A Nanny for the Cowboy Read online

  When she’d asked for the day off on Sunday, he’d immediately said yes. But the entire time she was gone, he wondered where she’d been, worried that he’d caused irreparable damage to their relationship, whatever that relationship had been. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore. He hadn’t been since Brayden’s stay in the hospital.

  But it was Monday now, and he’d planned to either tackle the problem or move past it. If he told her why he was late, it might make a difference. After all, it wasn’t his fault that Ned Porter had dumped half his trailer of round bales in the middle of the road. Then there was the gash on Ned’s leg that had needed attention, so a call to the fire station for an ambulance was needed, and being unable to get past the trailer and home—

  “It’s Monday,” she said, without looking his way, “so would it be possible to get my paycheck now?”

  Taken by surprise at her request, instead of being read the riot act for being late, he hurried to answer. “Sure. I made it out yesterday. Be right back.”

  It wasn’t until he had the check in hand and had started back to the kitchen that he noticed the boxes and suitcases near the door that led to the garage.

  “What are these?” he asked, stopping and pointing at them.

  “My things,” she answered, without looking up at him.

  His blood suddenly ran cold through his veins, and he had to force himself to speak. “What kind of things?”

  She opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. Without looking in his direction and focusing instead on opening the bottle, she said, “My things. My clothes and my belongings.”

  Determined not to think the worst, he returned to the kitchen and took a seat, but couldn’t bring himself to look at her. “Maybe you should tell me what’s going on.”

  “Yes, maybe I should.”

  Something in her voice made him look up. For a brief moment, he realized how vulnerable she was, but she quickly drew herself up and squared her shoulders, as if getting ready to do battle or something.

  “I’ve decided it would be best if I don’t stay at the ranch any longer.”

  He knew he shouldn’t be surprised, but the sudden dread he felt put him on guard. “You have, huh?”

  She looked him squarely in the eye. “Yes, I have.”

  Something about her—her voice or the way she stood straight and tall—poked at him like a stick. “Should I ask what brought you to this decision?”

  Her throat worked as she swallowed. “I think we both have a pretty good idea.”

  “You mean Friday night?”

  “That’s part of it.”

  Convinced this was nothing but her emotional reaction to what had happened, he chose to use logic. “There’s no reason to let the other night change anything. We can talk about it later, if you think we need to. As for tonight, I have a valid reason for being late.”

  She opened her mouth, as if to argue, but quickly closed it and shook her head. When she did finally speak, her gaze went right past him. “I’m sure that’s the way you see it.”

  He immediately took exception to her tone of voice and suddenly found himself on the defensive. “There were two of us there, as I remember it.”

  Now she did look at him. “I’m perfectly aware of that.”

  “Good,” he said, relieved that they agreed. Now they could put the whole incident in the past and get back to life as it should be. “I’ll take your things back upstairs for you.”

  “No.”

  He felt the tic in the corner of his mouth, a sure sign that his temper might soon get the better of him. He took a deep breath, ready to say whatever was needed to make her see reason.

  But Hayley obviously didn’t intend to be reasonable, as she moved around the counter and stood in front of him. “I take the blame for my part in what happened Friday night and that I insisted on living here from the beginning, in spite of the fact that you had doubts about it. Because of that and the fact that you’re home too late for me to bother going to class, I feel it’s my responsibility to make the necessary changes.”

  The cold dread he’d felt became icy anger. “And I suppose you’ve made some kind of a decision that involves moving out.”

  She nodded. “I’ll be living elsewhere, but I’ll continue to care for Brayden, until you can make other arrangements.”

  Anger wasn’t something he experienced very often, but at that moment, he was filled with it. “And if I ask you not to do this?”

  Shrugging, she turned away. “I don’t intend to change my mind or the plans I’ve had to make.”

  He shot to his feet, bumping the counter hard enough to make the glasses on it rattle. “No one made you change anything. No one except you. You didn’t have to change anything. A little thought, a little discussion with me about this, and maybe we could work this out. Instead, you made a decision that not only affects me, but my son.” In that moment, he knew that this came down to Brayden, not him, and he couldn’t let her walk away. “Did you even think about him?”

  He heard a sigh, then noticed that all the fight seemed to have gone out of her. “Of course I thought of Brayden,” she replied. “But I also have to think of myself.”

  “Seems to me that’s all you’ve been doing.”

  She spun around, her eyes flashing with anger. “Do you think I’m so coldhearted that I haven’t agonized over leaving him?”

  He knew she’d formed a strong bond with Brayden, but he couldn’t admit it, couldn’t show weakness, so he shrugged and said nothing.

