He chuckles. “She’s single, boss.And so am I.”
I know he’s rattling my cage, but I still take the bait. I can’t help the surge of possessiveness that runs through me. “Shut the fuck up, Dodge.”
“I’d be on my knees for a woman like?—”
“You wanna carry your teeth in your pocket or wear them?” I snarl.
He laughs, which draws Sarah’s attention. She smiles at my foreman, and my heart twists. Seriously, it does this horrible thing that hurts like a motherfucker.
“She’s mine,” I tell Dodge in a low voice.
He quirks an eyebrow. “I see no ring on her finger, boss.”
Before I physically assault my foreman, I hear Evie’s screech, “Dr. K.”
Sarah steps out of Thunder’s enclosure just as my kid launches herself at her. Sarah catches her and hugs her tight. Bandit follows Evie, barking around Sarah’s legs.
She loves Evie. I can see it on her face. She looks at my daughter like she used to look at me.
“Hey, Bandit.” Sarah pets the dog. “How are you doing, buddy?”
The dog barks like he understands her.
“Daddy said you saved Thunder.” Evie’s eyes are as round as silver dollars. “He said you gave him…uh…special food and medicine so he’s not sick no more.”
Sarah looks at me, stupefied that I talked about her with Evie and that, too, positively.
No one’s more surprised than me.
I thought I’d never be able to look at her without feeling acid churn in my gut. But now, all I see is myDove—and I can’t square that with the hate I carried for so many years.
She was right to ask what happened to me. When did I turn cruel?
You were a kid back then, Cade. What’s your excuse now?
Evie talks a mile a minute while Bandit circles them, giddy that two of his favorite people in the world are with him. I feel a little like Bandit myself.
“You want to come see my room, Dr. K? I have a bed for Bandit.” She drops her voice to a whisper. “But he sleeps in my bed…Daddy doesn’t know, so don’t tell him.”
Dodge smirks.
“Evie, you gotta get back home to Tillie. Dodge and I have to get to the south fence,” I interject, hoping to distract Evie from her invitation—one I know Sarah can’t accept.
“But….” My daughter gives me that puppy-dog look she knows I can’t resist. “Can’t I hang here with Dr. K?”
Well, kid, I’d like to hang with her, too, but she may not want my company.
I look expectantly at Sarah. “Will that be okay?”
Again, she looks like I asked her if she’d like to play with my baby unicorn. “Ah…sure. Of course. I’m just going to check on the others and…yes…she can hang with me.”
She’s flustered. I like it.
“Thanks. Sarah.” I crouch down in front of Evie. “You be good for Dr. K.”
“Yes, Daddy.” She hugs me, and it’s the best feeling in the world.
As I straighten, Sarah glances up. Her eyes are clear for the first time since she came back to Wildflower Canyon—no pain, no accusation, no past.
