Decker's Daughter - Caroline Lee Page 0,1

the little girl with adventure in her soul. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

“Sorry, Ms. Karen,” the girl sniffled, her tears silent now as she stared up at the woman who must be her counselor.

Deck knew he had to step in. “It’s okay, kiddo. I’ve got plenty of ointments and bandages and stuff in my workshop.” He jerked his head toward the stable. “How about we head back there and get you cleaned up while your friends go on with the tour?”

She was sniffing and nodding, but the woman was peering at him suspiciously. “Aren’t you one of the Cauldrons?”

He stifled his sigh and nodded. “Decker Cauldron, ma’am.”

He held out his hand, but wasn’t at all surprised when the woman licked two of her fingers and thrust them into the air, which was a perfectly normal reaction around Cauldron Valley.

Just part of the superstition.

It was damned annoying sometimes though.

The silly little movement had started years ago, when the townsfolk got it into their heads that triplets were bad luck…and then the Cauldron brothers went and had two sets of triplets in the same month. Now, Deck and his brothers and cousins could barely talk to the locals without them doing that stupid lick-fingers-and-stick-‘em-in-the-air sign.

He forced a smile. “I’ll get CJ cleaned up and bring her back to the group.”

The counselor was already distracted by another kid. “Reggie! Get that out of your mouth!” She waved dismissively at Deck. “CJ’s mom was supposed to join us after her shift today anyhow. I expect her any minute, so if you’re not done by the time she shows up, I’ll send her your way. Reggie! I meant it! That’s not for eating! I swear…”

As the counselor bustled off, Deck turned his attention back to the little girl, who was still crying, but bravely making no noise. He squatted beside her once more.

“Hey, it’ll be okay,” he said, trying to keep his voice low and soothing. “My workshop is right back there, and I’ve got some stuff to help you feel better.”

She sniffled, holding her hands—abraded palms pointing at the sky—as if she weren’t sure what to do with them. “Band-Aids?” she whispered, lower lip quivering.

“I don’t rightly know what I’ve got in there. Probably nothing fancy. You like princess Band-Aids, I’ll bet?”

Mutely, she nodded, her big brown eyes still filled with tears.

He wanted to hug her, but didn’t want to scare her.

“Do you mind if I pick you up, CJ? Just to get you to my shop?”

To his surprise, the little girl threw her arms around his neck, plastering herself to his chest.

And as Deck stood, holding her against him, he closed his eyes and inhaled.

This is what being a Daddy would be like.

It wasn’t the first time he’d had thoughts like this, but it was the first time he’d gotten to hold a kid in a long time. There’d been a time when he’d considered going to college to be a teacher, before he figured out how hard school actually was. He’d given up on being around kids until recently, when he realized he was now in a position to start a family of his own.

As he carried CJ around to the back of the stables, his lips twitched. Of course, it was awfully hard to find a woman to marry, when most of the town did that stupid finger-licking thing whenever one of the Cauldron men passed. It was only recently, when Pops started giving them grief about not being married, that Deck started seriously considering finding a wife and starting a family.

He just didn’t have any desire to do it the way his brother Cade or cousins Bob and Jim had gone about doing it. He wanted to make sure he knew his woman before he proposed marriage.

His woman?

He was sounding a little barbarian-ish.

Is that a word?

Pretty sure he could word anything if he tried hard enough.

Me Deck. You my woman. Be wife, make babies, good. Grunt.

Wait, is that a barbarian, or a caveman?

Is there a difference? Find woman. Make wife, then have lots of fun making babies. Grunt-grunt-man-grunt.

As he stepped through one of the three sets of French doors into his shop, he snorted at his own subconscious.

CJ’s head had been on his shoulder, and when she lifted it to peer at him, he instantly missed the feeling.

“Sorry.” He shrugged. “I was thinking something dumb.”

“Ms. Karen says I do that a lot.”

Hm. That sure didn’t seem like a good thing to tell a little kid.

“I’m sure