A Nanny for the Cowboy Page 18

“Hold on, will ya?” Dylan shouted, stopping Luke from heaving another bale at him. “Maybe we need to take a break. It’s getting close to lunchtime. Why don’t we clean up a little and grab a bite at the Chick-a-Lick?”

  Luke didn’t have any desire to go into Desperation. Even though he’d always enjoyed going to the local café, he preferred having lunch with Hayley and Brayden. But his son was spending the day with Dusty’s twin boys, and Hayley was— Gone. Hayley was gone, thanks to him.

  “Nah,” he answered. “Just bring me back something to eat.”

  Dylan jumped down from the trailer. “Nope. I’m not bringing anything back. If you want to eat, you have to come with me.”

  Luke started to argue, but thought better of it. He didn’t have an excuse Dylan would accept, so he shrugged and pulled off his work gloves. “Okay, I’ll go.”

  Dylan gave him a sound smack on the back, before taking off for the house. With a grunt of resignation Luke followed.

  He’d tried to keep from thinking about Hayley, but it wasn’t easy. Brayden had taken to checking the upstairs bedroom and the downstairs one, too, and it nearly broke Luke’s heart when he saw the sadness in his son’s eyes when he found both empty. He couldn’t even watch Brayden play with his toys, without thinking of how close he might have come to losing him. Hayley had stepped in and taken over, with ease and assurance.

  She’d come to mean a lot to both of them, and it was hard for him to believe that he’d almost not hired her because she was too pretty. Too pretty! As if she wasn’t smart and generous and everything a man with common sense could ask for in a woman. And he’d let her get away.

  The café was almost at capacity when Luke and Dylan arrived, but they found a small table along the back wall. It wasn’t long before they both knew what they wanted to order, but it was so busy, they had to wait for the waitress to work her way to their table. They didn’t mind. Saturday at the café was their chance to catch up on the news and talk to friends.

  “Busy today,” Dylan commented.

  Luke agreed with a nod, but said nothing.

  “Hey, boys. What can I get you?” the waitress asked, when she finally reached their table.

  “Looks like they’re keeping you on your toes today, Wendy,” Dylan said when they’d both given her their orders.

  “It’s been like this for the past hour.” She turned to Luke. “Where’s that nice lady you’ve been bringing with you?”

  “She, uh...” He glanced at Dylan, hoping for a little help, but his brother acted like he didn’t notice. Disgusted that his own flesh and blood wouldn’t come to his aid, he managed to think of an answer that would end any speculation about Hayley. “Brayden’s going to Libby’s day care place now. He really enjoys being with all the other kids.”

  “Oh, that’s great!” Wendy answered. “I’m sure he loves it.”

  “He does.” Luke didn’t add that Brayden had also loved Hayley, and both he and his son missed her desperately.

  After Wendy had taken their order and walked away, Luke steered their conversation to the ranch. It wasn’t long before Wendy returned with their food. When she was gone, Dylan picked up his knife and fork, paused, and then set them down again.

  “What?” Luke asked.

  “I was just...” His chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath and then let it out. “Do you think I keep to myself too much?”

  Luke looked to the counter where Wendy was manning the cash register. “She’s married, Dylan.”

  “What? Who’s married?”

  “Wendy,” Luke answered, nodding in her direction.

  Dylan leaned over the table. “Did I say anything about her?” he asked in a loud whisper.

  “Well, you said—”

  “I asked if you thought I keep to myself too much, not if I should ask somebody for a date.”

  “Why are you asking me this?”

  “Because I know you’ll tell me the truth.”

  Luke’s first thought was to quote a line from a well-known movie, but then he realized how serious his brother would take his answer. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if you got out a little more.”

  Dylan leaned back, nodding. “I figured you’d say that. It’s pretty much the same thing Erin said. Any ideas on how I should go about doing that?”

  Luke stared at him. “Not a one.”

  Nodding again, Dylan picked up his knife and fork. “This sure looks good.”

  Understanding that the brotherly talk was now over, Luke answered with, “It always is.”

  He felt better when the conversation returned to the ranch, and by the time they finished their lunch, they’d agreed on ways to handle several things coming up in the future. “Thanks for making me come along today,” he told Dylan as they walked to the cash register.

  “No problem. You’re paying, right?”

  For a second, Luke didn’t speak, and then he laughed as he stepped up to pay the bill. “You bet.”

  Darla took the money he handed her with her usual friendly smile. “Where’s Brayden today?”

  From behind him, he heard the answer. “He’s at our place.”

  Luke turned to acknowledge Dusty, who’d come in the door behind him.

  “I wondered if I’d run into you here,” Dusty said, and then turned to Darla. “I hope you still have some food left. Morgan’s right behind me.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “And I think Tanner’s on his way, too. The wives gave us the afternoon off. Kate usually has me doing things around the house for her on the weekends. Not today, though. I’m not sure what they’re up to, but I have a feeling we’ll learn, soon enough.”

