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He watched her go, her pigtails bouncing as if she really was a Little girl without a care in the world.
Before he’d started working with Rawhide, he never would have considered himself a “Daddy”. Not only had he not had much contact with Littles, but he enjoyed playing rough, and he’d always assumed that fact alone pushed him squarely out of the Daddy category.
It hadn’t taken long for Derek and Sadie to disabuse him of that notion. He still wasn’t convinced he’d make a good Daddy, but the more time he spent around Sadie and the various other Littles inhabiting the Ranch, the more tempted he was to consider it.
Maybe he’d ask Derek to work his matchmaker magic sometime. After the holidays, though. He simply didn’t have the time to get involved with anyone, but especially not a sweet Little girl who deserved more time than he had.
As soon as the holiday crush was over, he’d talk to Derek.
Maybe.
Nick
An hour later, he was sitting down to dinner with Derek and Sadie. The shower and the clean clothes had helped him feel mostly human again, enough that he was able to grin at Sadie’s antics as she regaled him with stories about her day.
“And then Hayleigh—you know Hayleigh, Chef’s fiancée—well, she’s been buried in wedding plans and as her maid of honor it’s my ‘sponsibility to make sure she doesn’t get overwhelmed. So we spent the whole morning at the spa. Daddy paid for everything because he’s the best, and by the time we were done, Hayleigh was like one big pile of goo. I hope it helped because she’s been so stressed with school and the wedding and everything.”
“You couldn’t have sprung for a whole day?” Nick asked with a wry smile for Derek.
The other man returned his smile with a wide, almost wicked grin of his own. “Don’t worry. If she gets in your way again, she’ll be spending her days in the Caterpillar Room until the New Year. Shouldn’t be a problem again.”
“Ugh, that is so not fair!” But even though she was pouting, Sadie’s eyes still sparkled with mischief, and Nick had a feeling she’d end up in the littlest “Little Room” by Christmas Eve.
Before he could tease her anymore, his gaze landed on the two women who had just entered the restaurant. He recognized the taller of the two as the woman who’d captured his attention in the lobby earlier in the day. Now that he was getting a closer look at her, he could see her wide eyes, the perfect little cupid’s bow of her mouth. She’d tamed her curls, pinning them up in a way that left just a few tendrils loose to frame her face, and her creamy complexion was only enhanced by the siren red of the dress hugging every luscious curve of her body.
And the woman beside her was no less stunning. Although she wasn’t quite as tall as the woman in red, she had long, slender legs shown off by a short, shimmery black dress which perfectly complemented the pale gold of her skin. Her hair was left down, a shimmering waterfall of black with hints of blue whenever the light hit it a certain way.
On their own, each woman would have been striking enough. Together, they were… breathtaking.
“Derek?” He’d interrupted the flow of conversation, but right then he was too awestruck to worry about being polite.
“Yes?”
“I don’t suppose you’d know who those women are. The ones who just walked in.”
Just as he asked, the shorter of the two threw her head back, her loud, musical laughter drawing stares from the other patrons. Who could blame them? Her laugh seemed to light her up from the inside, making her even more impossible to ignore.
“As it so happens, I do,” Derek said, clearly amused by the question. “The one in red is Michelle and the woman in black is her girlfriend, Allison.”
Girlfriend. The balloon that had been his hope of sneaking in some play time deflated. Ah, well. It had been a nice fantasy while it had lasted. “I see.”
“I really should introduce myself. I was… otherwise occupied when they arrived this afternoon.” With a playful glare for Sadie, who giggled unrepentantly, Derek stood and made his way over to the pair.
Nick couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he was treated to another one of Allison’s bright, tinkling laughs. And then he watched in horror as Derek led them straight over to their table.
“Michelle, Allison, this is my wife, Sadie. And this strapping young gentleman is Nick Pine, our resident Christmas expert.”
Resisting the urge to ask Derek just what the hell he was doing, Nick stood and shook each of their hands. “Ladies. Pleased to meet you.”
“Nick Pine, the Christmas Tree Man.” There was an amused glint in Michelle’s eyes. Up close, he could see they were a pale blue, nearly gray.
Giggling, Allie bumped her shoulder against Michelle’s, and they shared a look that spoke of inside jokes. “Is your wife a big-city lawyer who came home for a visit and fell in love with your rugged good looks and small-town charm?”
Gorgeous, and a sense of humor. Just his luck they were already spoken for. “Funny. But no, I’m not married. And big-city lawyers aren’t really my type.”
“Of course not, that’s the whole point,” Allison shot back with another delightful giggle. “She’s not your type, and you certainly aren’t hers, and, of course, she hates Christmas, but then you fall in love anyway and get married and she becomes the Mrs. Claus to your Santa.”
“If only life were as simple as a Hallmark movie.” Chin propped on her hand, Sadie gave a happy, dreamy sigh.
