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Long, long ago there were soldiers who fought for a king or other nobles in the
land and they were called knights. They were the biggest and bravest men in the land.
And handsome like your daddy, Sage told her remembering some of the stories she d
read over the years; stories of medieval times with handsome heroes and beautiful
headstrong women.
Kate looked at her daddy as if seeing him through new eyes. Were they big and
tall like my daddy?
Oh yes! And they rode huge horses called destriers.
Thor is a big horse, isn t he Daddy?
Before he could answer, another question filled the air. What s chain mail?
Cody asked sitting up rubbing his face.
Quinn laughed as he ruffled Cody s hair. You re the expert on medieval times,
he chuckled looking at Sage, delighting in the slight pink tinge to her face.
She rolled her eyes hoping that little ears hadn t picked up on what she d said, but
that was too good to be true. It was like long underwear. It was made of small chain
links. The knights wore it to protect them in battle.
But why would daddy leave it under your bed? Cody persisted. That didn t
make any sense to him. Daddy s clothes were in his room.
Because it needs to be kept out of direct sunlight and the dust that gathers under
beds protected it from rusting, Sage said gathering up some of the flowers to help Kate
finish the last crown.
But why would daddy put it under your bed? His bed is really big, Cody
persisted. Chain mail sounded like neat stuff. And warriors on big horses sounded even
more interesting.
Yes, Queen Sage, why would I do that when I have my own very big bed?
Quinn asked with a wicked grin. She started this and he was more than willing to keep it
going if for no other reason than to see her struggle to come up with answers.
Well& well you see& your father is so big that the mattress could sag and
damage the chain mail. I, on the other hand, am so light that the mattress never moves.
92
Oh, Cody said trying to understand the reasoning in that reply.
Come on, Daddy. Here s your crown, Kate said pulling on his arm. He let her
put it on, and then he got to his feet in one lithe movement.
Thank you, princess, he said with a courtly bow to the little girl.
Stepping off the blanket he reached down to pull Sage up beside him to whisper
for her ears alone. That was a quick save, Sagebrush. For the record, if I were in your
bed, I bet the mattress would move. We ll have to continue this conversation later. He
gave her a saucy wink.
She looked up at him, her lips pursed in frustration. She couldn t think of one
suitable reply. Hell, all coherent thought had suddenly fled. His wicked wonderful smile
made breathing a difficult task. Forget thinking!
I don t believe that I ve finally had the last word, Quinn chuckled. Then giving
her another sexy wink and a quick kiss on her parted lips, he bent to pick up the blanket.
Okay everyone, let s saddle up and head home.
As they rode back toward the ranch, Sage had a difficult time keeping her mind
on the ride. She was beside but just a little behind Quinn. The magnificent sight of his
broad back and shoulders filled her vision, as did his long legs encased in tight well-worn
jeans. Her treacherous mind kept conjuring up pictures of a naked Quinn in her bed.
And the mattress did move! She shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, but it did little to
relieve the tension in her body. This was not mental tension either, but of a nature she
had never before imagined.
Halfway home, Cody pointed out that someone was headed in their direction.
Quinn immediately recognized Slim with the horse and wagon. Apparently Cheyenne
was getting her buggy ride, or as close as they could do today.
After getting permission from their father, Kate and Cody rode ahead to meet the
wagon. When Sage rode up a minute later it was to find her mother wearing a Stetson hat
and the biggest smile she d ever seen on her face.
Isn t this wonderful, Sage? All of this open space with no cars or city noise. It s
more beautiful than I d thought it would be.
Miss Cheyenne wanted to try out the wagon, so we thought we d see how your
picnic went, Slim informed Quinn. Fishing any good?
Not too bad, Quinn said with a look at Sage.
Ask him who caught the biggest and the most, she told Slim cheekily. This
wasn t something she would soon let him forget.
Quinn gave her a mock frown that caused the twins to break out in giggles.
That s how it went, huh? Slim chuckled. Let me turn this wagon around and
we ll ride back with you. Guess we re not having fish for dinner.
Now Slim, you know very well that I ve got two stuffed turkeys in the oven.
That s why we can t be gone too long, Cheyenne said looking at her daughter.
Whatever she saw in her eyes pleased her because she smiled. Looking over at Quinn
she gave him a mischievous smile. Wagon s ho! she said raising her arm.
Quinn shook his head in wonder chuckling to himself as he followed his small
band back to the ranch.
But his good mood didn t last beyond his shower later that afternoon. He d no
sooner gotten dressed and was looking forward to dinner this evening when Lydia called.
She had been after him since she d come back to Chance. He had taken advantage of her
93
trip back home to talk to her about buying that piece of land near the school. She d
inherited it from her paternal grandmother some years ago.
The property didn t even border his land, but Quinn wanted it so he could be sure
Lydia and her friends didn t decide to put up apartments or strip malls. It galled him to
think of the time he d had to spend with her because of the deal, but it couldn t be helped
even though he knew she was making excuses to get him to come to town. This would
be the third trip this week and it was really becoming bothersome. If so much didn t
depend on it, he would have told her he couldn t make it. But they were ready to sign the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl freetocraft.keep.pl
Long, long ago there were soldiers who fought for a king or other nobles in the
land and they were called knights. They were the biggest and bravest men in the land.
