Page 34 of Starcrossed Colorado

He had to give Maisie several hugs before they separated, and he held my gaze intensely as if he was repeating the words.Just be careful.

“We’re going to have a great time,” I assured him. “I’ll text you with plenty of updates.” Often his distrust of me got on my nerves, but not this time. I understood. Maisie was his whole world, and I would never do anything to jeopardize her.

We left together, Ashford heading to his car while Maisie and I set out on foot. I’d taken the spare key to their apartment, snacks and water bottles, plus a small first-aid kit he’d foisted on me. We made quick time to Dixie’s place, Maisie tugging on my hand the whole time because she was so excited to see Stella.

“Ashford’s letting you babysit?” Dixie asked when we appeared at her door.

I just nodded, since I’d been through all of that with Piper already. I didn’t need someone else getting the wrong idea about me and Ashford.

I had high hopes that we’d find a way to get along, maybe even be friends after this, but that was it.

I would not be ridinganystallions this summer, thank you very much.

On our way, we passed by Silver Ridge Dental. The sign in the window showed the smiling face of Dr. Daniel Carmichael, who I now knew was Piper’s ex-husband.

No wonder I hadn’t trusted that perfect smile the first time I’d passed this sign. In my experience, men who were too charming were trouble.

Once Maisie and I reached the park, I took Stella off her leash so she could run around the open green space. Maisie took off after her, and I kept a close eye on them both.

Stella was so sweet and patient with the little girl. Always circling back around to let Maisie catch up.

Maisie got tired after a while, so we found a spot on a bench to eat our snacks. Stella drank water from a collapsible bowl I’d brought. My dog also eyed some leftover puddles from the morning’s rainstorm, but I gave her a stern word to warn her away. If I returned Maisie with her cute outfit all muddy, Ashford wouldn’t be impressed.

Maisie popped a chip into her mouth. “My mom used to take me to the park.”

My entire body went still. “Yeah? That must’ve been wonderful.”

“She pushed me a lot on the swings. She was really pretty and nice. Like you.”

Oh, God. That hit me straight in the heart.

Maisie had been three when her mom died. Some people didn’t have any memories from that age. I was glad that Maisie did.

“Thank you,” I said. “You must take after your mom then, because you are very smart and an absolute sweetheart.”

“Can we listen to that music again?”

It took me a moment to recall which music she meant. “Ayla Maxwell? The singer on my phone the other day?” I pulled up the playlist. Maisie nodded, crowding beside me to look at thealbum cover on my screen. It showed Ayla with her hair in a dramatic up-do and sparkly green shadow around her eyes.

“Wow. She’s beautiful.”

“She is.” Ayla was also the most famous pop star in the world right now, though I didn’t expect a six-year-old to know that. “She looks a little like you,” I said. “Bright green eyes like yours.”

Maisie fluttered her lashes and lifted her chin proudly, then went back to her snacks. “Do you have a mom?”

I smiled. Maisie kept me on my toes with her rapid changes of topics. “Sure. I have a mom, and a stepmom who’s married to my dad.”

“Really? Are your moms alive?”

Ugh, another pang. “They are, yes. I’m close to both of them. They’re awesome. So is my dad.”

“My daddy is the best. Except when he won’t let me do stuff.”

“My dad’s the same. He can’t tell me what to do anymore since I’m grown up. Well, he tries, but I don’t have to listen. He does it because he loves me though. He wants me to be safe and happy.”

“Yes. That’s what dads do.” Maisie nodded sagely. “Can we play fetch with Stella now?”

“Absolutely.”

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