The Rancher, the Baby & the Nanny

“I have them in my purse,” she replied.

“Don’t stop with Megan!” Wyatt said hastily, grateful for the baby’s silence and apparent contentment.

“Tell me more about the job,” Grace suggested.

“I’ll be in and out. I have an office here and will have people out here sometimes when I’m working. Other times I’ll be in Stallion Pass or in San Antonio. I’ll have some trips to make. I don’t know whether you know anything about my background or not…” He paused and looked at her questioningly.

“Very little,” she replied.

“A brief family history so you’ll know why I have Megan. My mother died when I was a child. My father raised me and my two brothers. I’m the youngest. Jake, my oldest brother, was killed when he was in high school. Last year my father died.”

“I’m sorry,” Grace said.

Wyatt stiffened. “We weren’t close,” he said. “Megan is my other brother’s child. Hank and his wife, Olivia, were killed recently when their small plane crashed. They left wills appointing me as Megan’s guardian.”

“I’m glad she has you,” Grace said, and he shot her a curious glance.

“Did you grow up in this part of the country?” he asked. No one who’d known him in the past would be pleased that Megan had become Wyatt’s charge. Wyatt knew only too well the reputation he’d left behind.

“Yes. I’ve lived in San Antonio all my life.”

“And you have a friend in Stallion Pass who’s told you about me?”

“Yes, I do. Virginia Udall.”

“I don’t remember her.” Wyatt wondered to what lengths Grace Talmadge would go to get the job. “You must really want this job, Miss Talmadge,” he said, unable to keep the sharp cynicism out of his voice. “Most people in Stallion Pass aren’t happy that I’m Megan’s guardian. My deceased sister-in-law’s family is threatening legal proceedings to take Megan from me.”

Grace raised her head, and her green gaze met his with that unwavering look that held his attention totally. “I can easily see you love your niece and have her best interests at heart.”

“Well, you’re in a minority. You also have no idea how I deal with her. Maybe I take her to bars with me. You don’t know what I do.”

Grace smiled. “You would never take this baby into a bar, and I bet you put her first in your life. Am I right?”

The woman was challenging him in her own quiet way. He realized his first judgment about her immaturity was inaccurate—something that rarely happened where women were concerned.

“You’re right, I wouldn’t take her into a bar and I already love her as if she were my own. For a novice, you’re doing all right,” he observed.

Grace glanced at Megan who had snuggled down on her shoulder, her brown eyes wide open. “She’s a beautiful baby.”

“Yes, she is,” he said, a soft note entering his voice. “Want me to take her?”

“I’m fine and she’s happy. Go ahead and sit down.”

Wyatt was amused. Grace Talmadge sounded as if this was her house and he was the one being interviewed. As he sat, he arched a brow and tilted his head. “If you were to take this job and move in, since we’re both young, rumors will start. Are you prepared for that?”

She smiled at him as if he were a child with a ridiculous problem. “I have no worries about rumors. My grandparents and my parents are in Bolivia, a little far away to hear rumors. My sisters and my friends know me, and I know myself. I don’t care about anyone else or any silly rumors.”

“So you hadn’t heard wild rumors about me before you came out here?”

“I have heard some things. If you had lived up to them, I would have been gone by now, but you have been nothing but a gentleman.”

Wyatt had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. “You tempt me to throw the gentlemanly facade to the winds, but I have Megan to think about, so the order of the day is to keep this impersonal and professional. One more reason I was in hopes of finding someone older. She would be more settled. There wouldn’t be this temptation to flirt with you.”

“Oh, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that at all. Men like you aren’t tempted to flirt with women like me,” she assured him.

“If I’d kept this interview professional, I’d skim right past that, but somehow we slid out of professional a little while ago. Men like me?”

“You’re experienced and sophisticated. I imagine you like women who share your interests. I’m bookish, straitlaced and a lot of things that don’t attract sophisticated men. Flirting will be no problem, not for me and not for you. Now, how soon did you want your nanny to start?”

“As soon as possible,” he said, once again amused. In her own mild way, Grace was still taking charge, and she had neatly answered his question and taken them back into an impersonal interview.

