Page 63 of Daddy's Little Farmer

The second was a bit easier.

Alex rubbed and patted her hip. “All done. You did really well.”

“Thank you.”

He rolled her to her back and saw the tears she could no longer keep in.

“Oh, honey. I wish you’d tell me your name and what happened.”

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

Alex lifted her until her back was against the headboard and gave her a box of Kleenex.

“I really want to hold you, but we’d have to move to a chair because being on the bed with you is inappropriate.”

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her cheek. “No, thank you. I think I want some alone time.”

He studied her for a moment. “That’s fine, but I’ll be checking on you.”

She nodded.

Alex walked to the door. “Call if you need me.”

“Alex,” Mara called out to stop him.

“What?”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad I was here for you.”

The door had just closed when the first sob ripped from her throat. She buried her face in her pillow and cried until she was exhausted, and her pillow was sopping wet.

She felt the cat rub against her trying to give her comfort.

She flipped the pillow to the dry side, wiped her face off, and blew her nose before she laid down and stared at the wall.

So many thoughts and ideas rolled through her mind, and none seemed feasible. She racked her brain and couldn’t find a solution to her problem. Her eyelids started to droop, and she cuddled the cat against her stomach. She decided to sleep and make decisions in the morning.

Chapter Thirty

It was 3:00 AM, and Rafael was about ready to lose it. They had the cops looking all over town for his baby, but there was no sign of her.

He stood looking out the window in his office down at the mostly deserted dark street, going over everything he’d done wrong. He was flabbergasted that she hadn’t said or done anything before. None of the blame went on her. It was all on his shoulders, and he would do everything he could to make it right, so she stayed with him. He knew he had a lot to learn and wanted to do it together.

His phone rang. “Hello.”

“This is Tony. This was my first chance to get back. What’s going on?”

Rafael went over everything. How he’d kept her on his property since they got there, didn’t give her the time he should have, and then the debacle of what happened that night.

He heard Tony sigh.

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t be able to deal with her.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because you’ve been spoiled your whole life, son. You’ve always gotten what you wanted but never had a relationship before. You don’t know what it takes.”

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