Almost Perfect

Jake didn’t doubt that for a minute. Heck, he felt like a real jerk whenever he told Kayla he didn’t have time to read or just plain didn’t want to. It wasn’t like he was illiterate. He read just fine—quietly and to himself. But he still remembered the humiliation of stuttering over simple words when forced to perform in front of an audience: the snickers of kids who could read better than him, the way Mrs. Bridger cleared her throat and told him to start all over at the beginning of the passage.

His refusal to speak out loud in class served his pride well, but it also resulted in regular visits to the principal and hours of detention.

“Guess what,” Kayla said to Maggie. “I already know my letters and sounds. And I’m not even in kindergarten yet.”

His niece was smart; that was for darn sure. Rosa had tried to talk Jake into letting her start kindergarten this year, but he’d said no.

He’d told Rosa that Kayla needed time to get used to the other changes in her life, which was true. But he worried about sending her off to school, especially with her disability, and wanted to protect her for as long as he could. Next year, when she was six, would be soon enough.

“After I get your brother cleaned up and the kitchen scrubbed down,” Maggie said, “we can take time for a story or two.”

Kayla clapped her hands. “I’m glad you came to help us.”

Maggie slid Jake another teasing smile, one that suggested she intended to prod him until he took Sam and Kayla on his lap and read them a story each night before bedtime.

Before he could come up with a retort or change the subject, a shrill voice called from the entry.

“Yoo-hoo!”

Victoria Winston. Jake blew out a heavy breath. Not her. Not now.

“Jake, are you in the kitchen?” Victoria called.

Maggie raised her brows, asking, it seemed, for some kind of explanation, if not an introduction. But she’d figure it out soon enough.

“Yeah, Vickie. I’m in here.”

Maggie watched, as an attractive woman dressed in designer Western wear sauntered into the kitchen, filling the room with a heavy dose of Chanel No. 5. Expensive denim hugged her hips, and a low-cut blouse flaunted perky breasts no bra could contain.

The tall, leggy brunette must be one of the wealthy guests of the ranch, Maggie suspected. But the sexually charged smile she slipped Jake indicated she was more than a guest.

Maggie crossed her arms. The faded jeans and old sweatshirt she wore suddenly seemed blousy and oversized, and she wished she would have taken time to at least put on some lipstick.

The woman scrunched a makeup laden face at the mess, but when she spotted Maggie, her smile lit up like a Macy’s department store on Christmas Eve. “Oh! Looks like the baby-sitter finally arrived.”

The baby-sitter? Had Jake told the woman that Maggie was coming to look after the children? Had he implied she was hired help and not just a friend offering a favor?

Vickie scanned the length of Maggie, smiling as though she’d passed some kind of inspection. She winked at Jake, in a sly, foxy way. “You should have a lot more free time now.”

Maggie had a sudden urge to clobber them both, and she wasn’t entirely sure why.

“Vickie, this is Dr. Templeton. She’s a pediatrician and an old friend.” Jake turned to Maggie. “This is one of our guests, Victoria Winston.”

Vickie didn’t seem to be the outdoor, dude ranch type. A high-class spa would seem to be her style. But her obvious attraction to Jake indicated she’d planned her vacation well.

It seemed this sly, female fox had a plan to capture a prize hound dog. It was an age-old game, and Maggie wondered whether Jake would take the bait.

Years ago, back when Maggie used to be a guest herself, one of the lady guests had made an obvious play for Jake’s uncle. Maggie had always figured the lonely woman had set her sights on sleeping with a real live cowboy and signed up for a stint at the dude ranch with that sole purpose in mind.

Back then, she’d thought it kind of funny. But there didn’t seem to be anything humorous about Vickie the vixen and her obvious attraction to the cowboy with his share of female conquests.

“Well, now,” Vickie said. “A nanny with a medical degree is just the kind of sitter I’d hire, if I were inclined to have a few rugrats of my own.”

Maggie doubted the woman would risk marring her body with stretch marks, let alone any of the other subtle differences brought on by childbirth. She seemed too showy, too self-absorbed, too groomed to perfection.

Vickie extended her arm, gold bangles clanging upon a sparkling tennis bracelet. “How do you do?”

Maggie took the proffered hand, noting the cool, silky texture and polished nails that boasted of regular manicures. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Jake, honey,” Vickie said, batting mascara-thickened lashes. “Now you can take me on one of those late-night rides that was advertised in the brochure. Last time I asked, you mentioned not having someone to look after the kids.” Tinted lips curled into a sly, take-me-to-bed smile.

