Ethel raised her head and blinked at him. Probably wondering why he was calling her Donna. He gave her a wink. Then he looked up at Santa and Sophia. “She said that Chewie is hoping that Sophia will come and take him on a walk and…sing him a song.” It obviously had to be something the little girl could “give” the alpaca that wouldn’t cost any money.
Sawyer looked down at Sophia. “Well, there you go. What do you think?”
Sophia was frowning. “I'm going to have to work on that. I tell him lots of stories, but I don’t sing to him.”
Drew grimaced.
“But I can do that. I'll make up a really good song.” Sophia told him.
Okay, whew.
“Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?” Sawyer asked.
“Just be sure you tell my dad I love him,” Sophia said. “And I miss him.”
Drew could tell that Sawyer needed a second to swallow before he answered. “I’ll be sure to tell him.”
“But I know he's around,” Sophia said. “I met a new friend this summer. Her name's Grace. Do you know her?”
Sawyer nodded. “I know Gracie Trahan really well.”
“Her daddy died too. Well, her first daddy. She has another one now. Anyway, she still talks to her first daddy and she said that our daddies come and visit us and watch over us. Even if we can't see them.”
Again, it was clear that Sawyer was struggling to keep his composure.
“That's true. I'm certain that your dad will be here for Christmas.”
Sophia gave him a huge grin. “I'm so glad. Maybe he can come with me to meet Chewpaca.” Then she reached up and gave Sawyer a little hug before sliding off his lap and running to join her mother.
Sawyer looked over at Drew and shook his head. “Damn. These little girls. They just get to me.” He thumped his chest over his heart.
Drew understood. That had all been pretty fucking sweet.
Sweet was not what he had come here for, but it was everywhere he looked.
He glanced across the barnyard, searching for Rory, seemingly instinctually. He saw the top of her green head when she straightened from giving a little boy a candy cane.
Then something else caught his eye just beyond where she was standing.
Protectiveness and anger immediately tightened his body. No fucking way.
He started in that direction but remembered that he was in the middle of Santa's reindeer herd.
“Hey, Jordan,” he called, trying to make his voice sound normal.
Jordan looked over. “Yeah?”
“I need you to handle the reindeer for little bit.”
She came over and took her place next to Ethel. Drew handed her the tiny treat bucket.
“Everything okay?” She clearly read in his face that it wasn't.
“No. But it's going to be.”
Without any further explanation. Drew started in the direction of the man he'd seen hovering by the pickups parked along the fence line.
Roger Robins was here.
He couldn't believe that fucker had showed back up here and thought he was going to just walk in and out of here as if he hadn’t stolen from these good people and nearly ruined his daughter’s Christmas.
Well, when he walked out of here—which he would be doing without saying so much as a single word to Rory—it would be for good.
This guy wasn’t going to mess with Rory anymore.
Drew was here now.
And yeah, he was a good guy.
But he knew how to be a real asshole when the situation called for it.
As Roger was about to find out.
11
Rory saw Drew hand the reindeer over to Jordan and start across the barnyard with a scowl on his face. Everything had been going so well and he’d seemed to really be enjoying himself earlier. What was going on? She turned and scanned the area he was headed toward. And her heart stuttered.
No. Roger was here? What was he doing? And what was Drew doing?
She started in that direction as well, but was several yards behind Drew.
Her eyes widened as she saw Drew take Roger by the front of his shirt and shove him against the side of the pickup.
She didn't want to draw more attention to this—and her bright green hair and red dress with her candy cane striped thigh-high stockings likely would—but she couldn’t walk away. She had to know what her new boyfriend—yes, she’d just called him her boyfriend—had to say to her father. So she ducked behind the truck parked three down from the one where Drew had Roger pinned.
She crept closer to where Drew and Roger were standing, stopping behind the gray Ford-150 just a few feet away. They were on the side of the truck opposite of the petting zoo was so only people on the road would be able to see them. Fortunately, none of the little kids and families who were trying to have a nice happy day at the Christmas village would likely notice them.
“You need to stay far away from her,” Drew said to Roger as Rory got close enough to overhear.
“Stay away for my daughter? At the holidays? What kind of a coldhearted bastard are you?”
Drew pressed Roger harder into the truck. “Don't fuck with me. You've done enough damage to her. I’m not going to let you do anything more to hurt her.”
“And what do you think you're going to do about it when you're back in Iowa, Mr. Ryan?”
Rory was surprised that Roger knew Drew's name. It was clear from the expression on Drew's face, he was as well.
Roger sneered him. “Yeah, I know who you are. I know you're from Iowa. I know you own a farm with your family. And I know that the nights you’ve spent in my daughter's bed were just a fun diversion while you were on vacation.”
Drew thumped Roger against the side of the truck again. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Well, I know that you and Rory didn't have a relationship before the other night and that you’ve been in town three days and you’ve spent two of those overnight at her house. As her father, I should probably be asking what your intentions are.”
“You’re the scumbag who has been hurting her most of her life. You don't get to have any say in what is going on between her and I.”
Rory's mind was spinning. It was so damned gratifying to see someone getting in Roger’s face and calling him out on his bullshit. Having someone defend her was not something she was used to. That was mostly because she didn't share this part of her life with many people, even those who cared about her. She typically felt that she had to deal with all of this by herself. It was her mess, after all. But now, seeing Drew come to her defense was definitely making her heartbeat harder.
Still, it was clear that, as usual, she couldn't have anything nice. Everything good in her life, Roger found a way of touching and ruining. So, even though Drew had known about him prior to this moment, he hadn't been face-to-face with him. He hadn’t witnessed Roger’s blatant disregard for her feelings and hadn't been pulled directly into the conflict between her and her father. Now Drew was literally in the middle of it.
“You're going to leave her alone,” Drew said, his tone was low and angry. “I get why she has a hard time saying no to you. You’re her father and she doesn't know any different. She doesn’t understand what it’s like to have someone supporting her and protecting her instead of using her. The thing is, I happened to have been raised by a very good man who knew exactly how to be a great father so I know a dirtbag when I see one. And Roger, the good man in your daughter’s life doesn’t have to be her father. I know what she deserves and now that I'm here, I'm going to make sure she gets that. From everyone.”