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“Dakota!! Where did you sneak off to?” Beau’s voice came from the other side of the stables where I’m sure the little boy had wandered through.
He didn’t move a muscle at the sound, even though I knew he’d heard his name. The tiny grin he wore said it all. He wanted to get caught. I just couldn’t figure out why.
Beau rushed through the stables, then came to an abrupt halt at the sight of me supporting Dakota on the post. “Oh, thank fu-udge you found him. I was so worried.”
“You shoulda stopped kissing Dada when I said to Beau. Then I wouldn’ta made it allll the way here.” Dakota batted his lashes at Beau from over his shoulders.
I had to hide my laugh at his sassy demeanor. Instead of getting angry like some people might have done, Beau grinned big.
“'Bout time you learned to act a little like me, munchkin. I’m just sorry your Dada wasn’t here to see it,” he said.
“I’m actually here, and I did catch that. Why don’t you tell me what you’re up to, bud?” Jackson stood off to the side of the pen with his arms crossed. His stern expression made the boy in my arms giggle.
Further proof that this was a safe space.
“Dada! Ashley helped me watch horses. He’s not a girl though. Don’t be confused about it like I was.” Dakota patted my cheek, then pointed to the horses.
Jackson and Beau met in the middle as they came to stand beside me. “I feel like he’s insulting me a little, but it’s so cute I don’t much care.”
The two men laughed at my words. “He’s blunt, that’s for sure. It’s only getting worse the more time he spends with his favorite person.”
Beau whoops softly. “Heck yes I am! Come on, Dakota. Let’s go con Harlan out of something sweet. I bet he won’t tell you no.”
He swept the young man away before either of us could say a word against him. Honestly, though, I wouldn’t say anything negative. I want something sweet myself.
“Thanks for keeping him in one place. If you hadn’t grabbed him, he’d likely be climbing a tree or a horse or something. That boy has more energy than I know what to do with most days.”
I nodded to Jackson. “Nothing to it. He demanded I pick him up once he pulled me away from work.”
“Shit. I need to tell him not to do that, I guess. He’s so curious these days. It’s hard keeping him busy. Plus, he really likes the horses. My parents had him for a few weeks, which means he didn’t get much time to explore. My mom prefers he stay safe inside with her.”
“He’s no problem, Jackson. I’ll still get the work done, and he got to see what he wanted. No need to explain it to me.”
The man shook with his laughter. “I don’t think I even told you about him being mine. How’d you know he wasn’t some random kid who wandered out here?”
I froze at the question. It wasn’t my choice whether or not we told the others about mine and Corey’s letters. If it had been, then they’d have known the second I showed up.
Since I was stuck in limbo, I did the best I could with my reply. “I doubt any kid wandering through the country would just happen upon me in the stables. He had to belong to someone, and I figure it was probably you.”
“Why me?” He seemed truly interested in how I deduced the answer.
I tilted my head and gave him a teasing smirk. “You give off dad energy. It’s a thing.”
He guffawed at my answer as his hand clamped on my shoulder. I fought not to tense at the friendly grip. He meant nothing by it. The hold wasn’t a threat.
“You’re fitting in just fine around these parts. Thanks again for keeping him company. I’m going to go find them before Harlan lets him eat an entire cake or something.”
I waved him away as I turned back to my work. Keeping busy was good for me. It was what I needed to do. Idle hands were always a bad thing according to my parents. Lucky for me, there was a big ranch around me and plenty of tasks to go around.
Chapter Seven
Corey
Ashley’s asspressed against me as he shuffled over in the bed. I’d been awake for nearly an hour already, my body eager to start the day.
It had become my normal since he’d shown up at the ranch. I went from wanting to sleep in to having my internal clock go off earlier than my alarm. It would have been frustrating as all get out if not for the fact that it gave me the chance to watch my boy sleep.
He was so peaceful in his dream state. The worries he wore fell away once his body drifted off. While I knew some of said worries were from his time away, I also knew that I was the cause of some of it.
