Was Isaac right? Did things come too easily to him? Had he become the kind of guy who just sat back and waited for stuff? For life to happen? When was the last time he’d wanted something that he’d had to actually work for?
“Not so sure.”
Isaac raised his eyebrows. “Really? Usually you’re the one telling me to stop being an asshole.”
“You’re always an asshole,” he muttered. “But I think you’re right in this instance.”
“About her being a sub? We already knew that.”
“No, in your approach. She wasn’t annoyed or scared or upset by you scolding her. I think those tears were relief or sadness. I think that Caley has had a Dom before. For whatever reason, she now doesn’t, and she misses it.”
“And how the hell do you figure all that?”
“Something in her face. And because she didn’t once tell you to fuck off.”
“Huh.” Isaac looked thoughtful. “Most people do within the first hour of meeting me.”
“Exactly. She hasn’t told us to leave. She told you that you didn’t have the right to top her and she’s right, neither of us do.”
Isaac frowned. “You could be reading her wrong.”
“Could be,” Archer said. “But there’s something about her. Something sad. And lost.” It called to him.
It shouldn’t. He was supposed to be setting her up with his brother. Not stealing her for himself. She was completely unsuited for him. Look at where she lived. Isaac’s cabin at Sanctuary Ranch wouldn’t scare her off. And shockingly, Isaac himself didn’t seem to faze her all that much.
She was much better suited to his brother. She needed more than he could offer her.
The door to the office opened and she stood there, looking disgruntled. But again, he got a hint of sadness.
“Forgot to tell you, the creek is still flooded and there’s a tree blocking the road in the other direction. You’ll be staying here for a while yet.”
She shut the door again.
Perfect.
10
Doc paced back and forth along the living room.
“Will you sit down?” Archer asked him impatiently. He was fiddling with something on his phone. The wind was picking up outside. It sounded even worse than it had last night.
“I can’t sit down.” He wasn’t very good at sitting. He liked to keep moving. It kept his mind from thinking too much.
“She hasn’t had breakfast. Or lunch.” He’d knocked on her door at both mealtimes. Both times, she’d claimed she wasn’t hungry.
He’d wanted to march in there and drag her out to the dining table, sit her down and feed her himself. But Archer had warned against being too forceful.
Damn it. He was probably right. If she was his…different story. Her ass would already be red, and her belly would be full. She’d also be having a nap right now after her late night.
Not that he’d have allowed that either.
Shit. Was Archer, right? Was he being an ass? Had he been too overbearing with her earlier? He’d been worried when she’d gotten all teary.
Upsetting little subbies wasn’t his thing. He might be brisk and gruff, but he wasn’t mean.
At least, he didn’t think he was. At one time, he’d been easier going. He’d had more bend in him. More softness. He still tried to find a bit of softness for the Littles on the ranch, but he knew they all dreaded a visit from him.
He ran a hand over his face. Christ. When had he become such a grouch? He couldn’t even blame it entirely on Evelyn and her betrayal. It had started earlier than that. But now…now he wondered if he wasn’t becoming bitter.
Archer glanced over at the door to her office. “You said she’s a writer. Perhaps she’s just in the zone and has lost track of time.”
“She’s going to get sick. She barely slept last night.” He sat on the armchair, staring into the fire. “Is she hiding because I make her uncomfortable?” Why had he gone all Dom on her? There was just something about her that stirred him. “Should I apologize?”
Archer’s sharp eyes met his. “Do you know how to apologize? Aren’t you afraid you’ll go up in flames?”
“I’m serious here.”
Archer ran his hand over his face, looking tired. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make light of it. Should you apologize? You’re right, she’s been in there too long without food. Even if she is in the zone with her writing, it’s not healthy. Why don’t you see if you can coax her out?”
“Coax her out? With what? My charming personality?”
Archer shot him a look. “You’ve been a Daddy Dom for years, Issy. You know how to talk to an unsure sub.”
“Been a long time since I had a Little.”
“You’re interested in her, though.” Archer nodded to the door.
Interested in her? Was he?
Come on, would you really act this way towards a stranger if you didn’t find yourself intrigued by her? Attracted to her?
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter if I am. I doubt I’m her type. I’m sure she’d prefer you. Maybe you should talk to her.”
Lord knew, Archer was better at dealing with people.
“Why would she prefer me?”
Doc sent him a look.
Archer ran his hand over his face. “Issy, is this about Evelyn? I never wanted—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Doc interrupted him, not wanting to get into that.
Archer sighed. “Issy, it’s clear to me she’s interested in you.”
Was she? Maybe. But then he thought he’d seen something in Archer’s gaze when he looked at her. “Do you like her?”
“Of course I like her. I—”
“No, are you attracted to her?”
Archer appeared startled. “She’s beautiful, but she’s not my type. She definitely needs more than I could be comfortable giving.”
Doc frowned slightly “She may not be a Little.”
He couldn’t really believe he was considering this. He barely knew her. He’d met her yesterday and he was talking about feeling something for her.
