Page 118 of Stables

And zipperless in his gray sweats.

He almost makes me forget about my poor animals and looming financial responsibilities.

“Daddy, uppie?” Paisley poises with her arms raised.

“She’s just completely lost the ‘Dixon’ part.” He lifts her to snuggle between him and the arm so she can watch him. “I could get used to it.”

A pang of guilt gnaws at me as I curl against his other side. “Dix, we need to talk.” My stomach rolls in dread.

But I owe him this conversation.

He flips a cartoon onto his cell and hands the small screen to Paisley.

“Thank you.” She squirms onto the floor and flops onto her belly to watch.

Dixon turns, sliding me onto his lap. “I have a feeling I need to keep a grip on you for this one. You aren’t running off, are you?” His thumb runs over my bottom lip with a pinch of worry in his eyes.

“I still feel like shit about this.”

By the time his mouth touches my forehead, I’m struggling not to cry.

“No, it has nothing to do with that.” Waving my hand, I don’t want him to think the wrong thing. “It’s about what Blue said, and how I’m never getting my stock back.”

I take a deep shuddering breath. “I needed them to pay my bills.” God, this sucks so hard.

“I was wondering if you could help me take a few of my horses down to the sale?”

His mustache twists and his mahogany eyes narrow. “Hmm. No.”

The shock that runs through me makes me jerk, but his fingers tighten on me.

“You don’t understand.” I’m struggling to stay calm as tears threaten to fall. “My mortgage is expensive, and I need to fill the oil tank for winter, and—”

“No, you don’t understand, Char. I’m not letting you sell the one thing in this world you care about, and arefucking good at.As long as I have a pulse in my body, I’m going to take care of you.” He tucks my head beneath his jaw, nestling me into his clean hairy chest. “Both of you.”

A strand tickles my nose, but the weight of what he said keeps me from scratching.

“I, um, I don’t know what to say.”

“I do,” he murmurs against my hair.

“What is it? That it’s okay to mooch off of you? Is that really how you want this?” I had to work so damn hard to survive Matt doing it to me.

The last thing in the world I want is someone to feel strapped down by me.

“Char,” he growls, his fingers wrapping around my chin to pull me to look at him. “Saythose words.‘I. Do.’ That’s all I want.”

I blink up at his intense stare.

His gaze burns over me. “And, you’re going to have to pick one of the other two houses to sell. We don’t need three. But it’s your choice. We can stay here where I know you’re safe, where we can raise a family, and you can have as many horses as you want.”

My mind goes empty. I can’t even comprehend what he’s saying until the true meaning slowly absorbs.

Is he for real?

“Dix, I—” Do I want this too?

A man who will protect me? Provide for me? And make me come so hard I forget my own name?

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