Barbara McCauley - The Nanny And The Reluctant Rancher

His eyes narrowed. “All right, then, two weeks’.”

She had to choke back the hysterical laughter bubbling in her throat. “Are you saying you’d rather pay me off, than give me a chance?”

“I’ve admitted I made a mistake,” he said stiffly. “Anna needs someone older, with more experience.”

Of all the stubborn—Katrina took a calming breath and leveled her gaze with his. “Was there anything else you misread on my application or credentials? Something that you find objection to?”

He hesitated. “No.”

“Do you have someone else for this job?”

A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Not at the moment.”

“Then who’s going to take care of Anna until you find someone?”

Logan had already been asking himself that very question. He did need someone. Now, not next week or the week after. But he had no intention of hiring someone as young as Kat Delaney, and certainly not someone as pretty.

He surprised himself by that thought. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know that he could control his baser instincts...he could. But he’d been busy with the ranch and Anna, and he’d been without female companionship for a long time. A woman who looked like Kat might be a distraction. A distraction he didn’t want, and he sure as hell didn’t need.

He could hardly tell her that, though. Gee, Miss Delaney, I can’t hire you because I’d like to drag you to my bed.

“I have a part-time housekeeper. We’ll manage until I find someone else.” They might starve to death, he thought, but somehow he would manage. “I’ll have Punch drive you back to town,” he said evenly. “I can give you a check now or send it to the address on your application.”

Her green eyes darkened as she lifted her chin. “Don’t bother. I don’t want your money, and I have no intention of going home. I came here to Harmony to work for the summer and that’s what I intend to do. I’m sure I’ll find something else.”

Logan shook his head. “You can’t be serious. Harmony is a small town. There won’t be much use for a violin-toting nanny.”

“I’m a hard worker, Mr. Kincaid. Reliable and trustworthy. Qualities that most people admire.”

Logan frowned. She’d emphasized the word trustworthy, the implication being that he wasn’t. She was wrong for the job, dammit. That didn’t make him dishonest or unscrupulous. “Maybe I should drive you back to town. I could—”

“No, thank you.” She jammed her hat on her head and struggled to pick up both of her suitcases. “Please tell Mr. Wilkins I’ll wait for him in the truck. Good day to you.”

He would have offered to carry her luggage for her, but something told him if he tried, he just might have a violin crammed down his throat.

She stopped at the door, and without turning around, said quietly, “Would you object to my visiting Anna while I’m in Harmony? Maybe just for an occasional afternoon, or sometime when you come into town?”

Her question caught him off guard, then settled over him like a net of guilt. “You can come here anytime you want.”

She nodded, then wrestled with her suitcases while she opened the front door and closed it behind her. Logan started after her, then stopped and swore heatedly. He’d already admitted to her he’d made a mistake, he had no intention of going after the woman and trying to explain further.

Why the hell should he feel guilty? He’d offered compensation, hadn’t he? And he certainly didn’t believe she would actually stay in Harmony. She was a city girl. One day in a sleepy little town like Harmony and the woman would be on her way.

Whatever she did, it didn’t matter to him. He had no time to think about a curvy, green-eyed brunette with incredible legs. There were more important things to worry about right now, such as finding an appropriate nanny for Anna.

With a heavy sigh, Logan went to the kitchen to get Punch, wondering where in the hell he was going to find the perfect woman.

Two

She wasn’t going home.

Suitcases at her feet, Kat sat on a wooden bench in front of the Harmony Hay and Feed and Hardware Store. A few of the townspeople had passed by and given her odd looks, several had even asked if she needed help. She’d wanted to tell them it wasn’t she who needed help, it was a pigheaded rancher named Logan Kincaid.

Damn the man! He needed someone for Anna, that was obvious. With a ranch and house his size, how could he possibly manage? A part-time housekeeper wasn’t enough, he wouldn’t have advertised for a nanny if it were.

If she hadn’t met Anna, Kat might not have taken Logan’s rejection so hard. But in the few minutes she’d spoken with the child, Kat had felt a connection she couldn’t explain, and wasn’t sure she understood. It was something in Anna’s soft gray eyes, a need, or a loneliness. Maybe Kat even saw herself. Whatever it was, she’d nearly cried when Logan had told her he didn’t want her.

But she hadn’t cried, and even if Mr. Logan Kincaid had drastically altered her plans, she was determined to go through with her stay in Harmony. Everything was just as she’d imagined it. Wide, open spaces, deep blue sky. The people were friendly and no one seemed to be in much of a hurry—except Punch Wilkins. The man drove like a New York City cabdriver. Her fingers were still clenched from holding on to the truck door.

In spite of Logan Kincaid, Kat was glad she’d come here. So it was impetuous, and maybe even a little reckless. For once in her life, just once, she wanted to be unpredictable, have a little excitement. No schedules, no meetings, no practices. No one had a piece of her here. She answered only to herself, made her own choices, good or bad.

She wouldn’t go home! She couldn’t! How could she face her parents, or Max or Oliver, if she gave up now? She had to take charge of her own life, make her own decisions, even if they were bad ones.