Him. The guy who had hidden himself away in the middle of nowhere, so he barely had to deal with people.
Even though he had a deep need to take care of others. Something that even playing doctor to everyone living on the ranch wasn’t fulfilling.
Maybe that was it. He wasn’t exactly happy. He’d thought he could at least be content with his life. But maybe he was ready for more. Maybe he’d just needed to figure out this shit with Evelyn and Archer to move on.
Or maybe he’d needed to be tempted by a slightly odd, somewhat messy, curvy blonde who very much needed some guidance in her life.
Hmm. Or a combination of both.
“She might not be interested in me.”
“I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Don’t think that’s an issue. There is something going on with her, though. Most women wouldn’t live like this. Not without a good reason.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. But that just meant he would need to work at getting her to open up.
First though, was getting her to talk to him.
The knock on the door brought her out of her scene with a frown.
She turned to the door, trying to pull herself away from Adelaide and Ren’s story. This one was a doozy, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was missing an element.
She just wasn’t sure what the element was. When it finally appeared, she figured she was gonna get a hell of a shock. Some stories were like that. She had them all plotted out. Knew where it was going then boom. Suddenly the heroine had a serial killer stepbrother who always considered her to belong to him and didn’t want to share.
Ooh. Now that sounded interesting. She wrote that in her notebook. She just hoped she remembered which notebook she’d put it in when she came to find it again. She really did need to organize her desk. She sighed. Hell, she needed to organize her life.
The idea of a personal assistant floated across her bra
in again. Only how would she ever find a personal assistant when she lived out here?
Another knock and she turned to the door. It could only be one of two people and she was betting on Archer. Doc hadn’t knocked the last two times he’d barged in to demand she come eat.
She grimaced. She knew she was being rude. And a wimp. Sure, she’d gotten into the flow with this story, but when she’d come in here, she’d been hiding from the two of them.
Total wuss.
“Yes?” she called out, stretching out her back.
To her surprise, it was Doc that walked in. He shut the door behind him. Uh-oh, that didn’t seem like a good sign.
“Why’d you shut the door?”
“I wanted some privacy.”
“For what?” She eyed him suspiciously. “If you’ve come to tell me you really are a serial killer and a cannibal, could you wait until I’ve finished this book? I’ve got a lot of people waiting on me to get it out and I’m sure your instincts to torture and kill can wait a few days.”
“Girl, I am not here to torture and kill you.” He gave her that look. The one she got from people when they thought she was crazy. She’d seen that look enough in her life. She’d moved here to get away from it.
“Was there something you wanted?”
“Let me see your fingers. I haven’t checked the burn.”
“It’s fine.” But she held out her fingers. His touch sent waves of heat through her, shocking her. He must have been satisfied because he let it go without a word.
Then he moved his gaze to her face. “I’m not real good at reading people. Apparently, I have the worst bedside manner, but even I can tell I’ve done something to piss you off in the forty-five seconds since I entered the room. Now, I’d like to say that’s a new record, but I don’t like to lie.”
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. This was her house. She didn’t have to put up with people looking down on her.
“I know I’m weird. I know my brain doesn’t always work the way other people’s do. I have an overactive imagination.”
“Guess that comes in handy for your job.”
“Yes, except I tend to go to the worst possible scenario in my head. Which can freak me the hell out. Especially when I’m here on my own.”
The house creaked as the wind picked up outside.
“Storm’s coming in,” Doc commented, walking closer and perching on her desk.
Okay, that was a bit too close. But she didn’t move back. She forced herself to look up at him. “I moved here to get away from people looking at me like I’m weird or wrong.”
Understanding filled his face. “And that’s what you think I just did? That I think you’re weird?”
“Don’t you?”
He snorted. “I have a phobia about eating other people’s cooking. And I have a slight issue with germs and cleanliness. There is nothing normal about me. I can also be extremely blunt, which is why I’m just gonna come out with this. Have you ever heard of age play?”
She felt her lips go a bit numb. Was he… “You’re a Daddy Dom?”
“Yep. You’ve had a Dom before? A relationship with one?”
“My…my husband was my Daddy.”
He studied her, his eyes surprisingly kind and gentle. That wasn’t something she was used to from Doc.
But then, you hardly know him, do you? And you just told him what is essentially your biggest secret.
“I…I need to finish this book. I have things to do. I’m sorry if I’m being rude but I—”
“Whoa, okay, stop,” he told her in a commanding voice, taking hold of her hands which had been flying through the air. “Calm down. Just breathe. In. Out. Nice and slow. That’s it. Settle down, girl.”
“I’m…not…a…girl.”
Okay, that probably wasn’t the thing she needed to focus on right now.
“Is that so? Seems you are to me.”
“I’m thirty-one years old.”
“When you’re adulting. When you’re Little how old are you?”
There went her ability to breathe properly again. Shit. What had she done? What was she thinking? What if he told people? She’d need to move again. She couldn’t move. She had nowhere to go.
“Caley! Caley, listen to me. I need you to settle down now. Just breathe. Little girl, listen to me.”
