The Rancher Next Door

Yet, anyway.

Chapter Two

“This box is marked bath towels, but it’s full of Christmas ornaments.” Ava held up a giant cupcake ornament. The pink-and-green icing sparkled under the light from the dusty ceiling fan overhead as it twirled from her finger.

Caley propped her favorite—and only—painting against the living room wall and strode across the matted carpet to peer inside Ava’s box. “You’re right. I must have mixed them up last time I packed. So I guess the box marked ornaments is full of—”

“Dish towels?” Ava supplied.

Caley grinned. “I was going to guess silverware.”

Ava snorted. “How often do you move, anyway?” She held a smaller box up for Caley to see how worn the bottom was. “Some of these boxes look...tired.”

That was putting it nicely. “Pretty often. I like to travel, keep things interesting.” More like keep from feeling too much, remembering. Regretting.

“That sounds like fun.” Ava nestled the cupcake ornament back into the tissue paper, and folded the box shut. “We hardly ever leave the ranch. I know Dad would never move anywhere.”

“What about vacations?” Caley found a box marked cleaning supplies and dug inside for a duster to clean the fan. She came up with a hammer instead, which she laid on the floor beside her beloved picture of a firefighter. She’d hang it later. “Do you and your dad ever take trips together?”

“We went to Dallas last year for a weekend, and he bought me some new shoes.” Ava closed the ornament box and set it gently against the far wall, out of the way.

Dallas? That was maybe four hours away. Not much of a vacation—especially considering Brady could get Ava shoes at Walmart one county over. No wonder Ava and her dad seemed so strained. Did he ever take time away from the ranch to just hang out with her?

But it really wasn’t Caley’s business—however much she wanted to make it so. Don’t get involved. You’re not going to be here long enough to make it count. Story of her life. But it was safer that way. The fewer people whose lives she impacted personally, the better off they were. She’d stick to saving lives via the anonymity of the fire department. The emotional connections she’d leave up to someone else.

“I’ve been asking for a trip to Disney World for my birthday next year, but Dad says he can’t leave the ranch for that long. Not even with Uncle Max here to help.” Ava tossed a red throw pillow onto the worn blue love seat and shrugged as though it didn’t matter.

But Caley knew from experience it did. Would things have been different between her and her own father growing up if he’d invested time in the little things after Mom left? Into the fun stuff that made memories? Instead, Caley grew up and had to go make her own memories alone. The first time she skydived, she’d been about ready to lose her breakfast inside the plane, but the thrill of the adventure to come pressed her forward. Why couldn’t her father have ever taken the opportunity to be spontaneous? To trust? To live?

He couldn’t do any of those things now, not from the Broken Bend graveyard twelve miles up the road. Regret rolled over in its familiar spot in her stomach. Her childhood might not have been ideal, but she still wished she had been given one more chance to redeem it.

Hopefully it wasn’t too late for her and Nonie.

“You must really like firefighters.” Ava lifted a decorative candle engraved with the Maltese cross from a box and wiggled it at Caley, shaking her from her negative track of thoughts. “First that giant picture, now this.”

“That’s because I am one.” She winked and set the candle on a shelf built above the TV stand.

“Awesome.” Ava stared at Caley with newfound respect.

She bit back a snort. Too bad adults weren’t as easily impressed with female firefighters.

Ava continued with her awestruck gaze. “Do you really put fires out and everything?”

“Yes, and help people who are hurt.” She took the lid off a flat storage bin and grinned at Ava. “Hey, I found the silverware.”

Ava scooted over to her and rummaged through the box. “And your alarm clock.” She giggled.

“Next move, I’ll be better organized.” Definitely couldn’t be worse. She hefted the box onto her hip and moved into the open kitchen to begin loading the drawers. “Why don’t you go plug the clock into the outlet by the mattress?” She didn’t own an actual bed; it was too complicated since she moved so often. A mattress on the floor with a pile of her grandmother’s old-fashioned quilts worked just as well, and the early memories those blankets stirred up kept her warmer than any down comforter could.

“You should definitely get more organized, but I hope you don’t move again soon.” Ava hesitated in the doorway separating Caley’s bedroom from the living room. She ducked her head a little, the expression in her eyes cautious, yet sincere. “You’re really fun.” She offered a slight smile before disappearing around the corner with the clock.

