Sheltered by the Millionaire by Catherine Mann Read Free Book Online Page B

’em before they scare other kids.”
    Megan tipped her head back to hold in the tears. She had seen this flight as a welcome distraction for her child. She hadn’t considered Evie might be afraid, and certainly not for this particular reason. But it made perfect sense, and somehow Whit had gotten more information on the fears in one simple conversation than Megan had been able to pry out of her strong-willed child in the past month.
    Evie wiggled her feet. “I got new shoes. They light up when I walk.”
    “Very nice.”
    “My princess sneakers got messed up in the tora-na-do.” She pronounced the word much better these days than a month ago.
    They’d all had lots of practice with the word.
    Whit glanced at Evie for an instant, his brown eyes serious and compassionate. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
    “They were my favorites. But we couldn’t find ones just like ’em. I think these lights are a good idea. I coulda used the lights the day the tora-na-do made the school all dark.”
    Megan’s stomach plummeted as surely as if the plane had lost serious altitude. Was every choice her child made tied into that day now? Megan had thought the shoe-shopping trip had been a fun day for Evie, and yet the whole time her daughter had assessed every choice using survivalist criteria. Megan blinked back tears and focused on listening to Evie.
    “Mommy says lots of little girls lost their shoes too and we need to be glad we gots shoes.”
    “Your mother is a smart lady.”
    Was it her imagination or had he just glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye? A shiver of awareness tingled up her spine.
    “I know, and I wanna be good like Mommy so Santa will come visit my house.”
    His head tipped to the side inquisitively. “Santa will see what a very good girl you’ve been today. I suspect you’re always a good girl.”
    “Not as good as Mommy.”
    Megan frowned in surprise, her heart aching all over again for what her daughter had been through and how little Evie had shared about that. Until now. Somehow Whit had a way of reaching her that no one else had. Megan was grateful, and nervous to think of him gaining more importance in her life.
    Whit waited a moment before answering, “Why do you think that about yourself, kiddo?”
    Evie just shook her head, pigtails swishing and tiara landing in her lap. “Let’s talk about something else. Caitlyn and Bobby are my bestest friends. Are you Mommy’s new bestest friend?”

Four
    A s the sun set at the end of a chilly day, Whit cranked the heat inside the rental car, an SUV that had been perfect for transporting the twelve cats to their new foster families with the Colorado rescue group. They’d just finished their last drop-off. Mission complete.
    Megan had insisted on inspecting every home in spite of the long day and the Colorado cold. But in the end, she was satisfied she’d found a great new rescue to network with in the future.
    Glancing at the rearview mirror, Whit watched Megan strapped her daughter into the car seat, a task he’d learned she never allowed anyone else to take over no matter how many stops they made. Evie had been patient, excited even, over seeing her mom in action. And the couple of times the kid had gotten bored, she’d been easily distracted by the snow flurries—which had necessitated a side trip to pick up a warmer snow suit and snow boots.
    Evie had been hesitant about covering her costume and her trepidation stabbed Whit clean through with sympathy for the little tyke. Finally, he’d been able to persuade her even cowgirls needed cold weather gear more appropriate for Colorado—which was a helluva lot colder than Texas.
    Megan tucked into the passenger side as they idled outside a two-story farmhouse belonging to an older widower inside who’d made a fuss over his feline visitor. She rubbed her gloved hands together in front of the heat vent and then swiped the snowflakes off her head.
    “I miss Texas,” she said between her