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She was messing everything up. Her parents weren’t bad people. Not really.

“If this gets to be too much, I want you to tell me. When did they figure out you had rheumatic fever?”

That one was simple. “Christmas.”

A yawn tried to break free, but it hurt so much she clenched her teeth. She should have let it out, but despite what she’d said earlier about being a pain in the butt, she didn’t want to waste a minute of the short time she would have with him on sleep.

“How could they not take you to the doctor?” Chancedemanded. He seemed upset, not because of her but on her behalf. Maybe he did care about her, at least a tiny bit.

But she couldn’t have him thinking poorly of her parents. “Folks, older.”

For the most part, they managed their farm by themselves. She didn't think it occurred to them that her sore throat could be anything serious. Even if they had, they didn't have the money to run to the doctor when she was already feeling better.

It didn't seem her words made him feel any better. As a matter of fact, he looked even more upset. So, she tried again. “Suspicious of doctors. Loved me.”

She chose not to bring up how upset her parents were about the cost of those tests. It wasn't like they didn't love her. They were both pragmatic, stoic people. She couldn’t have been more different from them if she’d tried.

At some point in her efforts, he started holding her hand. She couldn't look away from the way he rubbed his thumb back and forth across her skin. He held on extra tight when her hand jerked or flinched. Thank goodness it wasn't doing that as much today.

She hated it when her body did things without her permission. She felt like a puppet whose strings were being pulled by someone she couldn't see. And it was embarrassing. The kids at school used to make fun of her. She had taken to sitting on her hands so no one could see.

Chance gazed at her then, regret filling his eyes. “I'm sorry I didn't understand when you said there were snakes on you. You were talkin’ about the rash, weren't you?”

He was worried about that? She barely remembered it happening. She squeezed his hand. “It’s okay,” she whispered.

That's what the rash looked like to her. Especially during a bad flare-up. When the rash was a deep red. No doubt he thought she was crazy. Or on drugs.

“I wish I'd known you had flare-ups. We’ll be much morecareful in the future. Doc Bradford wants to see you once your fever’s gone. He has tests he wants to run.”

Her heart leaped. Did he think they had a future? Even though she warned herself not to get excited, she couldn’t help it, at least a little bit.

Wait. He thought he was taking her to see the doctor again? And for more expensive tests?

“No,” she said, trying her best not to panic. The last thing she needed to do right now was make her flare-up worse. “No doctors.”

There was no way she could afford the doctor's visit that had already occurred. She certainly couldn’t pay for another one. She had no idea what she would do, but she couldn’t let him take her to the doctor.

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Instead, he took a slow breath. “First, you do not tell Daddy no. That is against your rules?—”

“No rules! Too many.”

“We’ll get you a book of your own. You can write lines in it, too, which is what you’ll be doin’ the next time you interrupt Daddy.”

Her cheeks flushed. She needed to be nicer. He was doing so much for her, and she was being a pain in the butt. He’d be happy to get rid of her if she kept this up.

Staring at her lap as if she had just discovered it, she said, “Sorry.”

“I’m sorry, who?” he asked. He raised his hand to stop her from answering. “I don’t want you to answer that now, but once your throat is better, you’ll say, ‘Sorry, Daddy’. Understood?”

Her gaze shot to his. He wanted her to call him Daddy? Out loud?

Wide-eyed, she replied even though he’d told her not to. “Sorry… D-Daddy?”

“I said when your throat is better, little gypsy.” Yet, he smiled at her words, melting her heart.

She’d lived with Eddie for two years. He told her he was a Daddy Dom, but he hadn’t been one. He didn’t want her to call him Daddy, even in private. But he certainly wanted someone to cook and clean. Andotherthings. For the past year,other thingswere off the table, and he didn’t care. In fact, he barely noticed because he’d found someone else to get thoseother things.

She was so foolish. Who wouldn’t recognize that for the glaring red flag it was?