  “They’re having their Saturday thing, remember?” Sheriff Morgan Rule said, joining them. “Trish was on the phone giving Hayley directions to our place as I was going out the door. You know how they are about those—”

  “Did you say Hayley?” Luke asked.

  Morgan turned to look at him. “Yeah. Hayley. The one who was your nanny.”

  “Brayden’s nanny,” Luke corrected. He looked at Darla, who had her head down. To Luke, it looked like she was wishing she wasn’t around. Surely Hayley wasn’t still in town. And if she was, just where the hell was she living? He hadn’t thought she knew many people in town, but that probably didn’t mean a whole lot in Desperation. She was more than likable and probably made friends easily.

  But if she was in town, he wanted to know why no one had told him that she hadn’t left. Behind him, he heard Tanner O’Brien greet him and his brother, but he let Dylan answer for both of them, while he stood at the counter, the old cash register separating him from Darla. She had the opportunity to hear most of what went on in town and might have the answers he needed.

  “What do you know, Darla?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

  She slowly raised her head. “More than you do, obviously, Luke Walker.”

  “Is she living in town?”

  She hesitated, her mouth twisted in a disgusted frown. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but you’d find out soon enough, I’m sure. She’s living in town, but that’s all I’m going to tell you, so don’t bother asking me anything else.”

  He was about to ask if she had the address, but it was pretty clear Hayley didn’t want to be found, at least by him.

  He took a step back, unable to sort through the feelings that were making him a little crazy. “You’re right. I’d find out, sooner or later. But thanks for that much.”

 
Outside in the pickup, he still couldn’t think clearly. He was relieved to know Hayley hadn’t completely walked out of his life. But she sure hadn’t bothered to let him know that she was still around.

  “You really miss her, don’t you?”

  Luke turned to look at his brother, who was driving. “I— You wouldn’t believe how much Brayden misses her.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Luke. You two had something special going on, and it wasn’t just the employer-employee thing. I don’t know what you did to screw it up, but—”

  “Me? Why do you think it was me?”

  “Just a hunch.” The inside of the truck was silent for several seconds. “So what are you going to do about it?”

  Luke shook his head. “I don’t know. She’s just...She’s one of a kind.”

  “Yup. So why don’t you do something?”

  There was no doubt left in Luke’s mind or his heart that somewhere along the way over the past couple of months, he’d fallen in love with Hayley Brooks. He loved her. Brayden loved her. It was as simple as that.

  “I don’t know what to do,” he admitted.

  “Well, I may not know much about matters of the heart,” Dylan began, speaking slowly and carefully, “but I do know that if I were you, I’d do something pretty damn fast.”

  “Like what?”

  “I can’t answer that. Only you can. But I will tell you, little brother, that you’re a fool if you don’t go after that woman and ask her to marry you.”

  Luke thought about it for a minute. “Yeah, but I don’t know how.”

  * * *

  PAIGE PERCHED ON THE EDGE of the small desk in her tiny office just off the waiting room. “You’re going to make a fine PA, Hayley. I can’t believe you’ve caught on so fast to everything here, and in such a short time.”

  Embarrassed, Hayley ducked her head. “Thanks. You’re a great doctor to work for. I can’t believe I didn’t take you up on the offer sooner. Have you heard anything about the new hospital?”

  Shaking her head, Paige sighed. “Garrett said the going is slow. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. There’s so much red tape involved. I just don’t understand why the powers that be can’t see how badly it’s needed. We could do so much more for so many in a hospital setting.” She looked toward the door and moved from the desk. “Cara, have you seen Jenny? I thought she planned to pick up our lunches at the café.”

  “Oh, dear.” The office manager offered an apologetic smile. “Betty called and said there was a package waiting for us at the post office. I just sent Jenny to pick it up.” She looked back over her shoulder toward the reception area. “I suppose I could go, but we have patients waiting and—”

  “It’s all right, Cara. We’ll take care of it.” Paige turned to look at Hayley. “Would you mind? Normally I wouldn’t ask, but we have such a full day.”

  Hayley smiled. “I don’t mind at all. Is it a big order?” she asked Cara.

  “Well, there’s Dr. Paige, Jenny, you and myself,” Cara answered. “Oh, and Fran. Darla usually packs it all in a box for us, but it isn’t usually heavy or anything.”

  “It’s not a problem,” Hayley assured her. “I’ll be back with it as quickly as I can.”

  “Thanks, Hayley,” Paige called to her, as she hurried into the hallway to run the errand.

  In the reception area, she slowed. “Trish? Is everything all right?”

  Trish raised her blond head from the magazine she was reading and smiled when she saw Hayley. “Just fine. It’s time for my, uh, yearly checkup.”

  “I must have missed seeing your name in the book.”

  “Oh, Cara squeezed me in. Earlier. When I called,” Trish explained.

  Hayley sensed something wasn’t quite right, but didn’t have time to ask more. “I need to run an errand. I’ll give you a call later.”

  Trish nodded. “Yes. Good. Call me later.”

