Teresa Southwick - Maverick Holiday Magic

“No. I want Daddy to come, too.”

“Maybe your dad wants to rest. After all, he was up pretty early this morning.”

The little girl looked up at him. “Do you want to take a nap instead of exploring with me and Miss Merry?”

“Absolutely not.” Although he didn’t look quite that certain. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Yay!” Wren clapped her hands and headed for the door. “Let’s go.”

“Put on your jacket,” Merry and Hunter said at the same time.

All of them grabbed coats and left the suite. After taking the elevator to the first floor they found the exit leading to the rear of the property and a path lined with shrubs. In her pink quilted jacket Wren took off running as her ponytail swung from side to side.

“Stay where I can see you,” Hunter shouted.

“I will,” she called back.

Merry walked beside her employer as they moved more slowly down the path. To fill a silence that bordered on awkward she asked, “How do you like Montana? And why did your family leave Texas?”

She glanced up at him and saw his mouth pull tight as a muscle in his cheek tensed. The question had stirred up something not good and she began to wonder if he was going to answer at all.

Finally he said, “When my dad gets an idea into his head it’s pretty hard to change his mind.”

“Did you want to?”

“I like ranch work, taking care of the animals. I don’t much care what state I do it in. As long as my daughter is happy, I’m good.” He looked down. “Thanks to you, her school transition was smooth.”

“I’m glad I could help. I know how it feels to be the new kid in the class.” As they walked, Merry was keeping that pink jacket in sight and she figured Hunter was, too.

“You made the difference. Please tell me you’re not leaving town.”

“Why would you think I was?”

“I noticed the for sale sign in front of your house.”

“Oh. No. I’m not leaving Rust Creek Falls,” she said.

“Then why sell?”

Because she couldn’t afford the monthly payments and that was humiliating to admit. Merry had faced a lot of speed bumps on the road to establishing her career, which meant that her bank account had suffered, too. She was torn about telling him the truth, then decided keeping it to herself might have him thinking it was something worse.

“My mother died when I was about Wren’s age. My brother is ten years older than me and he joined the military.” She was the one dealing with memories now and they were sad. It had been a lonely time for her. There’d been no motherly hugs after school, no homemade cookies with a glass of cold milk. Her father had withdrawn into his own grief and she’d felt all alone. “Dad didn’t quite know what to do with me so he took me to work with him a lot.”

“What kind of work?”

“Electrician. Ed Matthews knew his way around wires and light switches. Not so much about what to do with a motherless little girl.”

“I can relate to that.”

“And we moved around a lot, going where the work was. Following the jobs. Changing schools all the time.”

“That’s why you knew how Wren felt, why you looked out for her when she was new to the school.”

“Yes.” She smiled up at him, then zeroed in on the pink jacket again. For some reason she wanted him to know she was working on her life even though that wasn’t what he’d asked. “You’re wondering what all this has to do with selling the house. I promise I’ll get there.”

“Okay.”

“My education was choppy, which put me behind. Plus, I helped my dad with the business. Answering phones and making appointments. Keeping the books.” It had helped bring them closer and she treasured that time more than ever now that he was gone. “I could only manage college classes part-time. And then in 2013, after the flood in Rust Creek Falls, Dad decided to move there. The damage was widespread and there was a real need for construction workers, plumbers and electricians. It’s a friendly, close-knit community and we decided to stay. We bought a house and fixed it up.”

“But?”

“How do you know there’s a ‘but’?” she asked.

“Because your house is for sale.”

“Right. I mentioned when we met that my dad died recently. Cancer.” She took a deep breath and met his gaze. “On top of missing him very much, without him there is no business or income. I don’t make enough at my school job to keep up with the mortgage payments.”

“I see.” He was frowning. “What will you do when the house is sold?”

“Right now I’m more nervous about the selling process. I have a real estate agent but never handled a real estate transaction on my own, without my dad.”

“The agent should explain everything but if you still have questions, my brother Logan has sold all kinds of property. He could probably help you out.”

“Thanks. That’s good to know.”

“And you’re still in school.” Obviously he’d read and retained the information she’d given him during the employment interview.

“Not at the moment. I had to care for my dad and was barely able to finish the spring semester online. I didn’t register for fall because he wasn’t doing well. But I’m going back to it right after the holidays.”

“And your major is early childhood education. Seems like a good fit.” He stuck his hands into the pockets of his sheepskin jacket. “You’re really tuned in to my daughter. She doesn’t even seem to notice she’s being handled.”

“Diversion. Distraction. Let them think the idea is theirs. A hard no isn’t easy to reverse.”

“Tell me about it.” The tone in his voice and the look on his face indicated he’d had some experience with that and it didn’t go well.

And then she felt bad. “I’m sorry, Hunter. For dumping on you like that. For bending your ear and making it all about me. That was unprofessional.”

“Well, I asked,” he said gently. “And maybe you needed to talk about it. The grief, I mean.”

Hmm. This “getting to know you” felt something like a first date. It wasn’t, but that didn’t stop her curiosity about him. When had Wren lost her mother? And how? The thing was, it didn’t feel right to just come out and ask.

“Do you miss Texas?” she said instead.

“No.” That was emphatic and he must have sensed it because he continued. “Rust Creek Falls is small and things move slower than they do in Dallas. This environment is better for my daughter.”

And speaking of Wren... The little girl reversed direction and came running back to them.

“Daddy, I’m hungry.”

And just like that the spell was broken. Getting to know her employer wasn’t part of her job but she’d enjoyed it anyway. Hunter was so much nicer and friendlier than he’d been at first. And easy to talk to, she thought wryly. It was a little embarrassing how much she’d bared her soul, but this was a job, not a weekend getaway, and she better not forget that.

“Daddy, doesn’t Merry look pretty?”

So pretty Hunter nearly swallowed his tongue. Wren and her nanny had just come out of the bedroom where they’d dressed for the wedding. Merry’s dress was light purple—no, Wren would tell him that was wrong. It was lavender and left one shoulder bare, a very soft and sexy shoulder. There was an equally sexy slit in the long skirt, simple and seductive at the same time. Silky material caressed her body and made his fingers ache to touch her bare skin. He was pretty sure it made her the sexiest nanny in Rustler’s Notch.

“Daddy, you look weird. Are you sick?”

“No, honey. I’m fine.” He glanced at Merry with her thick wild blond hair semi-tamed, pulled back into a messy side bun. “You do look really nice.”