Page 47 of Entangled with a Mountain Man

The girls giggle, and I feel the corner of my mouth twitch. Damn it. She's got me smiling now too.

Dinner passes in a blur of conversation and laughter. Kenzie draws the girls out, asking about their day and their favorite subjects in school. She listens intently, and every word they say is the most important thing she's ever heard.

I find myself watching her more than eating. The way she interacts with the girls, it's... natural. Like she's always been here.

"Daddy?" Harper's voice pulls me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, peanut?"

"Can we have ice cream for dessert?"

I hesitate, about to say no, when Kenzie jumps in.

"How about we make some fruit smoothies instead?" she suggests. "I saw some berries in the fridge earlier."

The girls' faces light up, and I find myself nodding. "Sounds good to me."

As Kenzie and the girls bustle around the kitchen, pulling out ingredients and arguing good-naturedly about which fruits to use, I lean back in my chair, taking it all in.

This woman... she's only been here a few hours, and already she's changing things.

It's dangerous, I know. Getting too attached, letting her in too deep. But watching her with the girls, seeing the way they respond to her... it's hard to remember why I was so determined to keep my distance.

The blender whirs to life, drowning out the chatter for a moment. When it stops, Kenzie turns to me, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Want to try it first, boss?" she asks, holding out a glass.

I take it, my fingers brushing hers. A jolt of electricity shoots through me at the contact, and I quickly pull away.

"Thanks," I mutter, taking a sip.

It's good. Really good. The perfect balance of sweet and tart.

"Well?" Hazel asks, bouncing on her toes.

I nod, swallowing. "It's great, button. Good job."

The girls cheer, high-fiving each other and Kenzie. As they settle in to enjoy their smoothies, I catch Kenzie's eye over the rim of my glass.

She smiles, a soft, genuine thing that hits me right in the chest. I nod back, not trusting myself to speak.

She's going to be trouble. I can feel it in my bones. But watching her with the girls, seeing the way she's already brightening up our lives... I'm starting to think it might be worth it.

As the evening winds down, the girls growing sleepy and full of smoothies, I realize I'm not ready for it to end. Not yet.

"All right, munchkins," I say, standing up. "Time for bed."

They groan in unison, but there's no real fight in it. They're tired, I can tell.

"Can Miss Kenzie tuck us in?" Harper asks, her eyes wide and pleading.

I glance at Kenzie, who nods. "I'd love to, if that's okay with your dad."

I hesitate for a moment, then nod. "Sure. Go on up, girls. We'll be there in a minute."

As they scamper off, I turn to Kenzie. "You don't have to if you don't want to. It's not part of your job description."

She smiles, shaking her head. "I want to. They're great kids, Everett."

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