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“I think we should get this little one back to her mother. Looks like it may be time for a nap.”
Adam smiled down at the little girl who was yawning and rubbing at her eyes. He bent to pick her up and laced his fingers with Nora’s as they walked back toward the house. Just before they left the grove of trees, he pulled Nora to a stop and took her chin in his fingers, tilting her face to his for a quick but very thorough kiss that had her lips tingling and her lungs struggling to draw in a breath. The man was criminally good at that.
They continued through to the courtyard just as a man riding a horse approached in the distance. Barnaby turned around and started tossing his head, letting out excited puffs of air.
Nora laughed. “If your horse is anything to go by, I’d say Birdie and the sheriff are about to ride in.”
He chuckled at his horse’s antics, but a solid thread of worry gnawed at him. One look at the thunderous expression on Woodson’s face when he rode into the yard was enough to turn that thread into a lightning bolt. He’d known the sheriff wouldn’t be pleased with Adam minding his daughter.
The sheriff came thundering in, jumped down from his horse, strode up to Adam, and plucked Daisy from his arms.
“Why do you have my daughter?”
Mercy came out of the house and gave Gray a kiss. “Because I hired him to mind her for me while I did my chores. So be nice.”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “You did what?”
Adam edged toward his horse. “I think I should be going now.”
The sheriff glowered at him. “Don’t bother coming back. Your services will no longer be required.”
Mercy’s wide eyes shot to her husband’s. “Gray, that’s not fair. He was a big help today. I got so much done.”
The sheriff’s expression softened when he looked at his wife. “If you need help, I will hire you some help. Maybe some more feminine help. Or at least not outlawed help.”
Adam snorted. “If you’re going to try and find non-outlaw help, you better look in a different town.”
The women laughed. Gray kept glowering, looking over his offspring like Adam might have managed to permanently damage her in the short time he’d taken care of her.
“Right. Well, we need to be on our way,” he said, jerking his head toward Nora. Thankfully, the woman could take a hint. They said quick goodbyes and then mounted their horses. Though it took some coaxing for Barnaby to leave Birdie’s side.
As they got to the lane that would lead back to town, Adam leaned over in his saddle. “I’ll race you home.”
Nora’s eyes gleamed. “You’re on!”
And she took off, her laughter ringing out through the countryside.
Chapter Twenty-Six
They’d just slowed down as they approached the main street of town—because they didn’t want to cause any commotion, of course, not because Nora would have definitely bested him—when Deputy Sunshine waved at them from the sidewalk in front of the sheriff’s office.
They reined in and nodded down at him.
“Deputy,” Adam said with a smile. It was impossible not to smile at the man.
“Mr. Brady. Mind if I borrow you for a few moments?”
Adam glanced quickly at Nora, who just shrugged. “Have I committed some crime I’m unaware of?” he asked with another grin. Wouldn’t be the first time. He was woefully unaware of a lot of things.
Sunshine chuckled. “Not at all. In fact, I’ve got good news.”
Adam’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “You’re going to officially hire me?” He squinted down at the deputy. “Is the sheriff aware of this?”
Sunshine’s smile spread, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes. “Not yet. But he did give me leave to hire an assistant deputy and didn’t specifically say Icouldn’thire you, so…”
The man shrugged, and Adam laughed, though he’d be lying if he said his stomach didn’t clench just a tad at the thought of the sheriff’s face when he came face-to-face with his new assistant deputy. Then again, he’d never want to miss that look, either. It was going to be priceless.
Adam dismounted and tied up his horse. While he was partially hidden between the two horses, he caught Nora’s hand and gave it a kiss, squeezing gently before he let go. Her cheeks flamed, and he gave her a slow half grin that made them grow even redder.