“I want someone for the long term, not a continual turnover of nannies that will cause more upheaval in Megan’s life,” he said.

“You have no guarantees of a long-term employee with anyone you hire. An older woman could have something happen where she would have to quit just as easily as a younger one. I’m dependable. I told you, I brought references. My college grades are a 4.0 and my attendance in college and at work was and is excellent,” Grace replied, patting Megan’s back as she rocked steadily.

“Do you mind if I contact your current employer?”

“He doesn’t know I’m applying for this, but it would be fine for you to call him. Along with my references, I’ll give you his telephone number.”

“Maybe we better get down to details,” he said, leaning back and stretching out his long legs. “You would be on duty Monday through Friday, all the time, although when I’m here, I’ll spend my evenings with Megan. I want a live-in nanny who will be a stand-in for the mother Megan lost. You’ll live out here. Weekends are your own. No boyfriends on the ranch, no wild parties.”

Her eyes sparkled with the last. “Am I to understand, then, that there will be no wild parties here?”

Again, she amused him. “I meant you, Miss Talmadge, but no, there won’t be any, not by me or by my nanny.”

“I find that satisfactory.”

“You’re trusting.”

“Sometimes when you expect the best of people, they rise to the occasion. And if you don’t, I’ll be gone,” she reminded him, still rocking Megan, who had stopped fussing and fallen quiet.

“Very well. I have some other interviews. Let me have your references.” He crossed to her and Grace gazed up at him, her pulse skittering. “I’ll take Megan now,” he said.

Grace handed him the baby, and as she did, her hands brushed his and tingles raced through her. “She’s sweet.”

“You have her vote,” he said lightly. As he took Megan, her face screwed up and she began to cry again. “Hey, baby. Megan, what’s the matter?” He gave Grace a frustrated glance. “I don’t know what makes her fussy.”

“Maybe she’s cutting teeth.”

“She wasn’t doing this with you.” He walked around, patting Megan and talking to her. Grace, meanwhile, crossed the room and removed some papers from her purse.

“Here are my references,” she said, placing them on the table. “Thank you for the interview. I can let myself out.”

“Miss Talmadge.”

As she turned to see what he wanted, Megan’s wails became louder. “Just a minute. Shh, Megan,” he crooned. Her screams increased, her small face becoming red.

Grace set down her purse and crossed the room to take the baby from him. He shot her a look, but then let her have Megan, who continued to scream for a moment, then quieted and snuggled against Grace.

“Maybe she does want you for her nanny,” he remarked dryly. He had his hands on his hips, and more locks of his black hair had fallen onto his forehead. “You never asked about the salary.”

“If you want me for a nanny and I want the job, I suppose we can work something agreeable out.”

He told her what he planned to pay, and Grace stared at him in shock, because the sum was astronomical. “With a salary like that you should be able to get any nanny you want!”

“No. Women don’t want the isolation unless it includes marriage, which it does not.” He didn’t add, but he knew that his unsavory reputation had turned many away. “The job means devoting your life to a baby.”

“No, it doesn’t. The weekends are free.”

As she sat down to rock Megan, his phone rang.

“Excuse me, please,” he said, striding out of the room. In minutes he was back, watching her rock his sleeping niece. “I’ll take her now.”

“And I must be going,” Grace said, standing to hand the baby to him, too aware of their hands brushing. She picked up her purse. He followed her to the door and she paused, turning to face him. She held out her hand to shake his, conscious of his brief, warm clasp.

“Thank you for the interview. I’m very interested in the job,” she said, looking at Wyatt holding Megan. He stood in the doorway, watching her as she climbed into her car and drove away.

A cloud of dust stirred up behind her car as she headed off. Grassland spread in all directions around her, and she could see cattle grazing in the distance. She would be isolated, but the job sounded good. With the pay that Wyatt offered, she could pay off her student loans, save for her advanced degree, get a newer car and still put some money away. She was astounded he hadn’t hired someone already.

She wasn’t afraid to live out on his ranch with the man, in spite of all she had heard about him. She said a little prayer that she got the job.

