heads down, staring at the dirt beneath their bare feet. “I want you both in the living room, overalls off and your noses in the corner. Go.”
“Could I maybe get a hug from my favorite nieces first, Ax?”