  Giving her head a little shake and blaming the weirdness on the fact that she’d only had a cinnamon roll for breakfast, Hayley hurried along the sidewalk. Every now and then, she’d see someone passing by in a car, and she’d return the friendly greetings. That’s what she liked about Desperation, and she soon reached the café.

  As usual, the Chick-A-Lick was doing a brisk business, even though it wasn’t Saturday. She didn’t stop in very often. Not yet. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she’d run into Luke there. When that time came, she hoped to be able to handle it. Just to be certain, while she waited at the register to ask about the order for the clinic, she looked around to make sure he wasn’t sitting in one of the booths or at a table. To her relief, she didn’t see him.

  “Hi, Hayley.”

  She turned with a smile for Darla. “Is it always this busy during the week?”

  Darla’s smile was slow and reached her eyes before it hit its widest. “Sometimes. It all depends. Now what can I do for you?”

  “Jenny had to run to the post office, so I’ve come to pick up the order for the doctor’s office.”

  Darla nodded and leaned down, disappearing for a moment. When she straightened, she put a large box on the counter. Opening the flaps, she looked inside, then quickly closed them again. “Here you are. Now the drinks are in the middle. The dinner trays usually keep them pretty stable.”

  “There should be five orders,” Hayley said, as she reached to open the box.

  Darla brushed her hands away and placed her own on top of the box. “All there. I saw to them myself.” She glanced toward the door. “And just look. There’s someone here to help you.”

  Hayley turned around, just as Luke stepped into the café. Not sure what to say, she took a step back and then addressed Darla, as if Luke wasn’t there. “I—” She cleared her throat and made sure she spoke loud enough for him to hear her. “I can manage on my own.”

  Picking up the box, which felt entirely too light to contain five dinners and drinks, she squared her shoulders and tried her best to ignore that Luke was blocking her way to the door.

  “I’ll take that for you,” he said, stepping up and relieving her of the box.

  “No, I—”

  But he was putting the box on the nearest table and paying no attention to her. “Afternoon, Gerald.”

  The man raised a finger to touch the bill of his gimme cap. “It’s shapin’ up to be a fine one, I believe.”

  “I hope so,” Luke answered. Turning, he looked directly at Hayley and placed his hands on her shoulders. “We need to talk.”

  “Not now,” she whispered. “I— I need—”

  “There are no lunches in the box, Hayley. And if you’ll just listen to me, this won’t take but a minute.”

  She knew her mouth was hanging open. “It’s empty?”

  “Afraid so.” When she started to move away, he blocked her. “If you look behind me, there are some friends who are going to make sure I get the minutes I’m requesting.”

  “Requesting?” she asked, her voice rising. “This is how you request?”

  “Now calm down. Like I said, it’ll only take a minute.”

  Angry and a little frightened, Hayley turned to Darla for support. But Darla was gone.

  “One minute, Hayley. That’s all I’m asking.”

  She refused to look directly at him and pressed her lips together to keep from saying anything...as if she could focus on something to say with his hands moving slowly up and down her arms.

  “I just want to tell you how so
rry I am,” he said, not bothering to keep his voice down. “I never had any intention of taking advantage of you—”

  “Luke!” Her gaze met his. “Everyone is watching. And listening.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “But—”

  “Hey, Luke, why don’t you try kissing her?” Dusty, standing guard at the door, suggested.

  “Yeah, it worked for Dusty,” someone in the corner of the café shouted.

  Hayley couldn’t believe what was happening. “Don’t you dare, Luke Walker. Not with all these people—”

  But she couldn’t finish. His lips were on hers in a kiss she couldn’t fight, even if she’d wanted to.

  “Now you’re on the right track,” Dusty announced. “What do you think, folks?”

  “Got a rope on ya, Dusty?” Gerald asked. “You know, just in case.”

  “Nah, it’d take too long to get it out of my pickup, and I don’t want to miss anything.”

  Slowly, Luke ended the kiss, but he didn’t let go of her. Hayley stared at the crowd around them, and then looked at Luke to see him grinning down at her.

  “I think I can get it done without a rope,” he said, “but thanks for the offer.”

  Hayley saw movement behind Dusty, and Kate stepped out. “Just give in and agree to whatever he says, Hayley. Once they have their minds made up, Desperation men don’t give up.”

  From farther away, she heard Trish add, “I’ll give that a solid second.” Friendly laughter filled the café.

  “Luke—”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ve probably done enough harm, but...” He looked around at the crowd and announced, “I think we need to take this private.”

  There was a loud, collective groan, along with some grumbling. He ignored it as he slipped an arm around her and steered her past the long counter to a tiny hallway, where he knocked on a closed door. “Could we borrow your office?”

  The door opened to reveal a grinning Darla. “I wondered how long it was going to take you,” she said, looking from one to the other. Then she scooted past them into the hall. “It’s all yours. Just don’t steam up the windows.” Stopping, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed and calculating. “Shoot. There aren’t any windows.”