Brody shook his head. “She’s fine, Miss Ada. I’m sorry she got you all worked up.”
“Well, what’s the matter, Amberleigh?” Cal asked, sensing something was off. “You’re screaming so loud you’ll scare off the horny toads and grasshoppers I was gonna show you.”
Amberleigh drew in a shuddering breath and was instantly quiet. She stared at Cal with huge light brown eyes and nodded. “O-okay,” she whispered.
Brody’s frown grew. “Amberleigh May Wallace. Did you just throw a fit to get Cal’s attention?”
Amberleigh stared up at her father with big eyes. Her lower lip flipped down, quivering fiercely, as she nodded. In that instant, India was smitten. Poor, sweet little thing wasn’t good with her words. She’d wanted Cal, and Cal wasn’t coming. What else could she do? The little girl felt bad about it, that much was obvious.
Cal sighed, staring up at Amberleigh and putting both hands on his hips. “I was coming. I just had to give Miss Ada my arrowhead.”
“’Kay,” Amberleigh whispered again. “S-sorry,” she hiccupped.
India patted Amberleigh’s back, wanting to calm her. “It’s okay, sweetie. We were worried about you, that’s all. We’re happy you’re okay.”
“I’m glad she’s okay.” The television reporter was rubbing her forehead. “Who knew something so little could pack such a punch?” She was smiling, but there was an undeniable edge to her voice.
“I’m so sorry, Jan. She didn’t mean to hit you in the head with her boot.” Brody was upset by his daughter’s outburst and, possibly, a bit amused. “She’s really sorry. Aren’t you, Amberleigh? Everything is fine, girls.”
Suellen and Marilyn let go of him, but stayed close. Amberleigh nodded, her lower lip trembling again and her big eyes filling with tears.
India couldn’t stop herself from looking at the red bump popping up on Jan Ramirez’s forehead. Not the best look for a news reporter. And yet, it was an accident. Amberleigh might have thrown a fit, but she’d never meant to hurt someone.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Accidents happen,” India said, still patting the little girl’s back.
And just like that, Amberleigh was leaning away from her father and toward her, arms and fingers stretching. “May I?” she asked.
Brody sighed, relinquishing his daughter to her. “Sure.”
The little girl’s slight weight in her arms was heaven. Her little head rested on India’s shoulder while her little hand slid through India’s hair. “You’re all right now,” India said, keeping her tone as soothing as possible. “Your daddy loves you, Cal is here and we’ll go find some horny toads.”
Tanner barked, looking back and forth between Cal and Amberleigh.
“She’s okay, Tanner,” Cal told the dog. The dog’s ears drooped and he trotted off to explore.
“Horn-toads?” Amberleigh asked.
“Sorta like baby dinosaurs. Or dragons. Spiky backs and fast runners. But they don’t have wings and they don’t breathe fire.”
Amberleigh perked up, smiling at her, then Cal. The other two weren’t quite so enthusiastic, but they didn’t protest, either.
India shook her head, her gaze colliding with Brody’s. Collided and stuck, the force of magnetism cementing the hold and stoking the fire in her belly. She welcomed the burn.
How could he do this to her? With just one look?
It was just Brody. The same Brody who had bought her circus peanuts when her guinea pig had died in second grade. The same Brody who helped her break into the girl’s high school locker room to get her purse—and avoid another argument with her father. The same Brody who made her believe she could do whatever she set her mind to. So when had looking at him made her feel like this? Warm and flushed and light-headed and...beautiful.
Brody stared right back at her. There was no misinterpreting the look in his tawny eyes. She wasn’t the only one strapped into this odd, wonderful emotion-charged roller coaster. His attention was very clearly focused on her. And her mouth. Which was bad, considering Ada Haynes and a newscaster were both watching the exchange with open curiosity.
He shouldn’t look at her that way. He shouldn’t make her feel this way. They were going to have to seriously work on the secret part of this arrangement.
She patted Amberleigh on the back and stepped away from Brody, needing space between them. “Cal, stick to the fort path.” It was long enough to wear them out and short enough to not require anyone to be carried back. It was also well traveled, keeping the wildlife less likely to surprise them on their trek.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cal said, excited. “More lizards that way. Come on, Tanner.”
“Let Tanner go first,” she said, watching the dog trot ahead, almost as if he understood what she needed from him. There were times she thought the dog really did understand her, especially when it came to keeping Cal safe.
“The lizards will be hunting bugs.” Cal was already intently scouring the landscape for signs of the palm-sized horned lizards native to the area.