into the parking area, the sun was out, and the birds were chirping. Only their wet clothes and his bad mood remained.
Jake wasted no time getting out of the truck and running to the cabin. The front door opened, and Terry and Stacey ran out on the deck. He got down on his knees.
“Baby, I’m so sorry I scared you.”
Without hesitation, she ran into his open arms and held him tight.
“Daddy.”
Chapter Sixteen
“What?” Jake said, unsure he heard right. “Honey, Stacey, did you…did you say something?”
She didn’t move from clutching him around the neck so tightly, he almost couldn’t breathe, but he heard her again.
“Daddy.”
That one word, whispered into his neck, rang in his ears as if shouted from the rooftops. He glanced up at Terry, whose hands were over her mouth, her eyes streaming with tears.
“I’m sorry I scared you, baby. I’m all right, I swear. I’m so sorry. Daddy made a mistake and fell into the water again. Shea, Craig, and Johnny got me out.”
When she didn’t move, he picked her up and held her clinging body to him. He met Shea’s eyes over her head and saw tears and a sweet, gentle smile on his face. Shea brushed his cheeks and cleared his throat.
“I’m thinkin’ we should head on back to the ranch so everyone can get cleaned up. Y’all have had a big upset, and I reckon you’ll want some quiet time with each other.”
Jake gave him a watery smile and walked down the steps of the cabin with Terry on his heels, and they all piled into the pickup. When they reached the ranch, he slid out of the truck and took Stacey by the hand while everyone else exited, and Patty, who’d been waiting on the porch, ran down the steps.
“Oh, thank goodness, y’all are safe. It was rainin’ buckets.” When he stepped around from the opposite side of the truck, her mouth fell open. “What happened to you? Don’t tell me you fell in the lake again?”
His lips twitched. “Not the lake, no.”
“Damn fool went into the creek this time.”
“Shea, watch your mouth.” She swatted him. “The creek? How’d you end up in there?”
“I’ll be happy to tell you the whole story as soon as I get out of these wet clothes.” He didn’t want to be rude or sound ungrateful, but not only was he desperate to get out of his smelly, waterlogged clothes and the squelchy socks inside his boots, he wanted to spend a few minutes alone with Stacey to try and recapture the magic of the moment she said “daddy” to him.
“Oh, of course, how foolish of me. Here’s your new card key. Shea had asked me to make one up but didn’t say why. Now I see.” Patty handed it to him and checked her watch. “How ’bout we meet out here for some drinks and appetizers before dinner in…say an hour? Is that enough time?”
“Yes, sure.” He forced out a smile. “Sounds great.” He held out a hand to Stacey. “Let’s go, honey.” But in the third shocker of the day, Stacey walked over to Shea and gave him a hug.
Shea whipped his head up, and the shock on his face mirrored Jake’s. He rested his big hand on top of her curls for a moment. “Love you, little princess,” he whispered, voice ragged with emotion.
She ran back to Jake and took his hand, and he held her tight, afraid this might all disappear and he’d wake up in his apartment in New York City, alone, lonely, and with nothing changed. He and Terry exchanged wondering looks, and when they reached his room, he stopped in front of his door.
“Daddy’s going to get out of these yucky wet clothes, but maybe after that we can all sit together for a little while?”
Stacey glanced up at him through her thick lashes and nodded. If Jake had been hoping for a miracle, that she would suddenly become completely verbal, it wasn’t about to happen. From the outset, Dr. Aggarwal had explained to him that traumatic mutism wasn’t something he could or should cure with pressure to speak, bribes, or anything else aside from having the person feel safe and comfortable. She assured him that when Stacey was able to release whatever prevented her from using her voice, she would.
He held her tightly again and kissed her. “Let’s all get cleaned up and dress for dinner. I think it’s going to be a party tonight.”