“Dad?” Sawyer spluttered.
“Jake’s my dad. He’s going to take me to see Gladiator.”
I thought Nash and Sawyer’s heads were going to explode. Obviously, they knew Jake was Cassie’s dad, but the fact the cat was out of the bag and Cassie was calling him Dad caught them off-guard. Something I understood more than they could imagine.
Swallowing down his shock, Nash reached for Cassie’s hand. “Why don’t I take you to see Gladiator?” he offered as Cassie set her tiny, trusting hand in his.
“Can I, Dad?” Cassie turned to Jake and asked, and my heart squeezed. It seemed that Cassie trusted Jake with everything, something I hadn't been prepared for. She’d always turned to me with those questions, and I would have to learn to share.
“Stay with Nash,” Jake instructed more for Nash’s benefit than Cassie’s.
With Sawyer trailing behind, we watched as Cassie dragged Nash along, chatting animatedly about Colonel and how she was going to collect the eggs in the morning.
Standing in silence, hand in hand with Jake, watching as our little girl skipped away was surreal. It was everything I could have ever wanted for her, and secretly, it’s what I wanted for me too. Nash and Sawyer might not be blood, but they were family and accepted us into their lives without hesitation.
“Just for the record, we’re not letting her run off with the ranch hands when she’s a teenager.” Jake growled, spinning me toward him, his huge hands landing on my hips.
“Better get your shotgun ready then, Daddy,” I replied, realizing what I’d just said and freezing.
“It’ll be ready, Mom. The only thing you need to worry about is making sure the shovels are in the back of the truck to hide the bodies.”
“Bodies?”
“Anyone who touches my baby girl might go missing. And by might, I mean will.”
“Yeah, okay. Let me know how that goes for you. That girl already has you wrapped around her little finger.”
“She’s not the only one,” Jake mumbled as he leaned down and kissed me deeply.
By the time he pulled back, my lips were swollen, and I was panting.
“That was…”
“A preview,” Jake stated matter-of-factly. “Tonight, Kellie Knight, your ass is mine.”
The way Jake said it made it sound like a promise and one I couldn’t wait for him to follow through on. But before I got a chance to push further, Sawyer interrupted, calling out to us.
“Jake! Jake! It’s Cassie!”
ChapterTwenty-Two
Jake
Never have I run so fast or stopped as quickly as I did after hearing Sawyer’s words.
With adrenaline pumping through my veins, it was hard to remember that I used to spend my days running into burning buildings completely blind because this was a million times more terrifying.
“No one move!” I growled, keeping my voice low and forcing myself to take a deep breath.
Behind me, I heard Kellie enter the barn and the squeal that was torn from her lips.
“Sawyer, grab her,” I demanded, watching from the corner of my eye as he wrapped his arm around Kellie’s waist and lifted her from her feet as she fought to get out of his grip.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the sight in front of me.
How this had happened, I’d never know, and someone’s ass would be on the line, but that was later. Right now, I had to make sure my beautiful thirty-pound baby girl didn’t end up under the hooves of the two-thousand-pound grumpy beast.
Dropping to my knees, I met Cassie’s eyes. “Hey, Cass. What are you doing in there with Gladiator?” I asked, keeping my voice calm while internally freaking out.
