Page 85 of Cowboy Daddies

He began to think about his life and where it had brought him. He’d never have met Allegra if he hadn’t left the ranch. And he told himself that leaving had been worth it, if only for that. It was true and he believed that, but there was still that feeling of having missed out by cutting ties because he’d misunderstood.

Which brought him to his marriage and how his misunderstanding had almost ruined that too. He thought about their new dynamic and how much he was enjoying being a Daddy Dom. It was more fun and less stress, and he wasn’t sure why because in most ways things hadn’t changed much.

He was still the boss and he took that seriously. He’d always taken care of her, but now the energy had changed. There was still punishment too, of course. It just … felt different. It was the best decision they could have made.

His business was going well—fantastic really. It had grown and expanded over the years. He’d added a management team that was always on top of things. He kept his hand in, but only because he still enjoyed parts of the work.

It was a good life. He couldn’t complain about any of it really. It was just … fuck, he’d missed getting his hands dirty. He’d missed riding and chasing steers. He’d missed this place and the idea that it might soon be gone was overwhelming.

If only they weren’t … he stopped the thought there and sat up in bed with an abruptness that disturbed Ally.

“Carter? You okay?” she murmured. Her hand slid across the sheets to touch him.

He drew in a ragged breath. “I’m okay, sweetheart. Go back to sleep.” His tone was distracted and his thoughts were racing as they tried to make a connection.

She didn’t listen. “What’s wrong?” she asked, as she sat up and turned on the bedside light, before wiggling closer to him. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“Nothing is wrong. I just … I think I might be losing my mind.” He couldn’t get the words out. It was crazy. Allegra would think he was insane. And the logistics of it, if they tried to … it would be impossible. Wouldn’t it?

“You’re worrying me, Daddy.” She leaned against him, arms sliding around his waist.

He took another deep breath and let it out slowly. “Ally … now that you’ve quit your job, what do you think you’ll do next?”

She straightened. “What? I-I’m not really sure. I mean I didn’t expect to quit, so I don’t really have a back-up plan. Why?”

“Well, you quit. My job can be done from anywhere. We’re not really tied to living in the city.”

“Sure. I guess?” The confusion was obvious in her voice.

He shifted, turning to face her, and took her hands in his. “I’ve had a really crazy idea.” He hesitated for a few seconds, before continuing. “What would you think about buying this place?”

Her eyes slowly widened. Her mouth dropped open and hung there as the silence between them stretched out. He saw her try to say something and stop.

Finally, he couldn’t handle it and hurried to add, “I know. I realize this would totally upend our lives. I know it sounds completely⁠—”

“Daddy.” The word was soft, but it cut through what he was saying and he stopped. “Is this a ‘wouldn’t it be cool if we could’ kind of thing? Or do you actually think this is possible? Like for real possible.”

“I don’t know. I mean, there’s so much to figure out. If it was just our savings, investments, my company… probably not. But if we add in the trust fund … maybe. I’m not sure how much is in it right now.” His mouth twisted as he thought about the trust.

The sum honestly made him queasy, so he didn’t look. Hadn’t spent one penny since the day he’d been informed it existed a few years back. He hadn’t grown up rich, especially once he’d entered foster care. He hadn’t known his parents had left him anything at all. No one had ever told him there was an inheritance waiting for him when he turned eighteen.

But their house and cars had been sold and the money put aside. Then there was the life insurance payout from their deaths, and a hefty settlement from the drunk driver who’d been responsible. Their family lawyer had quietly handled the account for years, investing and growing the sum.

She’d made the decision not to tell him about the money when his troubled teens had led to arrest. It was probably a smart move. The boy he’d been would have blown through it in the most damaging way possible.

There was a codicil in the will, which allowed her to change the disbursement age to thirty, if she felt he wasn’t mature enough at eighteen. He’d certainly given her reason to believe that was the case. The certified letter with the account information arrived just a few days after he turned thirty, and he’d nearly hit the floor in shock.

And once he’d confirmed it was real, he’d just left it there. It continued to grow, he assumed. But maybe this is what it was meant for. Maybe there was some purpose to all of this.

“Maybe it’s enough,” he said. “Or at least enough for a decent down payment.” Then he shook his head. “It’s a risk. I don’t know anything about running a ranch. Hell, it’s been so long, I barely know about working on one. And we don’t even know if this place is making a profit. I mean, a lot of ranches are failing these days.” He could have kept talking, but it felt like he was starting to ramble.

She examined his expression like she was looking for a sign of something. Finally, she said, “Daddy, if this is something you really need, then I’d say… let’s look into it. We can at least talk to them.”

Pa had said they’d do their best to make it work for the right person. Would they consider him and Allegra the right people? He had a feeling they would.

Carter was suddenly bursting to hunt them up and make the suggestion. He got out of bed and grabbed his jeans off the floor.

“Um, Daddy, where are you going?”

“To talk to them,” he said, as he stepped into his pants and dragged them up over his hips.

One eyebrow shot up as she stared at him. “Daddy … it’s three in the morning, and we’re here for another week. Don’t you think maybe it can wait?”

A quick glance at the clock showed she was right. “Damn. I got so excited I forgot.” He blew out an exasperated laugh and sat down hard on the edge of the bed. “Well, there’s no way I’m going to get back to sleep now.” Waiting and watching the minutes click by was going to be agonizing.

“Wellllll,” she said, drawing out the word in a low, husky voice. “If you’re looking for ways to fill a few hours … I could sure use some time with my Daddy, but you’re going to have to lose the pants.” She looked down pointedly and then slowly drew her gaze back up to his face.

Maybe waiting wouldn’t be so bad after all. And she was right; there would be plenty of time to deal with all of that later. Right now, he had a different priority and a wife who needed her Daddy.

The End