Page 53 of Falling for Keeps

“Dad!” Penny jumps up. “I want these two. Can we get them together?”

“Sure thing, Nickel.” Carson looks at me for a beat, his eyebrows pulled together, concern in his green eyes. Penny’s bouncing on her toes, though, so he attends to her, retrieving the pumpkins she chose for Maven and Ben.

“Can we get apple cider now?” Penny asks. “I want to go on the slide too. Will you slide with me?”

“Sure. Slide first, cider after.” Carson pulls the wagon over the uneven ground while Penny runs on ahead. She reaches a pyramid of hay bales first and begins to climb it. “I’m sorry, Emma. I didn’t know about your mom. What was she like?”

“Wonderful. Bubbly. Totally full of energy. I think my sister is a lot more like her than I am, but I look kind of like her. She was just…amazing. She was incredible at baking. I’m going to try to recreate her chicken pot pie and double chocolate chunk cookies, but they won’t compare.”

“If they’re as good as your sourdough, you’ll be fine.”

“You tried my bread?”

“I ate most of the loaf. You can steal flour anytime you want if that’s the result.”

I can’t help beaming at this. “I’ll make you a jalapeño cheddar sourdough next.”

He grabs my arm. “Don’t say it unless you mean it.”

Bumping his shoulder, I can’t help but smile. “It’ll be my next loaf, just for you.”

“Emma! Let’s slide!” Penny crawls down from the pyramid, heading toward me.

“Okay!” I pull my arm from Carson’s grip and catch up with Penny. She leads me to the slide, two large black accordion tubes side by side coming down from a wooden structure. I climb to the top with her and we get in our tubes at the same time. “Race you to the bottom,” I say.

Penny’s green eyes shine. “Go!”

She definitely had a head start, and she won.

“Again!”

“Only if your dad joins us.”

“Fine,” Carson says, leaving his wagon behind. “Race you to the top.” He darts around me, and we scramble for the stairs in the midst of Penny’s delighted giggling. He makes it to the top of the slide and lifts Penny as she catches up, flipping her upside down before setting her on her feet again. She’s laughing hard, clinging to her dad while she regains her bearing. When she looks up at him, admiration pours from her expression, reaching up and touching him. He leans down and kisses the top of her head in the most attractive show of fatherly adoration I’ve ever seen.

Okay, not the most—the only attractive one? I’ve never watched a dad with his child and felt drawn to him as a result, but this is melting things inside me that will never regain their shape.

Carson and I sit at the top of the slides and Penny looks between us. “I want to be on Emma’s team.”

“I see how it is,” Carson says, reaching to tickle her side.

“Dad!” She squeals, jumping out of reach.

“Come on, girly.” I scoot back to make room. “We ladies have to stick together.”

Penny beams, climbing in front of me to sit on my lap.

“Who’s counting?” Carson asks.

“Me!” Penny counts us down and we take off down the slightly bumpy slide. We tumble out in a jumble of limbs and giggles, rolling onto the soft mat. Carson is up and at our side instantly, helping Penny to her feet. He offers his hand and I take it, letting him pull me up until I land too close to his side. His green eyes lock on mine, sending a thump through my ribs.

Carson clears his throat, leaning back to smile at his daughter. “Donut time?”

“Can I get my own?”

“No, let’s share.” Carson takes her hand, and she takes mine, so we walk toward the corn dog stand together in a line, the wagon of pumpkins trailing behind Carson.

“Emma?” Penny asks.