Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Tricia had been quiet, gentle, and soft-spoken. She had never needed rules. She had followed his lead naturally from the start, without testing or pushing. Sage, on the other hand, pushed back every chance she got. True, it was with a sparkle in her sapphire eyes and a sassy tilt to her chin. She didn’t just need the structure. She craved it. And damn if he didn’t crave giving it to her—hard, thorough, and often.
After twenty minutes in the saddle, Grady helped her dismount. They stood close in the stall, the scent of hay and saddle leather thick around them. Sage’s cheeks were flushed, her curls wild from the ride. She looked up at him, eyes bright and soft and so damn vulnerable it made his chest ache.
“Thank you, Daddy,” she said softly. “That was fun.”
He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her to him. His mouth came down on hers in a kiss that was anything but gentle. It was hungry, even ravenous, and full of two years of loneliness.
Sage melted against him instantly, her hands fisting in his shirt as she kissed him back with equal heat. Soft little whimpers escaped her throat that made him want to devour her right there in the stall.
What he wanted was to push her up against the wall, strip her bare, and claim every inch of her until she screamed his name. Then he’d redden her bottom until she couldn’t sit, before holding her while she cried and called him Daddy like she meant it. God knows that she’d earned it in a hundred different ways.
Instead, he pulled back, breathing hard, forehead pressed to hers.
“This is not the time or place, little one.”
“Yes, it is… Daddy,” she said earnestly, twisting his shirt tight in her hands.
They parted at the sound of the barn door opening.
Rose stood there looking at them. Had she seen them kissing? How would this affect her? Grady was sure he’d screwed up.
“Sage, I’m done with my lesson. You told me to come get you when I was through.”
Sage ran over and picked her up while Grady blew out a breath of relief.
“You’re done already? You are so smart.” She turned so that both of them could see Grady. “Your pa was just telling me how we’d be going to talk with your teacher soon.”
Rose put on a bright smile and clapped. “So I can be in the second grade with Anna?”
That caught him off guard. The name instantly brought to mind the face of a little girl who’d been in the same Sunday School class as his daughter. But the knowledge that Rose remembered Anna when they’d not attended services in a long time gave him pause. Perhaps it was time to think about returning? He could practically see the grin splitting Pastor Ross’s face if he saw one of his lost sheep returning to the fold of First Community Church.
His Little Wildfire already knew exactly how to play him. Maybe later they’d have a discussion about putting him on the spot to get her way. In this case, he knew.
“Nothing is for sure, Rose, but I’ll let Sage here have a go at it.”
“Yeah!” she cried, giving Rose a big hug. “I know you’ll do great.”
They turned to walk out when Grady made one last comment. “By the way, Sage, we’ll be talking later.”
Sage looked over her shoulder with a wink. “Promises, promises.”
Grady looked after them.
Some promises were meant to be kept.
Chapter Nine
That evening, Sage sat at the end of Rose’s bed with her knees tucked under her, drinking in every single word as Grady read the dragon story aloud. His deep, rumbling voice was perfect for the dragon character, and it wrapped around her like the warmest, safest blanket in the world. She made a secret little mental note to add “being read to” to her own bedtime routine.
She could already picture herself curled up against his broad chest, listening to that same gravelly voice tell her she was his good girl while he stroked her hair. Her heart did a hopeful little flip.
When he finished the story, Rose looked up at him with big light blue eyes and whispered, “Again, please.”
Sage’s heart melted into a warm, gooey puddle right there on the quilt. She had to press her hands together tightly to keep from clapping like an overexcited kindergartener. Now that Rose was speaking, Sage couldn’t get enough of her Rosie-girl’s soft, beautiful voice.
Of course, Grady read the story again. Sage knew he’d deny Rose nothing. Every time Rose said anything, his voice seemed to thicken with emotion. Sage watched him the whole time, her chest aching with how gently he treated his daughter. The way his big, rough hands turned the pages so carefully, the way his stern face softened every time Rose leaned closer.