The vixen turned to Maggie. “You work full-time, right? And the kiddies will be sleeping….”

Maggie shot a glance at Jake, wondering what he’d tell the busty, can’t-wait-to-get-naked-in-the-moonlight brunette.

“Rosa’s hospitalization has set me back. I’ve got a lot of things I need to do. I’m afraid the late-night ride is out of the question. Maybe next time.”

A cherry-red bottom lip pooched out in a little-rich-girl pout.

What would Jake have told the vixen had Rosa not been out on disability? Had Maggie not been witness to the woman’s blatant attempt to spend some late-night hours with the good-looking cowboy?

Sam squealed, then began to grunt and squirm out of the high chair.

“Would you mind watching the kids, Maggie?” Jake asked. “I need to talk to Vickie outside.”

“By all means.” Maggie feigned a smile as Jake and the vixen stepped out the back door.

Of all the… She’d meant to help Jake with the kids, make things easier on him, not so that he could find time to fraternize with the guests.

She grumbled while pulling out drawers until she found a dishcloth she could use to wash off at least some of the chocolate Sam wore like body paint, all the while mumbling under her breath.

At least she hadn’t thought she’d spoken aloud.

“Did you say something about reindeer?” Kayla asked.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder at the girl. “Reindeer? No.”

“But you said, ‘Vixen,’ and that’s one of Santa’s reindeer.”

Maggie couldn’t quell a wry grin from forming. “Yes, I suppose I did. That lady reminds me of a reindeer, the way she prances and dances around your uncle.”

Kayla laughed. “Does Uncle Jake remind you of Santa Claus?”

“Not really,” Maggie said. But she thought Victoria Winston was hoping to sit on Cowboy Claus’s lap and get her name on his naughty-girl list. “Kayla, it was rude of me to think about that, let alone say it out loud. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay,” the little girl said. “I don’t like her, either. She just walks in the house all the time, even when the other people are doing fun stuff like riding and swimming.”

That didn’t surprise Maggie. Victoria Winston had set her sights on good old Uncle Jake.

She wondered whether the hound dog would succumb to temptation.

Vickie sidled up to Jake as he escorted her outside and down the walk toward the barn.

He sidestepped her. “I’ve made it a point not to date or become involved with any of the guests at Buckaroo Ranch.”

“Why’s that?” she asked, closing the space he’d tried to put between them. “I’m not asking for any kind of commitment. Maybe just a visit or two to my cabin late at night, when the others are sound asleep. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

It was hard not to think about sex in front of Vickie. She all but wore a sign around her neck saying Ready, Willing and More Than Able. But shoot, he was a family man now. A role model, albeit a tarnished one.

“Oh,” she said, noticing something on Jake’s face and licking her finger. “What’s this? Looks like chocolate. I’ll get it off for you.” She rubbed the skin above his brow, then slipped an index finger into her mouth, wrapping her tongue around it and slowly pulling it out. “Mmm. Good.”

Her eyes told him she wanted to taste more than chocolate.

Was everything a sexual innuendo with the woman? Part of the fun of having sex was in the chase. Vickie didn’t let a guy get out of the starting blocks.

She gave him a kiss upon the forehead, right where the chocolate had supposedly been. “Think about it, honey. You won’t be sorry.”

He was sorry already. High-maintenance women like Vickie were a dime a dozen. He’d become adept at kindly brushing off their propositions, but he wasn’t used to dealing with them in front of his niece and Maggie.

Vickie was pushing his patience to the limit.

“What about the party on Friday? Surely you can find time for a dance.”

The hayride and barn dance were the highlight of a Buckaroo week. As long as Jake had committed to fulfilling the reservations his sister had made over a year ago, the weekly event would go on as planned.

“All right,” he told her. “One dance.”

But something told him that wouldn’t be enough for Victoria Winston.

Now if he could just get the woman to go back to her cabin or encourage her to have a facial. Maybe catch one of the sunset rides into the canyon. But he doubted that any of his suggestions would work and opted to bow out gracefully. “You’ll have to excuse me, Vickie. I’ve got to get things lined up inside. Then I have a lot of work to catch up on.”

“Sure, Jake, I’ll excuse you. But don’t forget about the dance on Friday night.”

“No, I won’t forget.” Jake tipped his hat, then headed back to the house.

When he stepped inside the kitchen, Maggie was busy wiping Sam’s face and hands. She had her back to him and didn’t speak when he entered. Something told him that wasn’t a good thing.

Kayla, on the other hand, giggled out loud.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“You got a big, red, reindeer kiss on your face.”

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