Natural-Born Protector / Saved by the Monarch by Carla Cassidy Page B

whole world,” Maddie exclaimed. Her lower lip thrust out into a pout. “And he should still be a cowboy, not a bodyguard.”
    Maddie didn’t know about grief. She couldn’t understand that the ranch had been something he and Rebecca had built together, and once his wife was gone none of it had meant anything anymore.
    His grief had been too deep, his life ripped to shreds, and even now, thinking of the ranch and what he’d once had, filled a pool of sorrow inside him.
    “There really isn’t much to say about it,” he answered. “I owned a ranch and now I don’t.” He heard the finality in his words that indicated there was nothing more to talk about on this particular subject.
    He was grateful that Melody took his hint and instead, with Maddie’s prompting, began to talk a little bit about her childhood.
    “Lainie and I were like two musketeers, always together and always watching out for one another. We weren’t just sisters, we were very best friends.” A soft smile lit up her face, and Hank wanted to be welcomed into her memories.
    “I wish I had a sister,” Maddie exclaimed. “I don’t even have a best friend.”
    Melody smiled and leaned forward to take one of Maddie’s little hands in hers. “Wait until school starts. You’re going to have so many wonderful new friends you won’t know what to do.”
    The smile that Maddie gave Melody constricted Hank’s heart. When was the last time his daughter hadgazed at him so lovingly? And when was the last time he’d talked to her in any meaningful way?
    The familiar grief of Rebecca’s loss teased around the edges of his consciousness. There was a part of him that wanted to embrace it, wanted to wrap it around him to keep him insulated from any other hurt.
    But at that moment, Melody and Maddie’s laughter formed a joyous circle that beckoned him with the promise of happiness. Just for tonight, with his daughter and this beautiful woman across from him, he wanted to forget what had come before and simply enjoy the moment.
    It had taken a while after leaving the video store for the chill of James O’Donnell to wear off Melody. But as the meal progressed it was impossible to maintain that icy cold pond inside her with Hank’s gaze warming her from head to toe and Maddie’s charming chatter filling her head.
    It would have been easy to imagine the three of them as a family, out for an evening meal, then going home where she would tuck Maddie in with a good-night kiss and make love to Hank until the sun came up.
    But she knew those were foolish thoughts. He’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in anything permanent. He’d had his magic and apparently once in a lifetime was enough for him.
    Still, as the evening progressed and Hank loosened up in a way she hadn’t seen before, she was charmed and reluctant for the evening to end.
    “You have to have dessert,” Maddie said when the waitress had taken away their dinner plates.
    “Yes, you have to have dessert,” Hank agreed with alazy grin. “Maddie says, and we all know Maddie is the boss.” Maddie giggled.
    “Then by all means, I’ll have dessert,” Melody replied with a laugh. She ordered a piece of chocolate pie. Hank ordered apple cobbler and Maddie got both a banana split and a piece of cake.
    As they ate, the conversation turned to Cotter Creek and the changes that had occurred over the nine months that Melody had been gone.
    “I thought Wild West Protective Services was strictly a family business,” she said. “I’m surprised they’re hiring new people.”
    “From what Dalton told me, his brothers and sister have all chosen new paths. They’re all married now and starting families and don’t want to travel like they used to,” Hank replied. “Dalton told me he wants to hire at least five more men who will be based here in Cotter Creek.”
    “And you don’t mind the idea of traveling?” She flicked a gaze at Maddie, who seemed completely absorbed in her banana