Daddy's Little Cowgirl Read online

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Gigi. But then I guess you knew that, right? Since I’m the one who’s just moved here. Not like my accent didn’t give me away.” She felt herself blushing at her rambling. “I’m going to be quiet now.”

  His smile widened. “You’re all right, sweetheart.” He looked her over. “Nice boots.”

  She smiled down at her cute cowgirl boots. “Thank you.”

  He frowned at her hands. “But where are your gloves? Your hands are freezing. And where’s your jacket?”

  “Oh. They’re in here.” She pointed down at her backpack.

  “Not going to do much good in there, sweetheart,” he lightly scolded.

  “Yeah. I guess. I had them on, but I got warm on the walk over here so I took them off and then I got, uhh, distracted.” By the sight of her man on a horse. And it was a damn good one.

  “Rambling again, Gigi,” she muttered.

  “Ramble away, sweetheart,” he told her warmly.

  “Sorry. I tend to blurt stuff out.”

  “It’s cute.”

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s what Macca says.”

  “Ah, speaking of the man, here comes your sexy cowboy.”

  She glanced over to find Macca riding towards them. He’d taken his horse out for a few minutes to let him burn off some energy before coming back to get her.

  Now she was grateful for her cool hands as she placed them on her hot cheeks. “Can’t believe you heard that.”

  Linc laughed. “I just wish I could find someone who thinks that way about me.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you won’t have a problem.” He was a good-looking guy. And he seemed really nice. She couldn’t believe he hadn’t been snatched up.

  “Thanks, sweetheart.” He smiled sadly.

  She wondered if Linc was a Daddy Dom like Macca and many of the other men who lived on Sanctuary.

  “Hey, Linc, how’s it going?” Macca asked as he came up next to them.

  “Good. Just introducing myself to your girl here.”

  Macca swung down off the enormous, dark brown horse. Now that it was next to her, she could see how freaking huge the beast was. Someone else led out a much smaller horse, that was dappled brown and white. This horse looked decidedly more her size.

  “Thanks, Quint,” Macca said to the other man. He just nodded at them all before walking away, leaving the smaller horse there. She guessed this was her ride then.

  Macca slipped his arm around her waist. “I’m taking Gigi for a ride. She’s never been on a horse before.”

  Linc’s eyes widened. “Never?”

  She shook her head, bouncing on her toes. “No and I’m so excited.”

  Macca gave her a grin, hugging her tight.

  “Well, we can see about arranging some lessons for you if you want to learn to ride,” Linc told her.

  “Really? That would be awesome!”

  “Meg is a good horse to start off on.” He nodded at the smaller horse. “She’s used to beginners and she’ll follow Beast’s lead.”

  “Your horse’s name is Beast?” she asked Macca.

  “Yep.” He gave Beast a firm pat. “He’s stubborn and temperamental and when I first got him, he spent most of his time trying to bite me.”

  She looked down at the horse’s big teeth as he munched on a patch of grass. “Ouch.”

  “Some of the other Littles don’t know how to ride either,” Linc told her. “Maybe we could do some lessons for you all.”

  “That would be amazing. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart. I better get back to work now. Nice to meet you. Oh, and make sure you put those gloves and jacket on. Got to keep warm or you’ll get sick.” He turned to Macca. “You’re a lucky bastard.”

  “I know.”

  Linc walked away and she turned to wrap her arm around Macca’s middle. “Hi there, cowboy.”

  “Well, hello there, little lady,” he said in a slow drawl. “How would you like to come for a ride on my handsome stallion?”

  “Are we talking about the horse or something else?” She waggled her eyebrows.

  He let out a loud bark of laughter. “Are you calling me a stallion?”

  “The Australian stallion?”

  He grinned. “I think that’s the Italian stallion, sweet pea.”

  She giggled. Then she looked up at Beast. “Umm, I think I’ll start small and work my way up.”

  “Good plan. I promise, Meg is as sweet as a horse can get. She’ll follow Beast’s lead, but we’re also going to go through the basics before we start out.”