When a week had passed without her hearing anything from Wyatt Sawyer, Grace’s hopes for the job dwindled. Three days later she picked up the phone at work to hear a deep, masculine voice.

“Miss Talmadge, this is Wyatt Sawyer. Have you got a moment to talk?”

“Yes, of course,” she said calmly, while her heart jumped with hope.

“Your references gave you good recommendations. I was impressed. I did a background check.”

“And?” she asked when he paused. She held her breath.

“You passed, as I’m sure you knew you would. So would you be interested in the job as our nanny?”

Two

“He’ll seduce you. You’ll get pregnant and then you’ll have to take care of your baby and his while he does what he wants and forgets all about you except as his nanny!”

Grace smiled at Virginia, who sat watching Grace as she packed.

“No, he won’t. I’m not his type.”

“You’re female. That’s his type.”

Grace laughed. “You don’t know what type of woman he likes. I think he’s all grown up now and taking on responsibility.”

“Wolves don’t change their spots,” Virginia grumbled, tossing her head and causing her long black hair to swirl across her shoulders.

“Wolves don’t have spots,” Grace replied.

“You know what I mean. Aren’t you scared he’ll creep into your bedroom some night and—”

“No, I’m not!”

“You know he had to leave town, and you’ve heard the rumors that when he was seventeen, he got a girl in his high-school class pregnant. She drowned soon after. A lot of people think he might have killed her.”

“I thought you said that the drowning was officially ruled an accident.”

“That doesn’t mean it really was an accident. I’ve heard that he slept with every girl in his class.”

Grace turned around, her hands loaded with folded clothing. “Some of those rumors are absurd, Virginia, if not impossible.”

“No, they’re not. I’ve heard that at least three kids in middle school and high school here are his children. He had to run away. He never finished high school.”

“Just stop, Virginia, and listen to me. He is paying a fabulous sum, more than triple what I’m making. I’m losing my job because the business is closing. Do you realize I can pay off my loans and start achieving my goals? And think about how much I can save.”

“It won’t be worth your life. Money isn’t everything,” Virginia replied.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous! There is nowhere else I can earn a living like this with my background. The baby is sweet, and I’m not afraid of him. He and I will hardly see each other. I’m sure he’s a busy man.”

Virginia rolled her eyes. “You’ll be a pushover for his charm. You’ve only ever dated two guys, Grace. You’re Miss Innocent and he’s Mr. Seduction, besides being the best-looking man in Texas.”

“You finally got something right there. He is very good-looking.”

“He’s a gorgeous stud! I’ve seen him in town, and he’s awesome!”

“I’ll have to invite you out to meet him.”

“You will? Promise!” Virginia wriggled with enthusiasm.

Grace laughed. “So it’s all right for you to come out and meet him, but it’s not all right for me to work for him?”

Virginia pursed her lips. “That’s right. You’ll be living under the same roof with him. I’ll be visiting. You’ll be his servant. I will have an independent status.” She became solemn. “All joking aside, I’m not sure the money will be worth the heartbreak. I think he’ll break your heart and grind up the little pieces.”

“If he does, I’ll have no one to blame but myself.”

“Mark my words, if you aren’t careful you’re going to fall for him. No red-blooded woman could live under the same roof with that gorgeous hunk and resist him. According to rumors, no woman has ever been able to resist him.”

“I’m not his type, I told you.”

“That won’t stop him from seducing you or breaking your heart.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Your parents don’t know anything about your taking this job, do they?”

“Not yet, but I’ve written them and they’ll think it’s wonderful. They let their daughters lead their own lives.”

“And your sisters are in San Antonio and don’t know anything about Wyatt Sawyer. Are you going to tell them about your new boss?”

“Of course, but my view of him may be a tad different from your view of him. Now stop worrying.”

Virginia stretched and slid off the bed. “Let me carry that suitcase to your car. I will worry about you, by the way. He’s wild, Grace. All the Sawyer boys were and two of them are dead because of that wild streak. The first died in a car wreck—he was driving a hundred miles an hour, I’ve been told—and this other brother thought he could fly through a snowstorm when he was warned not to. And people’ve always said Wyatt Sawyer is wilder than his brothers.”

