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A thudding of hooves on the hard ground in front of them caught his attention. A dried bamboo pole appeared over the bull from the back and came down on its hind quarters with aresoundingthwack. Someone had spliced the pole so it made a big noise without a lot of force.

The bull jumped and stepped forward. Boone stepped to the side and pulled Tildi back behind him. A young boy no older than ten whisked the pole again, prompting the bull to carry on down the trail.

The boy glanced at them as he passed but didn’t seem surprised or alarmed. Still, Boone knew that was their signal to get a move on.

Putting Tildi back on his back, he told her story after story of growing up on the ranch. They’d swapped stories at first. But all her stories made him angry. How could someone so sweet come out of a home so dysfunctional? She was a miracle in motion.

“Okay, here we are,” he said when he spotted the small clearing where he’d stored the tent. “Have you ever gone camping, little one?”

Her eyes were huge as she shook her head. “I was too busy with school.”

That's what he figured she’d say. “Well, you are in for a treat, babygirl. Take this tarp and spread it out right over there. We’ll get the tent up, and then, hear that water running?”

She nodded again. Cute. She was staring at him like he was a rocket engineer. He felt ten feet tall.

“There’s a creek at the bottom of that ravine. We’ll walk down there and get water.”

She lit up like the sky last week at sunrise. He’d thought that was beautiful. The excitement and joy gleaming in her eyes outshone the sunrise, hands down.

“Let’s pick out our sleeping tree and go from there.”

She was adorable, inspecting each tree. Her tongue peeked out from the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on finding the perfect tree. Even in the freezing temperature, his dick was fighting to break through his zipper.

They worked to lay down dry branches and put down a mylar tarp. Then he took over. He set up camp the same way he’d been doing since he and his brother camped on the edge of the back pasture when they were kids.

Since he’d grown up camping in Wyoming, he’d known how to prepare for the cold night air. The trees broke up the wind, and the way he set the tent added more protection.

She’d ooh’d and ahh’d over the freeze-dried lasagna they had for supper. He loved her delight at everything they did, no matter how small. Seeing things fresh through her eyes took the bite out of not only the dropping temperatures but also the failure of his attempt to take out Midnight.

He’d rescued her with a resentment he kept buried deep, but her unfailing ability to see the good in everything after all she’d endured humbled him. It had only been hours, but he couldn’t imagine a world without Tildi-not-Matilda Lewis.

And now he was headed for the hardest thing he’d had to do on this mission so far. He hadn’t planned for company and only had one sleep sack.

Glancing at his watch, he said, “Time for bed, Bluebell.”

She came back immediately with, “I don’t want to go to bed yet.” It would have been more effective if she hadn’t yawned in the middle of her protest.

“Sure you do,” he told her. “Once we’re in bed, we get to see the star show.”

He took one look at her and laughed. Suspicion didn’t just cloud her eyes. It painted her whole face. Good to know his Little girl wouldn’t be able to keep secrets from him.

She put both hands on her hips. “What are you laughing at?”

“You should never play poker, little girl. Your face is an open book. Now I’ll rephrase my statement. You have until I count to three to get you hiney in this sleeping bag, or I’ll put you there after I make sure it is very, very red.”

Her eyes almost popped out of her head. “I was just thinking how tired I was, Daddy,” she said, moving to the sleeping bag he already had in place.

“Good move,” he told her as he helped her take off her shoes. “I’ll get in first, then you crawl in next to me.”

“It looks awfully tiny to hold two people,” she said as he situated himself in the sleeping bag.

“That just makes it cozy. Now climb in, Bluebell.”

He managed not to groan as she wiggled into place, settling with her firm, round backside nestled against his crotch. There was no way to keep his cock from responding to her closeness.

He knew the second she realized that was his dick pressing against her bottom because she stiffened and stopped moving.

“Pay no attention to that, Bluebell. It doesn’t mean anything is going to happen. We are like this so we can stay warm.”