The Daddy List. Dewanna Pace
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A Substitute Husband
Discovering her daughter is holding bank patrons hostage to interview daddy candidates sends widow Daisy Trumbo running to intervene. But when real bank robbers take advantage of the fake stickup, the hero of the day is Bass Parker—the man Daisy blames for her husband’s death. Yet duty compels her to care for him as he recovwers from his injuries.
Bass is determined to make amends to the widow and child of the fallen soldier who took his place on the battlefield. But he slowly finds himself feeling more than obligation to this independent woman and her spirited little girl. Their happiness hinges on Daisy’s forgiveness, but can she let go of the past?
Daisy smiled, happy that Bass was pleased.
Ollie moved past him and apologized. “Sorry, Bass. I must’ve left the back door open this morning. Only way Butler coulda got in the kitchen. I’ll make sure he don’t cause ya no more problems. ’Least for today.”
“I’m grateful it was only a goat. I heard somebody downstairs and thought I’d better check since I assumed I was still alone. But I couldn’t get down here fast enough to stop the initial damage. As you can see, he fought hard in the parlor until I got him roped and cornered behind the table.”
Bass brushed a hand through his dark hair, powdering it with even more flour. “But it was worth it, getting to hear your mama laugh like that.”
“You laugh pretty well yourself.” Daisy returned the compliment as his eyes studied her directly.
“That’s on my daddy list. Likes to laugh,” Ollie reminded. “Ya remember, don’tcha, Mama?”
“Yes, love. I remember.” Able to look Mama straight in the eye was on there, too.
Bass was beginning to qualify for a lot of the list’s requirements.
And Daisy wasn’t sure if she was prepared for that.
She wanted him gone, didn’t she?
* * *
“If I could only read one author this year
it would be DeWanna Pace.
Her stories always manage to touch my heart…”
—New York Times and USA TODAY
Bestselling Author Jodi Thomas
DEWANNA PACE is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author who lives in Texas with her husband and pets. She has published two dozen novels and anthologies, several of which have been chosen as book-club selections by Doubleday, Rhapsody, Book-of-the-Month, Woman’s Day and The Literary Guild. DeWanna combines her faith with her love of humor and historical romance. Let her show you the ways a heart can love.
The Daddy List
DeWanna Pace
In all thy ways acknowledge Him
and He shall direct thy paths.
—Proverbs 3:6
This book is dedicated to:
Jodi Thomas, Linda Broday, Phyliss Miranda and Gail Fortune.
Thanks for the years, the tears and the persistence that made this dream come true.
Most of all, thank the Lord for leading me to Shana Asaro and the crew at Love Inspired Books.
I’ll forever feel blessed.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dear Reader
Spring, 1868
Keeping her promise would wear Daisy Trumbo out before this was all over with, but keep it she would. With long strides she hurried down the planked sidewalk that led from the mercantile, where she’d been stocking up on supplies. According to a handful of outraged citizens, her seven-year-old daughter was over at the bank holding men hostage with a gun.
Daisy had agreed to consider every man her child chose to interview in the quest to gain a new father, but holding them prisoner until each passed or failed inspection was simply taking her newfound mission too far.
Where in this wild stretch of Texas had Ollie gotten her hands on a gun?
Daisy broke into a run, the hem of her skirt threatening to tangle with her long legs. If she managed to trip she’d leave these widow’s weeds in the dust so fast she’d show up in nothing but her bloomers. That would give her neighbors something to talk about.
She reached her destination without mishap. From the number of horses hitched outside the establishment, the banker had an unusual amount of customers this morning. Saturday often brought cowhands into town to collect their pay and waste it in the saloons. She’d been so busy at the mercantile she hadn’t noticed if the overland stage