Page 59 of In Full Bloom

“My pleasure too,” Dallas mutters into my ear as he falls into step beside us heading for the school building.

Heat flares through my cheeks and I shove him with my elbow, careful not to dislodge Sadie who’s clearly exhausted and has curled into me. “Shush,” I say.

“Let’s just grab this car seat and we’ll get back to the farm. I think Sadie and I could help you with Scout this afternoon …” He trails off and runs a hand through his hair. “If you want some assistance.”

“I’m not allowed to help with the horses,” Sadie says in a sleepy voice.

“You can now,” Dallas says. “If you want.”

Sadie sits up immediately and almost topples from my arms. “Really?” she asks, eyes wide and bright as I manage to remain upright.

“Yeah.” Dallas scoops up the car seat and heads back for the car. “Scout at least. I feel like we maybe came to an understanding today.”

I laugh softly. “Your dad had to ride Scout with me after he hurt himself.”

“You did?” Sadie turns back to Dallas. The pride on her face is evident as he nods. “Yay, Daddy!”

“Would you like a little ride on her when we get home?” he asks her and when she nods so enthusiastically she nearly falls from my arms again, he laughs and ruffles her hair. “Let’s go then.”

I expect him to drop his hand from Sadie’s head back to his side, but he doesn’t. He meets my eyes over her as she sighs contentedly and presses her face back into my shoulder.

Then he lifts his hand from her blonde curls and brushes it against my cheek in a slow, sensuous stroke, his eyes—burning with desire—never leaving mine. As his hand reaches the edge of my cheek, he twists a lock of hair around his forefinger, lets it slide free, then turns and strides away, leaving me and Sadie to scurry after him.

26

DALLAS

Katie was right.I’m a huge fan of her jeans. They are spectacular, almost as good as the body inside them.

I fought the urge to hold Katie’s hand the entire way back to Wildflower Ridge.

Sadie fell asleep in her car seat in the back of the ute before we left the town boundary, so she wouldn’t have seen it, but I couldn’t run the risk that she might wake up while Katie’s hand was in mine.

Katie also didn’t remove her hands from the steering wheel for the entire trip, except to shift the ute into gear, so it wouldn’t have been a simple matter of slipping my hand into hers while it rested on the console between us.

Now, she parks my ute beside the main farm house and climbs out of the cab, snagging Sadie’s backpack from the back seat, while I unbuckle my daughter and scoop her into my arms, encouraging her to wake up.

A clatter of boots on wood and Olivia races down the porchsteps, sliding to a stop in the gravel in front of us. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. They cleaned it out really well and put in a few stitches. But it’ll be all good in a few days.”

“You’ll be all good in a few weeks,” Katie says, rolling her eyes at me. “And you’re lucky you didn’t hit any tendons or anything else important in there.”

“I’m fine,” I repeat, liking the way Katie has slipped straight back into pushing my buttons and not putting up with my shit.

“Daddy rode Scout today,” Sadie pipes up and Olivia’s eyes widen.

“He sure did.” Katie reaches out and rubs a hand down Sadie’s back. “You back with us, Lady Sadie? Why don’t you go get changed so you can come help me give Scout some extra special treatment for being the hero today?”

Sadie immediately starts squirming in my arms. I place her on the ground and she takes the backpack from Katie’s arms. “I’ll make sure to finish my lunch before I have any of Violet’s cookies,” she says, smiling up at me like the sweetest angel to ever grace the Earth, one that would never pig out on cookies instead of nutritious options I make for her every day.

“Go on.” I give her a nudge. “Put on your farm clothes and boots too.” Sadie races up the steps and into the house.

“How long are you giving her?” Katie asks.

“About three minutes and she’ll be back, cookies in hand,” I say sharing a grin with her. Then I glance at Olivia. She’s staring at me as though I’ve lost my mind and she clearly wants to say something, just isn’t sure how.

I clear my throat and rub a hand across the back of my neck. “I’ve asked Katie to teach Sadie to ride,” I say, my voice uncertain.

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