Page 13 of Protecting Little Phoebe

“I shouldn’t have said that.” Her shoulders were slumped, her gaze on her lap.

And he hated that she looked so dejected. Working on instinct, he reached out and cupped her chin, tilting her head up so she had to look at him. “You did nothing wrong, and I won’t have you feeling ashamed. Understand me?”

“Not really,” she replied. “You’re kind of confusing.”

He couldn’t blame her for feeling that way. He was confusing himself. “I wasn’t offended. I promise. So you don’t need to be embarrassed or upset. Now, I talked to roadside assistance and they’re going to be twenty minutes.”

“Oh.” She chewed her lip and glanced around. This road was quiet, and he could see she was nervous. “Thank you. I suppose I better let you get on your way.”

That wasn’t happening. “You really think I’m going to leave you here alone?” He stood. “Sorry, can’t crouch down forever. I no longer have twenty-year-old knees.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” She stood quickly. “Are you all right? Do you want to sit down?”

Barren waved her off. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure you can stay? Weren’t you headed somewhere? I don’t want to make you late.”

He didn’t want to tell her that he’d likely already missed his plane. “I have nowhere to be.” It wasn’t entirely untrue. “I just need to make a couple of calls.”

With a sigh, Phoebe watched him walk away. She should insist that he leave. It was unlikely that a man like him didn’t have somewhere he was supposed to be. She was being selfish because she didn’t want to be out here on her own.

It was just too quiet out here. So she kept quiet and held on to Snickerdoodle as she stared at Barren. He paced back and forth as he spoke into his phone. Did he have a girlfriend? A wife? Surely a man that gorgeous was taken? But he didn’t act like he had a wife. And she got the feeling he’d be a very possessive husband. She sighed dreamily at the thought.

Maybe he was already taken, but a girl could dream. And she’d never had anyone talk to her or treat her like he did. With acceptance and caring. Her dad had loved her, but he hadn’t always understood her. Same with Uncle Tim. It was a bit sad that she’d felt more acceptance with a stranger than she ever had with the majority of her family.

As a truck pulled up, she set Snickerdoodle into the backseat and got out with a sigh. Time to adult again. Which really sucked.

CHAPTER 4

“Are you sure you’re okay to drop me off at Rawhide Ranch?”

Barren glanced over at Phoebe. She was tense as she sat in his passenger seat, her hands twisting together nervously. She raised her thumb to her mouth, chewing on the nail. He wanted to tell her to stop, but he didn’t really have that right.

Roadside assistance had been unable to get her vehicle going, so they were towing it to the closest garage in Porter’s Corner. They’d offered to give her a lift, but he’d been able to tell that she was uncomfortable with that.

So he’d opened his mouth and said he would drop her off. Probably a really dumb idea. He should be driving to Missoula so he could catch his early morning flight. But he just didn’t seem to be able to say goodbye to this girl. “Of course it’s fine.”

“Aren’t you heading home, though? Are you driving?”

“No, I have a flight back to Connecticut in the morning.”

“Oh, you live in Connecticut? It’s so pretty there. I used to go to New York a lot with my dad. We also visited Connecticut a few times.”

“Is this your first time visiting Rawhide Ranch?” he asked her.

“Uh-huh. I’m a bit nervous.”

“Don’t be. Everyone here is really nice, and they’ll take care of you.”

Just don’t let anyone take care of you too well.

“Have you ever been in a relationship with a Daddy before?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “No. Never. I’ve dated before, of course. I was with my high school boyfriend for years. He wasn’t a Daddy, though. That was before I even knew that I was a Little. He broke things off after five years because he said I wasn’t mature enough for him. That he wanted someone who would settle down and be serious. I just… what’s the point of being serious all the time? You only get one life; can’t it be a fun one?”

He hummed as he thought over his own life. Had it been fun? Or had he spent most of it working hard to provide Krystal with everything that she wanted? Catering to all her needs because that fulfilled something inside him… only, had it made him happy?

Sometimes.

---