“Well, that sounds like fun to me,” Bo said, and tipped his hat at Charlotte. “Ma’am, it’s been a pleasure. If you need anything, you just holler at us.”
Yeah, right. With the way Tripp was looking at her, she’d never holler in his presence ever again. She appreciated Bo’s kindness all the same.
“Thank you,” she said as they headed to the truck. Tripp loaded Gracie in, then looked back at Charlotte one last time. She needed to say something. To let him know that she wasn’t out here trying to mess up his world. They’d agreed to one night, and while it was the hottest night of her life, she intended to keep that promise.
“I was just looking for my grandma’s dog,” she called after him.
Tripp lifted an eyebrow, then whistled. Loudly. She had no idea why, but it was sexy as sin.
What wasn’t sexy was the thumping coming toward them from down the tree line.
Charlotte turned to see a massive dog bounding her way.
“Oh my God…is that…?”
“Princess Peanut Butter,” Tripp confirmed, and got in his truck.
The dog was coming in hot. And by dog, she meant wolf. Because that’s what the massive fluff ball looked like. A fricking wolf.
“That…that thing looks wild…” Charlotte said, backing toward a pear tree.
Tripp chuckled. “Princess is a husky. Very friendly. You’ll be fine.”
Yeah. She was in way over her head.
…
“Man, I’m so sorry I didn’t see that snake earlier,” Bo said, following Tripp onto the porch.
Tripp slapped his dusty Stetson against his thigh and put it on the hat rack by the door. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Bo snorted. “Oh, I figured a snake must have bitten your ass out there because I’ve never seen you so pissy.”
“Funny,” Tripp said. They both kicked their boots against the doorframe, letting the dust fly outside.
Gracie had already bolted through the house, and from the clinking coming from her room down the hall, she’d started setting up her tea set.
He’d take a tea party with his daughter over another confrontation with the too-sexy-for-his-sanity Miss Gram any day.
Or so he kept telling himself.
He wasn’t trying to be an asshole. He’d just seen how Gracie was looking at Charlotte and lost his shit a bit. His daughter gravitated toward every woman she met until, inevitably, she realized they weren’t going to move in and be her mom. Seeing that attachment and disappointment play out over and over had damn near been his undoing.
No. He couldn’t get more involved with Charlotte than he already had. For Gracie’s sake. Not because he was thinking of the sexy glow in Charlotte’s eyes when she came and what he’d do to see that again.
“Seriously, what the hell is your problem?” Bo asked. “Miss Gram is hot and—”
“And talking to Gracie.”
“So, what, you hate any woman who talks to Gracie?”
“No, I just don’t want her getting attached. Charlotte already made a promise to her that I’m going to have to break.”
It was exactly what Tripp was afraid of. Gracie getting her hopes up and Tripp having to explain that his “special friend” didn’t work out and…no. No, no, no. He didn’t date precisely so he’d never have to have that conversation with Gracie. He refused to see the sad look in
her eyes ever again.
I’ve been so careful…