“I’m taking care of his baby, not him. So stop worrying about me.”

“I’m know I’m being a worrier, but there’s just cause.”

“We’ll see,” Grace said, snapping shut the large suitcase.

Early Monday morning, Grace slowed at the front gate to the ranch, drove over a cattle guard and beneath a wrought-iron arch with the S Bar brand. White pipe fencing stretched for miles on either side, and the rolling land was dotted with oaks and cedars. On a far hill she saw Herefords grazing. Far in the distance she spotted a solitary white horse galloping across a field. The ranch was a beautiful place, and she looked forward to her new job. She tried to avoid thinking about Wyatt’s reputation or Virginia’s warnings. Following a hard-packed dirt road, she crossed a wide, wooden bridge, boards rattling beneath her tires.

She looked down at Cotton Creek, a thin, silvery stream of water. As she neared his house, she topped a hill and saw his sprawling two-story ranch house, more houses beyond the main one, a barn and corral and an assortment of buildings beyond the house and a four-car garage. As she recalled from her first visit, the whole place had a prosperous, well-kept appearance. When she finally reached the house, she saw a shiny black pickup parked on the drive at the side of the house, a large black motorcycle parked beyond it and a sleek, dark-green sports car parked on its other side. She frowned, hoping he didn’t take the baby on the bike.

When she walked up to the door and pressed for the bell, her pulse raced. All morning she’d had butterflies in her stomach, but now her nervousness increased and the butterflies had turned into stampeding elephants. The door swung open, and she looked up into Wyatt Sawyer’s dark eyes and tried not to stand there tongue-tied and starry-eyed. The man was sinfully handsome!

“I thought you might change your mind about the job.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, too conscious of him, noticing the scent of his aftershave. He stood facing her with his hands on his narrow hips, and he wore faded jeans and a T-shirt. He gazed beyond her. “Why don’t you drive around back? I can bring your things in for you.”

As she turned and walked away, her back tingled. She glanced over her shoulder to see that he was still standing in the open doorway, watching her. Taking a deep breath, too aware now of herself, she hurried to her car. She was wearing her simple navy cotton skirt and a white cotton blouse, and she suspected he wasn’t noticing her as a woman. She wondered if he was debating with himself the wisdom of having offered her the job. He had made it clear he’d intended to hire someone older and more experienced.

When she drove to the back, he came striding out of the house, radiating energy and strength. At the same time, she couldn’t stop thinking about the ugly rumors about him when he was in high school. “Just keep your distance,” she said quietly to herself.

Wondering what she had gotten herself into, she popped the trunk and got out of the car.

Wyatt put a bag under each arm and a bag in each hand. “Leave ’em and I’ll get everything for you.”

“I can take something,” she said, picking up a bag. All of her suitcases had wheels, but he could doubtless see that and evidently didn’t want to bother. She had to hurry to keep up with his long-legged stride.

“As soon as we put these in your room, I’ll give you a tour of the house. This is a good time because Megan just fell asleep.”

They entered a spacious kitchen that had a terrazzo floor, fine oak woodwork and pale-yellow tile countertops with a copper vent over the built-in stove. Grace’s spirits lifted a notch as she surveyed her surroundings. An oval oak table stood in the adjoining breakfast room, which had a large bay window with a window seat that looked out on the rolling grounds. The kitchen was light and cheerful, far different from the gloomy family room where he’d interviewed her.

Grace followed Wyatt down a wide hallway, passing beautifully decorated rooms. She noticed her surroundings, but she was more keenly aware of the man striding in front of her, holding four of her heavy suitcases as if the things were empty.

She had brushed off her friend’s warnings about Wyatt, but now that she was here with him, qualms and questions assailed her. Was she entering a wolf’s den, walking into trouble that might cause upheaval in her placid life? Could she possibly keep from falling for him even if he barely noticed her and treated her as professionally as possible? Were the terrible rumors about him true?

He disappeared into a room and she followed, stepping into a large bedroom with an appeal that took her breath. It was elegantly furnished in white and blue, and another grand view could be seen through wide windows.

“This is beautiful!” she exclaimed, looking around and comparing it to her tiny bedroom at home.

