Rock Hard Daddy: A Single Dad & A Virgin Romance

by Rye Hart

  Marianna's demeanor softened. This boy looked like he was scared of her. "Of course," she said kindly. "I only have a few things, so between the both of us we should be able to make just one trip."

  The boy smiled," Yes ma'am."

  They both carried the small suitcase and handbag — all the possessions Marianna cared to bring. They walked to an open wagon.

  "Sorry about the transportation," the boy motioned to the horse-drawn wagon. "It isn't fancy like you must be used to in Boston," he drawled.

  "I'm sure it will do quite nicely," she said. Marianna didn't care if she had been picked up in a wheel borrow, so long as it got her to her destination, and hopefully a bed to finally have a proper night’s rest.

  "Don't worry," he said sheepishly. "It won't be too long of a drive."

  He helped Marianna up into the wagon and took his place next to her. With a click of his tongue, the horse began to trot briskly.

  Marianna was fascinated by the different landscape, especially the lack of city space she was used to. Although she grew up in a town outside of Boston, it still was decently sized. Out here in Texas, the town was a lot smaller than she had expected. As they moved away from it, the houses became sparse. She took in the beautiful scenery while she listened to James prattle on about the history of the town. Although he had been shy around her at first, it hadn't taken long for him to turn into a regular chatterbox.

  After several hours of riding, Marianna began to suspect what James constituted as 'not too long,' was entirely different than her own concept of time. Her bottom ached from the wooden seat, which didn't help her already train-sore body.

  "James?" she asked in a moment when he paused to take a breath in between his speech. "How much longer —"

  "WOAH!" James broke her off as he brought the horse to a sudden stop.

  "What is it?" Marianna asked nervously.

  "Do you see that? James pointed to a red smudge off in the distance. "On the horizon?"

  Marianna squinted. "I see it, but what is it?"

  "Fire!" James said with a nervous cry. "Hold on to your seat Ms. Wellington," he shouted wildly.

  "Why —" Marianna words were broken again off as James flicked the reins and the horse took off in a gallop. Marianna clutched the wood seat as the wagon clunked and rattled beneath her as it sped along at a pace at which it was never meant to go. Marianna became nervous as James veered the wagon toward the flame, not away from it as she would have thought. Yet, at the moment, she was more concerned with holding on to the shaking wagon than the fire that grew larger the closer they got.

  When they were close enough to see the pillar of smoke as it swirled toward the sky, Marianna saw that the building on fire was a barn. When they were still several yards away, James brought the wagon to a screeching halt.

  "Stay here," he said roughly as he jumped from the wagon and took off running toward the source of the flames.

  Marianna knew that she should stay put, but her heart urged her to do something. She figured they would still need people to help put out the flames. Besides, there was no way she could sit easy while everyone else put in the effort to help.

  Without another thought, Marianna leapt off the wagon and hurried after James.

  She was close enough now to both hear and smell the flames as it crackled and burned. The smoke was thicker here, and she had to reach down and retrieve her handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose from the ashy air.

  She saw a group of men standing near the entrance of the burning building, leading the animals out of the inferno, and shouting directions toward each other over the roar of the blaze. She moved closer, hoping to see James among them. She thought she spotted him at the edge of the burning building and ran toward him. She figured they could use all the help they could get.

  As she moved closer to the burning building, the smoke grew thicker and her eyes burned. She no longer could see James through the haze that engulfed the building, so she moved back toward the front. She froze when she heard the building crackle and groan next to her. Through all the chaos, she could hear the men shouting to move away, warning those nearby that the building was about to collapse.

  Marianna turned in horror as the building swayed dangerously close to her. At the same moment, a gust of heavy wind forced the smoke in her direction and engulfed her in a thick cloud. She couldn't move. She tried to command her feet, but her body was frozen. Her mind went blank as her lungs filled with the thick smoke. She coughed wildly, her vision blurred and terror seized her in its entrapping embrace.

