Ignite (Cloverleigh Farms #6)(9)

“Yes.” Hallie sighed. “And we love our dad, but he’s really grumpy right now because one of the legs on the couch broke and he can’t afford a new one, so he had to find his tools and try to fix it himself. That’s why we didn’t want to ask him for another Band-Aid.”

“He gets grumpy a lot,” Luna added. “And he snores.”

I laughed. “A lot of dads do.”

“He’s also really hairy, and he swears too much,” announced Hallie.

Her little sister confirmed this with a nod. “He says it was because he was a SEAL.”

“Not the kind at Sea World,” Hallie clarified quickly. “The kind that wears a uniform. But he is a very good swimmer.”

“Guess what?” I smiled at them. “My dad was a single dad too, and he also used to swear a lot.”

“Was he a SEAL?” Luna asked.

“No, but he was a Marine,” I said. “And he always told us that once you’re a Marine, you’re always a Marine, so we had to put up with his cursing.”

“Did it make your mom mad?” Hallie wondered. “Our mom gets really mad about it.”

“I don’t think she knew,” I said carefully, “but I had sisters too, and you know what we did?”

“What?” they asked.

“We had a swear jar, and every time he said a bad word, he had to put money in the jar.”

“How much money?” Hallie asked, her dark eyes wide.

I shrugged. “Depends on the swear. Most words were fifty cents.”

“Our dad says the F-word a lot,” whispered Luna, glancing at the cat like she was afraid Piglet’s ears might be offended.

“The F-word was a whole dollar,” I told them.

The sisters exchanged a delighted look.

“And then every month, my sisters and I would take turns choosing where to donate the money. When it was my turn, I always chose an animal charity.”

“Our dad says there’s a pool here,” Hallie said excitedly, off to a new subject with the speed of an eight-year-old. “Do you know where it is?”

“Yes.”

“Can you show us?”

I paused. “Yes, but I think we should wait to ask your dad for permission.”

A vigorous rapping on the aluminum frame of my screen door made us all jump and sent Piglet scurrying back into the pantry.

“I bet that’s Daddy,” Hallie said. “We didn’t tell him we were coming here. He might be mad.”

Flustered, I hurried from the kitchen toward the door, where I could see the imposing masculine silhouette of him through the screen—wide shoulders, thick arms, trim torso. Pushing open the door, I could see he was just as handsome as I’d thought.

And clearly upset.

His dark eyes were clouded with worry, his brow was furrowed, and his jaw was clenched. “Sorry to bother you, but have you seen—”

“Daddy!” Luna came running up the hall with Hallie close behind.

At the sight of his girls, the guy relaxed his shoulders and expression somewhat. “You guys cannot just run off like that. I didn’t know where you were.”

“Sorry,” Luna said contritely. “I needed a new Band-Aid.”

“And we didn’t want to ask you because you were already being a grouch about the couch,” Hallie added.

“Hey, that rhymes. Grouch and couch.” Luna smiled up at her big sister with admiration. “Daddy was a grouch about the couch.”

I smiled, but judging by his expression, their father was not amused.

“Please come in,” I said, stepping back to give him space. I held out my hand. “I’m Winnie.”

“Just like the Pooh!” Luna said.

Although I was used to the joke, I felt my cheeks grow warm.

“I’m Dex.” He didn’t exactly smile, but at least he unclenched his jaw and gave me a nod. He appeared a bit older than I’d originally guessed—he had some gray at his temples, and a few faint lines on his forehead. But when he wasn’t frowning, his dark scruff framed a beautiful mouth, with a slightly fuller lower lip.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, my pulse quickening as he shook my hand.

He gestured to the girls. “These two strays are my daughters, Hallie and Luna.”

“She knows us already, Dad,” said Hallie impatiently.

“She gave me the Band-Aid.” Luna showed off her knee. “It’s much better than yours.”

Dex rolled his eyes and looked at me again. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

“Not at all. I’m sorry about the couch, and I hope the rest of the move goes well. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Thanks.” He looked at his kids. “Let’s go, girls.”

“Can we go swimming now, Daddy?” Hallie asked, tugging on his shirt.

“No. There’s too much to do. You can unpack while I put your beds together.” He pushed the screen door open.

“What about a ride in the truck?” Luna asked, taking his hand. “You promised.”

“We’ll see,” Dex answered, shepherding them off the porch. He glanced back at me without smiling. “Thanks again.”

“Anytime.” I shut the front door, leaned back against it, and squeezed my eyes shut.