“Ooh, just wait until you see the park,” Grace chimed in. “I’m telling you, this is the best town ever!”
The Littles all agreed.
“I can’t wait to explore and have fun with y’all,” Mina said.
“There will be plenty of time for that,” Quinn spoke up. “But right now, girls, let’s let Mina unpack and get situated. And I bet your Daddies are wondering where you’re at. You best run along and check in with them.”
The Littles all hugged Mina before filing out, promising to see her later.
Mina stepped out on the porch, waved goodbye, and watched them all go. But just as soon as they scattered in their various directions, two other people came into her field of view.
The cowboys.
They were looking right at her as they strolled toward the porch. Mina’s heart skipped a beat and excitement gripped her.
It looked like those sexy men were coming to see her.
CHAPTERFOUR
“Howdy,” Jackson called to Mina. “You doing all right?”
He grinned as he stared up onto the porch, locking eyes with the cutie who was standing against the railing.
Slater stood beside him. They both removed their hats, which was the proper thing to do when in the presence of a lady.
“Yes, sir. The sheriff and my new friends showed me around my new place. I’m so excited to be here!”
That excitement was evident by the hopeful tone of her voice. The sparkle in her eyes revealed it, too.
“That’s good,” Jackson said. “We know it’s not time for our interview. But we wanted to drop by for a minute.”
He looked over to Slater, letting his friend take over the explanation. “We got to talking. Figured we might have been a little rough on you back there.”
Jackson nodded. “That’s right. We didn’t have any call to say what we did about spanking you and all that. We aren’t your Daddies.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I hope you’ll accept our apologies.”
Based on the expression on Mina’s face, the interaction hadn’t bothered her one bit. But Jackson was still thankful when he heard her say, “Oh, don’t mention it.” She giggled, sounding and looking as adorable as could be. “In fact, I kind of liked it. I’ve, uh, never had a Daddy before. So it was kind of nice.” She then blushed hard. “I’m not saying you’re my Daddies. I’m just saying… well, it was a little taste.”
Jackson wanted to give her more than a little taste, that was for sure. He didn’t know Mina, but the more he was in her presence, the more he felt her tugging tight on his heartstrings.
“Well, all the same,” he finally said after soaking in her cuteness for a few moments, “we didn’t mean to overstep.”
“We sure didn’t,” Slater agreed. “We’re glad you’re in Big Cedar and can’t wait until the first paper comes out. You’ve got some loyal customers already right here.”
She giggled again.
It was all Jackson could do not to hop onto that porch and scoop her into his arms. Damn, she was adorable.
“Thank you,” she said. “I hope to have the first edition out by the end of next week. The horse running down Main Street is big news! I need to strike while the iron is hot.”
“We’ll help any way we can,” Slater told her.
“The interview will be plenty of help.”
Both men nodded. The silence between them felt like tension. Of the sexual kind. The conversation was over. They’d said what they came to say, but Jackson didn’t want to leave. He wanted to get to know the inquisitive little reporter.
An idea struck him.
“Do you have dinner plans tonight?”