Caley’s hands stilled on the pile of silverware she’d been separating into the divider. She didn’t know how long she’d have to stay in Broken Bend, but it wouldn’t do anyone any good to get attached. Still, something about Ava drew her like a magnet—or maybe more like a mama duck to a duckling. She’d read enough self-help books over the years, though, to know that butting into Ava’s life in some pathetic effort to make up for her own childhood wouldn’t accomplish anything.

And as for Ava’s dad—well, Caley couldn’t think about that particular connection. Mama duckling was one thing, but the attraction she’d felt at first sight for Brady McCollough was certainly nothing to pursue. She’d do everyone a favor if she kept to herself and stayed as invisible as possible while she did her time in Broken Bend. Soon enough she’d be somewhere else, a distant memory of a fun neighbor Ava once had. Maybe she could leave some good behind her before she went.

But she was definitely going.

“Look what I found! Kitchen towels!” Ava rushed into the kitchen with a box labeled dishes in bold marker and grinned.

“Good job, detective. They can go in here.” Caley laughed as she pulled open a drawer, and Ava began filling it with the assortment of mismatched rags.

The younger girl paused and squinted, lips twitched to one side. “So do you think the box marked dishes will have bathroom towels in it?”

“You know what?” Caley shut the silverware drawer with her hip and wrapped one arm around Ava, joy filling her heart despite her earlier reservations. She squeezed Ava tight and grinned, determined not to let the inevitable spoil the moment. “I think you’re catching on.”

* * *

Brady knocked on Caley’s front door, then stepped back while he waited. Scooter pranced at his feet, shamelessly begging for a treat. Caley must have left him outside while they unpacked. From the holes the dog had already dug in the poor excuse for a flowerbed by the porch, that had probably been a good idea.

Loud laughter suddenly rang from inside the house, followed by a blast of country music. Brady frowned and knocked again. Mary would have supper ready any minute, and after the afternoon he had spent on the phone, scrambling to find a temporary babysitter, he was ready to sit, eat—and pray for mercy.

The door swung open, offering a rush of boot-scootin’ lyrics and Ava’s wide white grin. But her face morphed into panic as their eyes locked. “Dad! I was going to come home on time, I promise.” She looked at her wrist, but must have forgotten her watch, because her arm was bare. She rubbed the spot it should have rested and turned pleading eyes to him.

The anxiety in her expression chafed Brady’s heart, and he cleared his throat. He knew they hadn’t been exactly close lately, but was she actually afraid of making him mad over little things now? He would have never given himself a Dad of the Year award, but this realization stung. When had he gotten so bad?

“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.” He plucked a dust bunny off Ava’s shirtsleeve and wiped it on his jeans. “Looks like you’ve been working hard.”

“We both have. It was fun—like a treasure hunt.” Ava’s face lit back up as though he’d plugged it in, and jealousy sparked in his stomach. His daughter had more fun with a near stranger in two hours’ time than she did with him. Though he couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent two hours in a row doing something with her other than chores—or fussing.

Ava slipped outside, half shutting the door to block the music from within. “And Caley has this really funny way of labeling boxes. You wouldn’t believe—”

Brady interrupted. “Miss Caley. She’s an adult.”

“Yes, sir.” Ava’s shoulders slumped, light extinguished. “I won’t forget again. Sorry.”

“It’s not—” Brady rubbed his fingers down his cheeks, frustration rising inside. He wanted to tell her not to apologize, not to think of him as an ogre, but he couldn’t find the words. So he dropped his hands to his sides and shrugged. “Listen, I’m sure you’ve done a great job for Miss Caley. I just wanted to walk you home, since it’s getting dark now. Supper’s ready.”

Ava nodded, though she still didn’t light up like she had before. Was the thought of going home that disappointing? His throat tightened into a knot. “Let me just tell Caley—I mean, Miss Caley—that I’m leaving.”

Brady stepped over the threshold, following Ava inside the house, and turned the corner of the short entranceway in time to see Caley standing on a dining room chair, dusting the ceiling fan with a feathery contraption on a stick. She swung her hips in time to the music still blaring from what had to be the world’s oldest stereo, perched on the dining table by the kitchen door. Brady couldn’t help the grin sliding across his face, and he leaned against the door frame, content to watch. Maybe supper could wait for some things.

