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She shook her head. “No, Daddy,” she said. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the wobble out of her voice.

“Slide over here, little one. I want you back between Daddy’s legs.”

He probably didn’t trust her to stay seated. She did as he asked, well, told her to do, and slid back to the place she’d been when the whole monster mess had started.

“That’s my good girl. I like you close. Now, did Daddy smack your bottom for not minding him?”

She squirmed on her bottom. It was still tender. “Yes, Daddy,” she said.

“Well, then it’s over. I’m not angry anymore, and you don’t have to feel guilty. That’s how consequences work. So, whatever you were thinking about what I was thinking, let me spell it out. When I said to slide over here because I wanted you between my legs, did you know what I meant?”

“Yes, Daddy. You meant what you said.”

“That’s right, I did. And I always will. I don’t play mind games with my words, babygirl. I say what I mean. You can always trust what I say to be what I mean. So, when I say that we can put something behind us, what do I mean?”

“That I don’t have to worry about it anymore?”

“There’s that fantastic mind at work. You’re right. So, whatever was going on in your head a minute ago, you should forget it. Why is that?”

The bad feelings clawing at her lost their grip and blew away in the stiff ocean breeze. Smiling, she said, “Because I can trust you to say what you mean, so I don’t have to guess.”

He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “That’s my Bluebell.”

She held his arms tight, soaking up all the warm fuzzies having them there gave her. Then it occcured to her he’d never answered her question. “Daddy, what kind of sea monster was that thing?”

The vibrations of his chuckle moved through her, sparking those tingles she seemed to get when in his arms. “That wasn’t a sea monster, Bluebell. That was a rare treat. You got a glimpse of something most people will never get to see.”

Now he had her curiosity stoked. “What was it?”

“It was a fin whale. It is the second largest mammal on the planet and very rare to see. And it was so happy to see you it jumped for joy. Not that I blame it, of course.”

That made her giggle. “That’s silly. No one would jump for joy over me.”

He stilled behind her. “And why is that?”

Uh oh. She’d said something wrong again. She wasn’t sure what, but he was unhappy with her. “Why is what, Daddy?”

“Why wouldn’t anyone jump for joy over you?”

Yep. He was definitely unhappy with her. She shrugged. Something told her there was no right answer to that question. She settled for explaining, “They never have before.”

“Well, that was on them, not you. I read about a woman who bought a fake diamond ring for thirteen dollars at a hospital pawn shop and found out a few years later that it was real. She sold it for almost eight hundred and fifty thousanddollars. Someone had that ring before her and gave it away for practically nothing. But that didn’t make the ring worth nothing. It made the person who had it before a fool. Anyone who can see the real value of a person would jump for joy over you.” He tipped her chin so her gaze was on him. “And, Bluebell, I am jumping for joy.”

CHAPTER 9

They made it toMidnight’s Mistresswithout any further incidents, but by the time they pulled alongside the yacht, Tildi was shaking like a leaf. Whether from cold or shock, he didn’t know. Probably both.

Tying up the Zodiac to the last cleat, Boone called to his friend, “Grif, get down here and help me get Tildi aboard. Take her below so she can get warm. Bluebell, you go with Grifter. He’ll get you a blanket and some dry clothes. I’ll be down in a few minutes. I need to bring the guys up to speed and touch base with the ranch.”

And bring Sev up to date about what went down with his father, or rather, what didn’t go down. He wasn’t going to tell Tildi about that. She’d find a way to make it her fault and he wasn’t having that. He was a big boy, and he’d made that decision all by himself. Even though it cost him his shot at taking out Midnight, he had no regrets.

“On it,” Grif said. Slinging his rifle onto his back, he jumped down from the flybridge and knelt on the back deck of the yacht. Extending his hand to Tildi, he said, “Grab my hand, Bluebell.”

“Her name is Tildi,” Boone growled. He’d be having words with his friend later about proper names. If Grif was smart, he’d stick to calling her Tildi.

Grif’s gaze shot to Boone. It took only seconds for his confusion to shift into a knowing grin. Bastard. Still grinning, Grif lifted Tildi from the Zodiac onto the open deck and rushed her below, hopefully to the center of the ship where she’d be safest.

Boone fought back a growl at having his Little girl out of his sight. He’d always been overprotective of those in his care, but somehow, in a matter of hours, he’d grown incredibly possessive as well. That hadn’t happened in a long time.