Page 16 of Cowboy Stalker
His voice is a quiet rumble beneath my ear. “I told you. Things are different now. You have someone in your corner, a cowboy who will fight for you.”
I yawn, my body relaxing for the first time in hours. Maybe even the first time in months. I can sleep peacefully because Griffin is here. He’ll protect me and my baby.
The next morning, I wake late. Well, it’s late for me. It takes me a second to get my bearings and remember where I am. Memories of last night come flooding back, and I sit up. Before I can stumble out of bed and get to Daisy, I see him.
Griffin is already in the armchair next to the crib. He’s holding Daisy in his arms and talking softly to her. I’m not sure what he’s saying, but she keeps reaching up to pat his beard. I think she must like the way it feels under her fingers.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he says without ever taking his eyes off of Daisy. His voice sounds different now that he’s talking to me, troubled.
I croak out a greeting. “Is something wrong?”
He takes the bottle from Daisy and burps her while I brace myself for whatever bad news he’s about to share. He waits until she’s drinking again and asks, “The guys that after you. Are either of them her father?”
“No.”
He’s quiet, not pressing the matter further.
It doesn’t matter whether we have this conversation now or later. At some point, we have to discuss Daisy’s history and why her dad isn’t around. “Her father is?—”
He shakes his head. “I don’t need to know who her father is. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t among the men I’m going to kill.”
I gasp, my heart racing at his words. “You’re not seriously going to kill those guys.”
He glances down at her again, tenderness etched on his features. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you and Daisy safe. I don’t want to hear the kind of terror in your voice that I heard last night.”
“You were scared?” I ask. Of all the things I expected him to tell me about last night, that wasn’t on the list. He’s so strong and brave. He has a job where he regularly runs into danger.
“Only for you and Daisy.”
I get up from the bed and cross the room. I kneel on the floor next to the chair so I can put my hand on his. “We’re OK… thanks to you. Her dad isn’t in the picture. He didn’t want her.”
Fury crosses his expression again. “He was an idiot. Do you miss him?”
I snort. “No, he was Shelley’s friend. I didn’t realize he was using. The moment I did, it was over between us. He didn’t want any part of her, and I never pushed for child support. I thought…it would be better for her to never know him. I’m sad for Daisy. She deserves an amazing dad.”
He pats her on the back. “And that’s what she’s going to get.”
Daisy smiles at me, her bottle finished. She shoves her hand in her mouth and makes a gurgling noise. “Hey, sweetie. You got breakfast already, didn’t you? Say thanks to the chef.”
She reaches for me, and I pick her up. I press a kiss to her little head, the familiar protective urge overwhelming me. I didn’t know it was possible to love another human being this much until I had her.
He tugs me into his lap. My bare thighs are against his blue jeans, the same ones he wore last night. There’s something so intimate about the three of us sitting together in the chair.
He buries his face in my braid and inhales, like he can’t get enough of my scent. “I can’t tell you what’s going to happen next. But Luke and I are putting some things into motion. We’re going to get this fixed for you.”
I melt into him. In this moment, I feel completely safe. “I trust you.”
I can’t see his face, but I feel him smile because his beard tickles my cheek. “I still want to take you on that date today. Are you up for it?”
Chapter 7
Missy
“I would love to go on a date with you,” I tell Griffin. It feels amazing to have his arms wrapped around me and Daisy. There’s a part of me that wants to stay like this forever, to shut out the real world and pretend it doesn’t exist.
His smile grows even bigger. I didn’t think it was possible. “I’ll pick you up at six. I have some errands to run.”
I nod my agreement, but before I can say anything more, my phone rings. Reluctantly, I leave his lap and cross the room to grab it from the nightstand. It’s Audrey calling. I had forgotten all about our afternoon plans for today.
