“Something tells me I should make her watch Frozen more often than Nemo,” he grumbled. “That was perfectly good eating.”

Becca just chuckled and reached over to squeeze his knee. He put his hand over hers and rubbed her soft skin, and the world felt . . . right. He glanced down at Becca, feeling utterly content. “Hope you don’t mind if this is how we spend the morning.”

She smiled softly at him and squeezed his hand. “I don’t mind at all. My first appointment isn’t until one.” She turned to watch Libby playing at the edge of the shore and then gave him a thoughtful look. “Hank . . .”

“Yeah?”

“You said you wanted to do a big gesture for me, right?” She bit her lip and gazed up at him. “What if you enrolled Libby in pre-K? Just for the summer? It’d give her a chance to be with other kids her age, learn what school is like . . . I think she’d really enjoy it.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that school wasn’t necessary. That he was gonna be taking his daughter back to Alaska soon enough, which meant he’d be homeschooling her and teaching her things that were useful in the wild, like how to sharpen a knife when out in the wild or how to check over your snowmobile to ensure it wouldn’t break down on you out in the field. But Becca looked up at him with such earnest eyes that he didn’t have the heart to tell her no. It meant so much to her.

And wasn’t that everything he’d ever wanted for Libby? Not just for him but for his daughter? A mother that actually cared about what was best for her? Becca had never acted like his daughter was a nuisance to have around. She just always made room for her, even if it encroached on their private time together.

He hated the thought of sending Libby off to a stupid school all day. Thought it was pointless. But the teacher had said that Becca would appreciate a big gesture, and that he’d know what it was because he knew Becca.

So he sighed and gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll fill out the paperwork tonight.”

She bit her lip, smiling slyly at him. “Bring it over to my house and I’ll help.”

Something told him that paperwork wouldn’t be the only thing happening that evening. Hank grinned.

*   *   *

Days passed and they settled into a routine. Hank spent his days on the ranch, working alongside his brothers. Once the day’s chores were done, he drove into town and headed for Becca’s salon. They had dinner together at her house—and he cooked if she had an appointment that ran late and took the puppy out for walks.