  She could hear the barn give another loud groan, but she couldn't see a thing. She tried to move away, but only stumbled on the uneven ground. She attempted to call out for help, but the air around her was too thick to breathe.

  She knew she had made a mistake, and that she should have listened to James when he told her to stay put. Or perhaps, she should never have come to this place at all. She should have stayed in Boston and hoped for the best. She felt dizzy from the smoke and stumbled again when she tried to move away from it.

  Marianna had just about saw her life flash before her eyes, when she felt strong arms come around her body and lift her up off the ground.

  A deep male voice spoke to her gently. "You're safe," he assured her.

  Marianna tried to speak, but her lungs were still filled with smoke. She coughed in response, but that little exertion took whatever energy she had left. She felt her body go limp, while her mind continued to race with the overwhelming emotions of the moment.

  As they came out of the smoke, she squinted up at the man carrying her. He was tall and muscular, with thick dark hair and shadowy stubble across his strong chin. He was also shirtless— as Marianna quickly realized the moment that she rested her head against his chest.

  She jolted in his arms when she heard the barn rumble loudly as it finally crashed to the ground. She peeked over his shoulder at the spot where the barn once stood, now a smoldering pile of burning rubble.

  She could still hear the clamor of voices around her as the men struggled to contain the flames. The mysterious man was attempting to carry her away from the chaos, when a vicious looking individual stopped him.

  "Where did she come from?" the other man said angrily. He was quite a bit shorter than her rescuer, stocky, with a round face and sandy blonde hair.

  Marianna peeked up at him through her stinging eyes, her tired gaze locked with his enraged expression.

  "Nevermind that," her rescuer replied. "Attend to the situation at hand Marcus," he said sternly.

  "She," he pointed vehemently at Marianna, "put us all at risk when she ran toward the building. We were prepared to collapse it to minimize the loss, when she decided to get in the way!"

  "Well, it was a good thing that we didn't collapse it at that time, since I was on the south side," her rescuer spoke with a dry tone.

  The man sputtered, "We had no idea that you were —"

  "We will discuss this later, I think it is best if you get back to trying to control the flames that are left," and as he spoke, he pushed past the angry man with Marianna in his arms.

  The mysterious man carried her away from Marcus, the smoking rubble, and the crowd of ranch hands that were in the process of trying to contain the fire. She didn't protest, as she still felt ill from the overload of smoke she had inhaled. Despite the dangerous situation she had narrowly avoided, she felt safe in this man's arms as he trudged across the yard toward a small house that Marianna failed to notice when she'd first arrived.

  Marianna closed her eyes as she felt him carry her inside the house. The exhaustion from the journey and the terrifying event of the fire, hit her with a drowsy force. She wouldn't have been able to keep her eyes open if she tried. When she felt the man set her down on top of a soft duvet, she almost groaned with relief at finally resting on a bed.

  She felt his body move away from her and she looked up at him through heavily hooded eyes. "Thank you," she muttered as her eyelids f
luttered closed.

  She would have been asleep instantly, had the man decided not to run smelling salts under her nose and jolt her back into reality.

  "What the —" she cried out as she leaned over the edge of the bed and began coughing violently.

  "The last thing I need is for you to go to sleep and never wake up," the man said gruffly. He walked around to the other side of the bed and opened a shutter to allow sunlight and fresh air — albeit still polluted from the wafting smoke — into the small room.

  Marianna coughed until she started to dry heave. The strong scent still stung in the back of her throat and filled her nostrils with the putrid odor. It burned, but it did its job in forcing her to cough until her lungs were clear. Her stomach ached from the exertion. She clung shakily to the side of the bed while her lungs desperately filled themselves with deep breaths of fresh air.

  "Are you okay there?" he asked in a hesitant, worried tone.

