Page 11 of My Cowboy Boss (Lucky River Cowboys #2)

Arizona

Five years can pass in the blink of an eye, and I wish I knew how to grab time and slow it down. The days and months and years since I married Flint…sometimes I don’t know where they all went.

I’m thinking about that as I start the dishwasher and hear a squeal of delight.

I glance through the kitchen window that’s over the sink.

I can hear my four-year-old daughter, Kayla, but I can’t see her.

I’m not worried because I know she’s with Flint and that man of mine would never let harm to come to our child.

I dry my hands and then head out the back and down the steps into the huge backyard. There’s a brick pathway that leads out from the house and along it flowers bloom everywhere.

Somewhere, thanks to River, we have a couple dogs. We also have a few cats. One of the cats is Warrior, Flint’s aging buddy who considers himself a guard cat and will quickly put any animal in its place if it doesn’t like how it frolics with Kayla.

Flint is gently pushing our daughter in the kiddie swing that he added next to the one he built for me.

Her chubby cheeks are pink from the heat even though the sun is no longer high in the sky. The scent of the barbecue Flint made on the grill lingers in the air and I can smell the fresh watermelon slices we had for desert.

I take a second to watch my husband interact with our daughter and I get a lump in my throat. He’s a man who wasn’t well loved until he met his foster family and despite everything that he went through he became an amazing person.

His smile comes easier now than when I met him that first day that I walked onto the ranch and faked my way into a job.

I can’t help but smile at the thought. Life can sure turn out differently than how we think it will.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks.

“I’m flying, Daddy!” Kayla shrieks before I can answer.

“I see you. Look at those wings.”

“I’m a butterfly, Mama!”

“The most beautiful one in the garden,” I assure her.

“I am,” she agrees and Flint and I laugh. Our little girl is confident. She’s also bright and inquisitive, and full of joy. She’s doted on by all her uncles and my sister plus Flint’s parents, who are doing their best to spoil her.

“I want to play in the pool now,” Kayla announces.

Flint’s ready to let her do just that but I say, “Grandma and Grandpa want to see you. Want me to take you to their house?”

“Yes!” She waves her hands. “Stop the swing, Daddy.”

“I didn’t know we were going there tonight,” Flint says as we walk toward our house, each of us holding one of Kayla’s hands. Each step we take, we do the one-two-three swing thing she loves where we lift her up into the air.

She laughs deeply, her little eyes crinkling up.

We ride horses to the ranch because it’s easier and quicker to cut across the acreage than to drive over. Kayla loves to ride and pushes for us to let her do it herself but we’re waiting until she’s a little older.

We get to the ranch and as soon as Flint helps her down, she runs for the porch.

“There’s the best granddaughter in the whole world,” Frances says, scooping Kayla up and giving her a hug before she sets her down. She and I make eye contact and smile at each other. We’re co-conspirators. I called her earlier and asked if she’d mind if Kayla came over.

Frances takes my daughter’s hand and says, “Come inside, Kayla. Grandpa has candy and River has a new kitten.”

Flint starts to head to the barn with the horses, but I stop him. “Don’t. You and I are going back to our house for a little while.”

He instantly looks at the house. “Why? Is something going on?”

“I’m afraid so. I had to call your mom earlier today.”

“Why?”

“There’s something you didn’t do.”

“Did I not do something?” He pushes his hat back and rubs his forehead. “I can’t think of anything. I didn’t forget any special days. Shit. You sound serious.” He rubs the side of my arm. “Just tell me.”

I sigh. “What you haven’t done is given your daughter a sibling.”

Flint laughs and shakes his head. “I swear, woman. Get your ass up on your horse. I’m going to take you home and teach you who’s the boss.”

“I’m the boss,” I say as I swing up into the saddle and we race back home.

Once we’re there, I dart ahead of him into the bedroom and sit in the upholstered chair. I cross my legs. “Need me to take notes? Find a livestock file? Contact a supplier? Do you have an order for me, boss?”

“I do.” He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. “Just love me.”

“That’s a given, boss. Anything else?”

“Yep. Let’s fornicate.”

I laugh my ass off as he lowers me to the bed and starts making love to me.

Later, after our bodies are spent, Flint says, “Thank you for everything you do. For the way you love me. For being my sweet spot in all the spaces in my heart where I only knew bitterness.”

“I love you,” I say quietly, then I grin up at him. “Think we made a sibling for Kayla?”

He rubs his chin. “It’s always best to be sure. Let’s go again.”

I laugh, thinking how much I adore this man that I was fortunate enough to find. This man who loves me like crazy. My cowboy boss.