Champion At Heart (Sequel of Breaking Ice)

Chapter Fourteen

"This will be your room. Sorry if it's not to your expectations. We were not ready for visitors, especially you," Sophia said, opening the door that occupied two twin beds and a large dresser to share, but there was nothing else except some small curtains on the windows. "It was a spare room and Marshall said he would eventually get to prepare it for guests, but he thought other rooms in the house were priority."

As the teenage girl spoke, Brookly realized she wasn't looking at her. "Well, I will leave you to it, and tomorrow we wake up at 4am, in case Abilene wants to join us."

Sophia turned around, walking away, when Brooklyn called her. "Sophia, wait," she smiled, approaching her with slow steps. "I am sorry for hurting your feelings. I just didn't want your brother to find out you were talking to me. Didn't want you getting in trouble."

"Who cares, Brooklyn? My brother could have gotten mad, but he would have understood why I was speaking to you," she sighed, unshed tears clouding her eyes, her nose turning red. "You could have probably come sooner, too."

"Sophia..."

"Good night, Brooklyn," she looked at Abilene. "Sleep tight, princess." She disappeared down the hallway while Abilene stared up at her mother with curiosity in her eyes, not daring to ask any questions as she thought it was a conversation best left for big people.

Holding Brooklyn's hands, she smiled, pulling her into the bedroom. As much energy as the little girl had, she was exhausted from the trip and the excitement of the day. Meeting her father had been what she dreamed of, and she was looking forward to spending time with him, learning everything he knew and maybe be a family.

A quick shower and a story later, they were both in bed, ready to sleep. Brooklyn could hear Abilene's soft snores as she looked at the ceiling, thinking of the many ways she could get Marshall to get along with her. He needed to understand she was scared, and that she didn't mean to hide their daughter from him.

She wanted them both to be there for their little girl.

As she turned to her side, she could hear the soft thumps of boots in the hallway, the shadow passing along before it stopped at her door. With her heart beating, she sat straight, waiting and hoping he knocked. They needed to have a long conversation and clear the air.

But it was wishful thinking as she saw the shadow disappear further down the hall, prompting her to get out of bed and maybe go to him. Her hand was on the doorknob as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she turned it and opened the door, looking out only to see no one.

He had gone to his room, and she missed him. Cursing herself, she closed the door and went back to bed, her tears rolling down her cheeks as she wished everything was different. She just wanted to be in his arms and give into his kisses and touches again.

~~~~~~

An old alarm went off at exactly 4am, waking an exhausted Brooklyn as she rubbed her eyes and yawned, not wanting to leave the surprisingly comfortable bed. Opening her eyes fully, she realized being in Marshall's ranch had not been a dream, and her impulse of coming back was real, just as her daughter's request to meet her father.

"Mama, wake up! I am ready to see the horses and you'll be late!" Abilene greeted, kneeling in front of her with a big smile on her face. She was ready to start the day, with a black t-shirt, jeans, her hat and boots on. "Aunt Sophia made a braid on my hair. Do you like it, Mama?"

"Yes, sweetheart. I do. Why don't you go ahead and I'll meet you for breakfast?" Brooklyn suggested, to which Abilene agreed as she hopped off the bed and ran out of the room, her little feet stomping down the hall before she could hear her excited voice talking to someone.

Brooklyn took a quick shower and walked out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body, picking up her luggage to check for a suitable outfit for ranching. Realizing nothing was appropriate, she reminded herself to drive to town and shop around.

Silky tops, cotton pants and heels were not the best option to have, and she thought she didn't need to do anything but stay in the house and help, while her daughter enjoyed time with her father.

It was all about Abilene, after all.

Picking through her clothes, she found a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, which she realized she hadn't remembered putting them in–unless it had been her little girl–which made her smile gratefully.

"Good morning," she heard the gruff voice through the open door, and it had caught both of them by surprise. Marshall stood in the doorway, his eyes gazing at her almost naked wet body, turning away just as quickly. "Sorry, the door was left open. I assumed you were dressed."

"It's okay," she mentioned, walking towards the bathroom to get dressed. "Abilene is ready! You can probably take her with you now."

"I was planning on it. Are you joining us?" he asked, praying internally that she said yes. So much for not wanting to have anything to do with her, but as he thought last night before going to sleep, he couldn't help but want her near, and remember those beautiful moments they spent together back then.

"Maybe. I just need to fully wake up and maybe have some coffee? But you can go ahead with Abilene. I'll catch up."

Marshall chuckled softly, shaking his head before he walked down the hall and into the kitchen to meet the girls. "Good morning," he greeted them, grabbing a cup and pouring coffee in it. Black, no sugar, just how he liked it. It was the only way to help him get on with the day without crashing.

"What are we doing first?" Abilene asked, curiously. "I want to feed the horses and look at the sheep!"

"We don't have sheep, but we have goats," Sophia mentioned, serving them a plate of eggs and bacon, along with buttered toast. Marshall sat down next to Abilene, taking a glance at the little girl as she downed her breakfast like an adult, making him think she was too eager to go outside and help around.

"We'll see them later. For now, enjoy your breakfast," he mentioned, digging into his just as Brooklyn walked into the kitchen. With the fork halfway to his mouth, he looked up and his heart skipped a beat, seeing the jeans showing off her curves and the shirt–which had a small slit going down the neck–slightly lifting her breasts. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, the curls falling down freely, and her red bandana held back any stray hair.

"Morning everyone," she smiled, heading towards the coffeemaker in hopes to find some to energize her. "Any breakfast left?"

"Yes, there's some eggs on the pan and bacon on the table. Help yourself," Sophia mentioned, turning her back on her to sit with the others. Brooklyn felt like her entire world was just shifting uncontrollably, and there were many reasons having to do with that.

The main one being Marshall Redd.