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“Where’s the honeymoon?”
“In a remote cabin in Twin Peaks, Colorado.”
I couldn’t hold back the laughter. “I take it she doesn’t know?”
“Nope, it will be a surprise that I chose that over Bora Bora, but if she’d behaved herself, then she would have gotten that. Instead, I plan on us making a lot of noise. And when I bring my wife home, she will be a happy and contented woman.”
The two of us laughed until the girls interrupted us. “And what are you two finding so funny?” Harmony asked Gray.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
She pouted but didn’t question him again.
“Daddy, can I take V to meet my new friends? Pleassse!” she begged.
Ronnie looked unsure and turned begging eyes on me.
Gray must have noticed, too. “I believe tomorrow morning will be a much better time for you to introduce her to your friends. Veronica needs to familiarize herself with her surroundings first and get comfortable, and Jacob’s been traveling all day and needs to get some well-deserved sleep. Don’t you have something to say to your cousin?” Gray asked meaningfully.
She turned her attention to me. “Right! Thanks for the reminder, Daddy. Thank you, Jacob, so much for doing this for me. I owe you one.”
“You owe me too much to pay me back. But you’re welcome. You know I’m here for you, Harmony.”
Her face glowed. “I know. I’m really lucky to have you,” she said earnestly.
“We’re lucky to have each other. Now Ronnie and I should get going.”
Veronica’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Go? Where?”
“Well, this inn is pretty full, and I don’t think you’d like being sandwiched in with a bunch of people, so why don’t you come and stay with me. I’ll keep my eye on you and make sure you get what you need.”
She picked up on the double meaning behind my words. Her pupils dilated, but with her gaze on me, the others didn’t notice.
“Okay, Jacob,” she finally answered. “That makes sense to me, and I… uh, not to be rude, Harmony, but it’s going to take me a bit of adjusting. Do you mind if I go with Jacob?”
Playing her part perfectly, Harmony nodded her head sagely, a funny expression coming from her. “Not at all, V, you and Jacob have been together all day and have reestablished your bond. He’ll take good care of you. And he can print off the agenda that I texted him and we can discuss it tomorrow.”
My eyes narrowed at my cousin. If I didn’t believe Gray about his grandparents, I’d be convinced she’d been planning this all along. Truth be told, I wasn’t completely sure she wasn’t.
The two girls embraced, and then Ronnie and I got in the truck and headed to my place on another section of the Ridge. I loved the fact that Derek had bought the adjoining ranch, offering lots of various sizes for residents of Rawhide and staff to buy and build houses of different sizes based on their needs. It made it a lot easier than driving in to work from Porter’sCorner, the nearest town. I could have stayed in the employee apartments on the Ranch proper but remembering Derek’s offer to purchase a home on the Ridge, I’d not hesitated to buy this place when Gray offered his and Harmony’s house when their new one was ready. My home was meant to be a cozy house for two and boasted an enormous bedroom/bathroom combo with a tub for two that I hadn’t used yet, but now, with Ronnie staying with me, the tub was definitely a possibility. The hallways were wider than your average home, and the high ceilings throughout made the place seem bigger than it was.
I parked the truck in the garage and took Ronnie inside to familiarize herself with my place while I got busy unloading the truck. For now, I put all of her suitcases in the guest bedroom near the closet. We’d have to figure out where to put the remainder of her things once the moving truck arrived. The rest of the place was an open floor plan with a small living room with a comfy couch, the kitchen and dining nook, and the larger family room with a stone fireplace.
I caught glimpses of her roaming and touching various things.
“What do you think of the place?” I asked after I’d finished unpacking.
“It doesn’t feel like you,” she responded.
Her response was intriguing, but before I could ask her to elaborate, she yawned and announced she was tired.
“Me too, Ronnie. I’m going to take a shower and hit the hay. Do you need anything before I do?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Okay, I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” I was really at odds with myself over her. She wasn’t what I’d thought I wanted but protecting and caring for her had ignited a fierce Daddy side that negated those opinions.
In the shower, I took my time lathering up, using my left hand to stroke myself.
