Page 23 of Big Daddy Mountain Man

Mmm.

She continued to chat with Mindy, enjoying the conversation as she put food in her cart. Ten minutes later, Joe and Sawyer had the home improvement order together and she had all her food ready.

“No charge for you on this stuff,” Joe said after ringing up the home improvement items, packing them up, and setting them aside. “Now let’s see what you got there, honey.”

She handed over the shopping basket of food and he rang it up.

“Looks like sixty-four dollars and twenty-two cents,” he pronounced.

Embarrassment socked Amber in the gut. She had been watching the prices carefully, mentally adding everything up as she went along. Clearly she’d miscalculated, though.

“Eh, you know what?” she said with a laugh. “I accidentally got four boxes of macaroni and cheese. I only want two! I’m silly sometimes. I’ll just put these back, Sir.”

She noticed the look that passed between Joe and Sawyer, and further embarrassment set in. Lying made her feel sick, too. She tried to always tell the truth, but she didn’t want them feeling sorry for her.

Based on that look, though, it was too late for that. They clearly saw right through her ruse.

She suspected they didn’t want to cause her any more humiliation, because Sawyer jumped in and said, “I’ll go stick ‘em back on the shelf.”

“The mac and cheese is here if you decide you want more,” Joe said in a friendly tone. “Okay, that brings the total down to sixty dollars and twelve cents.”

Now that, she could do! She happily fished her money out and handed it over.

Even without those two boxes of mac and cheese, she still had plenty to eat until she started at the diner. And with the home improvement stuff, she could stay busy by fixing up the cabin and working hard until it was time for the sleepover!

It was still going to be a good day.

And she couldn’t wait to see what it would bring.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Amber hadn’t fooled Sawyer.

He knew the truth about why she’d put that macaroni and cheese back, as well as why she didn’t take Joe up on his offer of a gift.

The little cutie had some pride. He respected that. It was admirable. But it broke his heart to know she was on such hard times. He’d seen her money when she’d pulled it out to pay at the store—and she didn’t have much left.

His mind was racing as he drove her to the Collier place. It wasn’t just the money he was thinking about, either.

He was thinking about everything he wanted to tell her.

Stay with me.

I’ll help you fix up the cabin in the daytime and at night you can crash at my place.

You don’t ever have to worry about food or money again. I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

That last part was true, even if she didn’t realize it yet.

They might not end up together. But this didn’t have a thing to do with him being her Daddy or them finding their Happy Ever After. No, this was about common decency. She’d obviously fallen on tough times. Actually, it sounded from what little he’dheard of her past, that her whole damn life had been one long tough time.

The gravel crunched loudly under his Bronco’s tires as he eased up the road to the Collier cabin. He put the vehicle in park and left the engine idling as he looked across the bench seat to Amber.

She returned his gaze.

“I’d be happy to stay and help you if you need it.”

“Thank you, Sir. But I can do it. Promise! Besides, I bet you have to take care of your trees.”

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