dishes?”
“There’s no need for you to do that,” Tucker countered, his thoughts still dwelling on the fact that she blamed him for Summer’s having to struggle financially.
Blue shifted in her chair, her gaze trailing after her aunt. “Can we go pick flowers afterward?”
Autumn shook her head. “It’s October, sweetie. Not a very good time of year to be searching for flowers.”
It was good to see his daughter had a fondness for the outdoors. After having spent the previous day stuck inside thanks to a sudden drop in temperature that preceded a brief thunderstorm that rolled in, Tucker looked forward to showing her around the ranch. Not that he had minded getting to know his baby girl while playing dozens of games of Go Fish and Old Maid. Autumn had spent some of that time making work calls, and the rest observing the two of them. Until he proved himself, he had no choice but to accept that everything he did was going to be under Autumn’s close scrutiny.
“Actually,” Tucker said, “I happen to know where we can find some yellow rabbitbrush in bloom.”
Blue’s face lit up. “I like yellow!”
“Don’t you have to help your brothers with those repairs today?” Autumn asked.
He shook his head. “Jackson called this morning to tell me they were going to focus on the two worst sections of the fence line today and see to the rest tomorrow. Garrett has a few vet calls he needs to make today, which means I’m free to take Blue out to find those flowers after breakfast.”
Blue straightened in her chair, beaming excitedly. “Yay! Can we go now?”
* * *
Autumn smiled. “I’ll get you ready as soon as I finish cleaning up the kitchen.”
Tucker nodded. “I’ll give you a hand with these breakfast dishes. Then I’ll go grab a quick shower before we go look for those blooms. That is, if it’s all right with your aunt Autumn.”
Blue swung her gaze around. “Can my daddy get a shower before we go for a ride?”
“Yes.” Autumn wasted no time in responding, a grin parting her pink lips. “He may.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he muttered, a flash of heat spreading through his whiskered cheeks.
A snort of laughter passed through Autumn’s curved lips, drawing his attention in her direction. He couldn’t help but notice how pretty she was when she wasn’t scowling at him with condemnation. Her humor-filled gaze met his. “For future reference, children take almost everything that is said quite literally.”
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
She looked to Blue. “What Tucker...that is, your daddy,” she promptly corrected, “meant to say was that he needs to make sure your going for a ride with him would be all right with me.”
“The invitation was for the both of you,” Tucker clarified.
“Oh,” Autumn said, as if surprised by his wanting to include her. “I thought—”
“You’ve thought a lot of things about me that I hope to have a chance to set to rights,” he said determinedly.
“Can we go?” Blue pleaded, her face alight with excitement. “Please, Aunt Autumn!”
Autumn looked to Tucker. “I’d hate to—”
“Don’t say impose,” he told her as he stood to carry his own dishes over to the sink. “I want to show the two of you around. Give Blue an idea of what it will be like to live here at the Triple W Rodeo Ranch.”
“If she lives here,” Autumn immediately countered as if he’d forgotten her telling him he had to prove himself before she’d turn care of Blue over to him. Care he rightfully should have been a part of from the beginning.
“Rest assured my daughter will be with me.” He’d lost too much precious time with Blue as it was thanks to Summer.
“Do yellow rabbits live in the flower bush?”
His gaze still locked with Autumn’s, he said in confusion, “Yellow rabbits?”
A semblance of a smile returned once more to her pretty face. “I did warn you to prepare yourself for this. And now you have a perfect example of a four-year-old’s never-ending and sometimes completely unexpected questions.” She turned to Blue. “Sweetie, there is no such thing as a yellow rabbit.”
“But I ate one at Easter.”
Tucker’s brow lifted.
“Real rabbits don’t have bright yellow fur,” Autumn went on to explain to his daughter. “Only candy bunnies do.” She turned to him, explaining further, “She’s referring to marshmallow Peeps.”
How did she get all of that out of his daughter’s question? Did the ability to decipher a child’s way of thinking just come naturally for some, or was it something one learned over time? He prayed it was the latter, because it clearly wasn’t instinctive for him. Autumn’s clarification had made things clearer on his end, however.
He turned to Blue, who was watching them from where she remained seated at the table. “They call it yellow rabbitbrush because the yellow flowers that grow on them are a favorite treat of jackrabbits.”
“Oh,” his daughter said with a sigh, sounding disappointed.
If he could have, he would have covered the bushes they were going to see in marshmallow bunnies. But those edible delights were somewhat scarce in October. However, he had something else up his sleeve that he was fairly sure his daughter would be just as excited over.
“We might even stop by your grandma and grandpa’s place to collect some eggs from the chickens in their henhouse on the way home.”
“I have a grandma and grandpa?” she squeaked excitedly.
“You sure do,” he said with a grin. “They’re not home right now because they’re on a trip but you’ll get to meet them very soon.”
“Do their chickens live in a house like yours?”
“A much smaller version,” he answered with a chuckle. “Now scoot and get those hands washed up, or you’re going to end up with chicken feathers sticking to your fingers.”
With a giggle, she hopped down and raced from the kitchen.
He looked to Autumn. “You might want to have her change into a pair of jeans.”
“Blue loves her dresses,” she said, slender brows drawing together in what appeared to be irritation at his request. “Most little girls do. And if you’re trying to make her into something she’s not—”
“We’re going on a hike,” he reminded her. “With plants and trees and rocky ground. Probably not the best conditions for that pretty little dress she’s wearing. But since you are her legal guardian, it’s your call.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said with a sigh. “I thought you were trying to...” Her words trailed off as she searched for what Tucker assumed was a less accusatory explanation.
“Turn her into a cowgirl?” he supplied.
She lowered her gaze guiltily.
“Considering she’s mine and Summer’s,” he continued, “that’s bound to come naturally. But I won’t force my daughter to be someone she doesn’t want to be when she comes to live here.”
Her averted gaze snapped up to lock with his. “That transition, should it come at all, will be done in a slow, well-thought-out manner to assure Blue suffers no long-term emotional trauma from being uprooted from the only life she’s ever known.”
What about the emotional trauma that had been done to him? But this wasn’t about