  “I’m so excited.” She clapped her hands together.

  “Now, I know you had gloves on when we left the cabin. And a jacket.”

  “I got hot after the walk here. The sun is out. And you’re not wearing a jacket.”

  He gave her a stern look. “The sun might be out, but it’s still much colder than you’re used to. It’s gonna take you a while to acclimate to the cold. We need to keep you wrapped up so you don’t get sick.”

  Macca took hold of her hand with a frown. “Your hands are freezing. Maybe it’s too cold for you out here.”

  “It’s not, Daddy, please.” She gave him her best puppy dog, pleading eyes. “I’ll put the gloves and jacket back on.”

  He reached into the backpack and tugged out her jacket, holding it for her to put on. Then he quickly did it up and slipped on her gloves.

  It still surprised her sometimes, how he cared for her. He could be so sweet and considerate. Unless he was spanking her, that is.

  That was just mean.

  But she wasn’t going to think about that right now. The sun was shining. She was going on her first horse ride, to have a picnic with her very own cowboy.

  Well, sort of cowboy. He didn’t actually work on the ranch like Linc did. But he definitely looked the part. And he had the horse. So she was claiming him as a cowboy.

  Whether he liked it or not.

  “Right. I want this jacket and gloves staying on unless I take them off you, understand? And your hat needs to stay on as well. It will keep your head warm and the sun off you.”

  She knew he was worried about her Lupus flaring up. But the sun seemed much less harsh here than in Australia. She hadn’t had a flare-up since that last big one when she’d ended up in the hospital.

  “Okay, baby, come meet Meg. She likes to be scratched behind the ears.”

  “Hello pretty lady,” she crooned to the horse. She reached out and gave Meg a scratch, laughing as the horse moved her head closer, as though asking for more.

  “She’d love it if you stood there all day and patted her,” Macca told her with a grin. “Come on, let’s go. We need to be home in time for you to take a nap.”

  She frowned. “I don’t need a nap. I’m not tired.” He was far too obsessed with her getting enough sleep for her liking.

  He patted her bottom lightly, but the warning was there. “No arguing or we’ll head home and you can have a nap right now. Besides, you don’t want to leave Queenie for too long.”

  No, that was true. They’d managed to make the kitten a temporary litter box and bed, but Gigi didn’t want her on her own for long.

  He lengthened the stirrup. “Put your foot in here and grab hold of the horn. I’ll help you pull yourself up.”

  He grasped hold of her waist to steady her then helped her climb onto the horse. That’s when she realized she was sitting on the Meg all by herself. She let out a small noise that was a mix of excitement and nerves.

  “Take hold of the reins.” He helped her grab hold of them properly. Then he took her through a few commands, walking beside her as she tried them all out. After around twenty minutes he told her they were ready to set off. “Now, don’t worry, Meg is used to new riders. She’ll follow Beast’s lead if you do nothing. So you really don’t have to do anything but enjoy yourself, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Good girl.” He patted her thigh gently before swinging
himself up on Beast. Then they were off. Macca led them away from the ranch, through the trees and down to a creek. She smiled as she took it all in. Yellow and orange leaves coated the trees, some of them falling to carpet the ground. It was like a picture on a postcard.

  “Daddy?” she called out.

  “Yes, sweet pea?”

  “Will we see a bear?”

  She nearly bounced up and down at the thought. Then she remembered she was on a horse. Probably not a good idea. Although Meg was an amazingly good horse. She just plodded along behind Beast. Gigi really didn’t have to do anything except sit there.

  “No, baby,” Macca replied. “Most of the bears live further up in the mountains. They’re not real keen on coming down where people are.”

  “Okay. What about a beaver?”

  “Uhh. I doubt it. Plus, beavers are mostly nocturnal.”

  “Hmm. A bald eagle?”

  He turned around to grin at her. “Have you got a bucket list of animals you want to see, sweet pea?”