“Miss Caley?” Ava cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled louder. “Miss Caley!”

Caley turned around with a jerk, balancing herself by catching a fan blade in one hand. Her eyes landed on Brady, and she flushed. “Oh, hey.” She grinned, cheeks flaming as Ava ran to turn down the music. “Um, I found the duster.” She wielded it as proof, whatever that thing was. Good thing Mary took care of the cleaning around the ranch house, though Brady had certainly never seen her do that.

He ambled upright and crossed his arms over his chest. “I see you’ve both been busy.” And had probably accomplished a lot more than he had, running into dead end after dead end in the babysitting department. The teens that his church secretary recommended were too young for his comfort level, and the older ladies had too many stipulations and couldn’t conform to his needed schedule. Looked as though he’d be calling an agency next—but what were the odds that residents of a small town like Broken Bend signed up for those organized programs? Would a nanny be willing to commute to town almost every day?

Caley hopped down from the chair, breaking his stressful chain of thought, and Brady mentally kicked himself for not having offered his hand to help her. Everything about Caley seemed so confident and capable, though, that it took him off guard. His wife had definitely been the opposite.

“We’ve gotten a lot done, though it still looks like a wreck.” She grinned. “I’m used to it, though. It always takes making a bigger mess before you get it clean.”

No doubt about that. His life could be a prime example. But he wasn’t interested in sorting through the rubble. He’d done that for years without seeing results—positive ones, anyway. He sat through church these days for Ava’s sake, and Ava’s sake alone. She needed the foundation, but his had long since crumbled.

Brady cleared his throat. “Ava and I need to get home for supper. It’s going to be the last decent one we have for a while.” Oops. He hadn’t meant to let that slip. He must be more tired than he thought.

Ava’s eyes narrowed with suspicion—probably because she knew he couldn’t boil a pot of water to save anyone’s life. “No luck finding me a sitter?”

“Not yet.” He ran a hand over his jaw, the stubble whisking across his palm. “I’m going to have to—”

“What about Caley?” The sparkle in Ava’s eyes burst into a roaring flame of hope as she brought both hands up to her chin in a pleading position. “I mean, Miss Caley.”

“Me?” Caley pulled slightly away from Ava to look at her more directly, overly dramatized shock radiating from her eyes. “Babysit? You?”

Ava’s face fell. “Is it that bad of an idea?”

Yes. Brady opened his mouth to speak the truth, to tell Ava that there was no way Caley needed to come over to their house—his domain—and take care of them. Feed them. Clean up after them.

Invade his territory with her cinnamon scent and uncanny ability to stir feelings long dormant.

“I’m kidding!” Caley laughed and hip-bumped Ava, who bounced off her side, giggling. “I think it’s a perfect idea!” Then she sobered. “As long as your dad thinks so, of course.” As if on cue, both of them linked arms and turned doe eyes on him.

Perfect idea? More like the worst. He needed a kind older woman who was in agreement with his firm rules for Ava—not a hip young woman who acted more like Ava’s older sister than an adult. Ava didn’t need fun right now. She needed structure. Security.

Safety.

So did he. One look at the playful pout turning down Caley’s full lips, and safe was the last thing Brady felt. Something about Caley seemed way too dangerous. Not in an ax-murderer-next-door kind of way, but in a she’s-gonna-weasel-into-your-heart kind of way. He hadn’t thought much about romance since Jessica’s death—who had the time between the frequent guilt trips and running a ranch?—but Caley’s teasing eyes and trim figure coaxed to life embers he’d thought long dead. Being around her any more than necessary seemed incredibly risky.

And he didn’t take risks.

“It’s not just babysitting, Ava. It’s cooking and housekeeping, too.”

Caley shrugged. “I’m still in.”

He started shaking his head, mind racing through the implications of letting Caley that close, until Ava piped up once again. “Dad, who else is there to hire at the last minute? Miss Caley just said today that she needed to find a job soon. This works for everyone!”

