“Medicine,” she finally said to herself. “Alice needs medicine.”
Meredith rummaged around to find the decongestant she was looking for, and then she headed back upstairs to resume her nanny duties.
Chapter Six
The days in quarantine passed slowly, but deliciously. Daniel spent every waking moment working with the animals, managing the ranch, or hanging out with Alice. He’d never spent this much time with his daughter before, but he was finding out that being a dad was really and truly a wonderful experience. Alice recovered quickly from her cold and as soon as she did, she started helping Daniel feed the horses and cattle.
When they weren’t working the land together or hanging out reading and watching movies, Alice spent a lot of time crafting and working on her art. She enjoyed being alone just as much as she liked being around people, and that meant Daniel had a lot
of time to spend with Meredith.
Although it never really felt like quite enough.
She was beginning to become very precious to him, and after the first full week of quarantine, he caught her alone one night after dinner.
He pinned her against the hallway and kissed her. He moved her hands so they were above her head, and he held them there as he kissed her. She groaned, leaning up into his kiss, and he smiled as he touched her, playing with her.
Fuck, she was perfect.
She was sweet and sensual, and he wanted to make love to her so very much. He’d waited because he didn’t want to pressure her. He didn’t want to force her into this thing that was happening between them. He knew what happened when someone felt forced into a situation they weren’t ready for, and he didn’t want that.
He didn’t want any of it.
So he kissed her now, and he touched her, playing with her body, and then he pulled away.
“What’s wrong?” She whispered.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I like you a lot, Meredith, but I’m only human.”
“What does that mean?” She asked.
He had always demanded honesty from her, and now he’d offer her the same thing.
“It means it’s hard to resist you, sweetie.”
“Then why resist?” She asked.
“Don’t tease me, princess.”
“I’m not teasing,” she told him. She reached for his cheek and touched him gently. “Daniel, I want you. All of you. I’m ready whenever you are.”
He knew what she was saying to him, and he appreciated it.
“I’ve been with other women since I lost Casey,” he told her.
Casey had been gone for a few years now, and he still missed her. He saw her every day when he looked at his daughter. Meredith had never known Daniel’s wife, but Daniel had always talked about her. He knew Alice did, too.
“You have,” she said carefully. “Not for more than a night though, isn’t that right?”
She was observant. He’d give her that much. Most people didn’t notice or pay attention about this sort of thing. Yeah, he was rarely with someone for more than a night. That was his special way of protecting himself. He didn’t go out of his way to build relationships with women he was going to break up with anyway. He didn’t spend a lot of time getting to know people who wouldn’t fit into his life.
The truth was that Daniel was a busy guy. He was gone frequently and he was often outdoors and unreachable. He wasn’t the type of guy who could hang out and text all day. He wasn’t always available.
But he had a good heart, and he wanted to share his heart with Meredith.
The fact that he worked so much didn’t seem to bother her a lot, if at all. He liked that. He liked the fact that he could be himself around Meredith, and she never judged him for it. She accepted the fact that he worked all the time. She understood just how difficult it was to run a ranch as big as his. She got all of those things.
Most women didn’t, and that was why he tried so very hard to stay away.