Page 10 of Deacon (Men of Clifton, Montana #52)

“Yes, sir.” Deke shook the sheriff’s hand firmly, then headed toward the door.

After Killian and Rawley exchanged handshakes with the sheriff, they followed Deke out to his truck.

The men put their protective vests on as the sun glinted off the polished metal, then they climbed inside, a sense of determination settling over them.

Deke entered the address into the GPS, the device’s screen glowing softly in the dim light of the cab, then followed the directions.

They soon arrived at the judge’s office, collected the warrant, and set off for the expansive Winchester property.

“I bet Winchester didn’t think you’d be able to get a warrant,” Rawley remarked from the back seat, his voice tinged with amusement.

“Yeah, I’m just glad the sheriff and judge are honest men,” Deke replied, a note of gratitude in his voice as he drove them onward.

****

Ava walked through town to do a little shopping, hoping to get Deacon out of her head.

Ellie, from her stroller, pointed at everything while chattering away.

She waved as people smiled and walked past. Ava laughed as she listened to Ellie say some words.

She could say, mama, puppy, kitty, Papa, doll, Ty, and no.

No being her favorite word. Every day, she seemed to pick up new words.

She’d run more than she walked and loved sitting on the floor playing with her blocks or dolls.

Ava wanted to teach her to say, daddy, for Deacon. She knew he deserved to know his little girl and Ava knew that she wanted Ellie to know her daddy. She knew they had a lot to talk about but with him on this case for her father, he would be busy.

She pulled open a door to a toy store, then entered and everyone inside laughed when Ellie let out a happy squeal as she looked at the toys.

“Doll, Mama,” she said as she pointed at a big doll with red curly hair, dressed in bibbed overalls.

The little boots on her feet were adorable, but when Ava looked at the price tag, she winced.

She didn’t want to pay that for a doll Ellie would, no doubt, get tired of in a few days.

She knew her father would get it, but as of right now, Ellie didn’t need it.

“How about this one?” Ava picked up a much smaller doll.

Ellie shook her head. “No.”

Ava squatted down. “I will not get the big doll right now. We’ll come back, okay?”

“No.”

“Ella Jo Parsons do not throw a fit,” Ava said in a low voice.

“Doll, Mama,” Ellie said, pointing once again to the big doll.

“Not now.” Ava stared at her and Ellie was old enough to know that look.

She folded her little arms and pouted. Ava sighed, bought the smaller doll, and left the store.

She tried to hand Ellie the other doll, but she refused to take it.

“Little hardhead,” Ava muttered as she placed Ellie in her car seat, put the packages into the back, then climbed behind the wheel to drive them home.

She’d glance in the mirror but Ellie was still mad. Talk about holding a grudge. She remained quiet the entire ride home. Ava was just glad she wasn’t throwing a hissy fit and screaming her lungs out. It sure wouldn’t be the first time.

As she pulled up to her father’s house, she stepped out, removed Ellie and placed her on her feet. She ran toward the steps, and crawled up them, then to the door where she slammed her hand against the wood. When it opened, she put her little arms up for her papa to pick her up.

“What’s going on? She looks mad about something,” he asked.

“I wouldn’t buy her the doll she wanted, so she’s not talking to me.”

Her father laughed. “Sounds just like you. Did you pick up that tape measure for me?”

“Of course. I have it right here.” Ava held up a small bag, climbed the steps, and entered the house behind her father and daughter.

Sunlight slanted through the curtains, casting warm lattices of light across the worn braided rug that the kitchen table sat on, as Ava followed her father into the living room.

He guided Ellie to the plush carpet and gently lowered her to the floor, then sat in the recliner.

Nearby, a gingerbread–brown rocking horse and scattered picture books formed a half-circle around the girl.

In her hand, Ava held a pal e‐ pink doll with glossy curls and a ruffled satin dress, every seam and ribbon freshly stitched.

She knelt beside Ellie and offered it with a hopeful smile, but the toddler turned back to the bluish glow of the television, smoothing her chubby fingers over the carpet instead.

