Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,6

cover her ears and yell, “Quiet!”

The dog stopped barking and sat down in front of her, as if he could protect Skyler from danger. He growled under his breath as Mason got a little too close to her.

“Sorry, I’m working with him still. He only came to live with us last month,” I said, putting an arm out to stop Mason from taking another step closer. He was still half a room away from Skyler, but Zeus required her to have a very large bubble when it came to strangers. He had taken to her instantly, probably because the little girl doted on him and snuck him food when she thought I wasn’t looking.

“Wow, you have quite the herd here,” Mason said with a low chuckle.

“Yeah, and these are only the dogs,” I told him with a chuckle.

“Only the dogs? What else do you have?”

“Well…currently, we share our home with three dogs, three cats, including the newest kitten, a bird, two guinea pigs, and a rabbit. Not all of them were intended to be kept, but things happen and…” I finished with a shrug.

“We love animals,” Skyler said proudly.

“I can see that,” Mason replied with a laugh.

“We used to have some rats too, but they didn’t live very long,” she said, her voice suddenly sad.

“Yeah, I learned my lesson there. Their life spans are too short for a child as sensitive as Skyler,” I whispered.

“Let me show you Jellybean,” Skyler said, inching toward me.

Zeus let out a low growl at Mason, but a stern no from me and that was enough for Zeus to quiet down. Skyler walked past the dog and took the man’s hand in hers. Her tiny little fingers wrapped around one of his.

“Skyler, sweetie, I don’t think Mr. Harvey has any interest in—”

“Oh, it’s fine,” he said. “I’m happy to meet anyone named Jellybean. How can they not be adorable?”

I flashed a friendly smile and mouthed sorry to him as I followed the two of them into the sunroom. We walked past a large pen, and Skyler pointed out the two guinea pigs. “That one is Peaches, and that one is Peanut,” she said proudly.

“Very cute,” Mason said, likely wondering which one was Peaches and which one was Peanut since they looked almost identical. He smiled, and it felt like a genuine smile, so at least he was humoring Skyler - which was sweet. He wasn’t just hot as hell, but apparently good with kids too. Almost too good to be true.

She led him over to another pen and reached inside.

“Honey, you know I have to help you,” I said, rushing to my daughter’s side. I knelt and picked up a black and white rabbit.

“This is Jellybean,” Skyler said. “Since he’s a bunny, and the Easter bunny brings jellybeans.”

I grinned proudly. “She came up with that all on her own,” I said, holding the rabbit while Skyler stroked his fur.

“We keep the door closed so the cats can’t get in here,” Skyler said. “But I spend time with them.”

“She really does,” I said with a laugh. “Every day, she brings her dolls in here and talks to them. She doesn't want them to get lonely.”

“Sounds like you really do love the animals.”

“I do! They’re the best,” Skyler said.

“Honey, Mr. Harvey and I need to talk about some dog training, so we need to put Jellybean back in his pen for now, okay?”

Skyler sighed dramatically. “Okay. I’ll go play with Cinder and Marshmallow,” she said. “Chewie just wants to sleep.”

“Chewie is old, honey. He likes his naps,” I said softly, putting the bunny back into the pen.

“I know,” Skyler said with a sigh. “I don’t get it, but I know.”

Mason stifled a chuckle, covering his mouth and pretending to cough.

With the bunny secured, we exited the sunroom, and I made sure to check the door before walking back into the living room. Skyler picked up Cinder and ran off, calling out, “Marshmallow, where are you?”

“She’s adorable,” Mason complimented.

“Thanks. She can be a handful sometimes, but she has a good heart.”

“She’s clearly being raised well,” he said.

I felt my cheeks flushing. “Thank you. I do my best. You know, she doesn’t usually talk to strangers as easily as she did you, so I’m impressed.”

“What can I say. I’m a natural with children,” he said, spreading his arms wide. He laughed dryly and added, “Actually, I’m not. I’ve never really been around kids much.”

We walked into the dining room and I motioned for him to take a seat at