It did, didn’t it? How did one argue against such youthful logic? Brady began to wish he’d just stayed outside with Scooter instead of being ganged up on by two insistent females. But maybe the idea was a decent one. He’d be outside most of the time, anyway, and Ava and Caley already had an evident bond. He’d just been thinking that it’d be good for Ava to have a womanly influence. Just because Caley wasn’t blue-haired and bifocaled didn’t mean she couldn’t be a positive role model. She was here to take care of her sick grandma, after all. And she was obviously capable.

“I do need the work, and with it being temporary, it seems ideal.” Caley’s curved eyebrows rose with prompting. “I have nanny experience from college, and I’m a licensed EMT.”

Well, he wouldn’t find better credentials than that through the church.

His gaze darted to his daughter, whose pleading expression froze the rest of his resistance. He couldn’t tell her no again. If spending time with Caley made Ava happy, he’d find a way to survive the next few weeks. How hard could it be? At least he’d get a hot meal without having to order pizza every night for the next month. And who knew—maybe he and Caley could be friends.

Just friends.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me.” Brady held up both hands to fend off Ava’s excited squeal as she jumped up and down. “Caley, you can start Monday. Ava is out from school the first half of next week for teacher conferences, so she can show you the ropes at the house. And to be fair, I’ll pay you what I was paying Mary.” He named the figure, and Caley nodded with approval.

“I’d have done it for less.” She winked, and Ava laughed out loud. Brady bit back a groan. He was in trouble, all right. Trouble with a capital C.

Yet as he caught the two blondes’ excited high five, he decided trouble couldn’t come in a cuter package.

Chapter Three

Caley really hoped she didn’t regret this.

She stared up at the beautiful, sprawling Double C ranch house and paused before knocking on the solid oak door. Birds chirped a welcoming chorus she wasn’t certain Brady would agree with. His hesitation at hiring her had caught her off guard. Was it just because she was a near stranger? If he was worried about that, though, he wouldn’t have let Ava help her unpack for a few hours. So if not safety or trust, then was it her ability? Maybe he doubted her capability in the house. Well, she’d show him. She might not be a gourmet chef, but she’d learned some good recipes over the years of her life on the go, and she obviously knew how to wield a duster.

She straightened her spine and knocked. For her first day, she’d whip up Nonie’s secret-ingredient chocolate chip cookies. That’d show him.

But why she felt such a strong urge to prove herself to Brady—impress him, even, if she was honest—she couldn’t say.

The door flew open, and Ava’s beaming smile swept away Caley’s insecurities. She wasn’t here for Brady, cookies or not, approval or not. She was here for this sweet little girl who needed quality care and a positive female influence in her life. As long as she remembered that, they’d be just fine. She’d get a paycheck while waiting to hear about a job from the fire department, and Ava would get plenty of girl time.

Brady would probably just get a headache, but that was his own fault.

“Come on in!” Ava practically squealed as she grabbed Caley’s arm and pulled her through the doorway. “I cleaned my room. Dad told me I had to. I think he didn’t want to scare you off before you even started.”

She giggled, and the enthusiasm in her expression made Caley almost want to go back and agree to babysit for free, after all. But she enjoyed electricity and food.

“Sounds good. Let’s go see it.” She squeezed Ava’s hand and followed the girl toward the straight staircase leading up to the second floor. On her way, she cast a quick glance over the nearly suffocatingly pristine living room. Full bookshelves surrounded the TV on both sides, the top shelves reserved for an obviously cherished collection of bronze horse and cowboy statues. The furniture, while not new by any means, seemed as if it’d been kept up neatly. Caley made a mental note—no snacking in the living room. A worn but clean rug covered the hardwood floor under a dark-chocolate-colored coffee table, yet hardly any art decorated the walls besides a lone school picture over a side table near the front door. Talk about a man’s domain.

A neat-freak man, at that.

Ava’s room was a different story. In fact, Caley would have loved to have seen it before she cleaned it. It would’ve been like viewing a train wreck. Trash spilled from the overflowing purple wastebasket beside a short desk probably meant for homework, but covered in the remnants of an abandoned art project. Novels and textbooks on horses and farm animals were stacked haphazardly beside—not on—the short purple bookshelf, and a herd of stuffed animals grazed at all angles atop the wrinkled, crooked, purple-and-green floral bedspread. Toys peeked from beneath the bed, and a jumble of puzzle pieces had been shoved under the desk. Every drawer on the dresser was partially open with clothes hanging out.