  "Water?" Marianna rasped. Her throat felt raw and still burned from the smoke and the smelling salts. Although she had been exhausted just a few minutes before, her mind and body were now wide awake.

  "Right," the man said awkwardly. He hurried out of the room in search of some water.

  Marianna continued to take gasping breaths, her body shaking with each inhalation.

  The man returned quickly, a small tin cup in hand. "Here," he said roughly. He thrust the cup toward Marianna, the water sloshing around the sides.

  Marianna drank eagerly. The water cooled her burning throat. "Thank you," she said as she wiped away the water from her chapped lips. She looked up at him, expectantly.

  "Right," he said stiffly. He ran his hand through his thick dark hair in a nervous gesture.

  Marianna noticed that he still wasn't wearing a shirt. The gesture of raising his arm up to his head, gave her an impressive view of his physique as muscles rippled with the movement. She blushed as she realized this was the first time she had ever seen a man in such a state of undress — even Kevin, who had courted her with all the manners of proper etiquette. The man before her didn't seem to notice her embarrassment.

  "I'm Larsen Dover," he said without frivolity.

  Marianna sucked in her breath at the realization that the man before her was the man for whom she had traveled all this way. She suddenly felt nervous and shy. "And I'm Marianna," she said softly.

  "I know," he spoke as his gaze locked with hers. His eyes were blue and stood out against his tanned skin, dark hair, shadowy beard, and the smudges of ash and soot that covered his body.

  Marianna found it difficult to look away; the man before her captivated her. "How so?" she asked as she cocked her head with curiosity.

  "Well," he began, "considering you are the only woman in a hundred miles of my ranch, I figured it was a pretty good guess." His eyes danced teasingly, but his body still remained a bit stiff. "But I'll let you rest now," he spoke as his gaze darted away from her shyly and made a move toward the door.

  "Wait," Marianna called out to him before he left.

  He turned back around, his eyes expectant and curious.

  "Thank you," she said earnestly.

  He nodded. "If I had gotten you killed on your first day here, my sister-in-law would never have let me hear the end of it," he said rather sheepishly before he quickly left.

  Marianna chuckled at the reference to the commanding force that was Mrs. Cavanaugh.

  Chapter Five

  Despite the unconventional events of the day, Marianna found she was able to fall asleep quickly.

  Once Larsen had left, a wave of exhaustion took hold of her and swiftly guided her head toward the pillow. Her mind was adrift with sleep before her eyes even closed.

  She slept soundly, for the most part that is, until she was roused from her peaceful dreaming by the sound of chattering voices.

  "Shhh, Elijah," a child said harshly. "You are going to wake her." The voice sounded urgent, but failed to take his own advice on lowering his voice.

  "You be quiet," shrieked an even younger voice.

  "If you aren't quiet," threatened the older child's voice, "she will leave!"

  "So?" the younger voice said with a surprisingly stubborn air.

  "So," stressed the older voice, "if she leaves, father said he won't know what to do with us and that means he will be forced to sell us to the outlaws."

  "No!" gasped the younger voice.

  Marianna peeked under her thick lashes at the voices coming from the edge of her bed. However, her attempts to be subtle failed as her audience was paying close attention to her every move.

  Two little heads popped over the footboard where she slept, their eyes wide with fear as they realized she was awake.

  "I don't want to become an outlaw!" the youngest shrieked with horror.

  Marianna rose up on her elbows. "You won't be forced to become an outlaw," she assured him "At least if you don't want to," she winked at the two little boys.

  Their eyes grew even wider and their faces reddened with embarrassment.

  "I'm sorry he woke you," the older one offered apologetically.

  Marianna chuckled at the older child's attempt to shift the blame — something she had seen Georgina do to Amelia often, and vice versa.

  "It is quite alright," she raised her eyebrow expectantly.

  "Marshal," the older boy said proudly. "And this here is Elijah," he pointed toward his younger brother.

