Page 18 of Home to the Cowboy

“But you didn’t.” Without conscious thought, he touched her nose. “I can’t see your freckles.” Dropping his hand, he moved away. “I get it, you’re not interested. So have you already found another cowboy who wants to kiss you?”

“Oooh, who is kissing who?” Taylor asked as she appeared behind Dylan.

“No one is kissing anyone,” June said quickly. “Thanks for letting me share my story with the kids.”

“I have to thank you,” Taylor smiled, her eyes moving first to Dylan before she looked at June. “The kids can’t stop talking about Pepper, the awkward little dragon. I have your books downstairs when you two have … um … finished.” Grinning, she disappeared.

“I have to go,” June said.

“I want to see you again. Just pizza or a drink. Tonight?”

Smiling, she shook her head. “I have a date tonight, sorry.” With a quick wave, she just about ran in the direction of the counter.

If she were to stay a moment longer close to Dylan, she might just do something seriously stupid.

*

All the way back to the ranch, the kids talked about June and Pepper, the little dragon. By the time Dylan dropped Susan and the kids off, he knew the story by heart.

“And June is so pretty,” Lucy was saying as Susan helped the kids out of the truck. Lucy was the leader of the pack of children on the ranch, he’d noticed.

According to Isabella, Lucy was six but she had a vocabulary and an imagination that blew his mind.

“We should find her a husband, then she can stay here and read us lots of stories,” Lucy said as Dylan helped her from the truck. “Or”—she pinned him with her eyes—“why don’t you marry her? You don’t have a wife, do you?”

Shaking his head, he helped down all the other kids. “Nope, no wife. I don’t want to get married.”

Clearly baffled, Lucy stared at him. “So who is going to give you babies? I’m not sure how it works, but,” she held up two fingers, “I do know you need a mommy and a daddy to make a baby.”

As Susan turned away laughing, Lucy’s mother opened her front door and called out to Lucy, saving him from having to answer.

Chuckling, Dylan quickly got into his truck and drove toward Hayden’s homestead. It was lunchtime. It was way too easy to picture little girls with a spatter of freckles over their noses like their mom. Maybe he should run Lucy’s idea by June at some point to see her reaction.

His thoughts filled with the freckled brunette, he got out and entered the house. He found the rest of the family in the kitchen.

“… were talking about kissing,” Willow was saying.

As he entered, her eyes zoomed in on him. “We were just talking about you.”

Irritated, he pulled out a chair. “I’ve just been in town, how do you know …?”

“You and June were talking about kissing in the children’s section?” Willow grinned. “Turns out, Aurelia Hill was also in the library.”

Hunter groaned out loud. “Sweetheart, do leave the poor man alone, meals are supposed to be an enjoyable time.”

Willow threw up her hands. “Jeez, I was just teasing. I’m not reading everything that’s going on in his mind …”

“She told the kids a story about Pepper, the awkward little dragon.” Dylan didn’t realize he’d spoken out loud until the silence around him reached him. “Um …”

“So tell us the story,” Willow grinned.

Aware of everyone watching him, Dylan quickly relayed the story. “I can’t tell it the way she does, but that’s the gist of it.”

“It’s a lovely story,” Willow said.

“Sorry, I have to go and get ready, but I’ll drive tonight,” Ellie interrupted Willow. “Shall I pick up all of you?”

“Yeah, sounds great,” Willow says. “Mom is bringing June. She still doesn’t have her car.”