  “Maybe. It’s just all so exciting. I’d never even left Queensland before. Now I’m in a different country.”

  “Tell you what, we’ll plan a trip away to Glacier National Park. Then we might be able to hit a few things off your bucket list. How does that sound?”

  “So much fun, Daddy!”

  They rode for a few more minutes, until he pulled up around a bend in the creek. There was a tall tree dipping out over the water and a grassy area that looked absolutely perfect for a picnic. Swinging off, Macca secured Beast and Meg before coming over and lifting her down.

  “This is so beautiful!”

  She swung around in a circle, her arms out.

  Macca laughed. “Glad you like it, sweet pea. But just stay here please, I want to go over the rules.”

  She let her lip drop out. “Rules? I don’t think you should have rules on a picnic.”

  “Well, you would be wrong, little one. First of all, no wandering away. If you need to pee, tell me. But you don’t leave my eyesight, understand?”

  “Yes, Daddy. Can I put my feet in the water?”

  “Baby, that water is freezing. I want you to be careful and not get too close to the creek unless I’m with you. All right?”

  She pouted but nodded.

  “I’m going to get the picnic set up.”

  “I’ll help you, Daddy.”

  They laid down a red and black checked blanket and then Macca pulled out some sandwiches, a container filled with potato salad and another with cut-up fruit in it.

  “Yum!”

  “Sit down and eat some lunch, sweet pea. You can take off your gloves and hat while you eat. If you’re a good girl and eat plenty, I even have a treat for you after.”

  She clapped her hands as she sat on the blanket. He even had a small picnic set with plastic plates, forks and knives.

  He handed over a bottle of water to her. “Drink that up, sweet pea.”

  “No thanks, Daddy. I’m not thirsty.”

  She drew off her gloves so she could pick up her sandwich. Yes. Ham and cheese.

  “Gigi, drink your water, please,” he said in a low, stern voice.

  She sighed. “Daddy, I don’t want to drink it.”

  He frowned. “Why not?”

  She blushed. “Because if I drink, I’ll have to pee. And there’s not exactly any toilets out here.”

  He grinned at her. “If you have to pee, we can find you a bush. Not that there’s anyone around to see. Drink your water.”

  Pee behind a bush? Good Lord. She couldn’t do that. Gigi had never even been camping. She’d definitely never had to pee behind a bush. But she knew Macca wouldn’t let her get by without drinking anything. He was very careful with her health.

  She took a few sips of her water to appease him. But she definitely wasn’t drinking all of it.

  She happily ate her sandwich and a bit of potato salad before she was too full to fit anything else in. The scenery was so soothing that she sighed happily.

  “You good, sweet pea?”

  “Yeah. This was a great idea, Daddy. I think we should do this every day.”

  “Might be a bit difficult to do every day, but while the weather holds and if I’m here, we can come out here as often as we like.”

  “Really?” She smiled at him widely.

  “Of course. I can’t believe you hadn’t been on a picnic before.” He frowned.

  Gigi shrugged. She didn’t mind so much since it meant her first picnic got to be with Macca.

  “Want some more potato salad, sweet pea?”

  “No thanks. I’m full.”

  “Too full for your treat?”

  “Never too full for treats, Daddy.”

  “Five more sips of water and I’ll get it for you.”

  She sighed. But she guessed it was a fair deal. She took five sips under his watchful eye. Then he drew out a package. She squealed with delight.

  “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups! My favorite.”

  He poured a couple into her hand and she munched on them. “Yum, thanks Daddy.”

  “You’re welcome, sweet pea.”

  “Can I go explorin’ now?” she pleaded.

  He looked up at the sky with a frown. “I don’t like the look of those clouds gathering. It wasn’t meant to rain until tonight.”

  “I don’t want to leave just yet. Please, Daddy.”

  “You have ten minutes while I pack everything up. I want to get us home in case that rain comes early. What’re the rules?”

