Page 15 of Daddy's Little Cowgirl

“Why?”

Ellie sighed. “I didn’t go fast enough.”

“That’s what they told you?”

She nodded.

“Was there another reason?”

“I was told by one of the other employees it was because I didn’t want to date the owner’s son.”

Son of a bitch. He decided to get off the topic for the moment. “Have you ever been on a ranch or seen one?”

“In the movies, but I know that’s not the same.”

“I think you’ll like it. Maggie is a nice lady, so you’ll do fine with her.”

“She probably won’t like me.”

His head whipped toward her to see her staring out the window. “Why do you say that?”

“Because no one does except my friends.”

“I like you.”

She glanced at him, turned red, and then looked down at her hands in her lap.

“Talk to me, honey. Are you just missing your friends?”

“It’s just I don’t like to be in the way, and I get lonely a lot, and it sounds like I’ll be alone here. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

For some reason, he felt panic start to build inside him. He reached for her hand and was glad she didn’t fight him or try to pull away.

“Listen to me. How about we give it a few months, and if you’re miserable, I’ll take you back and give you enough money for a fresh start?”

He watched her nibble on her bottom lip and then nodded.

He squeezed her hand. “Good.” He reached into the back seat for her pillow and blanket. “Why don’t you lay down in your seat and rest? I can see how tired you are. I’ll wake you when we get home.”

It wasn’t long before he heard her deep breathing.

He glanced at her when he got to a STOP sign to see her tucked into a ball with her hands under her cheek. She looked adorable, and he couldn’t see him ever getting tired of looking at her. He reached over to make sure the blanket covered her.

Fuck, he’d never had a problem like this before, and he didn’t know if he was especially happy about it. He didn’t have any idea how to handle it. He and Darian had talked a bit about the type of women in their lives, but he thought he’d need to ask more questions because he wanted her to be happy with him, and the thought of losing her before he’d even had her terrified him.

Chapter Nine

Ellie relaxed back against the seat, turned to her side facing him, and closed her eyes. She couldn’t believe she was sitting in a truck with a man who looked like a movie star and going to live with him in his house. She would never have guessed this was her life’s direction, and she didn’t know if she was happy about it.

She didn’t like being alone. She never had, and it was hard because she’d been the only child, and her parents were so wrapped up in each other they forgot about her sometimes. She’d been teased and bullied at school because she didn’t care about dressing in cute outfits, wearing makeup, or kissing boys. For God’s sake, they were only teenagers.

It was the best day of her life when she’d met Larkin and Brylee at the movie theater, and then they introduced her to Aleena, Kyla, and Jenna. Ellie was so glad there were other women out in the world like her, and from what Larkin told her, there were many more than anyone thought, and they were called littles. They also told her there was nothing wrong with them, and for the first time in her life, she felt like she belonged. Like she was normal.

Then, at that moment, she was going somewhere she wouldn’t fit in again, and it terrified her.

She felt his hand on her arm.

“Hey, honey, we’re pulling in.”

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