Her father chuckled; voice soft but amused. “Yep, just like you at that age. Why didn’t you get her the other one?”

Ava pressed her lips into a thin line. “It was three times the price of this doll.”

He raised an eyebrow as he settled into the high-backed armchair. “Ava, you have money.”

She drew in a breath and glanced at the coffee table, where leather-bound ledgers and a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses lay in neat stacks. “That is not the point,” she said, running a fingertip along the spine of one book, “that’s a lot for a toy she’ll adore for a week and then abandon.”

“You don’t know that,” he countered, a gentle firmness in his tone.

“I’m not taking the chance,” she replied, shoulders tightening.

“She needs to learn she can’t have everything she points at.

” Her gaze flicked to her father’s steady eyes, searching for judgment.

Instead, he merely lifted an eyebrow. With a resigned sigh, she added, “Yes, I got a lot of things growing up— ”

“A lot of things? You got almost everything you ever pointed at.”

Her cheeks warmed. “You spoiled me.”

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and smiled. “Every little girl deserves to be spoiled.”

Ava shook her head, hair brushing her cheek. “I get that, Dad, but—”

“But what?” he prompted.

Her voice softened. “It’s just… I don’t want her to think she gets everything she wants.”

“I get that, but she’s a little girl, and you have the money.” He waved a hand as if dispensing her worries. “Your mother and I set up trust funds for you and Tyler. Use it.”

She bit her lip. “I know, but I don’t like the idea of buying something she’ll get tired of in a week or two.”

He reached over and patted her hand. “I get it, but if you can afford it, why not get it? Stop denying Ellie the same good childhood we provided for you. How about you let Deke get it? I’m sure he’d jump at the chance.”

Ava hesitated. “I’m sure… but I hate asking him.”

“Then don’t. I’m sure he’ll want to bring her something. When that happens, just tell him which doll to buy.”

She nodded slowly. “He was here last night, but Ellie was already asleep. He was disappointed but he said he’d be back. He wants to know his daughter and I shouldn’t have kept her from him all this time.”

“No, you shouldn’t,” her father murmured, a flicker of pain in his eyes.

Ava lowered her voice. “I never thought I’d ever see him again.”

He shook his head, lips compressed. “No excuse. Did you know how to get in touch with him?”

“Yes, I knew he worked for MDOL, and he was from Clifton,” she whispered.

“Then he deserved the truth. He didn’t deserve to be kept in the dark.”

Ava’s throat tightened. “He’s coming by tonight to discuss it further. I do want Ellie to know her daddy, and for him to know her, but I don’t know how to make it work.”

He leaned back in his chair. “You’ll figure it out. Don’t let excuses hold you back.”

She knelt on the rug beside Ellie, whose wide eyes remained fixed on the dancing colors of the cartoon. The doll lay untouched at the edge of her reach.

“I’m hoping we can work something out,” she said softly.

He offered her a reassuring smile. “Do what’s right for Ellie. Stop worrying and start living. That little girl deserves to know her father. Some men don’t give a damn about their kids, but Deke isn’t like that. You have to do what’s right for your daughter.”

“I know. We’ll see what happens after tonight.” Ava sat on the floor with her daughter and soothed her hair. Ellie looked at her and smiled and Ava’s heart cracked. She knew that she and Deacon had to figure this out.

A while later, Ava and Ellie drove home so she could get some work done.

Ava sighed deeply as she focused on the detailed bookkeeping spread out before her.

The room was filled with the soft rustling of papers and the occasional click of a calculator.

She preferred to figure it up on paper first before entering it into the ranch’s logs, even though the program did it for her, she liked to doublecheck everything.

Ellie yawned and Ava knew it was time for a nap, so she carried her to her bedroom.

Ava placed her in her crib and put the new doll beside her, but Ellie threw it out.

Ava knew how much Ellie had wanted the other doll, but she had decided she wouldn’t indulge Ellie’s every whim, even though she loved to spoil her little girl. Lessons about gratitude and understanding limits were important, and Ellie needed to learn them.

