Page 20

Story: Wild River Daddy

She looked like she’d been swallowed whole, and he thought she was adorable. Now, time to fill her in on what came next. “Bluebell, I need to share what the next two days have in store for us. Fair warning, you’re not going to be tickled pink by what I have to say.”

“Are you kiddin’me?” he asked. She’d surprised him. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. He thought she might sulk from having her britches busted, but she hadn’t. When she shared some information about the town she’d grown up in, he understood why.

“Nope, it’s a family friendly tourist town in the eastern Tennessee mountains,” she said, attempting to keep up in her not-ready-for-mountain-range hiking shoes. “In Darling, almost all the men are Daddies. There all all kinds of things for Littles, hence for kids, to do. When I left, we were getting more and more Littles and Daddies visiting or moving there to try and find someone. Breezy says they have all sorts of things to do now.”

Her pace slowed at the mention of her sister. Tildi had spoken of her sister before. Had she been in the same camp as this General who was supposedly Tildi’s father?

He decided to wait to talk about her sister. There was something else he wanted to know. “You talk about home as if it is a wonderful place, and yet, you couldn’t wait to leave. Why is that?”

She shrugged. “The town is great. My family, well, my parents, not so much.”

Boone nodded. Talking kept her distracted. She hadn’t mentioned the wind or the ever-steepening trail, though it must be affecting her because her pace gradually grew slower and slower.

“Your parents but not your sister?” he asked.

“Breezy? No, Breezy was great. I couldn’t allow myself to show her how much I loved her back then. If the General thought anything was distracting me from my studies, he got rid of it.Even people. I had several friends whose parents miraculously got jobs somewhere else if I got too close to them. I came home one day and found a bunch of brochures about fine arts boarding schools all around the world. I knew it was the General’s way of warning me that he’d send Breezy away, too, if she got in the way of his plans for me. He was a shit father and a dick of a human being.”

He froze at her words and turned to face her. What kind of father would do that to his daughter? Either one of them?

“Language,” he drawled automatically. “Though I agree with the sentiment. Come here, Bluebell.”

She’d been lagging further and further behind the last mile or so, but she hadn’t complained. He was proud of her for that, but now that he watched her walk, it became evident she had a limp.

“You getting blisters from those shoes?” His years of military service had taught him the danger of open sores on the feet. It was one small reason to be thankful for the cold weather. Germs didn’t grow well in snow.

It hadn’t been a problem at first, but as they climbed higher, the drifts had grown deeper. His thermals and wool socks helped, but she could still get blisters or worse, frostbite.

When she got closer, he dropped to one knee and had her sit on the other. The breath she sucked in as he removed her shoe told him all he needed to know about the state of her feet, but he checked anyway.

As he suspected, she had several large blisters that had already popped on the bottoms of her feet and the backs of her heels. Even more concerning, her feet were a dark cherry red.

He should have stopped sooner, but she’d given no indication she was in pain. “Why didn’t you tell me you could barely walk, little girl? I could have helped.”

She sniffled, and he felt like an ass. Here she was, trying to be a trooper, and he was yelling at her.

“I didn’t want to complain. You saved my life already. I shouldn’t ask for more than that.” Those periwinkle eyes flashed, and her adorable chin jutted out. “I can do my part. You said we needed to make it to the jeep, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

He did his best to gentle his tone. “I appreciate that, Bluebell. I know you’ve had to look out for yourself and not make waves for the last year, but those days are gone. It’s my job as your Daddy to look after you. I know how strong you are. I’m proud of you, but being strong doesn’t mean not asking for help when you need it.”

“It always has before,” she said, her voice small and filled with pain. He’d bet a steak dinner that pain wasn’t because of her feet. Damn that man who donated sperm to her mother. He would never call the man a father again.

“Well, it isn’t that way anymore. I want you to come to me when anything is bothering you, no matter how big or how small.” He gave her a grin and a wink. “That’s one of the perks of having a Daddy.”

That earned him, if not a full blown smile, at least a tilt of her lips. With a nod, she said, “Okay.”

Schooling his face into an over-exaggerated scowl, he growled, “What are the words I want to hear, young lady?”

Her giggle was like bells jingling on a Christmas sleigh. “Yes, Daddy.”

“That’s my good girl,” he said. Without thinking, he leaned forward and kissed her. He’d intended to kiss her forehead, but at the last second, she looked up. His kiss landed on her lips. Her soft, plump, delicious lips.

It must have surprised her as well because her lips rounded into a gasp. It was all he could do not to take advantage of the opportunity to explore her mouth and taste her. With a self-control that had come from years of dealing with skittish colts onthe ranch, he pulled back and brushed a kiss on her forehead as he had originally intended.

Was that disappointment in her eyes? He shut that thought down. There was no way he was going to make out with his girl when she was cold and in pain. It was more likely wishful thinking on his part, anyway.

“All right, Bluebell,” he said. “Let me look in my handy dandy backpack. I might have something to make your feet more comfortable.”

Before he could get it open, Tildi broke out in a rousing chorus of The Backpack Song, and his heart damn near burst.