And handsome like your daddy, Sage told her remembering some of the stories she d
read over the years; stories of medieval times with handsome heroes and beautiful
headstrong women.
Kate looked at her daddy as if seeing him through new eyes. Were they big and
tall like my daddy?
Oh yes! And they rode huge horses called destriers.
Thor is a big horse, isn t he Daddy?
Before he could answer, another question filled the air. What s chain mail?
Cody asked sitting up rubbing his face.
Quinn laughed as he ruffled Cody s hair. You re the expert on medieval times,
he chuckled looking at Sage, delighting in the slight pink tinge to her face.
She rolled her eyes hoping that little ears hadn t picked up on what she d said, but
that was too good to be true. It was like long underwear. It was made of small chain
links. The knights wore it to protect them in battle.
But why would daddy leave it under your bed? Cody persisted. That didn t
make any sense to him. Daddy s clothes were in his room.
Because it needs to be kept out of direct sunlight and the dust that gathers under
beds protected it from rusting, Sage said gathering up some of the flowers to help Kate
finish the last crown.
But why would daddy put it under your bed? His bed is really big, Cody
persisted. Chain mail sounded like neat stuff. And warriors on big horses sounded even
more interesting.
Yes, Queen Sage, why would I do that when I have my own very big bed?
Quinn asked with a wicked grin. She started this and he was more than willing to keep it
going if for no other reason than to see her struggle to come up with answers.
Well& well you see& your father is so big that the mattress could sag and
damage the chain mail. I, on the other hand, am so light that the mattress never moves.
92
Oh, Cody said trying to understand the reasoning in that reply.
Come on, Daddy. Here s your crown, Kate said pulling on his arm. He let her
put it on, and then he got to his feet in one lithe movement.
Thank you, princess, he said with a courtly bow to the little girl.
Stepping off the blanket he reached down to pull Sage up beside him to whisper
for her ears alone. That was a quick save, Sagebrush. For the record, if I were in your
bed, I bet the mattress would move. We ll have to continue this conversation later. He
gave her a saucy wink.
She looked up at him, her lips pursed in frustration. She couldn t think of one
suitable reply. Hell, all coherent thought had suddenly fled. His wicked wonderful smile
made breathing a difficult task. Forget thinking!
I don t believe that I ve finally had the last word, Quinn chuckled. Then giving
her another sexy wink and a quick kiss on her parted lips, he bent to pick up the blanket.
Okay everyone, let s saddle up and head home.
As they rode back toward the ranch, Sage had a difficult time keeping her mind
on the ride. She was beside but just a little behind Quinn. The magnificent sight of his
broad back and shoulders filled her vision, as did his long legs encased in tight well-worn
jeans. Her treacherous mind kept conjuring up pictures of a naked Quinn in her bed.
And the mattress did move! She shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, but it did little to
relieve the tension in her body. This was not mental tension either, but of a nature she
had never before imagined.
Halfway home, Cody pointed out that someone was headed in their direction.
Quinn immediately recognized Slim with the horse and wagon. Apparently Cheyenne
was getting her buggy ride, or as close as they could do today.
After getting permission from their father, Kate and Cody rode ahead to meet the
wagon. When Sage rode up a minute later it was to find her mother wearing a Stetson hat
and the biggest smile she d ever seen on her face.
Isn t this wonderful, Sage? All of this open space with no cars or city noise. It s
more beautiful than I d thought it would be.
Miss Cheyenne wanted to try out the wagon, so we thought we d see how your
picnic went, Slim informed Quinn. Fishing any good?
Not too bad, Quinn said with a look at Sage.
Ask him who caught the biggest and the most, she told Slim cheekily. This
wasn t something she would soon let him forget.
Quinn gave her a mock frown that caused the twins to break out in giggles.
That s how it went, huh? Slim chuckled. Let me turn this wagon around and
we ll ride back with you. Guess we re not having fish for dinner.
Now Slim, you know very well that I ve got two stuffed turkeys in the oven.
That s why we can t be gone too long, Cheyenne said looking at her daughter.
Whatever she saw in her eyes pleased her because she smiled. Looking over at Quinn
she gave him a mischievous smile. Wagon s ho! she said raising her arm.
Quinn shook his head in wonder chuckling to himself as he followed his small
band back to the ranch.
But his good mood didn t last beyond his shower later that afternoon. He d no
sooner gotten dressed and was looking forward to dinner this evening when Lydia called.
She had been after him since she d come back to Chance. He had taken advantage of her
93
trip back home to talk to her about buying that piece of land near the school. She d
inherited it from her paternal grandmother some years ago.
The property didn t even border his land, but Quinn wanted it so he could be sure
Lydia and her friends didn t decide to put up apartments or strip malls. It galled him to
think of the time he d had to spend with her because of the deal, but it couldn t be helped
even though he knew she was making excuses to get him to come to town. This would
be the third trip this week and it was really becoming bothersome. If so much didn t
depend on it, he would have told her he couldn t make it. But they were ready to sign the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]