"Ok, so you're just stalking Justin Bieber?" I dared to glance over.
She gasped, looking at me like I was the biggest idiot. "Ew, no. He's so lame.Momlikes his stuff." Somehow she made that sound like anything but a compliment.
I struggled not to laugh, so tried again. "Maybe one of the boys you go to school with?"
I saw her bite her lip, and that said enough. Yeah, my daughter had her first crush and it was killing me to not make a big deal out of it. Then again, I remembered how I'd acted back then, and didn't really want to rush her into anything.
"Well," I offered, "I guess we could always see if Violet's willing to just let you hang out at the pool. Means we can ride a little longer and you'd get even more pool time."
She sat up, turning toward me with a smile. "You really think she would?"
"What is it about her that you like so much?" Or that I did, for that matter. Did the team-Violet gene run in my blood or something?
Faith just shrugged. "She seems kinda nice."
"She is."
And knowing that she didn't mind my daughter made it that much nicer. I wondered what Faith would say if I mentioned that I was thinking about dating her. Then again, with her mom getting married, maybe I should hold off on that. I didn't want to shake up her world too much. Yeah, she might be twelve, but that was like the best of both worlds. She had all the teenage hormones and none of the rationalization that came with it.
So I'd wait. Let Violet become a family friend, first. After that, I’d broach the subject of dating her. Slowing down for a turn, I smiled at the road. For the first time in my memory, I was actually thinking about dating someone seriously enough to run it past my daughter.
Not that I hadn't dated. I had, just nothing that would last long enough to concern her. I did my best to keep my flings short, sweet, and well out of town. It wasn't exactly hard. It also was a whole lot easier than trying to explain to my little girl why a girlfriend would be spending the night. I wasn't really ready for that talk yet. I probably never would be.
But there was something different about Violet. She stirred things inside me - and not just below the belt. I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to keep her comfortable and safe. Most of all, I wanted to see her smile. Hopefully, when she did it, she'd be smiling at me. Yeah, she might be out of my league, but that had never stopped me before, and it sure as hell wouldn't this time.
Besides, she was already giving in. The attraction between us was mutual. It felt like a magnet, hauling me straight toward her, but it was more than that. I was sick and tired of always being the strong one and she'd already proven that she was my match. And that was the sexiest thing about her. She wasn't fragile. She was driven, dedicated, and strong enough to get her way. Her best friend had even called her a viper, and yeah, she was a little poisonous, but it was exactly the kind of poison I liked.
"Dad?" Faith asked, pointing.
I followed her finger to Southwind's drive. "Yeah?"
Then I saw it. The big white truck belonged to my boss, Paul Simmons. I hadn't exactly told Paul that I was moving my horses out. The barn manager should have figured it out and just filled the stalls with new clients, so why was he here? Easing my truck up the drive, I tried to figure out the best way to handle this. As I parked, I found out that I shouldn't have worried. Violet was standing with her hands on her hips taking care of it all.
"Uh huh," she said, giving the man a perfectly bland look. "And I was under the impression that Mr. Barrett owned these animals."
Mr. Simmons looked over, his eyes landing right on me. "You moved your horses?"
"Yes, sir."
"Like I said," Violet went on, "I'm leasing them. He said they were safe enough for his daughter, and I'm sure her skill exceeds mine, but it sounded like a good recommendation. Luke was more than willing to earn some extra money teaching me to ride. I don't see the conflict." Then she tilted her head slightly. "Unless you're just trying to milk all the money out of him that you pay him for working?"
"He has a contract," the man insisted.
I held up a finger for my daughter to wait by the truck. "Sir, I agreed to board with you for two years. I've been there for over five. There's no breach of contract, and you can't blame me for wanting to put a bit more money into my family, can you?"
Mr. Simmons looked over at the truck. "Afternoon, Faith."
The girl nodded, but the sound she made wasn't exactly polite. I jerked my eyes over to Violet only to find her looking right back. The sparkle proved that she wasn't the least bit intimidated by this man. Maybe my kid might end up picking up a few more bad habits from hanging out here, but if that included a spine of steel, I could live with it.
Mr. Simmons grumbled under his breath, then shook his head. "Well, I can't really stop you, but don't think you'll get the same rate when you come back. You understand me, boy?"
"Yes, sir," I assured him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I promised Faith that we'd go riding today."
"And I," Violet added, "need to do something useful. Get the hell off my land, Mr. Simmons, before I have to make a scene."
"Bitch," the old man grumbled before storming over to his truck.
None of us said a thing until Paul Simmons was all the way down by the gate. Then it was Faith who broke the silence. "Why'd you lie to him, Dad?"