While the room definitely needed more attention, Caley couldn’t help but smile at the ways Ava and her father were so drastically different—and yet cringe at the myriad ways this would inevitably cause more problems between the two of them. Maybe she could somehow help Ava find a balance between being herself and pleasing her father.

“What do you think?” Ava spun a slow circle in the center of her room, eyes narrowed critically. “Dad said he’d hang those glow-in-the-dark stars above my bed soon, but he hasn’t yet.”

“I think that would be awesome.” Caley moved to perch on the edge of the bed and looked up. “They’d be perfect right there.” She pointed.

“I concur.” Brady’s deep voice broke the silence as he peered around the door frame at them, his dark hair falling across his forehead without the presence of his cowboy hat. Caley ignored the tingles in her stomach. “But I told Ava she had to keep her room clean enough to see the ceiling first.”

“Da-ad.” Ava’s tone stretched the word into several syllables, tinted with embarrassment. “It’s not that bad. See?” She gestured around the room, and Caley suddenly realized the closet door actually bulged a little.

“It’s been worse.” Brady crossed his arms across the front of his plaid work shirt, muscles cording beneath the rolled-up sleeves. “But it’s been better. I don’t want you to put this off on Miss Caley. She’s here to clean for us, but that’s just basic upkeep.” His penetrating gaze registered on her, drawing her in despite her initial reserve. “I don’t expect you to clean to this degree.” An unfamiliar twinkle slowly lit his expression. “I don’t think a landfill worker could be expected to clean to this degree.”

“I don’t mind.” The words slipped from her lips before she could edit them, and she told herself it was just because of her desire to see Ava and her dad get along—and not based on any desire to make him happy personally. Caley shook her head. What was wrong with her? She’d better curb this one-sided attraction now. Brady was essentially her boss—at least until the fire department let her know what was going on. She still needed to put in some volunteer hours—not to mention spend time with her grandmother, the sole reason she was back in this town in the first place. Somehow, she’d work it all in. She had to keep her eye on the greater goals—future employment with the fire department and quality time with her blood family.

Regardless of the immediate future, this arrangement with Brady—no, Ava—was most definitely temporary.

She forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look as fake as it felt, as she stood up from the bed. “It’ll be fine. Ava and I can make it into a project.” She’d need to borrow a wheelbarrow. And that big green tractor she saw parked outside earlier. But she liked taking risks. She cast another glance at the closet door. Big risks. “What do you say, Ava?”

Ava shrugged good-naturedly. “Whatever it takes to get my stars. Besides, it’d be much more fun to do it with you than with—” Her voice trailed off as she shot a glance at her father and looked quickly away, red tinting her cheeks.

Brady’s gaze darted to the ground, then back up, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “I just came in to say hi and welcome.” He nodded, all hint of his former teasing gone from his eyes. “If you need anything, Ava can help you find it, or you can holler at me later. I’ll be in for dinner at six-thirty.”

He was gone from sight before he even finished speaking the words, yet the hurt in his tone lingered long after.

Caley waited, wondering if Ava would address the new elephant in the room, but the young girl simply pressed her lips together into a tight line and released a sigh through her nose. She clearly hadn’t meant to hurt her dad’s feelings, but as Caley well knew, sometimes honesty drove a sharp knife. Hopefully Brady wouldn’t take it personally. What ten-year-old girl wouldn’t rather clean her room with her new babysitter than with her rule-bearing father?

Somehow, though, the tension in the room suggested a lot more behind the scenes than that.

“Time to clean, huh?” Ava’s dismal voice suggested she’d rather go muck out the stalls in the barn—and judging from their past conversations, she’d literally prefer it. But her dad wouldn’t allow her to venture toward the animals. Did they agree on anything?

Caley gathered her inner resolve. She’d do whatever she could to make this fun for them both. She nodded, shoving her hands in her back pockets and feigning a grave expression. “I believe so. Why don’t you show me where the trash bags are?” She waited until Ava caught her eye, then she winked. “And I’ll find the chocolate.”