Sheriff Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 10) by Laylah Roberts (good book club books txt) 📗

work for a bit.” He stared down at her thoughtfully.

“I’ll be fine.” It would give her a chance to get out of this bed without him hovering. Last night, he’d insisted she have dinner in bed. She was shocked that he hadn’t insisted on feeding her himself.

While he’d been cleaning up, she’d lain down, closed her eyes, and had been out like a light. And she hadn’t had a nightmare. She wasn’t sure why, but she suspected it had something to do with the man who was tapping away on his phone while sitting on an armchair he’d pulled into the bedroom last night to eat with her.

When she’d woken up this morning, there had been a warm spot next to her and his scent had been strong. Squawkers had also been tucked into her arms, which had been kind of embarrassing. Had she sucked her thumb? She hoped she hadn’t done anything embarrassing. It had been so long since she’d slept in a bed with a man.

And she couldn’t even remember it.

He shook his head. “I don’t want to leave you alone again. Shouldn’t have left you yesterday.”

“Nothing bad will happen. I just woke up so it’s not like I’m going to have another nightmare.”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for this time, though. You need to eat and I don’t want you up and moving around on your own.”

“Ed, I feel much better today. You need to go.”

“I need to make you breakfast first.”

“Just point me in the direction of the coffee and I’ll be fine.”

He frowned down at her. “No coffee.”

“You’ve run out of coffee?” How could a person run out of coffee? Was it possible? “This is a disaster.”

“I haven’t run out of coffee,” he explained, putting his phone away in his pocket. “You’re not having any. You heard Xavier, caffeine is a stimulant. You need to cut down.”

“Oh no. Nope. That’s not happening. I might let you get away with being bossy in other areas. But nobody stands between me and the nectar of the gods. Not you or Xavier.”

He crossed his arms over his wide chest. “No caffeine. It’s not good for you.”

“I need it to live.”

He actually grinned. “So dramatic. You won’t die without caffeine.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“Tell you what, you can have one cup of coffee, after you eat something. And take your iron tablets. Deal?”

She muttered under her breath grouchily. “Fine. Deal.”

He sat on the bed, facing her. “I just want you healthy, Georgie-girl. I can’t stand the idea of you ending up back in the hospital.”

Her grouchiness faded in the face of his sincere concern. “I’m really fine.”

“Not yet. But you will be.”

While he made breakfast, she used the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, he was already there, setting a tray on the bedside table.

“I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

The smell of caffeine hit her and she sighed happily. Then a finger landed under her chin and he tilted her face up. “Food first. Then coffee. Am I understood?”

The stern note in his voice made her shiver in delight. But she tried to hide it behind a scowl. “I understand that you’re bossy.”

“When it comes to your health and safety, I am. So best you eat your breakfast, then have your one coffee. Call me if you need me. Shit, that reminds me. Turn on your phone.”

“Now?” She bit her lip.

He picked it up and handed it to her, waiting. “Fine.” She turned it on. It started to beep crazily. She hunched her shoulders.

“Jesus. Who has been trying to get hold of you? Is there some sort of emergency?”

“Not unless you consider my mother being batshit crazy an emergency.” She winced as she said that.

“Those are all from your mother?”

“Uh, yeah. And I need to reply before she activates the national guard,” she joked weakly.

“You sure you don’t need me to stick around?” Eight missed phone calls. Ten missed texts. Although none of the texts were from her mother. She didn’t believe in texting. Those were all from her brothers.

“Go. I’ll call her. She just worries a lot.”

He seemed unconvinced by that. “Okay. But call her after breakfast.”

Yes, boss.

“Now, give me my hug before I go. And a kiss.” He sat next to her and she blushed. Then she leaned in to hug him gently, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

“I think we can do better than that,” he murmured, grasping hold of her chin and pressing his lips to hers.

The kiss went straight to her head, making her feel dizzy. When he drew back, her heart was pounding. She placed her hand on her chest. “And you’re worried about caffeine being a stimulant.”

“Ahh, but kissing is one of the best kinds of stimulants.” Then he stood. “Make sure your phone is with you at all times.”

He walked towards the door then turned back, his gaze intent as he stared at her. “We haven’t talked about consequences, but you should know that I like to spank.”

Her eyes widened. Did he really just threaten to spank her?

That was . . . it was . . . sexy? Scary? Crazy? Intriguing?

She was starting to worry that she was going to get everything she’d ever wished for. And she had no idea if she could handle it.

Georgina had just finished pouring herself another cup of coffee when she heard the front door bang. Shoot! She hastily put the mug on the counter, miscalculating in her panic. The mug went crashing to the floor, shattering and splashing hot coffee over her feet.

“Ouch. Darn it!”

“Georgie? You okay? Where are you?”

To her surprise, it wasn’t Ed that called out. Seconds later, Kiesha appeared in the kitchen, a huge duffel bag over her shoulder. Her hair was braided and twisted into two buns and was wearing long, striped socks with a pair of cut-off shorts and an oversized sweater. How was she not cold?

“What happened? Are you okay?” Kiesha asked.

“Yeah. I just dropped my cup of