  Her expression hardened, as her mouth turned down in a firm line. “You’ve never understood that I never planned to stay here permanently. Even as hard as it will be for me to leave Brayden, once I have my degree and have obtained a position with a doctor, I won’t be here, anyway. I told you that. But like Nathan, you think women don’t deserve a career.”

  “That’s not true!”

  She gave a halfhearted lift of one shoulder. “Maybe not, but it changes nothing.”

  She walked past him without even a glance, headed for the door at the other end of the large room. He followed her, determined to put a stop to this craziness.

  “I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” she announced when she stopped to pick up a folded paper on top of one of the boxes. Without a word, she handed it to him.

  “What’s this?” he asked, taking it from her and unfolding it.

  “My written resignation. As you can see, I’ll continue as Brayden’s nanny until you find someone else, but I won’t be living here. I also included a list of possible day care options that I’ve checked on.”

  Her voice was so matter-of-fact that he might have been surprised if he hadn’t been so angry that she hadn’t bothered to even discuss this with him in advance. Just like Kendra, she was walking out on Brayden.

  “You’re free to leave, anytime,” he said, barely able to form words. “And there’s no time like the present. Just don’t come back. Brayden and I will be fine.” He tossed the paper she’d given him to the top of the boxes.

  She stared at him, her eyes wide and her face pale. “All right, then.”

  He heard the wobble in her voice, and when she moved to pick up the paper, her hand trembled. At that moment, he didn’t care. All he knew was that he hurt. Brayden would hurt even more.

  Turning, he left her at the door and vowed to never let another woman hurt him or his son again.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I don�
�t know how to thank you and Kate for helping me find an apartment,” Hayley told the older woman with the short, white hair.

  Her gray eyes sparkling, Hettie Lambert dismissed the thanks with a wave of her hand, her thin bangle bracelets giving a soft jingle. “When Aggie Clayborne told me her niece had a friend looking for a place to live, I was happy the Commune had a vacancy.”

  “It’s only temporary.”

  Hettie patted her arm. “Temporary or permanent, we’re glad you’re here. And Ernie brought in some furniture for you, right?”

  Hayley nodded, wishing circumstances were different, but knowing she hadn’t had a choice except to leave Luke’s home. “I really appreciate everything everyone is doing. I can’t begin to repay you all.”

  “There’s no reason to. Now, what else can we help you with?”

  “I can’t think of anything,” Hayley answered. It was as truthful as she could be. She still felt the sting of Luke’s parting words, and she missed Brayden so much that she physically ached, but she knew from experience that time would take care of both.

  “Good. But if there’s anything you need—anything at all—let me know. I do have a little pull in this town,” Hettie added with a wink.

  Hayley assured her she would remember, thanked her again and headed to the apartment she’d rented from Ernie Dolan. Located in what had formerly been the Shadybrook Retirement Home, it had recently expanded with apartments for singles. She’d learned from Kate that the tenants and then the townspeople had long ago affectionately nicknamed it the Commune, and Hayley hadn’t needed to ask why. She couldn’t ever remember meeting so many people in one place who were eager to welcome her and offer help with anything.

  But she shouldn’t have been surprised. That was the way it was in Desperation. Sure, there were the same drawbacks of small-town living, but in Desperation, there were more positives. With a little encouragement from her new friends, she’d even started to give some thought to staying there and rethinking her plan to find a position in the city.

  When a knock on her door interrupted her thoughts and her pitiful attempt at decorating on less than a shoestring budget, she opened it to find Kate. “Time for lunch! Let’s go down to the Chick-a-Lick and grab a bite.”

  Hayley laughed. “You sound like your husband.”

  “Proof that he’s grown on me, I guess,” Kate replied with an unladylike snort. “Come on, put on your shoes and let’s go.”

  Taking a step back, Hayley shook her head. “I don’t want to risk running into Luke.”

  Kate planted her hands on her hips and frowned. “Are you going to let him dictate where you go and what you do?”

  “Well, he isn’t really dictating, exactly.”

  Throwing her hands in the air, Kate let out an exaggerated breath. “You can’t spend every minute in this apartment. Besides, what better way is there to show him that you’ve moved on than to be seen out and about?”

  Hayley considered it. In a short time, she’d come to like and admire Kate Clayborne McPherson. From things she’d heard, she suspected Kate didn’t let anyone dictate anything to her. Not even her husband, Dusty, who everyone knew worshipped her.

  “All right,” Hayley said, giving in with a laugh. “Let’s do lunch at the Chick-a-Lick, and to blazes with anyone who tries to stop us.”

  “Now you’re talking!”

  Forty-five minutes later, as they finished their lunch, Kate moved her plate out of the way, folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. “Paige is really shorthanded at the doctor’s office. Have you given any more thought to taking her up on her offer of a job there?”

  Hayley avoided her intense gaze. “A little.”

