Daddy's Little Darling Read online

  Daddy's Little Darling

  Laylah Roberts

  Contents

  Let’s Keep in Touch

  Books by Laylah Roberts

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Mastered by Malone

  Laylah Roberts

  Daddy’s Little Darling

  © 2019, Laylah Roberts

  [email protected]

  laylahroberts.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  Cover Design by: Allycat’s Creations

  Editing: Celeste Jones

  Created with Vellum

  Let’s Keep in Touch

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  Books by Laylah Roberts

  Doms of Decadence

  Just for You, Sir

  Forever Yours, Sir

  For the Love of Sir

  Sinfully Yours, Sir

  Make me, Sir

  A Taste of Sir

  To Save Sir

  Sir’s Redemption

  Reveal Me, Sir

  Montana Daddies

  Daddy Bear

  Daddy’s Little Darling

  Haven, Texas Series

  Lila’s Loves

  Laken’s Surrender

  Saving Savannah

  Molly’s Man

  Saxon’s Soul

  Mastered by Malone

  Men of Orion

  Worlds Apart

  Cavan Gang

  Rectify

  Redemption

  Redemption Valley

  Audra’s Awakening

  Old-Fashioned Series

  An Old-Fashioned Man

  Two Old-Fashioned Men

  Her Old-Fashioned Husband

  Her Old-Fashioned Boss

  His Old-Fashioned Love

  An Old-Fashioned Christmas

  WildeSide

  Wilde

  Sinclair

  Luke

  The Hunters

  A Mate to Cherish

  A Mate to Sacrifice

  1

  They looked like the gates to hell.

  Charlie pulled her car up in front of the tall, wrought iron gates and sat there with the engine idling. She didn’t dare turn off the ancient Chevy for fear it wouldn’t start again.

  And she’d be stuck here. Staring at the gates to hell.

  “You’re letting your imagination get the best of you, Charlie,” she muttered to herself. “Toughen up and get out of this car.”

  The pep talk did absolutely nothing to get her moving. She wished she could cuddle Inky, but she’d spotted a camera attached to the gate post. Last thing she needed was to be caught on camera hugging a soft toy.

  Stop being such a baby. You’re a grown adult, act like it for fuck’s sake.

  She cringed at the memory of Brian snarling those words at her, his face red with irritation, body tight with anger. He was right. The way he’d spoken to her was wrong, but she was naïve. She did act like a child. She shouldn’t and couldn’t expect anyone else to take care of her. She only had herself to rely on. And Inky, her toy octopus, but besides giving the best cuddles he wasn’t much help in the real world.

  There is only the real world. That make-believe place she spent so much time living in wasn’t going to feed her or put fuel in the car or a proper roof over her head.

  She had a chance at earning some money for a few weeks. Even better, the job came with room and board. She could be safe for a while, save her money and have a small nest egg when she left.

  If she could just get through the gates.

  Time to stop being a wimp. She couldn’t unwind the car window so she had to open the door and reach up to press the speaker button. Now she just had to wait for the devil to answer.

  * * *

  Clinton Jensen dismounted from his horse and one of his ranch hands led it away. Without wasting any time, he made his way with long strides towards the main house. His stomach grumbled. Breakfast this morning had been a pretty pitiful affair. Since the ranch cook, Neil had taken a fall and broken his leg, his assistant had been doing most of the cooking. Allan was getting on in years, though and he couldn’t keep up this workload. So, to give him a break, Bear’s woman had cooked for them this morning. Ellie was lovely. Sweet. Kind. Generous.

  But she couldn’t cook for shit.

  The eggs had been rubbery, the toast burnt, and what he thought was supposed to be ham was about as appealing as eating an old boot. Bear had given them all a hard look warning them against saying anything. Not that they would. Everyone loved Ellie, and no one wanted to hurt her feelings.

  Thankfully, he’d just gotten word that the cook the agency was sending had arrived. If the men had to suffer too many of Ellie’s meals, then he and his brother would likely have a mutiny on their hands.

  Unfortunately, they had no one else to take over. Neil and his wife were staying with their daughter in the city so he could be close to the hospital for appointments. None of the men could really cook, neither could his sister, Eden. Graciela had offered but she only knew one way to cook. With a very liberal dose of chili.

  “Boss man!” Zeke strode towards him, a frown on his face. That was nothing unusual, Clint wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the other man smile.

  “Hey, Zeke, you let the cook through?” he asked.

  Technically, Zeke worked for his brother. Kent ran Jensen Security International. JSI’s headquarters were located up the hill, away from the main ranch. You couldn’t see the building from down here. Which is how Kent liked it. Paranoid bastard. Which is also why Sanctuary Ranch had the best security of probably any ranch in the United States.

