Joanne Rock - The Rancher's Bargain

Still, James continued to think about expanding on his own, to give Teddy the future that his father had dreamed for him.

“Thank you.” She let him close the car door behind her while she spun in a slow circle to view the closest buildings. “I’ve always thought this was a pretty property when I’ve driven past here.”

He couldn’t help the rueful grin. “I don’t know how thrilled my grandfather would be to hear that I’ve turned the place ‘pretty.’ But I’ve toyed with the idea of expanding the horse sales side of the business after we’ve had some success with recent yearlings. And traditionally, horse farms have more curb appeal since potential clients often come through the barns.”

“You’ve done a great job.” Lydia walked toward the small grove where he’d been working. “Are these fruit trees?”

He nodded, pleased she’d noticed. “I’ve got a dozen apple trees, a few peaches and pears. Just enough to make the ranch hands grumble about the extra work at harvest time.” Although no one complained about taking fresh fruit home at the end of the day. “I was pruning these before you arrived.”

“I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.” She stopped her trek through the grove and peered back at him. “I know I’m a little early, but I wasn’t sure how long the drive would take.”

“I had just quit when you pulled in. Your timing is perfect.” He waved her toward a side entrance to the main house. “Come on in. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No. Thank you.” She waited while he opened the door, then stepped inside the mudroom. “Where’s Teddy? I brought him a gift.” She tugged at the sleeve of her coat and he moved behind her to help.

Her hair brushed the backs of his knuckles, the silk lining of her coat warm from her body. He tried to move quickly—to keep himself from lingering too long—but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid a hint of her fragrance. Something vanilla with a trace of floral.

With effort, he turned away from her to hang the coat on one of the metal hooks from the rack.

“That’s very kind of you. My housekeeper took Teddy for a couple of hours while he naps so I could get the trees sprayed and pruned. I’ve been falling behind on every conceivable chore.” He led her deeper into the house, pausing outside the kitchen. “Besides, I wanted to give my sales pitch for the nanny gig without any distraction.”

Shaking her head, she gave him a half smile. “But he is the job, James. Your best selling point.”

Skeptical, he figured he’d hedge his bets on showing off the house first. “Your three predecessors didn’t seem quite as charmed by their charge.”

Lydia crossed her arms as she studied him. “They don’t sound worthy of the task, then.”

Her defensiveness on Teddy’s behalf was a credit to her character, yes. But she’d been with the boy for only a few minutes. She hadn’t seen the long crying jags or the stormy rages that had caught the other nannies off guard.

“That makes me all the more eager to sign you on,” he told her honestly.

After taking her on a tour of the kitchen and great room, he took the main staircase up to the nursery where his housekeeper, Mrs. Davis, all but bolted from the room when she spotted them. Her greeting was brusque at best.

“Thank you, Mrs. Davis.” James knew the housekeeper wasn’t happy with the added babysitting responsibilities, but he’d shown his gratitude in her paycheck over the last two weeks. “This is Lydia Walker. She’s here to discuss the possibility of taking over child care duties full-time.”

“In that case, I won’t keep you.” She gave an abrupt nod and hurried on her way, her white tennis shoes squeaking on the hardwood in the hall as she stalked off.

“The household staff is overburdened,” he explained, hoping Lydia wouldn’t be put off by the woman’s cool reception. “Mrs. Davis has helped me out more than once, and I’ve also got temporary help from my foreman’s daughter. But the extra work is taking a toll.”

“Understandable,” Lydia murmured softly while she peered down into the crib at the sleeping baby. “Caring for a child is a huge life adjustment. Expectant parents have nine months to prepare themselves, and most of them are still overwhelmed by the transition.” She smiled up at him. “You’re doing well.”

No doubt she intended the words to be reassuring, but the effect on him was anything but.

“You can’t possibly know that,” he told her flatly, refusing to accept a comfort he didn’t deserve. “I can’t help but think that my brother would have been far more involved with his son’s upbringing than I can afford to be right now. I’ve reached out to Teddy’s maternal grandparents to try to involve them more.” He’d written to them twice, in fact, and hadn’t heard back. “Maybe their home will be a better place for my nephew.”

Lydia chewed her lush lower lip, looking thoughtful. The gesture distracted him from the dark cloud of his own failed responsibilities, making him wish his relationship with this woman could be a whole lot less complicated.

“You’re thinking about asking his grandparents to raise him?” She stepped away from the crib, her boots soundless on the thick carpeting as she moved.

His gaze tracked her movements, lingering on the way her sweater dress hugged her curves. But then, thinking about Lydia was a whole lot more enticing than remembering all the ways he’d fallen short in his sudden parental role.

He’d had the nursery assembled in a hurry. The room contained all the necessary furniture but hadn’t been decorated with much that would appeal to a child.

“Definitely. I can’t even keep a nanny for him, let alone be a meaningful part of his life right now.” He wasn’t sure any of this was helping his cause to convince her to take the job. But something about Lydia made it easy for him to talk to her.

A sensation he rarely experienced with anyone.

“But that doesn’t mean you’ll always be too busy for him.” Her hazel eyes took on a bluish cast in the baby’s room with azure-colored walls. “And your brother and his wife must have trusted you a great deal if they named you as his guardian.”

Frustration and guilt fired through him.

“I’m sure they never believed it would come to that.” He couldn’t bear the weight of failing Teddy. Failing his brother. Unwilling to argue the point, James gestured toward the door. “Come this way and I’ll show you the nanny’s quarters. Because no matter what happens with Teddy’s future, I can’t escape the fact that I need a solution for his care right now.”

And that meant not letting his guard down around this beautiful, desirable woman.

Three

“I can’t accept these terms.” Back in the ranch’s great room, Lydia stared down at the neatly typed offer James had passed her inside a crisp manila folder.

After a tour of the Double H Ranch main house, with special attention to the nursery, nanny’s quarters and a potential playroom she could equip as she saw fit, James had briefly outlined very generous compensation for retaining her services. Not only was room and board included—useful for her while her contractor outfitted her home for a child care facility—but James also offered a salary, health care benefits and a recommendation if she stayed in his employ for six months. Gail’s debt would be partially forgiven after the two-month trial period, and fully after one whole year.

Furthermore, there were additional pages that spelled out potential budgets for renovating the playroom and nursery, as well as a spending allowance for toys, books, equipment, outings and anything else that she thought Teddy required.

“What do you mean?” James frowned, stepping closer to glance over her shoulder at the formalized offer he’d given her. “Are there things I’m overlooking? It’s all up for negotiation.”