Page 58 of In Full Bloom

“Just give me a second to put some jeans on.”

“But … those leggings.” He eyes them, that dark look back in his eye.

“Yeah, yeah, settle cowboy. I appreciate you think they’re hot but they’re useless for working in.” He looks like a kid who’s just dropped his ice cream. I head for the door, then glance back at him over my shoulder. He’s staring at my ass. “Don’t worry. I think you’ll like the jeans I’m planning on wearing.” I shoot him a smirk, then leave the room.

When I reach my bedroom, I hunt in the back of my dresser for my oldest pair of jeans. I don’t even know why I still have them. They’re so worn. There’s rips in several places, but they hug my ass like no other pants I’ve ever owned and I haven’t quite been able to part with them, or the confidence boost they give me. I slide them up my legs, then head for the kitchen. Dallas is leaning against the counter, staring at his injured arm and running his fingers over the bandage.

“How’s it feeling?” I ask, grabbing my house keys and his ute keys off the bench.

“Throbbing like a bitch,” he says with a grimace. “It’s like my heart beat is actually in my arm.”

“We probably didn’t exactly help it.”

He smirks at me, that cocky look he’d given me the night we met, the one that made me want to take him home and spend the night moaning his name. “I don’t regret it.”

Heat floods my cheeks. I don’t know why I’m suddenly blushing. I’m the one who took this afternoon from an emotional overshare into me grinding on his lap while he buried his face in my cleavage.

“Let’s go get Sadie,” I say, turning abruptly and heading for the door. I lock it behind us and climb into the driver’s seat of the ute as Dallas finds a shirt in the pile of clothing in the back seat. I start the vehicle and turn to back out of the driveway, the empty space beside the spare clothes catching my attention. “Shit. We don’t have her car seat.” I flop back into my seat, chewing on my bottom lip, trying to find asolution here. I assume Dallas would normally switch the car seat from Violet’s car to his on the days he was picking her up.

“It’s okay. We leave the car seat at school on the days we aren’t sure who’s going to make pick up.”

I blow out my breath, then resume reversing. “That’s a smart idea.”

Dallas shrugs. “Having a kid, especially in my situation, you have to be prepared for all sorts of things. Because I never know if I’m actually going to make pick up, but because I really want to be able to do it, Violet suggested leaving the seat with Sadie so we didn’t run into that issue.” He runs a hand through his hair, then braces his elbow on the door. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without Violet and Olivia. I don’t know how parents have jobs, let alone single ones.”

“Vi and Livvie are pretty amazing, but don’t discredit yourself. You’re doing an incredible job.” Dallas snorts, as if he doesn’t believe me. “You’ve only been here for six months, right?”

“Yeah. What’s your point?”

“My point is Sadie was a spectacular kid before you got here. As amazing as Violet and Liv are, their influence can’t have been that great on her in such a short amount of time. You raised that little girl. You should give yourself the credit for doing a great job.”

Dallas doesn’t respond, he doesn’t even look my way as we drive slowly through the streets of town. There aren’t many. The main street with the majority of retail businesses lining it, including the pub where we first met on the corner. The farm supply store is just down the street, and other industrial or tradebusinesses are located a block over, taking up twice the area of the retail stores. The town definitely isn’t a big one, but supports such a vast rural area, we have all the services we need except a decent clothing store. Unless of course you only want to wear farm brand attire.

The primary school is located on the far side of town to my house, set in a residential area. The high school, weirdly, is on the same side of town as my place, just about as far away from the primary school as possible, something that’s never made any sense to me.

I turn down the street the school is on and find an empty parking space in the shade of a massive Puriri tree. We’re lucky to get it. We aren’t late, but already most of the parking spaces are filled and parents are milling around in front of the school.

Dallas and I join them and a moment later the end of day bell rings. Children pour from the classrooms and I search through them for Sadie. I never went to this school, so I’m not even sure which classes are for junior students as opposed to senior ones.

“Katie!” I turn as a small force collides with me. Apparently I was looking in completely the wrong direction.

“Good afternoon, Lady Sadie.” I grin down at her as she hugs my legs, her backpack sliding off one shoulder.

“Why are you here?”

“I was in town with your dad and wanted to surprise you.”

“I’m so surprised,” she says, beaming up at me. I scoop her into my arms and once she’s settled on my hip she seems to notice her dad for the first time. “Daddy!” she exclaims. A small frown creases her forehead. “What happened to your arm?”

Dallas is standing watching us with a soft smile on his face, his arms crossed over his chest. He glances down at the bandage. “I hurt my arm on the farm today. The doctor had to look at it.”

“Will it be okay?” Sadie whispers and I hug her tighter against me.

“I’m going to be absolutely fine. Katie looked after me.”

Dallas slides Sadie’s backpack off her, leaving the little girl in my arms. She leans her head against my shoulder and squeezes her arms around me so tightly I’m not sure I can breathe. “Thank you, Katie,” she says softly.

“It was my pleasure, sweetheart,” I murmur into her hair. I close my eyes as her scent hits me. Her hair smells like bubblegum. For a moment my brain flashes to what my life would be like if I hadn’t lost my own baby, but I push the thoughts away. Now is not the time to dwell on the past.

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