  “Yep, should be here any second.”

  Clint frowned as he stared down the long driveway. “Must be driving slow. They probably sent me some damn big city cook who likes to cook with lentils and quinoa.” Beggars couldn’t be choosers, though, and at the moment he was pretty damn desperate.

  He pulled off his hat with a sigh as he spotted a small, green car. Damn it. Definitely from the city. Nobody around here drove anything but a truck. He didn’t even think he could get his legs in the sardine-sized contraption.

  “Boss man, there’s something I’ve got to tell you about the new cook.”

  “Can it wait? He’s nearly here.” And Clint wanted to get him situated as quickly as possible so he could get back to work.

  “That’s just it, boss. The cook ain’t a he.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Well, if he’s not a he, then …” Zeke’s voice trailed off.

  “Fuck, they sent a woman, didn’t they?” Well, it looked like he didn’t have to worry about some city dweller on the ranch since she was going straight back to where she came from.
/>   * * *

  Okay, she took it back. This wasn’t hell. It was heaven. She drove slowly up the gravel driveway, not wanting to miss anything. She’d had to drive up a rather steep slope, but once she got to the top, oh, it was worth it. Settled in the valley was a huge house built of wood and stone. She could see other buildings nestled back further, some dotted among the trees that surrounded the area. The house was set between two tree-covered hills and in the distance beyond a snow-covered mountain dominated the skyline.

  Beautiful.

  Knowing, she couldn’t afford to keep her new employer waiting, Charlie drove down into the valley. How amazing would it be to live here? She headed towards the large house as she’d been directed to by the raspy, grumpy voice on the other end of the speaker. She hoped that wasn’t her new employer. Nerves danced around in her stomach as she stopped her car and turned it off. Here she was. Maybe her luck was turning around. Maybe this would be a fresh new start.

  Suddenly the car door was wrenched open and a huge man loomed over her. She gasped, fear making her cringe back.

  “Out. Now,” a deep voice growled.

  Fear filled her. It took every ounce of courage she could muster to force her shaking body out of the car. The big man stepped back as she moved. She slid to the side, leaning back against the car in the hope that she wouldn’t collapse at his feet.

  She forced herself to look up. And up. Into the coldest pair of blue eyes she’d ever seen in her life. They glared down at her, studied her before he grunted. It was a noise that revealed his disgust and disappointment.

  In her.

  She cringed, unable to speak as this terrifying man loomed over her. His dark hair, with just a hint of gray at the temples, was overdue for a cut, his face was covered in a five o’clock shadow. He had a hard face. Not exactly handsome, but mesmerizing all the same. Or maybe it was just that she was too scared to look away.

  “Name’s Clinton Jenson and you are?” he demanded. Had he been waiting for her to introduce herself? Of course, he was, idiot. Her cheeks grew red. She often forgot her manners, missed social cues. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was her upbringing. Or that she often lived in her own little world and didn’t pay enough attention to what was going on around her.

  That wasn’t the problem right now, though. No, she was definitely in the here and now.

  “Ch-Charlie Paulsen, sir.”

  Did his eyes flare open slightly in surprise? Why? Was her name such a shock? Wait. What if she was at the wrong place? That was it. There hadn’t been a name written out at the gate, she’d relied on the instructions she’d been given, but maybe Sanctuary Ranch was further along the road.

  Relief almost made her feel giddy even as she ignored the voice telling her that she was grasping at straws.

  “You’re supposed to be a man.”

  “Umm, s-sorry?” She wasn’t quite sure what response he was wanting but figured she was best to go with an apology since he looked so upset.

  He stared down at her. “Well, shit. Don’t suppose it’s your fault.”

  “Pretty sure I didn’t have a choice,” she quipped.

  His gaze narrowed. Shit, why did she go and say that?

  “Your name is really Charlie?”

  “Well, umm, it’s Charlotte. You thought you were hiring a man?” So, she was at the right place, it just seemed she was lacking the necessary, uh, equipment.

  “Yes, I asked the agency for a man. I don’t let females live here unless they have a male to act as guardian.”

  The statement was so completely old-fashioned that she had to take a moment to make sure she’d heard him correctly. “Guardian?”

  “Yes, guardian,” he repeated impatiently. “I need to go and sort this out with the agency. Damn it, like I don’t have better things to do.”

  She felt guilty at taking up his time, even though it wasn’t technically her fault. She was just doing what the agency had directed her to do. And it certainly wasn’t her fault that this guy had some odd notions about women needing guardians.

  “I won’t take up any more of your time. It’s obvious you don’t want me here so I’ll just leave—”

  “You will not. You will accompany me inside. Now.”

