Teresa Southwick - Just What The Cowboy Needed

“How about if I read?” Grace pressed her full lips together, probably to hold back a laugh.

Too bad, Logan thought. He’d heard her laugh and liked it a lot. But he didn’t count. Cassie’s opinion was the one that mattered and she seemed completely taken with Grace. As comfortable as if she’d known her forever. That was the most important thing. More significant than Grace’s pretty sun-streaked brown hair and big hazel eyes.

That did it. No one would ever accuse him of being poetic, so it was a clear sign that the time had come to make himself scarce.

“Okay, baby girl—” He saw the rebellion on the little freckled face and held up his hand. “My bad. You’re not a baby. But I’m still going to tuck you into bed, then Grace can read you a story.”

“Okay.”

Logan took her small hand and they walked to her room. Then he picked her up and set her gently on the mattress before pulling the covers over her. “Sleep tight. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Daddy, don’t you want to hear the story, too?”

“I’d love to but—” He needed space. “This will give you and Grace a chance to get to know each other. Remember, I won’t be around much because I have to work and run the ranch. That’s my job.”

“So Grace is like Mary Poppins,” Cassie said.

“The movie?”

“Yes. Mary Poppins comes to take care of kids and she does magic. When she goes away at the end the whole family is happy.”

Logan looked at the woman he’d hired. “I don’t know if Grace can do magic, but she’s here to watch out for you. Most of the time you’ll be with her.”

“You still have to teach me to ride a horse, Daddy.”

He ignored that and it went into the file of not a hill he was going to die on tonight. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. “Get some sleep so you grow big and strong.”

Logan stood in the hall for a few moments, listening to the sound of Grace’s voice reading Cassie’s favorite Dr. Seuss book. With a sigh he turned away and headed downstairs, where he was going to try like hell not to think about that woman’s sexy underwear on the floor of her room. Or how she might look wearing nothing but those red panties. A good single-malt Scotch might help with that, but liquor traditionally tore down walls and willpower, which was the complete opposite of his current goal.

Coffee was a safer bet, so he poured some that was left over from this morning into a mug and warmed it in the microwave, then headed to his downstairs home office for the inevitable computer work. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he heard a knock and glanced over to see Grace in the doorway.

“Sorry to interrupt. I just thought you should know that Cassie is asleep.”

“Good. Thanks.” He started to swivel back to the computer monitor.

“Can I talk to you? About Cassie,” she added, as if his distancing himself from her was obvious.

“Of course. Have a seat.” The invitation was automatic because he didn’t want her to get comfortable enough to stick around.

“Thanks.” She sat in one of the club chairs in front of his desk.

“Is there a problem?” He was studying her and saw the color that rose into her cheeks. What was that about?

“No.” The response was quick and a little sharp. “Your daughter is wonderful.”

“She’s the best.” And deserved someone without his shortcomings as a father. Unfortunately, he was what she got.

“I just need to know what you expect of me.”

He expected that her skin was even softer than it looked, and if he touched his mouth to hers... There it was. His shortcomings as a man were scratching to get out. He shook his head to clear it. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“When I interviewed we talked mostly about my qualifications and obviously my job is to watch over Cassie and keep her safe.”

“Did Tracy explain that she thought it best to bring you in before her wedding so Cass can get used to the arrangement? Also, she has a million things to do to get ready for her day. And by the time she leaves on the honeymoon, she’ll feel comfortable that everything with our daughter is going smoothly?”

“Yes. She said she’ll be gone six weeks.”

“Right. So, we’re good—”

“Wait. I know you work long hours and won’t be around to ask, so it would be good to go over the questions I’ve thought of, like... How do you want her time structured? Tracy said my application for this job stood out because I teach kindergarten and Cassie will be starting in September. Do you want activities channeled for learning? Or strictly fun?”

Logan had no idea. This was Tracy’s deal. She was Cassie’s mom and made all the decisions. Since he only ever had his daughter on weekends, Logan deferred to her mother’s maternal instincts and judgment. He always had. His upbringing was so screwed up that he had no business deciding anything for his daughter.

He looked at Grace and hoped the panic didn’t show. “You’re the expert in that department. Do you think she needs learning activities all summer?”

“She’s really bright, so probably not. But I can plan some things to do that are fun, and she won’t even know she’s learning.”

“That sounds good.”

“For what it’s worth, I think kids should be carefree while they can be. Responsibility comes soon enough.”

It had come too soon for him. Logan was just a kid himself when his mom took her four children and left his wealthy, cheating father. They ended up homeless, even though she waitressed and cleaned houses, doing her best to take care of them. Logan took on being head of the family to protect her and his siblings. He’d been twelve then and didn’t recommend it for any kid.

“Okay,” he finally said. “Fun first. No dedicated learning during the summer. Good talk. I’m glad—”

“Wait. Something else I need to ask.”

“Shoot.” He held in a sigh.

“As far as structuring time... Do you need me to do housekeeping? Cooking? Anything like that?”

“I have someone who comes in once a week, so probably not. But cooking for Cassie and you is something you’ll need to handle.”

“No problem. I’m happy to plan meals and make a plate for you, if you’d like.”

There was a sweetness in her voice, an expression in her eyes, a softness that any man could get used to. And it pierced the hollow emptiness inside him. He was normally dead tired when he finished work at night, and that obviously lowered his resistance. It was his only excuse for saying, “That would be nice.”

“Great. Pleased to do it.” And she smiled as if that was the truth.

“So, if there’s nothing else...”

“Just one more thing.”

There always was. “Okay. What is it?”

“Why don’t you want to teach Cassie to ride a horse?”

“What makes you think I don’t?” He didn’t, but that was beside the point.

“I read between the lines,” Grace said. “The fact that you always say you’ll talk about it later coupled with her protest that she’s not a baby. Apparently she feels treated like one.”

Logan was pretty sure that at this point in a conversation a mother would fall back on “because I’m the mom and know best.” He couldn’t do the dad version because he had no idea what the blueprint of a good one looked like. All he could think to say was, “What’s your point?”

“Just that I live in a ranching community and teach kindergarten. Lots of children learn to ride even younger than Cassie. So what are you afraid of?”

That he’d be outed as a fraud? The bad that he grew up with was carved into him and would somehow come out and hurt his daughter? “I’m not afraid of anything. But I gave my word to Tracy that our child will be in one cute, adorable piece when she comes back from her honeymoon. You’ve been hired to help me do that.”