Teresa Southwick - Maverick Holiday Magic

“Honey, you look like a princess to me no matter what you wear.”

Love expanded inside him when she smiled up at him like that, as if he was her hero. Then he looked at Merry and felt that whack in his chest again. Her blond hair was a mass of curls, and enthusiasm sparkled in her hazel eyes. There was a flush of pink on her cheeks that could be about the chill in the air or the beginning of an adventure. Whatever the cause, he was oddly reluctant to stop looking at her.

“Should we get going?” Merry asked.

That snapped him out of it. They were late. “I’ll get your suitcase.”

“Thanks.” She backed up and let him reach inside to grab the handle of the bag that had seen better days. “I’ll get my dress.”

“What can I carry?” Wren asked.

Merry thought for a moment. “Why don’t you hold my purse while I lock the door?”

“Okay.” The little girl took the big bag. “This is heavy.”

“It is. Set it on the porch, sweetie.” She locked up, then took her purse for the walk to the car.

Hunter hit a button on his key fob and the SUV hatch slowly lifted. He put her bag in the back with the other two, then took her dress and settled it on the rear passenger hook. “Okay, ladies. Let’s roll.”

“I have to sit in the back in my car seat, Miss Merry. Daddy says so.”

“It’s safer for you, sweetie.”

“That’s what he says, too.”

“Do you want me to sit back there with you?”

Wren thought for a moment then said, “No. It’s nice for him to have someone to talk to until I’m big enough to sit in the front with him.”

That settled that. They all got in and buckled up. It wasn’t often there was a woman—a beautiful woman—riding in his front passenger seat. This was different—not bad different, just enough for him to feel a little tongue-tied. Fortunately his daughter picked up the conversation slack.

“We’re goin’ to Billings. That’s where the airport is. I brought my princess bride doll with me.”

“That seems very appropriate for this occasion,” Merry said.

“My dress is prettier than hers. But she has a tiara. I asked Aunt Avery if I could wear one and she said she didn’t think it would go with my dress.”

“It was a diplomatic no,” Hunter said so only Merry could hear. She laughed, then covered it with a cough.

“I wish I could wear one.” Wren sighed and it was loud enough to be heard over the road noise. “Daddy says I’m his princess and everyone knows princesses wear tiaras.”

“That makes sense,” Merry said thoughtfully. “But a princess is always sensitive to the feelings of people around her. And this is going to be your aunt Avery’s special day when she marries your uncle Finn. A princess would never do anything to spoil a bride’s wedding day. Don’t you think so, Wren?”

That got a grudging “I guess so” and Hunter was impressed by the way Merry handled that situation. When they arrived at the airport he parked at the terminal where they would board his father’s Gulfstream jet. The crew met them and took their luggage before Hunter, Merry and Wren walked up the steps and into the aircraft.

Hunter waved to everyone on board and a quick head count indicated they were the last ones to arrive. He started to make introductions but was interrupted by an announcement to take their seats and fasten seat belts in preparation for takeoff. The plush leather and teak-trimmed cabin was configured with individual seats of four with a table in between to form a conversation area. There were also a couple of couches that would accommodate three and only one was left. His daughter plopped herself down on one end. That meant he and Merry would be sitting side by side. Unlike the front seat of his SUV, there would be no console between them.

“Sit next to me, Miss Merry.”

“Okay.”

Hunter took the empty space beside her and their shoulders brushed, their legs touched. He was grateful the stretchy pants she wore tucked into shin-high black boots meant her skin was not bare. When he fastened his seat belt, his fingers brushed her thigh, or more accurately the cream-colored sweater that covered her hips and butt. She smelled disarmingly female and sweet, a thought that sent a tsunami of testosterone crashing over him.

When everyone was secured, they received permission from the control tower to taxi down the runway and in seconds they were off. As soon as the seat belt sign was turned off, Wren bounced up and said she was going to talk to Aunt Avery and tell her she didn’t mind not wearing a tiara.

More than almost anything Hunter wanted to move away from Merry but he didn’t feel right about leaving her alone. They all knew he’d hired a nanny for the weekend but the noisy jet made introductions awkward. So, for the duration of the flight, he felt obligated to stay put and introduce her when they were on the ground.

Merry was looking around the interior, eyes wide. “I wonder where they keep the barf bags.”

“You don’t feel well?”

“I’m fine actually.” She laughed but there was a little uncertainty on her face. “It’s just nerves. When I get this way, I say weird things. Helps break the tension.”

“Okay.”

“In fact they probably don’t even have barf bags. Most likely there’s a rule against getting sick on the expensive leather seats.”

“Let them try to enforce that one,” Hunter said.

“I know, right?” She glanced a little anxiously at the rest of his family, chatting together in groups. “There are a lot of Crawfords on this plane.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry about not introducing you to all of them. I’ll take care of that when we land.”

“No problem. I’m just the hired help, after all.” She was still looking around the luxurious interior with an expression of awe that made her eyes look more green than brown.

“If we weren’t in such a rush, I’d have made sure they all met you. It’s my fault we were running late.”

She looked skeptical. “Something tells me your daughter was responsible for that. I know her from school, remember?”

“Yeah.” It was one of the reasons he’d hired her.

“I feel like I need to pinch myself. Maybe I should be paying you . I can’t believe I’m flying in a private jet. If anyone had told me I’d be doing this, I’d have said they were crazy. People with money really do live differently.”

“I suppose.”

His gaze drifted to his daughter, the child he’d raised alone almost from the day she was born. Money didn’t guarantee you wouldn’t lose the mother of your baby girl. He would give up everything he had in a heartbeat if it could bring Lara back.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmm?” He looked at Merry.

“That was unprofessional of me. It was tactless to say that.”

He thought her comments were honest and charming. “Why would you think so?”

“It seems as if I’ve heard you should never discuss money and politics.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Again, I plead nerves. Apparently getting up at the crack of dawn has disengaged the filter between my brain and my mouth. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

He smiled, but the movement felt rusty when directed at a woman. It seemed wrong somehow, but he couldn’t seem to stop. “Your unfiltered frankness is refreshing.”

It seemed her condition was contagious because things were popping out of his mouth, too. Was that crossing a line between employer and employee? If Merry was a ranch hand, he would know where the line was. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t had child care before. When Wren was a baby, he’d hired help from time to time. He had to work the ranch, after all. But with Merry he felt strongly about keeping boundaries firmly in place.