  Right. Well, it was obvious he was used to being in charge and even though she knew she should tell him where he could stick his imperious order, she found herself scrambling to keep up with his long legs as he strode towards the main house.

  They walked past a huge man dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans. He wore a cowboy hat. He looked her over, his pale blue gaze gave nothing away and yet she couldn’t help but feel he was sizing her up.

  As they approached the stairs leading up to the wide porch that wrapped around the house, a dark-haired woman in a wheelchair swung her way down the ramp to the side of the stairs. She moved at a far faster pace than Charlie would ever have dared. Although Charlie wasn’t known for being a daredevil.

  “Damn it, Eden, slow down,” Clinton growled at the woman.

  Charlie would have immediately slowed and apologized, this woman just gave a wave and headed off down the paved driveway that swung past the house. Was that his wife? If she was, she was a far braver woman than Charlie.

  Most people are braver than you.

  She followed the cowboy into a mudroom where he took off his boots and laid his hat on a hook on the wall. She slid off her own shoes, her heart thundering in her chest as she followed him into what had to be one of the most beautiful kitchens she’d ever seen.

  It took up three walls and had a large island in the center. Everything gleamed from the double ovens to the granite countertops to the huge stainless-steel fridge. She just stood for a moment and took it all in. She could see herself cooking here. This was a kitchen made for a family. There should be children sitting at the island, doing their homework while they ate afterschool snacks. Dinner in the oven, a cake cooling for dessert. She didn’t even realize she’d been left behind until he suddenly appeared in front of her. She jumped, stepping back and barely managing to hold in her cry of surprise.

  “What are you doing?” he barked. “I was nearly at my office when I noticed you weren’t behind me.”

  “Sorry, I just…this is a beautiful kitchen.”

  He looked around as though just seeing it for the first time. He shrugged. “I suppose. Now keep up.”

  She brought her hand up in a salute.

  But she waited until his back was turned. She wasn’t an idiot.

  2

  Clint resisted the urge to slam the phone down. Fuck.

  He couldn’t believe there was no one else the agency could send. At least not for another two weeks. He didn’t have that long. If the men had to suffer through Ellie’s cooking much longer, they’d either walk off the job or they’d all be down with food poisoning. Besides, it wasn’t fair to make Ellie and Allan do all the cooking. It was supposed to be a temporary measure. Until the new cook arrived.

  The new, male cook.

  What the hell would he do with an unattached female? This went against everything he believed in. Every woman who lived here had a guardian to watch over her. See to her care.

  This woman would have no one.

  He shook his head. It wouldn’t work. And even if he did assign her a guardian, it didn’t mean she would accept their lifestyle. That she would obey the rules. All of the men here, from his ranch hands to the men who worked for JSI, shared the same views. That the man should be the head of the household. They set the rules and enforced them. Not that any man would ever raise a hand to a woman, Clint would deal with any asshole who dared do that himself. And it wouldn’t be pretty.

  The women came first. Always. Their safety, health and happiness. And he thought it was safe to say that the women living here were some of the most cherished, protected and spoiled in the state of Montana.

  But they also had strict rules to follow to ensure their safety and any infraction was generally dealt with by a trip ov
er their guardian’s knee. There wasn’t any harm in a spanking. And if it meant that next time their woman hesitated to disobey an order given for their safety then it was well worth it in the minds of the men who lived here.

  Many people wouldn’t understand and he wouldn’t have anyone creating problems, and upsetting their women.

  Not that this female seemed the type to upset anyone. If anything, he thought she was almost too timid and fragile to survive out here. He frowned as he recalled what she’d been wearing. He got that it was the fashion trend to wear ripped jeans, and don’t get him started on that, but that sort of clothing was impractical on the ranch. Did she even have proper boots or a jacket?

  He opened his office door and strode into the living room. She sat perched on the edge of the sofa as though ready to bolt at any moment. Her long, dark-blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her sweatshirt was huge, it went down nearly to her knees, making her look like a little girl wearing her daddy’s shirt.

  His breath caught at the thought and he had to shake it off. Stupid. Just because she was dressed in an oversized shirt didn’t mean anything. It certainly didn’t mean she was a Little. Very few women would want what he did in a relationship and he knew it was unlikely he’d ever find someone special who would fulfill that part of him.

  Especially, as Kent liked to point out, because he rarely left the ranch nor made the time to socialize. It was foolish to think this female might have a Little side. But there was something about the way she held herself.

  No, he had to be imagining things. She was just timid. A bit shy.

  She would be totally unsuited for life here. Even for just a few weeks. Even if he could find her a guardian. Nope, never going to work.