Page 18 of More Than a Little Spark (Cowboys of Stargazer Springs Ranch #9)

Carson

Carson

I didn’t want to spring Daphne on Fred with other people around, so I suggested she come to the house before the party. That way, they can meet again without a bunch of people around.

The nervousness that has my insides in knots is likely unwarranted. At least I hope it is. Things are going well with Daphne, and life with Fred keeps getting better. I have a twelve-year-old who seems to actually like me. Can’t complain about that.

Fred drops a wad of towels onto the couch. “Are we leaving soon?”

“In a bit. My friend is coming here. Then we’ll all ride over together.”

“Okay.” He jogs down the hall. “I need my goggles.”

“Aren’t they in the pool bag?” I try to keep all the pool stuff in one place, but you’d think those things had legs.

When I hear the car pull up, a smile tugs at my cheeks. I’m looking forward to everyone knowing that Daphne and I are dating, and not just the handful who I’ve told or those who have figured it out.

I open the door as she’s getting out of her car. “You made it. Any trouble finding the house?”

“Not at all. Once I made it to the ranch, it was easy to find since I’ve been here before.” She stops outside the door and whispers, “Have you told him?”

“Not yet. Come on in.” I debated about how I should do things. One option was to tell Fred I was dating someone before Daphne arrived. But I went with the alternative and waited until she was here. She’s sweet and kind, and I think that will make the news easier for Fred.

Maybe it won’t be hard for him at all. I could just be projecting because I hated it when Mom found a new guy to date. But I had reason to dislike the men in her life. They hated me and found me bothersome.

Daphne isn’t like that.

Fred runs out and tosses the pool bag on top of the towels. “Found ’em.” Then he waves at Daphne. “Hi. You were the one who had the accident.”

“Yes, I am. My name is Daphne.”

“I know. And I’m Fred, if you forgot. My dad saved you, didn’t he?” Fred’s gaze bounces between me and Daphne.

“I helped her.” I slide an arm around her waist. “That’s how we met. And we’ve been dating for a few months.”

Fred blinks. “Oh.”

This is not the response I was hoping for.

Daphne pats my arm. “I’m going to run into the restroom for a moment.” After flashing a smile at Fred, she hurries out of the room.

He watches her leave, then turns toward me. “Is she your girlfriend?”

I nod. “She is.”

“Weird.” He walks to the couch and gathers up the bag and towels.

I should leave well enough alone, but I don’t. “Why’s that?”

He shrugs. “She’s really pretty is all.”

“That’s true. Daphne is beautiful.”

Fred meets my gaze as he slings the bag onto his shoulder. “I’m just surprised someone that pretty is dating you.”

Clearly this kid knows what buttons to push. And my insecurities are through the roof. But this isn’t only about me. And it’s clear from his jab that he’s not very happy about the fact that I’m dating.

“Please don’t be rude to my guest.” I work to keep any anger out of my tone.

“I won’t. Can we go now?”

“Get in the truck. We’ll be out in a minute.”

He runs out the door, and I pick up the towel he dropped. Today will be interesting.

Daphne looks around as she steps into the living room. “Where’s Fred?”

“He’s eager to get to the party. You ready?”

She slides her hand into mine. “He didn’t seem too happy about the dating part.”

“He probably needs time.” I’m saying it out loud, hoping that it’s true.

“Maybe so.” She squeezes my hand. “We shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Fred is waiting in the back seat, and I’m thankful he at least left the front seat open for Daphne.

Country music on the radio makes the lack of conversation less awkward during the few minutes it takes to get to the main house. And when I park, Fred jumps out as soon as I cut the engine. He didn’t even grab the bag or towels.

Daphne sighs. “I can go home if you think this isn’t a good idea.”

While I want to reassure her and say he’s just excited about the party, I can’t because I’m a horrible liar.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what to think. But I want you to stay.

There are a lot of people I’d like for you to meet.

Again. You’ve already met most of them.” I hold out my hand.