The deep command caught her attention.
“Look at me.”
Fuck. No way could she resist that voice. It had been so long since anyone had topped her. She hadn’t been certain how she would react. Maybe she wouldn’t have liked it from anyone else. Perhaps she might have been able to resist. But something about Isaac spoke to her. Lord knows why, since he seemed to be an asshole. But it did. He intrigued her.
He and Archer both.
Ménages don’t happen in real life, Caley Jane. And you don’t want one daddy, let alone two.
And she didn’t think Archer was a Daddy Dom, anyway. She stared into Isaac’s piercing blue eyes. He was a gorgeous man. His skin tanned. His hair dark-blonde. That trimmed beard giving him a sexy look she liked.
“Good girl. Need you to calm down and tell me what’s wrong.”
She shook her head.
His face tightened. A storm brewed in his eyes.
“Caley, tell me what is wrong. What just happened? Why did you panic?”
She shook her head again.
“We can sit here all day, baby doll. I ain’t got nothing to do. Ain’t got no place to go. Got nothing to focus on but you. We’re just going to sit here until you tell me what’s wrong.”
Crap. He’d do it too. He was just that stubborn.
“I told you.”
He frowned. “Told me what?”
“That I…that I…”
“That you’re a Little? Baby, why has that got you so panicked? I told you I’m a Daddy Dom.”
Yeah. That’s right. He had. She was making an idiot of herself.
“Sorry…sorry…”
He rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands. “You wanna tell me why you reacted the way you did?”
“No.”
He lowered his voice. “Girl, tell me why you just reacted the way you did.”
She wrinkled her nose at the clear command. Then she sighed. “I’ve just had people react badly before when they found out. I wasn’t really thinking clearly. I mean, you obviously weren’t going to tell me that I’m a freak and unnatural.”
“People said that to you?” Anger filled his face.
She nodded hesitantly. “I didn’t really think you’d say that to me,” she said quickly, hoping that he wasn’t offended by her reaction. “I mean, it sounds like you had something similar happen with your parents.”
“Yeah, but I can fucking take it. You’re just a tiny thing. Your Dom should have protected you from that.”
She snatched her hands back from his, coldness filling her. She could take insults he flung her way. Maybe. Probably not. But it wasn’t her that he was insulting. It was Dave.
And she’d never stand for that.
“He did protect me. But it’s hard to protect one person against a whole town.”
His eyes widened. Shit. She hadn’t actually meant to say that.
“A whole town?”
“I don’t want to talk about that. I don’t want to talk about anything right now. But you didn’t know Dave. You don’t know how he took care of me. But he did. He was the best man, Dom, Daddy I could ever have hoped for. And nobody will ever take his place. I think you should leave me alone now.”
He stared at her for a long moment. She expected him to fight back. She grew tense. She wasn’t going to let anyone hurt Dave’s memory.
To her surprise he nodded and stood. That was it? He was giving up?
No, not giving up. He’s giving you what you asked for.
Yeah, except he hadn’t done that up until now. Why now…when maybe there was a part of her that didn’t want him to. That wanted him to insist th
at she come out and eat, that she spend some time with him and his brother.
That lonely, broken, sad part of her that just wanted to feel some warmth. Like someone actually cared about her.
Instead, he was walking away. And a part of her broke just a little more.
He opened the door then turned back. “Where is he? What happened?”
“He died,” she whispered.
“And now you live here? All alone?”
She pushed her chin up. “It’s what I prefer.”
Liar. Liar.
His eyes narrowed. She felt certain he was going to call her out on her bullshit, but a loud yell interrupted them. Followed by pain-filled cursing.
She stood up. “Was that Archer?” Had she heard Archer yell? Or swear?
Doc turned and raced towards the door at the side of the kitchen, which led to the closed-in porch. Why would Archer be out there?
Oh shit! The washing machine!
She raced after Doc, coming to a stop as she saw that Archer was lying sprawled on the floor, groaning. Tangled in his feet was the broom. How had that gotten there?
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“Your washing machine tried to kill me, that’s what happened,” Archer replied, scowling at the machine in question.
“The washing machine tried to kill you?” Doc asked skeptically. “And just how did it do that?”
“You tried to plug it in,” she guessed. “Shoot. I’m so sorry. If I knew you were going to do some laundry, I would have told you. Sometimes it gives an electric shock.”
“What?” Doc snapped. “Your washing machine gives off electric shocks?” He turned on her, his hands on his hips. “Do you know how dangerous that is? You could injure yourself!”
“Yes, which is why I always put on my rubber boots first.”
Doc started grumbling under his breath while glaring at her as though she’d mortally offended him.
She ignored him, crouching down next to Archer. “Are you all right?”
“Nice someone remembers that I’m the injured party.” He glared up at his brother. Uh-oh, they weren’t going to start fighting again, were they?
“You’re six foot two and weigh two hundred pounds. She’s a foot shorter and half your weight.”
Heal Me, Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 8) Page 7