The sudden vibration of her phone broke the serene atmosphere, making Ava jump slightly. She contemplated ignoring it until she noticed Deacon’s name flashing on the screen. With a steadying breath, she picked it up and answered the call.

“Deacon?” she inquired, trying to keep her voice calm.

“I’m on my way, Ava.”

“But—”

“Damn it, Ava. I will not let you keep me from my daughter.”

“I was just going to say that I just put her down for a nap.”

His sigh came across the line. “Alright. That will give you and me time to talk about this. We need to come to some terms.”

Ava huffed. “Alright. Come on, then.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” he said and hung up .

Ava paced across the room in those fifteen minutes and when she heard his truck pull up, she was sure she was going to be sick.

What would come from this? When he knocked on the door, she about jumped out of her skin.

She was so nervous. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to him, her first thought was that he was still so strikingly handsome.

“Come in, please.” She inwardly smiled when he removed his hat and wiped his boots on the mat.

Deacon glanced around the room. “Let’s sit down.”

“Sure. Would you like something to drink?”

“No. How long will Ellie nap?”

“An hour or two.” Ava sat on the sofa, then Deacon sat down in a recliner, leaning forward. She watched as he spun the brim of his hat in his hands and knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

“Ava…” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you kept her from me.”

“I didn’t want to burden you.”

“You think telling me I had a child would… burden me?” he snapped.

“Some men would be.”

Deacon got to his feet. “I am not like some men. I thought we had a good connection, but apparently not if you couldn’t tell me about her.

” He raked his hand through his hair, then sat down again.

“Ava, I am going to be a part of her life but living five hours apart is going to be hard no matter which one of us travels. Five hours might not seem like much, but it is if you do it enough.” He stood again and paced.

“I’ve thought of hardly anything else since finding out about her and that’s not good.

I have a case to work on and this is all a distraction. ”

“So, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying you and Ellie should move to Clifton.” He stared at her.

Ava widened her eyes. “No. We can’t just up and move.”

“Why the hell not?”

“My family is here—”

“And mine is there! How is it fair that Ellie doesn’t know her other two uncles and grandfather?”

“We can visit.”

“That’s not going to work and you know it. Are you willing to make that trip every weekend?”

“No because you will do it too.”

“There will be times I can’t, especially if I’m on a case, and on weekends, I have work to do around my place.”

“I have a job too, Deacon.”

“One you can do from anywhere. You don’t have to be here at the ranch. You do bookkeeping, sales, and payroll. All done on a program in your computer.”

“My father told you that, didn’t he? That still doesn’t make the move easy for me.”

“Alright. I’ll say this one time. You either move to Clifton or we go to court and I’ll seek joint custody. You kept her from me for well over two years, Ava. How do you think a judge will feel about that when he knows I want my daughter?”

“Are you threatening me?” She slowly got to her feet.

“No, sweetheart, that’s not a threat. That is a promise. You think about it. ”

“Just where would we live?”

“You can move in with me. I have two spare bedrooms, or we’ll find you an apartment. Either works for me, then once you’re settled, you and I can get to know each other more than just in bed. Ava, I’m telling you, if you don’t do this, we will go to court and let them figure it out.”

“You think this is easy for me? I feel horrible knowing how I’ve hurt you, but to move…” She shook her head. “And, you just said you could work on weekends at your job and have things to do around your place. If I move there, what are we supposed to do while you’re doing that?”

“Anything you want. First off, working on weekends rarely happens unless we’re short-handed, and working around my place is done first thing in the morning, but I am not going to feel like traveling after I do that, especially for a five hour drive. I deserve to know my child,” he snapped.

Deacon walked toward the door with his hat in his hand. He opened the door, put his hat on, then looked at her.

“Think about it. You really only have those two choices. I’ll be around for a few days, and I will see my daughter.” He stepped onto the porch and pulled the door closed behind him as Ava sunk onto the sofa.