“Why? Because other people have rejected you in the past?”
She stiffened in his arms. “I…yes.”
“I’m not them, baby. I want you. And even if you decide you don’t want a relationship with me, you’re not leaving Sanctuary until I am assured of your well-being.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that you’re not going anywhere until I am sure you won’t be living in your car.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “So I can go back to work?”
“Once you’ve caught up on your sleep and your hand is better, you can resume your duties in the kitchens until Neil returns. However, I’m going to be watching you much more closely. Any hint that you’ve taken on too much and I will step in, understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Whoops that just slid out. But his satisfied look told her he liked hearing the word.
“Sir is okay, but I’d rather be your daddy.”
She took in a sharp breath.
“So, what do you say, Charlotte? Do you want to be my little girl? Before you say yes, understand that you’ll be living here in this house. No going back to your cabin. I don’t do things in half-measures. I’m too old and stuck in my ways to mess around. There will be more rules. There will also be no keeping anything from me. You will tell me everything. Because little girls don’t have secrets from their daddies.”
She sucked in a breath. This was it. The moment when she decided if she was brave enough to make herself vulnerable to this man and let him know her deepest desires. It wasn’t easy. God, no. And it would be a turning point because she’d learnt to protect herself. To always be on her guard.
But Clint had already floored her with his honesty. And his caring. How could she give him anything less? Only…what if she said yes and further down the road, he decided she was too much bother? How could she say goodbye to him? And yet would saying goodbye be any worse now? Why not be his for as long as he would have her? No matter the pain when it ended, surely it would be worth it.
“You’re thinking very hard. I don’t like seeing my baby so stressed. I know it’s difficult to trust in me. But I can tell you that once I make a commitment, I keep it. I am not a young man; I am not a fickle man. I know what I want, and what I want is you.”
“It seems pretty fast, don’t you think?”
“I’m a decisive person. Don’t have time to be anything else.”
That was true. The man worked harder than anyone else on this ranch.
“I know you’re it for me even if you’ve got reservations. That’s okay. But you’ll learn that I don’t let go of what’s mine. I coddle, I possess, I protect and I discipline, but I don’t ever let go.”
It was a leap of faith. But there was a voice inside her telling her that if she didn’t take this opportunity, she would always wander.
“Yes, please.”
He grinned. “Yes, please? You agreeing to be mine, little darling? Or saying yes to some ice cream?”
“Maybe both?” she teased but quickly sobered. “I don’t…I don’t know what words to say. I’ve never really had someone want me before. And I’m scared. Nervous. Excited.”
“Those words are just perfect.”
She squeezed Inky.
“Ellie brought him over for you,” he told her.
“He’s all I have left from my mom.”
“She died?” he asked quietly.
“Yes. In a car accident. My dad was driving. A drunk driver hit them. They died and I survived.”
“Oh God, baby. I’m so sorry.” He started rocking her again.
“I came out almost completely unscathed. I couldn’t understand why they were both dead and I barely even had a scratch.”