Sighing, Kat sat back on the hard wooden bench and looked around. Punch had dropped her off here, next to the bus depot because Logan had told him to. Obviously the man hadn’t believed she really would stay. But he was wrong. She could be just as stubborn as he was. She noticed a small motel at the end of the street, the Harmony Motel. Right next door was the Harmony Café. A large sign in the window of the café caught her attention: Waitress Wanted.

Smiling, Kat picked up her bags and crossed the street.

Anna wouldn’t eat. She hadn’t said a word in two days, and for that matter, she hadn’t even looked at him. She’d stayed in her room, even refusing his offer to take her with him to town today for ice cream. Logan had been tempted to make her come with him; he knew she wouldn’t have argued if he’d insisted. But he hadn’t wanted to force her, so he’d driven into Harmony for a load of grain by himself, trying his damnedest to think of a way to cheer his daughter up, other than to give her what he knew she really wanted, which was Kat Delaney.

He’d been surprised when he’d seen Anna talking to the woman two days ago. Anna rarely spoke to people she didn’t know, and for that matter, hardly spoke to people she did know. He’d seen the disappointment in her eyes when he’d told her that Miss Delaney wouldn’t be staying. When Anna had asked if it was something she’d said that had made Miss Delaney leave, or if the woman hadn’t liked her, Logan had spent the next hour trying to explain that of course it wasn’t anything she’d said, and of course Miss Delaney liked her. He’d then tried to explain, though awkwardly, that he’d decided the woman just wasn’t the right nanny, right for her. He’d told her that he called another nanny and she’d be coming in a few days, but from that moment on, Anna had retreated to her room, and she’d only picked at the food he’d insisted she eat.

He flipped on the truck radio to a country and western station, then tipped his hat back with a sigh. As hard as it was to admit it, he felt like a heel sending the Delaney woman away, in spite of her being too young. He’d seen the disappointment in her eyes and her forced attempt at bravado when he’d fired her. She’d come a long way, and she’d certainly seemed eager. He could have kept her on, at least given her a chance. But his initial response to her had been so strong he hadn’t thought logically. His firing her had been more like a knee-jerk reaction than a rational decision.

No, he’d made the right decision, dammit. He was only human, for God’s sake. A woman who looked like Kat Delaney under his roof would be too big a distraction. Since he could hardly explain that to Anna, she was just going to have to accept his decision.

Logan swung off the main road and headed into town. It was ridiculous, but as he drove past the bus depot he found himself looking for a slender brunette with a big gray hat, as if she’d still be sitting on the bench there. He shook his head at his foolishness. She might have told him that she’d be staying in Harmony, but he hadn’t believed her. Once she realized there were no jobs for her, and she didn’t fit in here, that bus ride back to the Dallas airport would be looking mighty good. He figured she’d come to that decision about fifteen minutes after Punch had dropped her off.

He forced the woman from his mind and turned his thoughts back to his daughter. As soon as he loaded the truck, he’d make a trip over to Johnson’s Department Store and pick something out for her, maybe a new game for her computer, or that jewelry-making kit she had her eye on last trip into town. Hell, he’d buy them both. He’d do anything to bring a smile to her face.

As he pulled into town, Logan passed Marge Baker, Harmony’s librarian, and waved at her. She stopped in the middle of her sweeping, put a fist on her ample hip and frowned at him.

“What’s her problem?” Logan wondered aloud, but knowing how crabby the woman was anyway, paid no attention. He had some books at the house, maybe they were overdue. He’d better check when he got home, or she might send the sheriff after him.

At the hay and feed, though, Mike Carson hardly said a word to him, and his son, Jessie, had ignored him when he’d helped load the truck. Maybe it was just his own bad mood reflecting off everyone else, he decided.

The smell of hamburgers drifted to him from the café across the street and his stomach growled in response. After Sophia’s cooking, one of Stubbs Parson’s big juicy burgers was like a gourmet meal. He’d grab a little lunch for himself, order something for Anna, then make a quick stop at the department store before heading home. Between the food and presents, he’d have his daughter smiling before the sun went down.

The bell tinkled overhead as Logan entered the café. The lunch crowd had filled most of the tables, but Logan found a spot at the counter and slid onto a stool. He turned the coffee cup already sitting in front of him right side up, then picked up a menu and studied it, trying to figure out what Anna would like.

Coffee magically appeared in his cup, and a soft, silky voice asked, “What can I get for you, Mr. Kincaid?”

Logan went still, then slowly lowered the menu and stared into eyes the color of spring sage.

Well, I’ll be damned.

Kat Delaney.

She wore a blue waitress uniform, much shorter than he thought appropriate, though he never recalled having that thought with Ellen, the usual waitress. But, of course, he’d never interviewed Ellen to be Anna’s nanny, either.

He couldn’t believe she was still here.

She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail, emphasizing her large green eyes and thick lashes. The color rising on her cheeks matched the pink of her lips. He had to make a conscious effort not to stare at those lips.