Page 6 of A Christmas Bargain

“Of course not. You don’t need to go looking.” She held her hands up. “I’m right here in front of you.”

I wanted to groan. “Like I’ve said before, I’m not interested.”

“Well, somebody’s gotta keep you warm on these cold winter nights…”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed movement. Kids streamed out of the doors, corralled into lines by grade. Finally. Thank God.

“There she is. Gotta go.” I rolled the window up before she could stall and try any longer.

When prompted, I moved up in line, shaking my head and counting my blessings that woman didn’t try to sneak through the window and onto my lap.

I’ve got to tell Stacy to stop this. She’s got to tell her to back off.

Naomi smiled as she saw my car, and once I reached the loading spot, she climbed into the backseat.

“Hi, kiddo?—”

“Oh, mygosh, that was a long day,” she groaned as she buckled in. “Hi, Daddy,” she added after the fact.

I smiled. Her mood matched what I felt over the last five minutes. “A good long day or a bad long day?”

“A medium long day,” she replied.

“Yeah?”

“Can we go for a walk when we get home?”

“Sure, kiddo.”

“I don’t wanna sit ever again.”

I chuckled, driving away. “You’re sitting right now.”

“Well, yeah.” She sighed. “But my booster seat is softer than the chairs at school. We had to do so many tests, Daddy. And then when people couldn’t get their computers to connect to the Wi-Fi weallhad to start over. And over. And over.” She groaned.

“Technology can be like that,” I commiserated.

“Which is why I wanna walk,” she said. “I’m sick of screens and computers.”

I smiled as I glanced at her in the mirror. That comment made me feel good. It made me feel right. When Jenna passed away, I decided to do all I could to make Naomi have the best childhood possible. That meant moving out of Denver. That meant letting her have free air and land to move around on at the family property here in Preston. I learned quickly that the great outdoors and small-town lifestyle were the ideal way to raise a kid, and an hour later, as we walked side by side down the path of our extensive riverside property, enjoying all the acres we had to explore, I saw proof that I was right.

She looked happier, smiling under the sunshine. She skipped freely, without a care in the world.

“Daddy, when’s it going to snow?”

I smiled. Okay, a worry about having the resources to make a snowmanwasn’t a bad thing. “Hopefully in time for Christmas.”

“Not for Thanksgiving tomorrow?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t hear about snow coming tomorrow.”

She lifted her hand and pointed. “I still think we should put the horse stables there.”

I grinned, falling into this game of ours, daydreaming about what to put here on this land. I hadn’t done much with it, and there was a lot to consider. For now, we could enjoy the open space.

“Horses again?” I teased. “I thought you wanted to open up a puppy foster shelter.”

“That too.” She crossed her arms, looking at all the land. “Or maybe a bigger pool?”

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