Daddy in Cowboy Boots (Montana Daddies #9) - Laylah Roberts Page 0,57
Or being forced to leave them. People don’t want to stick around.”
“Look at me, Marisol.”
She stared into his intense gaze. “I’m not going anywhere. I brought you back here with me because I care about you. My feelings for you haven’t changed. I still want a relationship with you.”
“You do? You still want me?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “I’m attracted to you. I want you. I think you’re gorgeous, smart, funny and kind. I can’t get too upset with you for holding back because I’ve been doing the same. I haven’t been upfront about exactly who I am and what sort of relationship I want.”
She frowned at that. “Did you lie to me?”
He shook his head. “I never lied. I was just waiting to see if there were signs you wanted this sort of relationship too. And I think you do. But that talk can wait a bit until you’re settled in. Besides, I don’t have the time right now. But I need you to trust me enough to let me protect you.”
“I do trust you,” she said. “That’s not why I never said anything about Tiger. I just wanted to protect you.”
“Which is sweet. But remember I’m an old-fashioned guy. I protect you. I have the means to protect you. But to do that, I need you to open up with me. Right. I’ve got to get back to work. Your phone is dead, right?”
“Yes, I don’t have the charger. I don’t think I should use it anyway. It’s my aunt’s old phone and she still pays the bill. She might be able to track it. Should I contact her? Let her know that I’m safe?”
“I suppose that’s up to you. But I want to be here when you call her. Why don’t you take some time to think about it today?”
“Yeah, okay.” Even though her relationship with her aunt wasn’t great, she felt like maybe she owed it to her to let her know she was safe.
Then again, she had told her to give Tiger whatever he wanted. So maybe she owed her nothing. And it wasn’t like she would report her missing. Rosalind hated the police.
“Help yourself to anything you want while I’m gone. Call me if you need me. I’ll write down my phone number. I’d also like that list you were going to write me about anything I need to watch out for with your diabetes and what to do. I’ve done a bit of research already, but there might be something I’ve missed. I’ll check on you throughout the day. Let’s get you settled on the sofa with the TV remote. Today, you’re doing nothing but resting and taking care of yourself. Understand me?”
So bossy.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“That’s my good girl.”
She set the mop aside and looked down at the clean floors with satisfaction. She’d sat and watched TV for about an hour before she’d started to get antsy. She wasn’t used to sitting around for long periods of time. Well, not unless she’d lost herself in a good book. Then the whole day could go by with her barely noticing.
She also felt guilty that she was relaxing while Linc was out working. With all that he was doing for her, the least she could do was clean his house. Not that it needed much cleaning. The man was very tidy.
He even kept lists for God’s sake. There was a to-do list on his fridge as well as a shopping list.
Now, if only she could manage to make something for dinner. But her cooking skills were non-existent.
A knock on the door had her frowning, her heart racing. Mierda! Linc hadn’t told her what to do if someone came to the door. Surely, if he’d been expecting someone, he would have told her. He’d already called her to check on her.
Another knock. It couldn’t be Tiger, anyway. He wouldn’t knock. But was it a good idea for anyone to know she was here? Was Linc telling people? Shit. Why hadn’t she asked any of this stuff?
Knock. Knock. Crap. She was just going to answer it. Racing to the door, she took a deep breath then opened it carefully.
To find Abby standing on the other side, a smile on her face and a large casserole dish by her feet. Mari’s eyes widened. “Abby?”
“Marisol! I was starting to wonder if you were here. I mean, Kent said you were and I didn’t think you could go anywhere. Unless you went down to the stables, I guess. Or for a