Page 45 of Reaching Little Robyn

“Yep, he’s definitely Daddy material.” Hayleigh dropped her voice for the Daddy part of her sentence.

“Kitchen please.” Robyn pointed as if Rooster needed directions. He carried her into the room.

“Island or chair?”

“Chair, please. That way I can put the scones together for tomorrow.”

Rooster left them to it and the two girls squealed in unison as Hayleigh bent to give Robyn a hug. “I’m so happy you came to your senses. Oh, and Sadie and Wren said they are going to want the juicy details as well, so I can’t make you spill all the tea tonight.”

“Is there anything secret on this Ranch?”

“Nope, not much” Hayleigh shrugged and smiled. “That’s what friends are for. Caring.”

“And sharing?”

“Oh, there is definitely sharing.”

As Robyn told her about Rooster showing up in her bedroom and scaring her half to death, Hayleigh gathered the ingredients Robyn called for. The two sat and mixed orange zest and cranberries into the mixture, and after slicing the scones, set them on parchment-covered trays ready to be slid into the oven in the morning.

Robyn told her how they’d had lunch at Moira’s and how cute the twins had been and told her that she needed to go see the mustangs. She was telling her about her visit to Rooster’s ranch when Rooster called out a two-minute warning.

Hayleigh waved her hand in a circle as she finished cleaning up the mess they’d made. “Okay, that’s all great but get to the good stuff. I want to know when you decided Rooster wasn’t an ornery bird you wanted nothing to do with but was the man youwant to be your forever Daddy. I mean, that is what you want, right? AforeverDaddy?”

“I do and he is,” Robyn confirmed. I knew before we checked into Rawhide, but you already know about that, but I didn’t call him Daddy until?—”

“Time’s up,” Rooster said and when both girls protested, he held up his hands to form the letter “T” used to signify calling a timeout in football games. “You can pick it up again tomorrow.”

“Tea party?” Hayleigh suggested and Robyn looked to Rooster.

“Is that okay? The girls can help me so you won’t be bored.”

Rooster chuckled. “I rather doubt I’d be bored, but I get it. Girls only. That’s fine,ifHayleigh gets her butt to bed and you don’t fuss when I put you in yours.”

“Consider me asleep,” Hayleigh said, giving Robyn a hug and then hugging Rooster as well. “Night!”

“Night,” Robyn called out and smiled as her friend disappeared. She lifted her arms and settled her head against his shoulder after he picked her up. “Thank you, it was nice of you to keep watch.”

“You’re welcome and I can attest to the fact that Ms. Ethel is snug as a bug in a rug.”

“Oh, did she come home and I missed it?”

“Nope, for such a tiny lady, she snores like a congested lumberjack.”

Robyn buried her head in his neck to stifle her giggles as he carried her up the stairs. “I won’t fuss if you join me in bed,” she said softly, pressing little kisses to his skin.

“I thought this was a strict no playing zone.”

“It’s a no kink-zone, but the people coming here to visit had to have had sex at some point in their lives or there would be no one to visit.”

“Remember, you can wear his hat,” Hayleigh said as she popped her head out of a doorway on the second floor.

“Hayleigh Anne!”

“Wow, look at that. I must have been sleepwalking,” Hayleigh sing-songed as she shut the door to the Chickadee room .

“Your friends like walking on the edge, don’t they?” Rooster asked, giving her a look that she was pretty sure was meant to be stern but failed miserably due to his grin.

“Maybe, but life is never boring.”

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