Second Chance Romance (Southern Nights) Completed

Chapter 26

“Second Chance Romance”

2012 Copyright All Rights Reserved

Chapter 26

“Hold on tight, sweetheart.” Libby glanced back over her shoulder and flashed Austin a smile that lit up his entire world. She had already handed her tickets over to the gentleman standing at the gate and was being led by the hand towards a brown and white spotted pony.

“I will,” she told him smartly. She followed excitedly behind a guy that Austin had already been assured would handle the pony expertly during her ride. He was a young man, mid twenty’s with a cowboy hat fitted on top of his head. He looked competent enough and Austin didn’t see a reason to worry about the ride at all with a man like him in the lead.

Once she was saddled, Austin slid around to the side of the arena and pulled out his phone. He watched the young man pick her up and set her on the pony. He proceeded to give her a few instructions on where and how to hold on to saddle horn.

After she was settled and waiting for the other kids to saddle up on their ponies, Libby turned back in Austin's direction and waved at him. He waved too and lifted his phone in the air, preparing to take her picture. “Say cheese,” he prompted her.

“Cheese.” She beamed and posed with one hand holding on tightly to the saddle horn, the other hand waving wildly in the air. Her curls caught slightly in the breeze, blowing against her face and her grin was filled with an innocent enthusiasm that he hoped she would maintain long into her adult years. Austin swallowed hard, not wanting to think about her growing up too fast and then snapped the picture. He liked her just the way she was and it would suit him just fine if she stayed daddy’s little girl forever.

“Beautiful,” he said lowering the phone and offered her a proud grin of his own. The pony lurched forward and Libby spun back around so she could hold on with both hands. He glanced down at the picture again and pressed save. “Absolutely beautiful,” he mumbled again more to himself, staring thoughtfully at the picture.

Tina sidled up next to Austin.  “Now that’s two words that I love to hear, especially when those words are pertaining to moi, Mr.Giles.”

Austin closed his phone and shoved it in his back pocket. The day had been going so perfectly. Jade seemed to be more relaxed than she had all week, Libby was having a good time. Tina was the last person that he wanted to deal with on a day like today, or any day for that matter.

“I wasn’t talking about you,” he commented and intentionally leaned up against the railings that surrounded the arena so he wouldn’t have to look at her.

Tina glanced over at the little girl that Austin was staring at. She could see a little bit of Austin in the child, the darker hair definitely. The high cheek bones maybe, but those eyes. Those eyes were undeniable. But even knowing that she was in fact, his daughter, she wasn’t about to let a little brat get in the way of her plans. What she wanted, she usually got and right now she wanted Austin. Nothing was going to stand in her way.

She pressed up against his back and ran the tip of her bright red manicured finger down his arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps in her path. “You know,” she started with that sultry voice she was so good at formulating, “you and I could be good together, Austin. Real good, like smoking hot good. So hot that I’d wager we could burn for days.”

Austin’s eyes followed her hand but he didn’t say a single word to acknowledge her. Taking this as an incentive, she moved her body around so that her breasts were prominently pushed up against his arm. “You know that I can give a man like you, a real man, just what he needs. All you have to do is say the word and I’m there, baby. One word is all it would take and you could have all this,” she told him glancing down at the vast amount of bare skin she was showing of her chest and legs which flirted dangerously with the thin line of indecency.