Read Hunter's Fortune (River Jewel Resort Series Book 2) for Free Online Page B

He held his daughter tightly, comfortingly, and Hunter couldn’t remember a time when her own father had ever done so. He seemed larger than life to Hunter, standing there consoling his little girl. Dressed in another flannel shirt, this one a different shade of blue and a well-worn pair of snug fitting jeans, he no longer seemed like the arrogant stranger who had tormented her the day before.
    “Hotel, you say? Around here?”
    Some things, however, hadn’t changed. The man still answered her with questions and it made Hunter giggle.
    “Oh, a smile? Are we expecting a blizzard?” His daughter laughed and the man’s eyes glittered with amusement.
    “Yes, I know how to smile. You simply caught me in a bad moment.”
    “Well, I guess we have that in common, don’t we?” He nodded towards his daughter and feigned a smile.
    “I suppose we do.”
    “This is Morgan.”
    “I know. I overheard you a little bit ago. But, I can’t call you Daddy, so…”
    “Lee. My name’s Lee Michaels.” He extended his hand and Hunter shook it.
    “Happy to meet you. I’m sorry about yesterday. My name’s Hunter, by the way. And Morgan, I’m very happy to meet you.”
    The little girl smiled, though Hunter could tell she wasn’t accustomed to meeting strange women.
    “So, what brings you to town? Family shopping?”
    “Sort of. I brought Morgan into town so I could pick up a few groceries for the weekend.”
    “That’s nice. It’s a perfect day for shopping. Is Morgan’s mother here, I’d love to meet her.”
    “No.” His demeanor changed immediately and Hunter suddenly felt as if she’d made another mistake.
    “Oh. Alright. Well, I’ll let you be on your way then. It was great seeing you.”
    “Yeah. Have a great Christmas.”
    “Bye, Hunter.” The adorable little girl waved.
    They began to part ways when Hunter turned around headed back to Lee and his daughter. “I was just about to get some hot chocolate, would you like to join me?”
    “Can we, Daddy? Please? I love mashmallows!”
    Hunter laughed at the girl’s mistake. “Yes, there will be plenty of mashmallows! What do ya say, Lee? I’ll buy. It’s the least I can do after you had to deal with me yesterday. Let me make it up to you.”
    “Yeah, Daddy, let her!”
    “Okay, but we can’t stay long.”
    “Yay!”
    “Awesome! Now, let’s get that cocoa.”
    Once they were seated in the tiny café and the waitress brought their order to them, Hunter watched as Morgan plucked marshmallow after marshmallow out of her mug. She remembered doing the same thing as a child. Though, her father hadn’t been there with her. No, she’d had a maid to spend her days with. Even on Christmas. After her mother had abandoned them, all Christmas festivities had ceased. In fact, Hunter had been Morgan’s age the last time she’d had a real Christmas.
    “Daddy, can I go play?”
    “Sure. Stay right there where I can see you, though.”
    “I guess she only liked the mashmallows .” Hunter laughed.
    “Yeah, that’s what she does. She picks them out and leaves the cocoa.”
    After an awkward silence, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what’s up with this boss of yours?”
    Lee took a deep breath “It’s really none of your concern. How long were you eavesdropping?”
    “I didn’t mean to, I couldn’t help it. Your daughter was crying and I was so entranced with your affection for her. To be honest, she was breaking my heart.”
    “Well,” he lowered his voice. “My boss is a bitch. A bitch who had everything handed to her by her daddy and now she thinks she’s better than everyone else. I’m just one of the employees who breaks their balls every day to make sure things are delivered on time and that woman couldn’t even give the drivers a Christmas bonus. Instead, we were given calendars. Calendars! What the hell am I supposed to do with a calendar? I know when I have to work. I’ve been driving truck for nearly fifteen years. I got this job