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“Oops. Sorry, Daddy. I was just so excited to see you today.” She flushed and laced her arms around my neck.
“Promise you won’t do it again,” I said.
“Okay, okay, I promise.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I’m glad you stopped by. I was hoping you would.” She smiled again, clearly happy to see me. Her joy was my joy.
I embraced her and lifted her up as I entered the door. I’d missed her and loved having her in my arms.
“Daddy! Put me down!” she said with a giggle.
I finally set her on her feet, though I kept my arms around her. Likewise, her arms were wrapped around my neck. I leaned down to place a quick kiss to her lips and took a moment to savor her familiar scent. Lavender and vanilla.
Her hair was damp from a recent shower, though braided into pigtails, and she was wearing jeans with a yellow blouse and a matching cardigan. With her golden locks and the vibrant shade of her clothing, she looked like pure sunshine. Felt like it, too. I hugged her tighter.
“You look cute today, Daddy,” she said with a wide grin. I was just wearing my normal clothes—jeans, a flannel shirt, and my hat—but her praise brought a flush to my face, nonetheless.
“Thanks, baby girl. You’re pretty cute yourself.” I glanced over my shoulder. The door was still open, and a few tourists were bustling by. “Are you hungry?” I asked, looking back to her. “I’d love to take you out for pancakes again.”
She beamed at me. “I’d like that, Daddy. Thank you.” A sudden look of uncertainty came over her. “I-I was worried you wouldn’t stop by today. After you rushed off last night.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry about that, darlin’.” I’d been in such a hurry to get back to the ranch last night that I’d quickly told her I had a work emergency to deal with, gave her a good-bye kiss, and hurried back to the ranch. But now, I took the time to tell her about the resort guests who’d intentionally hiked a closed trail in hopes of catching sight of a bear.
Her eyes went wide. “Oh no! Did you find them? Please tell me they aren’t still missing. Oh my… they didn’t get devoured by a bear, did they?”
“Don’t worry. No one got eaten by a bear. We found them. They’d wandered off the trail and gotten lost. They were dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise fine, and they never even made it close to the bears, thank goodness.” I was still mentally and physically exhausted from yesterday’s ordeal of rescuing the married couple who’d somehow thought it wouldn’t be a big deal to hike down a closed path in search of bears, but I was glad all had ended well. After threatening the guests with permanent banishment from my resort, they’d apologized and promised to never break any of the rules again.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” Gemma said. “Now, how about those pancakes you promised me?”
“I’m ready when you are, baby girl.”
“Let me go grab my purse. Be right back.” She turned and walked toward the stairs, and I was glad to see she was minding me, but then halfway up the steps, she broke into another run.
“Gemma! What did I just tell you? No running in the house!” I growled and walked toward the staircase.
She rushed down the steps with a wide grin holding her purse, obviously not realizing how serious I was about this rule. But just as she reached me, her eyes widened, and she held up a finger. “I forgot my phone. Be right back, Daddy. Don’t leave without me!”
She bolted upstairs before I could stop her. “Hey! Baby girl, you’d better slow down. No running on the stairs!”
By the time she rushed down the steps again, I was fuming. I grasped her arm and peered down at her, giving her a serious look. “Young lady, I’m not playing around. If I catch you running in the house one more time, you’re going to regret it. No. Running. In. The. House. Understood?”
She lowered her head slightly. “Yes, Daddy,” she said in an apologetic voice that sounded a bit forced to me, “I understand.”
“Good. For your sake, I hope we don’t have to revisit this topic.” I guided her toward the door. “Now, I hope you’re hungry for pancakes, baby girl, and I also hope you’re in the mood to take a walk. It’s a beautiful day.”
* * *
GEMMA
I walkedhand-in-hand with Daddy through town. Rather than take his truck to Kay’s Diner, we’d decided to go on foot. I loved that he was giving me a personal tour of Rocky Springs. After we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, he took me into several stores to introduce me to other business owners. Everyone I encountered gave me a warm welcome and a few even expressed interest in attending one of my paint nights.
When we finally arrived back at my brick rental, I was brimming with excitement and eager to finish setting up my art studio. I also needed to box up a few paintings I’d recently sold via my website and get them to the post office. Daddy pitched in to help and kept complimenting my artwork. His constant praise made me blush but also filled me with pride.
Back home, in Westport, I’d sold the same kind of abstract nature paintings in my gift shop, but more than a few people I’d gone to art school with had called me a sell-out for trying to cater to tourists.
You’re mass-producing this stuff? You’re actually hosting paint nights? Don’t you ever want to make real art? You spent four years in art school and now you’re doing this?
The snobbery was unreal. I’d heard it all, but I’d taken the criticism in stride because at least I was making a living doing something I loved. Sure, money was a bit tight while I waited for my shop in Connecticut to sell, but I was confident that things would turn around once my store in Rocky Springs was up and running. I’d done my research before moving here, and while I could’ve moved to a larger town that saw more tourists, the low cost of living in Rocky Springs made it the ideal place for me to move.
“Gemma, this place is looking fantastic.” He nodded toward the window that faced the street, where I’d placed a few larger paintings to help draw in customers. “I think if you put an open sign on the door right now, people would flood in.”
