“Slow down,” Slade hollered, but he was wasting his breath. Annie never did anything slower than full throttle.
He realized as he waited for her to return that the two of them were actually settling into a workable routine these days. They were communicating, something he hadn’t thought possible a few weeks ago. And though she still occasionally mystified him, he found the unexpected twists her mind took to be fascinating, rather than terrifying. He supposed he had Val to thank for that.
“Daddy, is this okay?” she asked tentatively, bringing out the saddled mare. Aunt Sadie stood docilely beside her.
Slade checked the cinch, tightened it ever so slightly, then gave his daughter’s shoulder a squeeze. “Good job.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really? I did it right?”
“Just about perfect. Now let’s see you mount,” he said, holding out his hands to give her a boost up.
“Not bad,” he said approvingly. “You’re getting better every day.”
“Pretty soon you can start teaching me stuff you did in the rodeo,” she said.
Slade froze. “No,” he said curtly. “The rodeo’s not for you.”
“Why not? You did it.”
“And look how I ended up.”
“You didn’t get hurt in the rodeo,” she said, refusing to back down. “You got hurt in the accident.”
“Forget it,” Slade snapped. “It’s no life for a girl.”
Tears welled up in Annie’s eyes at his sharp tone. He sighed heavily, then muttered, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.”
“Why did you?”
“Because the rodeo is dangerous,” he explained. “I want you to do something different with your life, something safe and sensible.”
“And boring,” she said derisively.
Slade fought to control his temper. Fighting her on this now would only make her cling to the idea all the tighter. He could see that she wanted to live up to his example, mostly because that was the only one she had. That made it all the more critical to get Val in her life, so she’d realize there were options for women that didn’t involve potentially life-threatening confrontations with nasty-tempered broncs or bulls. Though he’d known many brilliantly skilled women on the rodeo circuit, it wasn’t what he wanted for his daughter.
“We’ll discuss it when you’re older,” he said finally.
“How old?”
“Ninety-seven,” he teased, forcing a grin.
“Oh, Daddy,” she said, but she grinned back at him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, angel.” Even as the words crossed his lips, he realized it was one of the very few times he’d told her since the first few days of her life, when he’d been overwhelmed with the emotions of being a new father. Maybe if he practiced saying the words to Annie, they’d feel more comfortable when the time came to try them out on Val.
* * *
Watching Slade working with Annie, seeing the girl’s eyes shining from all the fatherly attention, Val sighed.
“Your job here is done,” Laurie observed, joining her on the porch. “You’ve gotten the two of them together.”
“They do seem easier around each other, don’t they?”
“They’ve become a family,” Laurie said. “Now, then, what about the two of you? Before you give me some evasive answer, understand that I am not asking about you and Annie, I’m asking about you and Slade.”
Val hesitated. “Nothing’s changed.”
“I don’t understand it. The man is obviously crazy about you. Why hasn’t he done something about it?”
“Actually, he did ask me to marry him,” Val admitted unhappily, finally prepared to spill the whole story. Maybe her friend could explain where it had all gone wrong.
A beaming smile spread across Laurie’s face. “That’s wonderful.” At Val’s silence, her expression faltered. “Isn’t it? I thought you loved him.”
“I do.”
Laurie shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
“He still wants me just for Annie’s sake.”
“Still?”
“It came up before. I turned him down,” she said succinctly. “I told him his proposal was insulting. I haven’t changed my mind.”
“Are you sure this is all about Annie? The man doesn’t strike me as the type who’d saddle himself with a wife he didn’t care about just for the sake of his child. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to admit he loves you, especially after fighting you so hard. It’s a male pride thing.”
Val wanted to believe that Laurie was right, but what if she wasn’t? “What am I supposed to do?” she demanded. “Take a risk and marry him and pray that he’ll get around to admitting it one of these days? Sorry. I don’t live that dangerously.”
Laurie looked disappointed in her. “I can’t believe it. Is this the same woman who was