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

“Oh, that.” She looked down at her foot as though she’d forgotten about it.

“Yes, that.”

He turned and walked down the passage.

“No, wait, I’ll get it.”

“You stay where you are,” he commanded.

“Oh shoot. I’m in so much trouble.”

What was she talking about? The fact that she’d gotten herself a second cup of coffee? Yeah, she was in trouble for that. Then he walked into the bedroom where the phone sat on the bedside drawers. And he saw exactly why she was in so much trouble.

Little brat hadn’t eaten even a bite of the breakfast he’d made. He picked up her phone, putting it on the tray.

It was time they had a serious chat about rules and consequences. And it was going to end up with someone not being able to sit well.

She’s just out of the hospital. She doesn’t trust you fully. You can’t spank her. Not yet.

Damn, but his hand itched to, though.

He picked up the tray and carried it out to the kitchen, setting it down on the counter beside her. She looked guiltily up at him. “I’m sorry. I was going to eat it. But I just needed another cup of coffee before calling my mother. So I came into the kitchen and as I was pouring one, Kiesha arrived and well . . . sex toys.”

“Sex toys? That’s your explanation?”

“Do I need to say anything more?”

He snorted. Not really. He would have just accepted, ‘Kiesha happened’ as an excuse. However, eating was important and he’d left her with specific instructions.

“What did I tell you before I left for work?” he asked her.

“To eat before I had a cup of coffee.”

“And did you eat?”

“No.”

“And did you stick to one cup of coffee?”

She shifted around on the stool. “No.”

“Did you take your iron tablet?” he asked, even though he could see it on the tray.

“You know I didn’t.”

“What happened to your foot?”

“Kiesha startled me and I didn’t put the cup down fully on the counter. It slipped off and shattered. Then I accidentally stepped on a piece. Kiesha patched me up, though.”

“How bad is it? Do you need stitches?”

Shit. He should have asked her what that bandage was about straight away. He leaned down and picked up her food, lifting it.

“It’s not that deep. Besides, Kiesha would know if it was bad enough to need stitches.”

“She would?”

“Well, she was a paramedic, wasn’t she?”

“Is that what she told you?”

“You’re answering a question with a question again,” she muttered.

“Sorry.” He drew off the bandage. “Ouch, this looks sore. But it doesn’t appear that you need stitches. But I don’t want you walking on it. You need to give it a chance to heal.”

“It’s just a small scratch, Ed. I’ll be fine. I’ve had far worse.”

He re-did the bandage. Far worse? He didn’t like to think of her being hurt worse than this. He glanced up at her and saw that she was thinking. Hard. That was never good. He needed to find a way to jolt her out of her thoughts.

“Stop,” he said firmly.

“What?”

“Stop thinking.” He crossed his arms and stared down at her sternly. “You might have had worse injuries, but those weren’t on my watch. You’re under my care now, Georgie-girl. Which means you do as I say. And for the rest of the day, I’m not letting you walk around on that foot. Understood?”

Her face scrunched up. He knew this was difficult for her. But he also had this feeling that a big part of her wanted to submit to him. She’d just never trusted someone enough to give herself over to them. Or maybe she’d never found the right person.

He was going to show her that she could be both strong and submissive. That she could go out there and conquer the world, then come back to him and have him coddle and take care of her.

Georgina stared at the phone like it was a viper about to bite her.

To her surprise, when she’d said she really needed to make a call in private, Ed had just picked her up and carried her into the bedroom without a word.

He’d even found her a clean T-shirt of his to wear. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any pants that would fit her. And her clothes were still all drying. She should have asked Kiesha if she’d grab some comfy clothes in town for her. Except for her onesie, everything she had with her was so formal and drab.

Come on, Georgina. You can do this.

First, she’d send a group message to her brothers. They were the easiest part to tackle.

Georgina: I’m fine. Was out of contact for a few days. Thanks for the concern.

That last part was partially sarcastic.

Satan’s spawn #1: Why were you out of contact?

Satan’s spawn #4: What have you been doing?

Satan’s spawn #3: Have you called Mother? She keeps calling me. I’ve got other things to do than answer her calls about you.

And that’s why her text had been partially sarcastic.

Satan’s spawn #5: Where are you? I sent someone around to your apartment. You haven’t been home.

Georgina: I’m not in danger. I’ll call Mother soon. I was working.

Satan’s spawn #2: You’re quitting that job.

She ground her teeth together.

Georgina: I’m not quitting.

Satan’s spawn #2: You are.

Satan’s spawn #6: I’m going to call you.

Shit. She didn’t need Gareth calling her. At least it wasn’t Evan, number two, who was calling though. He was the most protective. To the point of ridiculousness. And she had no doubt that he would turn up at work, demand to see her boss, and quit on her behalf.

She answered the call. “Gareth, I’m fine.”

“Where are you? Why aren’t you at home?”

“I’m on a job out of town. Not that it’s any of your business.”

There was silence on the other end. “Since when do you work out-of-town assignments?”

She ground her teeth together. “Maybe since I started to do field work.”

He swore. “I fucking knew it. Damn it, squirt, you—”

“I what?”

“You are supposed to sit safely behind a fucking desk. You’re not