Page 48 of Cowboy Needed

“I’ll make sure to have some leftover for you for that y’all can heat up for snacks tomorrow night.” Ichabod figured that would be easy. They would get a ton of pizza. They could order it right before they headed home and pick it up on the way.

“Now that sounds like a plan,” Ellis said. “That way we can all munch on it as we go. Hey, ladies. You got your shoes?”

“Yes, Bell.” they chorused.

“Zane, do you need any money for food or anything?” Ellis was always good about pulling out his wallet and handing Zane a twenty, which Ichabod sometimes felt guilty about, but Ellis had told him to hush up about it, so he wasn’t going to argue.

“I’m good.” Zane grinned. “Dad gave me some money earlier today so I could go skiing and everything. You know, for lift tickets. So, I think I’ve got it.”

“Good deal. All right, let’s round this herd up and head out the door.” Ellis literally herded the kids.

Michael clapped his pirate hat on his head. “Yee haw or arrrr or something.”

That had both the girls giggling, and Zane rolling his eyes again, and him laughing, copping a quick feel of Ellis’s ass when nobody else was looking. Somehow, the way it was framed in those chaps made him dry in the mouth and hot all over, which is probably good since it was going to be bitter cold outside.

“Are you ready to Halloween with us?” Man, was that his voice, sounding all husky?

“I am. Been a long while since I did anything. And the girls are so excited.” Ellis was grinning to beat the band.

“They are at that.” He loaded them all up and got the SUV started. “Halloween Ho!”

“Who you callin’ a ho?” Zane muttered, winking at him in the rear-view mirror.

“You didn’t dress up, Daddy.” Allie was always so quick to point out his failings.

“I’ll have you know I have a cape, a wizard hat a la Gandalf, and a wand in the back. I figured that I didn’t want to drive with them.” And he could wear them over his coat, which worked.

“Oh.” Allie grinned. “You wore that last year.”

“But that was in Denver and no one will know but you.”

Allie nodded. “Not even the baby, because she’s too little to remember.”

He nodded, “Exactly. This way people can pay more attention to you in your sparkly costume.”

Allie beamed, as if he’d given her this huge compliment. “Do you know what, Daddy? You’re so right.”

Zane chuckled softly but didn’t say anything. That kid was wanting to go to his party.

Ellis kept stealing glances at him, grinning.

He tilted his head, curious as to what was going on in the cowboy’s head. “What?”

“I love that you’re a good dad. It makes me stupidly happy. You’re a great dad.”

He shrugged, his cheeks going hot. “I had a good one. He’s a great role model. How about you? You like your dad?”

Ellis nodded. “I do. He’s solid. I don’t get to see him as much as I want. I’d like to believe that he doesn’t get to see me as much as he’d want, but yeah, we’re fine. I talked to him just the other day, in fact.”

“Mine’ll be coming for Thanksgiving. You’ll get to meet them then.”

“Are they going to stay for Christmas?” Michael asked.

He shook his head. “Oh, honey, that’s a long time.”

“Yeah, but Christmas is way more fun than Thanksgiving…”

“Yes, but your grandmother can cook at Thanksgiving.”