Read Online Romancing the West by Beth Ciotta - Free Book Online Page B

litter of pups. Or sitting in a tree swapping tales with Sparkles, a conjured fairy. Half an hour into the hunt and his nerves were shot. The same helplessness, the hopelessness that had pulverized him upon hearing of Jocelyn’s murder snaked up and strangled his spirit.
    He was getting ready to enlist the sheriff’s aid when he spotted Zoe in the distance, standing at the base of a tree and shouting something up to the branches. He didn’t know if she was talking to a bird or Sparkles. He didn’t care. Relief fueled his steps as he sprinted toward his daughter.
    She spotted him at the same time, raced forward waving her tiny arms.
    He’d almost reached her when the little polecat swiveled round and ran back for the tree. Winded, fuming, he caught up to her and swooped her into arms. “Goddammit, Zoe. Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Don’t ever . . . how could you . . . ?” Emotion clogged his throat.
    Eyes wide, she flicked a nervous tongue across her lips. “You said a bad word.”
    “I know, baby. I’m sorry.”
    “Are you flustered?”
    “What?”
    “Kaila’s flustered. She’s stuck in the tree.”
    Please, God, not another imaginary friend.
    He heard a creak and a curse. He glanced up and saw a woman, a stunningly beautiful redhead, straddling a gnarled limb and clinging for dear life. “What the . . .?” he lowered his daughter to the ground and surveyed the situation.
    “I’ll thank you to avert your eyes, sir,” she said in an accented voice.
    With Zoe safe, curiosity doused his anxiety, leaving him oddly relaxed. “Why?”
    “I’m in my . . . my . . .”
    “I can see that and again I ask, why?”
    “Because it’s difficult to climb trees in tiers of stiff frills and yards of silk,” she ground out.
    Athens braced his hands on his hips and studied the red-faced woman with a smile. “Climb a lot of trees, do you?” Staring was ungentlemanly, but, by God, she was lovely, even with that distressed expression. Teasing her was ungentlemanly as well, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
    She narrowed her enormous, sultry eyes. “You’re incorrigible.”
    Zoe poked him in the thigh. “What’s that mean?”
    “Means I’m rude,” he said with a grin. He’d never been rude to a woman, not once in his thirty-one years. This was a first. It was also the first time he’d flirted with a woman in years. He swept off his hat. “Beg your pardon, ma’am. I’m Athens Garrett, Zoe’s pa.”
    She blew out a breath. “Kaila Dillingham.”
    “Proprietor of the Cafe Poppy. I’ve heard about you.” He angled his head. “Huh.”
    “What does that mean? What did you hear?”
    That men and women alike were intimidated by her beauty and fancy airs. All except the local doctor who’d developed a hankering for some pastry called crumpets. That everyone wondered about her absent husband. He was suddenly curious on the matter himself. “Never mind about that.” He moved directly beneath her. “Let’s get you down.”
    She set her gorgeous jaw and gripped the limb tighter. “I’m not leaving the shield of this greenery without my skirt. Bad enough you’ve seen me in this state of undress.”
    “I’ve seen a woman in bloomers before, Mrs. Dillingham.”
    “Well, bully for you.”
    He laughed. “Where’s your skirt?”
    “A mangy mutt ran off with it, after he had the bad manners to eat my cookies.”
    “She makes good cookies, Papa,” Zoe said. She pointed past the tree. “I see him! I see the dog. I’ll get your skirt, Miss Kaila!”
    His heart pounded as he watched his daughter giggle and skip off. He glanced back up at the redhead. “I assume Zoe was hiding in the tree. She does that a lot. I assume you climbed up in order to get her down.” He turned his hat over and over in his hands. “I don’t know what you said to her, but thank you. I haven’t heard her talk that much, haven’t seen a spring in her step for quite some time.”
    “Perhaps if you’d refrain