Page 197 of Sheriff Daddy (Montana Daddies 10)

“Actually, I did.” He looked pensive. “It’s not just a necklace.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s also a GPS tracker. Using an app on my phone, I can trace where you are. I know it seems like an invasion of privacy, but . . . actually, no. There’s no buts. You’re going to wear it. No arguments.”

She raised her eyebrows. “No arguments?”

A stubborn look crossed his face and he lifted the necklace from the box. “No arguments. You’ll wear it. All the time. It’s waterproof so it can be worn in the shower or bath. You take it off and you’ll be in big trouble. And I don’t care if you do think it’s an invasion of your privacy, it’s happening.”

She huffed out a breath. “You know, you could have just said please.”

“What?” He stared at her.

“You could have just said, ‘please will you wear the necklace, it will mean I can breathe easier if I know where you are.’”

“And your answer would have been?” he asked cautiously.

“Yes.”

“That simple?”

“That simple.”

“Huh.” He stared at her for a moment. “Please will you wear the necklace, it will mean I can breathe easier if I know where you are.”

“Yes.” She turned around and lifted up her hair.

“Damn, and I was geared up for an argument,” he muttered as he put her necklace on.

“Silly Daddy, you mangy maggot head.”

She took off with a scream of laughter as he chased after her.

41

“You promise to call me if anything is wrong.”

“I promise. I’ll be fine.”

“I made you some lunch and put it in the fridge. There’re also two snacks. One for in the morning and the other for the afternoon.”

“Ed, I can handle staying here by myself.”

“You leave the house then you call me.”

“I will.”

“You get lonely, upset, or hurt you call me.”

“It’s one day, Ed.”

“I still don’t like leaving you here alone.”

“You have to go. They need you. I’ll be good.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and she still had to wait for him to bend down so she could kiss him. “I promise.” She tried to keep hold of her patience because she knew his demands stemmed from fear. Today was the first time he’d be away all day, and he was going to be hours away.

This was her chance to show him she would be fine. She also wanted some time alone to think about what she was going to do with her life. While she loved living here, she had to do something with her time or she’d likely go insane.

“If I call, then you answer. And I want a text every hour.”

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