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For just a short time, I could picture it. The three of us going out to dinner every week. I could see us having picnics in the park.
I got lost in the daydream and it just felt natural to kiss Samantha at the end of the night. Did I fuck up again?
No. Samantha was receptive to the kisses. She didn’t push me away or say no. Gah! She’s driving me insane, bewitching me just as she did when she was sixteen years old.
Having to run the ranch with Samantha for the foreseeable future is going to kill me; I just know it.
Not for the first time, I question whether it’s worth it. I want to do what’s best for Dakota. I haven’t been able to give her anything, but this is something I can.
I can make certain the legacy that Wayne intended for her to have is not only there when she’s an adult, but will also sustain her throughout her life. I've already decided to surrender my will to Wayne, determined to do everything in my power to give my little girl better than I had.
I sleep better than I have in some time. When I walk into the big house, there’s already a stream of activity. “What’s going on?” I ask curiously, seeing Samantha fighting to tame Dakota’s hair into a ponytail.
“I’m registering Dakota for school,” Samantha tells me when she finally gets the tie in Dakota’s hair.
“Oh,” I say, disappointed. I was hoping to spend some time with her today.
“Is there something wrong?” Samantha asks me, seeing the sadness on my face.
“Nothing. I just didn’t think about the school thing. I guess I figured she’d be home.” I explain.
“I mean, we could homeschool. But I’d need your help with it.” Samantha offers.
“Really?” I question, feeling a smile spread across my face.
“Really,” she retorts. “But you have to take it seriously.” Samantha gives me a look.
“What? I can be serious about school.” I say.
Matt interrupts, “The only part of school you enjoyed was female studies.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
Samantha scowls. “Maybe we should just go the public school route.”
“No,” I say forcefully. “Let’s homeschool. Dakota can learn more on the ranch than she can in that Podunk school, and you know it.”
Samantha thinks for a minute and then, with a sigh, she concedes. At least a little. “We’ll try. If it doesn’t work for any reason, she goes to the public school.”
I smile even bigger as I take Dakota by the hand and lead her back to her room to change. A dress isn’t very practical for learning on a ranch full of dirt and muck.
Dakota takes to the ranch like she was born for it. I guess, considering who her family is, she was. She’s just as enthusiastic about everything as Samantha used to be.
“Daddy, what’s that?” Dakota asks, pointing to a rock cropping sitting on the top of the knoll.
“That is a magical place,” I tell her. “When I was young and feeling sad, I’d sit up there looking out over the pastures and my sadness would disappear. All the bad stuff couldn’t reach me there.”
Dakota grabs my hand and pulls me in the opposite direction. “Where are we going, sweetheart?”
“Mommy needs the magic rocks. We can bring her here and they can protect her from the bad men.”
I stop, causing Dakota to stumble. “What bad men?” I ask.
Dakota clams up quickly. Her mouth closes, and she looks down at the ground. When I see a tear track down her chubby little cheeks, I grind my teeth. It's clear to see that she's very upset.
I kneel so I’m at her level. “What men, Dakota?”
“It’s a secret.” She whispers.
“I’m good at keeping secrets,” I assure her. “And you can tell me anything.”
