Page 7 of Little Bits of Daddy (Montana Daddies)

“Right, we’re alone,” Kent said.

“What’s wrong?” he snapped. “You said she’s fine.”

“She is. Physically. This isn’t a physical problem.”

Clint frowned. What the hell did that mean?

“I’ll get to that in a moment, first I need to tell you that I’ve grounded her.”

Clint raised an eyebrow. Not over his brother disciplining her. All the women living on the ranch were assigned a guardian, usually a husband or family member, who took responsibility for them. While he was away, Kent had been left in charge of Charlotte and Eden.

However, Kent could be a bit of a softie when it came to the women in his family. God knows, he’d never once grounded Eden. It had been left to Clint to be the disciplinarian. Not that he minded. He was the oldest. It was his role to lead his family.

It was a role he enjoyed. He needed to feel like he was taking care of his family.

“That will be a different experience for her.”

“Well, I couldn’t spank her,” Kent said. “And we never really discussed how I would punish her.”

Because Clint figured she would behave herself. He shouldn’t have left her. “I’ll come back.”

“Nope,” Kent said quickly.

“What? Kent, she needs me. When I think of what could have happened…” It didn’t bear thinking about. “I think she’s gonna give me an ulcer.”

Kent snorted. “If the ranch and Eden haven’t given you an ulcer yet, I don’t think Charlie is going to.”

Yeah, he wasn’t so sure about that.

“Clint, she cried.”

“Trying to get your sympathy?” Hmm, that didn’t sound like Charlotte.

“No. There were no pleas. She didn’t say anything. I had turned away to get the phone, and when I turned back, she had her legs tucked up into her chest and tears running down her cheeks.”

“Do you think she finally realized what could have happened and it upset her?” Clint asked.

“I don’t think that was it. Clint, I think she was upset because she feels like she’s let you down and that you might start to think she’s too much trouble.”

Clint swore viciously. “Fuck. And you think I don’t need to come back? Are you taking her to Archer?”

“No, she begged me not to.”

“Kent, don’t go getting soft now.”

“Look, I’ll take her if she continues to feel upset. But I don’t think you should come back. It will just reinforce this idea she has that she’s causing you trouble. She’d feel guilty.”

“Shit.” What he said made sense even if Clint didn’t like it.

“Also, I think it would undermine my authority. You’re going to go away again and she needs to learn to obey me. And she needs to know that I will enforce the rules. I think she believed I was a pushover.”

“You are a pushover,” Clint said. “I want to talk to her.”

He needed to hear her voice. He also wanted to reassure her that she was the most important thing in his life. A traumatic childhood with her bitch aunt, followed by a verbally abusive relationship had wreaked havoc with her self-esteem. She couldn’t sleep without a night light, and even then, she was an incredibly light sleeper, something that had gotten worse when she’d been forced to live in her car after her asshole ex kicked her out with nothing.

But her nightmares had been getting fewer, her sleep had been improving. She’d also gained some much-needed weight under his watchful care.

Damn it, it had been too soon to leave her. But he knew that Kent was right. If he returned now, she might take it badly.

---