Decker's Daughter - Caroline Lee Page 0,2
she just meant you take too many risky chances, because of the adventure in your soul.”
She sniffled again and laid her head back on his shoulder. “I like you, Decker.”
“I like you too, kid,” he whispered.
His first aid kit was under the industrial sink in the back, so he had to force himself to put her down. Standing in the middle of the shop, he looked around for the best place, wishing he had a chair or something. Finally, he accepted the inevitable.
“Honey, I’m going to have to sit you on my worktable, okay? You gotta promise you won’t fall off.”
“Okay. I promise,” she said in a small voice.
When he cleared off the scrap leather he’d been fiddling with and sat her on the hard wood, she started kicking her feet happily, and he figured she was probably going to be fine.
Still, he didn’t waste time fetching some wet paper towels and the first-aid kit and hurrying back to her.
As he bent over her knees to clean them, he decided not to warn her the antiseptic spray would sting. Instead, he distracted her, the way Grams always did for him and the other boys.
“So this is your first time to Cauldron Valley Ranch, huh? Do you live in town?”
“Yep! We moved here last summer so my mama could take a job at the doctor’s office. She’s a nurse!”
“Do you like it here?”
“It’s okay. I miss my Granma, but she died, so mama said we didn’t have a reason to stick around Black Aces anymore.”
Deck hummed, reaching for the towels to gently wipe her knees. “And how old are you, CJ?”
“I’m six! I’ll be in first grade soon!” Before he could respond, she asked, “How old are you?”
Smiling, he brushed the last of the dirt from her scrapes and sprayed them again. “I’m thirty. Wanna know something? I have two brothers and three cousins, and we’re all thirty.”
Glancing up, he saw her wide eyes. “Are you friends?”
Dang, but she was adorable.
“Yep, the best. See, we’re two sets of triplets. That means all six of us were born at about the same time.”
“What are their names?”
Digging through the kit, he was relieved to find Band-Aids big enough to cover her knees. “Jim was the man who was working with the horse you saw. His brothers are Ted and Bob. My brothers are Cade and Wyatt.” Trying to distract her again as he began to apply the bandage, he asked, “CJ is a pretty name. What’s it stand for?”
“Cora Jo, today.”
It was an odd response, but he was focused on his work and didn’t reply.
Soon enough he straightened and reached for her hands. “Your knees are all taken care of. Let’s see your palms.”
When they both bent over her palms, her forehead knocked against his, and he smiled.
“They don’t hurt as bad as my legs,” she said in a confidential voice.
And he couldn’t make himself pull away. Instead, he stood there, forehead pressed against hers, and hummed like a doctor might. “They don’t look as bad either. Maybe we’ll just wash them. Are your knees going to be okay?”
“I hope so. I’d be sad if I couldn’t walk again.”
He hid his smile. “Yeah, that would be bad.”
“Would you carry me?”
The trust in her voice, and the feel of her tiny hands in his, had him swallowing down his emotions.
”Anywhere,” he whispered, and knew he meant his promise.
“CJ!” The frantic call came from outside. “CJ, where are you?”
It didn’t sound like Karen, the counselor. Decker was in the process of straightening when the woman burst into the room. “CJ! There you are!”
“Mama!”
The little girl pulled away from Deck and opened her arms to her mother, who hurried across the room with a relieved look. Awkwardly, Decker shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and stepped back.
CJ’s mama was a lovely woman, and he didn’t mind looking at her. She was almost as tall as he was, with short-cropped black hair and a wide, expressive mouth. Her skin was a few shades darker than his, and she wore a set of purple scrubs, as if she’d just come from work. And it was clear how much she loved her daughter.
“Baby, what did you do to yourself?” she asked, finally stepping away from the table, so she could hold her daughter at arm’s length.
CJ sighed dramatically. “I had too much adventure, Mama.”
It was too much. Deck tried to hold in his chuckle, but it came out as a weird kind of snort, which caused