“Thanks,” he replied casually. “There’s an adjoining bath, too. Let me give you a tour, and then we’ll get the rest of your things. I’ll have to warn you right now, Megan has had a little cold. She’s been fussy for several days.”

“That’s fine. I can deal with fussiness.”

“I hope so,” he said, studying her as if he could read her thoughts.

“You still sound doubtful, Mr. Sawyer—”

“Wyatt. Mind if I call you Grace?”

“Of course not. Why did you hire me if you have such doubts?”

He clamped his lips together, and she realized that either he hadn’t found anyone else he thought would fit the job or no one else had wanted the job.

“You didn’t have a choice, did you?”

“I just want you to let me know if you want out of this. A screaming baby can shred the patience of some people,” Wyatt replied.

“She won’t shred mine,” Grace said, smiling. “She’s a little baby. But I promise you I’ll let you know if I want to quit. It’s not Megan who worries me.”

She wanted to bite her tongue and wished with all her heart she could take back those last words. His brows arched, and he focused on her with a look that made her want to be anywhere else but in his presence.

“Ah, all those stories you’ve heard about me, no doubt. The wild man of Stallion Pass. Lago County’s bad boy. Is that what worries you?”

She decided this is what people referred to when they talked about being between a rock and a hard place. If she told him what was really worrying her, that she was attracted to her handsome employer, that would be dreadful. But it was equally appalling to tell him that his reputation worried her. Why had she blurted out what she had?

“In caring for Megan, I may have a difficult time pleasing you,” she said.

One brow arched higher, and he gave her an intense look. “I don’t think that’s what you were referring to at all.”

“Maybe not,” she said, feeling her face grow warm, “but I think we should leave it at that.”

He shrugged and turned away. “Come on, I’ll show you the house.” He crossed the room to open a door. “Your room adjoins the nursery. I hope that’s all right.”

“Of course.” She glanced into a pink room with a circus motif and almost as large as her bedroom. She could see the baby sleeping in her crib, a mobile of Disney characters hanging above one end. Wyatt closed the door and Grace realized how close to him she stood. She stepped back quickly and he moved past her. “We could go through the nursery, but we’ll go around it, instead. My room connects to it on the other side.”

This was less-than-thrilling news. Grace frowned and tried to push aside her worries.

As she walked down the hall with him, he motioned her into a room that ran the length of one end of the house. His king-size bed was covered in a deep-green comforter. Surprisingly, shelves with books lined one wall. “That’s a lot of books. Do you do much reading?”

“Nope. This house is much like Hank and Olivia left it, and the books were theirs. I’m slowly going through things and changing what I want to change.”

A broad stone fireplace was at another end of the room with Navajo rugs on the highly polished hardwood floor. A bowl of chocolates sat on the corner of a desk. Wyatt picked the bowl up and offered her one. When she declined with a shake of her head, he took a dark chocolate and set the bowl back on the desk.

“You have a beautiful home.”

“Thanks, but I can’t take credit. My sister-in-law did all the decorating, and they stayed out here some, but not often. She preferred to live in San Antonio. The only room she didn’t do over was the family room, and I’m having it done soon. I’m not living with that reminder of my childhood.”

He sounded so bitter that Grace glanced at him sharply. “Your childhood wasn’t happy?”

“Hardly.”

“I’m sorry. I was fortunate there.”

“It was a long time ago, and you’re lucky.”

“I can settle in while Megan is sleeping,” she said, reminding herself to keep things impersonal. “You show me what you want me to do.”

He nodded and gave her a tour of the house, part of which had been built by his great-great-grandfather; the rest had been added through the years. In the paneled room that was his office, he motioned to a stack of letters on the edge of an otherwise clean desk. “Those are applications for the nanny position. I could have kept on interviewing for the rest of the month.”

Amazed, she turned to him. “If you have so many possibilities, why did you hire me? Were you in a rush for some reason?”

“Nope.” He rested his hands on his hips again. “I’ve interviewed too many women to count and still had all those applications. I glanced through them. I’m the new guy in the neighborhood, and a lot of single women want a date. It’s not that I’m so adorable or charming. I’m just new here.”