Page 10 of Cowboy Daddies

You are a grownup, Sage. A professional. Stop swinging your feet under the table like a five-year-old who needs to potty.

Fiera tilted her head, her curls bouncing as she moved. “I still can’t believe you’re actually living out at Stone Creek Ranch. With Grady Kane. Girl, the stories I’ve heard about that man.”

Sage felt her cheeks heat. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought the same thing a hundred thousand times. Never had she been so thankful to be two full rooms, and two closed doors away from the man fueling her every fantasy. Lord help her, that cowboy was smokin’ hot macho on a stick, all broad shoulders, thick thighs, and that slow, dangerous grin that screamed Daddy in dusty boots. One look and her tummy was doing backflips.

Sometimes she thought he was flirting, maybe even willing to give her the discipline she craved. Sadly nothing had happened. Except for her interactions with his daughter, she was just there.

Still, she couldn’t very well say that to Fiera, so she pasted on a small smile and shrugged. “They’re probably all true. He’s… intense.”

Fiera laughed. “Intense is one word for it. That man is six-foot-four of pure brooding cowboy. But tell me the truth—has he given you the look yet? The one that makes your knees go weak and your bottom start tingling even though you haven’t done anything wrong?”

Has he ever!

Sage’s lady bits clenched. “N-no. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She cleared her throat. Her voice was a little too formal for Fiera to buy this.

The reality was that she’d committed every one of those looks to memory. Honestly, she didn’t know how she was going to make it through the entire summer. Leave it to her to be attracted to someone who wouldn’t give her the time of day, much less a swat on the ass. How was she ever going to find a Daddy to love her if she couldn’t even find one who liked her?

Fiera grinned at her, tapping her finger on the table.

Sage gave herself a mental shake. Get a grip, woman! Her love life was not the most important thing this summer. She was making great progress with Rose. She really loved that kid, and that was what she needed to focus on, not finding a Daddy of her own, right?

Fiera was now leaning back in her chair, fanning herself with a napkin as if she was recovering from a swoon. See, that was exactly what she didn’t need.

It would be much easier not to focus on things like that if her friends didn’t keep texting her and asking her questions about him. Or, like Fiera was doing now, teasing her about her hot new Daddy boss. Sage buried her face in her hands with a groan. “Fiera! Stop! I’m trying to be professional here.”

Fiera sat up straight, apparently recovered… but she still winked and said, “Too late. Your face is the color of my strawberry lemonade.”

Sage peeked through her fingers. “He’s my boss. And Rose’s father. I am not supposed to be thinking about whether he’s a Daddy. Much less trying to make him my Daddy. That is completely inappropriate, not professional at all.”

Fiera raised one perfectly arched eyebrow. “And yet here you are, thinking about it anyway.”

Argh!

Fiera was right. Why couldn’t she get Grady Kane out of her head? Well, that was an easy one. He was tall, handsome, and thoughtful—well, in his own stern, growly kind of way—and a loving father. Come to think of it, maybe she needed to borrow that napkin from Fiera.

Okay, stern and growly might not sound thoughtful to some people, but when you grew up in a family where no one cared what you did, it was the most thoughtful thing a Daddy could be. And the way he loved Rose created such longing in Sage’s heart.

Sage sighed and dropped her hands. “I can’t help it. Every time he gives me that stern look, my brain short-circuits, and my bottom does this clenchy, crawly thing like it’s already preparing for trouble. It’s ridiculous. And embarrassing. I’ve only been there three weeks!”

Fiera reached over and squeezed her hand. “You do remember you’re from Wilder, right? Where the Daddies are stern, the Littles are spoiled, and nobody minds their own business. Speaking of which, have I mentioned how excited I am to go to Rawhide Ranch in August? I need this vacation so bad.”

Sage grinned right back. “Only about a million times! I’m so happy for you. You’re going to have the best time ever. I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back. Unless, of course, you meet the Daddy of your dreams there and he sweeps you off to places unknown.” Sage put on a sad face. “Then I’ll never see you again.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Fiera said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m not going there to meet a Daddy. My number one, okay, well, number two or three reason for going is to get away from Erwin. Honestly, that man is driving me crazy. If I get rid of him and have some fun while I’m there, all the better.”

“Still, it’s the perfect time to meet the Daddy of your dreams,” Sage said. “You just wait. You’re going to get there and find Daddy Wonderful.”

Fiera shook her head. “Who knows, but that’s not why you wanted to talk to me. What can I do for you, Miss Homeschool Nanny Extraordinaire?”

Sage perked up. Now Fiera was speaking her language. “Tell me everything you know about what kindergartners are supposed to know before first grade. Rose is very smart, but she’s been through a lot. I’ve reviewed the curriculum, but I want to make sure I’m not missing anything important.”

Fiera launched into a detailed explanation about letter sounds, number recognition, and basic sight words, Sage pulled out her notebook and started scribbling. She almost didn’t notice when Grady and Rose returned from the feed store.

Almost.

Her Daddy radar was way too active when it came to Grady. The moment Grady stepped through the saloon doors with Rose’s little hand tucked safely in his big one, Sage’s heart did a silly cartwheel. Rose looked happier than she had in days, clutching a new coloring book and a bag of crayons like they were treasures.

Fiera glanced around before giving Sage a knowing smirk.