  “Don’t go too far and don’t go too close to the creek,” she repeated. Then she jumped up.

  “Freeze!” he said.

  She froze, not moving an inch.

  “You can move around, sweet pea. Just stay in the same spot. In fact, I really do insist that you breathe at least.”

  She let out her breath in a big whoosh. “I thought there might have been a snake. I don’t like snakes. Why’d you tell me to freeze then, Daddy? Was it a game? Do I win a prize?”

  He rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a game. What have you forgotten to do before going exploring?”

  Hmm. What did she forget? She grinned. She had it!

  “To give you a kiss.” She bent over, placed her hands on his shoulders and smacked her lips down on his cheek. “There you are, Daddy!”

  “Well, thank you. I’ll always take your kisses. However, I was talking about your gloves and hat.”

  “Oh. Right. I knew that.”

  “And I want you to drink some more water too, please.”

  She sighed but took a few more sips. Luckily, she didn’t need to pee. Yet. Macca stood and helped her with her gloves then placed her hat on her head. He gave her a sharp slap on the ass. “Off you go, sweet pea. But stay where I can see you.”

  She wandered off towards the creek. This was so exciting. Hmm, she wondered if she could find any skipping stones. She looked back towards where Macca was packing up the picnic. She should probably help him.

  “Do you need my help, Daddy?”

  “I’m okay, sweet pea. But thanks for asking.”

  With that taken care of, she turned back to find the perfect skipping stone. She found one and picked it up, letting it fly across the water. Huh. That one didn’t work too well. She was too far away from the water. She moved further along the bank, not watching to make certain she wasn’t going too far.

  There! The perfect stone was just calling to her. Glistening from under the water. She quickly sat down and pulled off her boots and socks. She didn’t want to get her new boots all wet. She stepped into the water. Woah, Macca was right. It was freezing.

  She moved further out into the water, paying no attention to anything else. Including the man calling out her name.

  “Gigi! What are you doing?”

  The sudden shout had her turning. Her foot slipped on a stone and she only had a moment to take in Macca’s shocked face as she lost her balance and landed on her bottom in the creek. She’d thrus
t her hands out first and now her gloves were completely saturated, along with her jeans and the bottom of her jacket.

  “Gigi!”

  “I’m okay. I’m okay.”

  Soaking wet and chilled, but she hadn’t hurt herself. Macca strode right into the water, not worried about getting his boots wet. He plucked her up into the air.

  “Daddy, you’ll get all wet!” Already her teeth were chattering. Where had the sun gone? She looked up into the sky, noticing the dark clouds gathering. Uh-oh. Maybe she should have listened to Macca when he’d said he wanted to leave straight away.

  “You should have listened to me about a lot of things,” he growled at her, setting her on her feet back in the picnic area.

  Whoops. Seemed she’d said that out loud.

  “Like when I told you not to wander out of my sight or get close to the creek. Instead, you decided to walk into the water. You disobeyed me, little girl.”

  “I’m sorry. Guess I’m riding back to the ranch in wet clothes.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m sure your hot ass will keep you warm.”

  Uh-oh.

  4

  Damn it.

  He knew he shouldn’t have let her go exploring on her own. And now she was standing here, trembling with cold and he didn’t even have a new set of clothes for her. He quickly pulled off her soaking wet gloves and jacket. Shit. If he’d brought a jacket for himself, he’d have had one to put on her.

  “We need to get these jeans off as well,” he muttered.

  “But I don’t have any other clothes to put on.”

  At least she’d taken her socks and boots off. He’d go grab them. They’d keep her feet warm.

  “I’ll have to wrap you up in the picnic blanket.” The wind started to pick up. Fuck. That’s all he needed, for it to start raining. Where the hell had this weather come from? He’d never have brought her out if he’d thought it would turn like this.

  “Hold onto my shoulders.” He undid her jeans and slipped them down her legs. “What were the rules, Gigi?”

  “Not to go too far and not to go near the creek,” she replied sadly.

  “And what did you do?”