Page 15 of Small Town Prince Charming

“Here’s dinner.” Tracey returned with two bags in hand. “I only have the breakfast table, but the three of us should fit.”

“Maisey, wash up.” Ryan helped Tracey with the food.

Once Maisey left the room, Tracey grinned. “You know I want to know about the ticks.”

He should’ve guessed she’d remember. “I took Maisey to the park and while playing, she managed to get a tick. It took me ten minutes and tweezers to get it off her neck, but I did get rid of it. I bagged it and took her to the ER to ensure she was okay. The moms at the park saw what happened and the next time we went there, the one lady told me she had something crawling on her and would I help get rid of it? She got right in my face and expected me to look down her cleavage for the wandering whatever. There wasn’t a tick, but she thought it’d be a good way to get my phone number. It didn’t work, and I had to explain to Maisey what happened.”

Tracey frowned. “Why didn’t she just ask for your number or try talking to you?”

“I don’t know, but when she stuffed her chest in my face, she tried to kiss me. When Maisey saw that, I had to explain that, too. Unfortunately, Maisey just remembers the tick.”

“So, every time you get close to someone like you did me...it could be a tick.” She opened the cardboard box. “Oh well.”

“I need to check on her, but yes. Bingo. It’s automatically a tick.”

“Ryan?”

He paused. “Yeah?”

“Would it be wrong if I admitted you could check me for ticks any time?”

“Tracey.” He wanted to say something witty, but nothing came to mind. “Don’t say what you don’t mean.”

Her brow arched. “Who says I don’t?”

“You could have better. Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“No. I’m single.”

“But—”

“Ryan.”

“I need to check on Maisey, but this conversation isn’t over.” He left the kitchen and caught Maisey leaving the bathroom. “Did you wash your hands?”

“Yes,” Maisey said. “And I didn’t make a mess.”

“You didn’t?” He should look to be sure.

“I didn’t. This isn’t our house, and I should be respectful,” she said, parroting what he’d told her a hundred times.

“Thank you.” He bopped her on the nose. “Go eat.”

He followed her into the kitchen. Tracey had set out the food and a glass of water for Maisey. He admired Tracey’s ability to connect with Maisey. She treated her with dignity and like a human being. No, she treated her like they were a family. Tracey had said she liked him. Could she really handle the complications in his life and love him, too?

He ate in silence and pondered his life. He’d done so much for other people, and it was time he did something for himself. He liked Tracey and wanted to keep her around. But he couldn’t get ahead of the situation. A few hours were nice, but Tracey might not want to take these sweet times to the next level.

He’d worry about that later. At the moment, he had two girls who liked him and a nice dinner. Why not enjoy it?

After dinner, Maisey helped Tracey clear the table. “May I watch Dance Girls a little while longer?” Maisey asked. “I did my homework.”

“For half an hour.” He still needed to speak to Tracey. “Then we’ll go home.”

“Yay.” Maisey zipped out of the room again.

Tracey threw the soiled boxes away. “We could do a lot with that half hour.”

“We could.” He suppressed the happy shiver along his spine. He had to focus and figure out what Tracey wanted from him. “You’ve been to the city. You’ve seen the world and must want something bigger than Blakes Creek.” He’d wanted to get out, too, but life had other ideas.

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