Page 24 of To Hold and Protect

Everly’s eyes widened. “Girls aren’t weak. My daddy said girls are strong, that I can be as strong as I want to.”

Heaven help her. She didn’t need to be seeing Parker as an awesome man and a daddy who said cool things like that. “Your daddy’s right, and Serafina’s daddy told her the same thing.”

Everly had started drawing, and as a pink dragon with a pink bow holding a lock of hair straight up emerged, Willow looked on with awe. Did Parker even realize his daughter was a prodigy? When Everly finished sketching Serafina, she flipped a page on the sketch pad and drew a mighty midnight blue dragon.

“That’s the daddy dragon,” Everly said. “He’s really strong, but Serafina’s strong, too.”

“Yes, she is, and she has a secret plan to help her family win the treasure.”

Everly lifted wide eyes to her. “Oooh, a secret. You can tell me, Miss Willow. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“Okay, but for Serafina’s plan to work, no one else can know. On the morning of the tournament, the four dragon families gather on the field, all of them hoping to win the treasure. In the first contest, the dragons have to fly as fast as they can to the top of a mountain. A gold ribbon’s tied to a tree branch, and the first dragon to reach it, take it from the tree, and fly back to the field with the ribbon is the winner.”

“Wait.” Everly held up a finger. “I need to draw that.”

Willow smiled at the way Everly’s tongue stuck out the side of her mouth as she concentrated on drawing the scene. While she drew her dragon families, Willow watched the story coming alive right in front of her eyes. Would Parker let her send the finished story and his daughter’s illustrations to her agent? She had a feeling that Courtney could sell it just based on the art.

“Okay, you can tell me more now.” Everly turned to a new blank page.

“Well, since pink dragons aren’t allowed to be in the contest because they’re thought to be so weak that they can never win, Serafina paints herself purple. When she flies onto the field and joins her family, her father knows right away the purple dragon is Serafina, and he winks at her.”

“But no one else knows?”

“Right, only her daddy.”

“Daddies are smart, Miss Willow.”

“They sure are. Well, it takes all day to play the different dragon contests, and who do you think wins the treasure for her family?”

“Serafina!” Everly dropped her pencil and clapped her hands. “I love that story so much.”

“And I love your illustrations so much. Your daddy will be here soon to get you. Maybe you can finish working on the drawings for the story at home?”

“Okay. But did Serafina stay purple?”

“Nope. After she wins the treasure, she flies into the lake and washes the purple paint away. The dragon families are surprised and amazed that a pink dragon is so strong that she won, and from then on, pink dragons can enter the tournaments.”

“Oh, goody. Do you have any pickles? I like them better than cookies.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t.” But she’d keep them on hand from now on. The bells chimed.

“What was that?” Everly looked up at the ceiling.

“My doorbell. I think it’s your daddy.” She put her hand on Everly’s shoulder when she started to get up. “I’ll go see.” At confirming it was Parker through the peephole, she opened the door. “Good timing. We just finished our story.”

“I have a favor to ask. Can you keep Everly for a little longer? I’ve been called in, and normally Andrew watches her if none of us are home, but he went with his parents to Asheville for the night.”

“Sure. We’re having fun.” A fire department SUV was in the driveway, the engine idling, and Ember was in the front passenger seat. “Is there a fire?”

“Yeah. Can I come in and talk to Everly for a sec?”

“Of course.” She stepped aside, and when he passed by her, she got a whiff of something spicy, and she leaned forward and inhaled as she followed him. He glanced back at her and frowned.

Busted. But who could blame her? The man smelled delicious. The kind of deliciousness that made a girl want to bury her nose against his neck and breathe him in.

“Daddy!” Everly shouted at seeing him. “Guess what? Miss Willow’s writing a story, and I’m ill...illa...” She looked at Willow and scrunched her nose.

“Illustrating.”

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