  "Marshal and Elijah," Marianna echoed warmly. These were the boys she had been brought here to care for. She shook her head; no she was brought here to be a pseudo-mother. Her face fell as the weight of the realization hit her. She had no idea how to mother two little boys. Likewise, what would happen to them if she decided to go home? She knew that the 'being sold to the outlaws' was most likely not the reality, but boarding schools were a completely different alternative that Mrs. Cavanaugh had hinted would be Larsen's final option.

  "Are you alright?" both little boys asked in unison.

  "Quite, thank you." She tried to brush aside her fears of what might happen in the future and do her best in the moment. And at that moment, she wasn't their mother, she was simply here on a trial bases as their teacher and caretaker. She had already met the father — the image of his soot covered, muscular body raced through her mind and brought heat to her cheeks. She quickly swallowed those thoughts and turned her attention back to the present reality.

  "How would you two like to give me a tour of the house?" she asked. She figured it would be the best way to familiarize herself with the home and the two little boys living in it.

  "Of course!" they both said in response, their eyes gleaming with the challenge of living up to the task she had given them.

  "We know everything about the house," Elijah the youngest bragged.

  "I know everything about the house and ranch," Marshal stated matter-of-factly.

  "You do not," said little Elijah.

  "How would you know?" Marshal countered.

  "Because Daddy is the one who knows everything," Elijah said proudly.

  "Well I know a lot of things too," Marshal said with a stubborn air.

  "I'm sure there are a lot of things that only you two, with your unique perspectives, are able to tell me about the house and ranch," she said in an attempt to placate the both of them.

  "Yes ma'am," Marshal spoke with confidence and a gleaming smile.

  Marianna figured Marshal was about eight, while Elijah looked to be about six. They both were at that age where their confidence often preceded their abilities. At least this was the case for Marshal, as Elijah looked like he was quite content to follow his older brother around on whatever adventures he decided to take them on.

  Each little boy took her hand as they guided her from the bedroom and into the living area. The house was quite large, which was a far cry from the cabin Marianna was expecting. It had three bedrooms, a large living area with a massive stone fireplace, a small kitchen off to the side, and massive l
oft, which the boys used as a playroom, that was the size of half of the house. The house itself was larger than her old home in Boston, but despite the hefty size, she felt almost at home in the place.

  At least she would feel at home once she got the place cleaned. As the boys guided her through their house, it became quite obvious that the place hadn't seen a thorough cleaning in ages. Of course, it wasn't a total mess, but it looked like someone had only haphazardly attempted to keep house. Marianna knew that, if she was going to live in this place, it needed to be a bit more functional.

  "Marshal and Elijah?" Marianna asked sweetly. "Do you know where there are cleaning supplies?"

  "What are those?" Elijah squeaked.

  Marianna chuckled at their obliviousness. "Well you know James, right?"

  Both of the boys' faces broke out in huge grins. "Yes," they answered eagerly.

  "Could you fetch him for me? Let him know that Ms. Wellington needs his service."

  "Sure," they both said in unison before they both took off running.

  Marianna watched as they bounded off in search of James. Marianna knew that she needed some help to sort the house out, and while she appreciated the enthusiasm of the two children, she would need a bit of a stronger hand in the cleaning tasks.

  As she turned to go back inside, she suddenly felt a sickening chill run down her spine. She quickly turned around, but saw nothing.

  "How odd," she said to herself. Marianna still wasn't sure about this place. Although Larsen and his children made her feel comfortable and welcomed, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Perhaps almost being crushed by a burning building less than an hour upon arrival was an omen, or maybe she was just being homesick. Either way, Marianna was still hesitant about committing to her new home just yet.

  Chapter Six

  "James, not like that!" Marianna moved to instruct the young man in how to properly scrub the floors.

  James grunted reluctantly, but abided by her instructions with silent patience. Marianna wasn’t yet sold on making Texas her new home, but she wasn’t one to stand still when work needed to be done around her.