  “And?”

  Shaking her head, Hayley sighed. “I don’t know.”

  Kate leaned back in the booth, clearly exasperated. “Because you might run into Luke?”

  Fearing someone might have heard, Hayley glanced around the café. But those who were left from the earlier crowd weren’t paying a bit of attention to the two women in the back booth. “Not so much.”

  “You know, working there now, before you have your degree, doesn’t mean you have to stay there forever,” Kate said. “You can always take a PA position in the city. You wouldn’t be locked in here in Desperation.”

  Hayley nodded. “You’re right, but I’m just not sure what I want to do.”

  “Working with Paige as one of her nurses might be the best way to help you decide. You’ll either discover that you can’t stand small-town clinics or that it’s exactly what you’ve always wanted but didn’t realize it.”

  Hayley smiled. Kate made a good point. “You have something there. And with having to pay rent now, I could sure use the money.”

  “Then you’ll at least give it more thought?”

  Hayley’s smile widened. “Yes, I definitely will.”

  They finished their lunch, stopped at the cash register near the counter to pay their tab and chatted for a few minutes with the café’s manager.

  “We haven’t seen much of you,” Darla told Hayley.

  Hayley glanced at Kate before answering. “Maybe I’ll make it a habit to stop in, now that I’m living at the Commune.”

  Darla’s smile didn’t reveal if she knew anything about what had happened with Luke, nor did she ask. “That’s great! We not only welcome your patronage, but it’s even nicer to have a new friend.”

  Hayley thanked Darla for making her feel like a part of the community. As she and Kate stepped out the door and onto the sidewalk, Hayley spied a small boy down the street and immediately thought it was Brayden. When she realized it wasn’t him, disappointment filled her and she began to wonder how things were going. Had Luke found someone to watch over Brayden or was he keeping the little boy with him all the time?

  She turned to Kate and kept her voice low. “Have you heard how things are going with Brayden?”

  Kate nodded as they approached her car. “He’s in day care.”

  Hayley was surprised. It hadn’t been that long since Luke had mentioned there were no openings. “Oh! Something opened up then?”

  Reaching the car, Kate glanced up as she opened the door. “Yeah. You could say that.”

  Hayley had opened her door, but didn’t get in. “What does that mean?”

  Shrugging, Kate looked at her over the top of the car. “Before you were even moved into your apartment, Luke called to ask if I’d heard about any openings or anyone who might be willing to do some babysitting, even part-time. I didn’t, but I told him I’d ask around.”

  When Kate climbed into the car, Hayley did, too. On one hand, she knew that taking Brayden along to do the ranching wasn’t the best way to raise a child. On the other hand, she was surprised and a bit disappointed that Luke had found her replacement so quickly.

  “So you found something,” she said, as Kate started the car.

  “Well...”

  “Well?”

  Kate slowly turned her head to look at Hayley. “I called Libby and asked for a favor.”

  Hayley took a deep breath before asking, “Libby?”

  “She runs the new day care in town. Haven’t you met her?”

  “Not that I remember.”

  “Then you need to. She’s a very special woman, who came here with her son when they were on the run from her abusive ex-husband.”

  “How awful!” Hayley could only imagine what that might be like.

  Putting the car in gear, Kate backe
d out of the parking spot. “It all turned out okay. Libby and Garrett Miles were married on New Year’s Day. Garrett is not only the city attorney, but Paige’s brother.” She glanced at Hayley. “You might want to know that before you take that nursing job.”

  “You’re awfully certain that I’m going to work there.”

  Kate shrugged and stepped on the gas. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but in the short time we have, you strike me as an intelligent, giving woman. And unless you have something waiting for you right now, Paige’s offer is a good one. You’d be a fool to pass it up.”

  Hayley couldn’t argue with that. Besides, if she hadn’t planned on staying in Desperation, why had she rented an apartment? The truth was she liked it in Desperation. Really liked it. If it wasn’t for the problem of running into Luke, Desperation would be the perfect place for her.

  So why was she giving him so much power over her decision to stay?

  The question was the answer, and she leaned back in the seat, smiling. “Would you mind dropping me off at the doctor’s office, Kate? There’s something I need to do.”

  * * *

  “HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU’RE throwing those things.”

  The sound of Dylan’s voice caused Luke to look up and see his brother standing on the end of the hay trailer, hands on hips and a frown on his face. Round bales of hay were stacked behind him, along with the smaller, rectangular bales Luke was tossing up with the others. As soon as all of them were loaded, the bales would be taken to a neighbor, who’d lost his supply when lightning struck his hay shed.

  “Sorry,” Luke replied, then turned to grab the wire that held another bale together. He knew he should have his mind on what he was doing, but he hadn’t had much luck since Hayley had walked out five days before.