Decker's Daughter - Caroline Lee Page 0,4

at her savior.

“CJ’s never ridden a horse!” Decker blurted.

Bobbi and her daughter exchanged a glance. Was the man addled?

“No…?” Bobbi shook her head.

Decker shrugged, shoving his hands back into the pockets of his jeans, and looking adorably unsure of himself. “She told me she’d never been that close to a horse before. When we were watching Jim work Contessa.” He winced. “The horse, I mean.”

CJ put one hand on her mother’s cheek and turned her head enough so their eyes met. “That’s his cousin,” she said solemnly.

Not sure what was going on, Bobbi lifted a brow. “The horse is his cousin?”

“No, Mama! Mr. Jim, who was showing us the horse, is his cousin.”

Nodding quickly to show her daughter she understood now, Bobbi turned back to Deck. But her daughter had other ideas, and tugged her back to face her.

“He’s thirty,” CJ whispered, and Bobbi blinked in confusion. “Just like Deck. That’s only two years more than twenty-eight, like you. They’re all thirty, all the—” She squirmed around in Bobbi’s hold to face Deck. “What was your name again? The last part.”

He smiled.

And when Decker Cauldron smiled, Bobbi was certain the sun had come out from behind a cloud.

Hoo-boy, but he was a good-looking man, as her mother would’ve said.

“Cauldron,” he said quietly, his smile turning shy once more. “We’re the Cauldron triplets.”

Bobbi shifted her daughter to one hip. “I’ve heard of you around town. You’re the owners of this ranch, right?”

He managed to shrug with his hands still in his pockets. “I have two brothers and three cousins, and we all help Pops run the place.”

The way he glanced around fondly made her follow his gaze. Although she hadn’t been focused on her surroundings when she’d entered—she’d been desperate to find her daughter after Karen had said she’d sent CJ off with one of the Cauldrons, and done that superstitious finger-licking thing—Bobbi had to admit the space was lovely.

It was obviously a workshop of some sort and smelled strongly of oil and leather. Three of the four walls were set with big windows and French doors, which were all currently open. The fourth wall was lined with shelves and cabinets and tall storage lockers. Under the windows, were counters strewn with leather scraps or projects half-completed, and on the big center table, next to where CJ had been sitting, was a lovely almost-finished saddle.

The whole space was bright and cheerful and smelled divine.

Like the man standing across from her.

She was dying to know what he specifically did on the ranch, but CJ was getting heavy. Although she’d only worked a half day—in anticipation of joining the camp field trip on the ranch, since she’d never been either—Bobbi hadn’t been sleeping well.

Because being a single mom wasn’t enough to worry about. Now I’ve got rent and bills, and I’m kicking myself for splurging on the house instead of an apartment, and—

She blew out a breath and cut off her thoughts. Griping never solved anything, as mama used to say.

“Again, thank you for—”

This time it was his wince which interrupted her. She’d spent a lifetime helping others, and wondered why he was in such obvious pain. Or was he embarrassed?

But he pulled his hands from his pockets and patted the air in front of him, as if trying to placate her.

“I’m sorry I’m not making sense, Ms. Diamon. Bobbi, I mean.” Another wince. “I was going to offer CJ the chance to ride a horse, since she’s never been on one before. The rest of the kids have all moved on, and she’s dressed okay, and I’m sure Jim could find us a sweet-tempered little pony to—”

No matter how good the man apparently was with children, he obviously didn’t know he shouldn’t mention something like that in front of a kid, not without asking the parent first.

So Bobbi wasn’t surprised when CJ began bouncing in her arms as if she had a pogo stick stuck up her bottom.

“Please, Mama? Please, please, please? Deck won’t let anything happen to me, right?”

She was already squirming out of Bobbi’s arms, and when her feet touched the wooden floor, the little girl launched herself at Deck’s legs and wrapped her arms around his middle.

And Bobbi had to swallow down the burst of intense longing she felt, just from watching the way the handsome man smiled down at her daughter, before dropping his hand to CJ’s little shoulder.

“I promise, if you follow my and Jim’s instructions, nothing bad will happen atop a horse. But horses are strong