Substitute Daddy by Dahlia Rose Page B

weekend, they were back at Ryder Ranch, and Grace couldn’t be happier. Matthew had cleared out the rest of his meetings quickly in New York so they could be back on the charter flight to Nevada. She was eternally happy to be home. She had only been in New York for a few days, but the hustle and bustle on the streets made her tired. She enjoyed waking up in the middle of the night to hearing sounds of crickets and the animals on the ranch instead of sirens and blaring horns.
    Before they were able to go back, she noticed that the doorman was still on the job, and he almost bent backward to help her in and out of the building. He even offered to help her upstairs even though she had only a few items. Grace kindly refused the offer and told him it was okay. This time, instead of a haughty look, he smiled, and they formed a kind of pleasant friendship. Maybe he was accustomed to people treating him badly. Well, she wasn’t that kind of person.
    Even though Savannah was a tourist area, it was still a small town compared to New York, and things moved slower. When they toured New York, even though it was fun, it was like playing football, dodging and bumping into people at every step. When they boarded the flight, she was more than ready for home.
    Matthew went out with Josef and the ranch hands to the pastures to check the pregnant cows and mares. Spring meant they would soon be ready to foal, and he would spend many nights in the stables. He liked to make sure that each new life was brought into the world safely and the mothers were okay. He wanted her to move into the main house, but she wasn’t quite ready, so he was staying every night at her house. She didn’t complain. It felt great to be held by him every night and wake up to him every morning.
    She’d been doing the feed and purchase ordering for the ranch, and she was starting to make sense of Lance’s accounts. She found big discrepancies and then more. Soon it was obvious Lance had been stealing from his best friend. She’d e-mailed the files to Matthew so he could see for himself, and she hoped he wouldn’t be too upset. She half expected that Matthew would already know about it or not be surprised by what his friend had done. But she wouldn’t hide the truth from him because they were trying to build on a solid foundation.
    The sun was setting on the horizon and she was cleaning up the kitchen after she made dinner. She left Matthew a plate warming in the oven and now that Lilah was napping, she could make some cookies. She had the baby monitor on high, so she could listen to the radio while she worked. She hummed along to the classic rock radio and shimmied her hips to the music.
    “That’s a pretty sight.”
    Matthew’s voice made her turn around, and she giggled. “You snuck up on me.”
    “If I get to catch you shaking like that I plan to do it more often.” Matthew danced over to her and smacked a kiss on her lips. “Hi, honey.”
    “Hey, baby. How are the horses?” Grace asked.
    “They’re great. Copper is going to foal any day now, and we have three cows that are just about to pop too,” Matthew answered. “I’m all sweaty. I need to get a shower.”
    “Okay, I’ll be here baking. Oh, I’ve got dinner in the oven for you,” Grace said.
    “Okay.” Matthew stopped and turned back. “This is good, right? I mean, it’s not wrong that this feels really awesome?”
    “I like it too,” she smiled and teased. “Now go shower, shoo.”
    He saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
    She watched him walk away in his jeans and felt the now familiar curl of desire in her belly. He looked so delectable and smelled like the outdoors, but when he came out of the shower he’d be damp and have that spicy musk smell she was addicted to. She went back to cutting out cookie dough and placing cherries in the middle of each one before sliding two big trays in the oven. She set the timer and put his dinner on the table for when he came down from his shower. When