Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Could I begrudge him that? “That’s who you’ve been with every day?”
He grinned. “She can’t get enough of your brother’s Porsche.”
Nate was going to be less than thrilled Dad was going on dates in his car.
The mailman interrupted us. I walked over to his mail truck. “Hey, Dan,” I said.
“I have something for you to sign for, though I don’t recognize the name. Do you have someone named Sunshine Drake living here?” He held up a certified envelope with gold-embossed lettering in the left upper corner.
“Yeah, she’s Dad’s caretaker. I’ll sign for it.”
I did, and he handed me the rest of the mail before driving off. I thumbed through the rest of it, and seeing Mom’s name on some junk mail punched me in the gut. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been talking about her with Dad minutes ago. But this was a reminder that she wasn’t here. That I hadn’t been there for her. And I still missed her like crazy.
There were many scenarios in my head as to what advice she would give me. But I was sure she’d say something like, “You can’t change the past. You’ve got to make the best of the future.” That would cover everything I was dealing with.
I thought about the flowers still in the back cab of the truck. I hadn’t had the courage to go to the cemetery and place them on her grave. I needed to be able to stand tall and know she was proud of me. First and foremost, that meant doing right by my daughter.
If I thought about all the favors I’d had to call on to get the emergency guardianship and get Zoe enrolled in Mason Creek Grade School, it was a minor miracle. But it had come at a price. I was required to get a DNA test done right away.
Though Zoe was the spitting image of my mom at Zoe’s age, Dad was right. I wouldn’t know for sure until that test was done. What if I’d let myself fall in love with this little girl and I found out she wasn’t mine? What would I do then? I remembered what Gunner said and determined that she was mine no matter what.
Like the sunbeam her mom had described, Sunshine lit a path in my direction. I was annoyed at the way my cock hardened whenever she was in my orbit. The woman was pure fire. From her tanned skin she’d gotten from her Native American heritage, to the golden locks she’d gotten from her father, the woman was perfection.
What I didn’t expect was the scowl on her face aimed directly at me.
FOURTEEN
Sunshine
How dare he stand there looking confused and so hot while doing it?
I stabbed a finger in his rock-hard chest. “You don’t get to yell at me, especially after scaring off a horse.”
His eyes turned to slits. “You do realize that horse isn’t yours?”
“So? He needed my help.”
“Really? A wild horse heard a wild filly is at the Bowmen ranch and came to see you.”
I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. “The point is, he wasn’t with a herd. That means something. He could have been hurt.”
“What are you, some bleeding heart who picks up strays wherever you go?”
I angled my head with a satisfied smirk on my face. “As a matter of fact, I do. But I let them go once they’re mended.”
“So if I told you my heart was breaking, what would you do?”
“Call 9-1-1.”
We both broke out laughing. “Do you even know how beautiful you are?”
“Do you know how many laws you’re breaking by saying that?”
His lips parted. “So sue me. I happen to know a good lawyer.”
“I would, if not for a certain little girl who needs her father not to be in jail. Speaking of which, how did it go at school this morning?”
His eyes twinkled in the light. “Oh, great. The kids in her class came over and welcomed her. I was easily forgotten.”
“I doubt that. But it sounds like she’ll have a better time at this school.”
“If she doesn’t, I’ll find another.”
I crossed my arms. “No doubt about that.”
We stood there for a few more seconds as the silence became awkward. I pointed at the house. “I should probably go inside and plan for dinner.”
He didn’t stop me from going into the house. Since I said it, I went to the kitchen and realized I needed to make a grocery run.
When Nate was here, I had the truck at my disposal. But Mitchell had been using it. He wasn’t downstairs, so I headed up. I went to knock on his door, and it opened. Inside, Mitchell stood shirtless. Our eyes met.
“I need to make a run for groceries to town.” Though I preferred walking, I couldn’t carry the amount of food needed to feed this household in my hands.