“He’s twelve, and as someone who was once a twelve-year-old boy, I can say with confidence that they can be unpredictable and even unkind at times. I know I was.”

“It’s hard to imagine you as unkind.”

“I grew up. But I’m hoping he’ll realize that our dating isn’t a bad thing, won’t upend his life. And he’ll be fine with it. That might take a little while. And lots of reassurance.”

“You are probably right.” She leans across and kisses my cheek. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I heard what Fred said at the house.” She runs a finger down the front of my T-shirt. “I’ve liked you from the first time I saw you. Never forget that.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Now let’s go party.” She wiggles in her seat. “And do not let me forget to put on sunscreen because I will hurt if I don’t.”

“I can help with that.” I wink as I slide out of the truck.

An hour later, Daphne and Rose are gathered with the other ladies, deep in conversation. Daphne looks happy, which is good. And it’s nice that she’s met most everyone here before today. Plus, Rose is here, and Daphne loves hanging out with her best friend.

I wander over to the cooler to grab a cold drink.

Greeting people has taken a good bit of time.

And I offered to help with the food, so I haven’t had a chance to swim.

It’s also possible that Fred’s jab is playing on repeat in my head and I’m not yet ready to take off my shirt.

Daphne’s seen part of my chest. The hairy part.

But she hasn’t seen the spare tire on full display.

Gulping down a bottle of water, I delay dealing with insecurity.

Kent walks up beside me. “You brought her. Poppy says she’s awesome.”

“She is.”

“Is Fred excited? Mason did a little dance when Poppy and I announced that we were dating.”

“There was no dancing.” I crumple the bottle and toss it into the recycling bin. “But we’ll just have to see how things go.”

“Boys this age can be…” Kent shrugs.

“Yeah. For sure.”

A stream of water hits me smack in the center of my chest, and Fred cackles from the pool, the super soaker in his grubby little hands.

I point in warning, then yank off my shirt before diving into the pool. Daphne might have me a bit distracted, but I can still recognize a cry for attention. When I come up for air, I splash Fred, then dive back under. Soon, Mason and Kent have joined the game, and we’re all laughing.

We must make swimming seem like fun because several others jump into the pool.

Bailey sits on the edge of the pool, goggles on her face and flippers on her feet. “Fred, I can swim to the bottom. Watch me.” She slides into the water and glances at him before kicking her way down.

He treads water, focused on her until she breaks the surface again. “Cool. That was great.”

Her smile pushes up her goggles. “Can I play with you?”

“Sure. Yeah.” He scans the pool and spots Mason at the far end. “I’ll race you to the other side.”

The last word is barely out of his mouth, and Bailey is already swimming. And she’s fast, so he’ll have to work to catch her.

That’s when I notice Daphne taking off her T-shirt and shorts, revealing her red swimsuit. Dang, she’s hot.

I swim to the edge because I made a promise I intend to keep. Dripping wet, I walk over and pick up a towel. “Where’s the sunscreen?”

She grins and pulls a bottle out of her bag. “If you’ll rub it on my back, I can handle the rest.” She squeezes a dollop into my hand and turns, facing away from the pool.

I dab the lotion around her back and shoulders, then use both hands to spread it out over her very soft skin.

Once her back is fully protected from the sun, I lean in close. “Hopefully later, while everyone is distracted by fireworks, I can steal a kiss.”

Looking over her shoulder at me, she grins. “No need to steal. They’ll be freely given.”

And now I’m really looking forward to the fireworks display.

A stream of water hits me in the back.

“I’m being paged. But I’ll find you in the pool in a bit.” I spin around and stare at Fred, who is sitting on the edge of the pool. He’s laughing as I make my way toward him.

“Watch out, Dad!” He sprays me again. And when I’m only paces away, he drops the water gun and cannon balls into the water.

And I follow suit.

Today hasn’t been perfect, but overall, it’s going pretty well. Daphne has seen me without a shirt and still wants to kiss me. Fred is still calling me Dad. And the fajitas will be ready any minute.