Merrillee Whren - Montana Match

Parker glanced over to see whether Brittany was watching, but she was talking with Heather’s brother, Mike. A flash of envy sparked through Parker’s mind. What a strange reaction—an uncalled-for reaction.

Before he could reply, Heather leaned over and whispered in his ear. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”

He turned and scowled at her. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“Yeah, helping Rose and Jasmine find a fourth.” Heather gave him a feigned smile of innocence.

“You’re not fooling me.” Parker stared at Heather and shook his head before he turned his attention back to his daughters. “Mike can be their fourth.”

“Oh, no. Hannah and Lexi have already challenged Mike and me to play Rook.” Heather grinned. “You see, the last time the cousins got together, Mike and I were the Rook champs, so they have to try to unseat us. We can’t let that happen.”

Parker tried not to frown. “Okay, I’ll play.”

“Yay!” Rose and Jasmine clapped.

“Calm down or I may change my mind.”

With the little girls tugging on his arms, Parker trudged across the room. First Heather, now his girls. Was this a conspiracy to push Brittany and him together? Maybe he was being paranoid. The girls were too little to have any romantic ideas. They just wanted to play with their new friend. They’d practically adopted Brittany the moment they met her.

Parker tried to focus his attention on the game board sitting on the coffee table. He forced a smile as he surveyed the situation. Where should he sit? Next to Brittany or across the table from her? Either way, his mind wouldn’t be on the game.

“Sit here.” Rose pointed to the spot opposite where Brittany had taken a seat on the floor.

“Okay.” Hoping to avoid looking at Brittany, Parker sat crossed-legged on the floor. “How do you play this game?”

Rose let out a huge huff. “Daddy, we’ve played this before. You should know.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember now. I go up the ladders and down the chutes.”

“That’s right.” Jasmine shoved the spinner at Parker. “We have to spin to see who goes first.”

“Ladies should go first.” Parker pushed the spinner back to Jasmine.

Jasmine giggled. “I’m a girl, not a lady.”

Parker tugged on one of her braids. “You and your sister are little ladies.”

Rose looked at Brittany. “And Brittany’s a big lady.”

“We say she’s a grown-up lady, not a big lady.”

Brittany chuckled. “It’s not every day that someone calls me big. It’s nice to be taller than someone for a change.”

As the girls and Brittany laughed together, Parker couldn’t help thinking about how the top of her head had barely reached his shoulder when she’d stood near him while they were skiing. There definitely wasn’t anything big about the petite young woman sitting across from him, unless it was her heart, as she showed kindness toward his girls.

While his daughters took turns spinning, Parker finally ventured another look in Brittany’s direction. She smiled again, and he couldn’t deny the way it made his heart jump.

This was nuts. True, he hadn’t associated with a single woman close to his age in a long time, so maybe his response was only natural. He was a man with an appreciation for a good-looking woman. That shouldn’t bother him, except that he kept wondering whether she would make a good nanny for his girls. He was letting his need for a nanny run away with his thoughts.

Brittany took her spin. Tiny freckles dotted the back of her hand as her slender fingers flicked the little arrow, making it whirl around and finally land on the one. She looked up at him. “Well, I’m certainly not going first. Your turn.”

“Okay.” Parker reached for the spinner, and their fingers brushed. Her touch sent a jolt straight to his heart. He hoped the reaction didn’t show on his face. Maybe it was her thoughtfulness toward Rose and Jasmine that had him feeling this way.

The arrow pointed to the number two.

“Yay!” Rose picked up the spinner. “I got the highest number, so I’m first.”

“Yes, you are, and we’ll go around the table this way.” Brittany made a clockwise motion with her hand. “So your dad goes next, and I’m last, since I had the lowest number.”

“But it doesn’t always work out that way, does it, Daddy?” Jasmine looked at him for confirmation.

“No, it doesn’t. Sometimes life isn’t fair.” Thoughts of the unfairness in his life threatened to darken his mood, but he wouldn’t let negative feelings dampen this time with his girls.

Rose patted Brittany on the arm. “Daddy always says that when he tells us we can’t stay up late, even though he does.”

Nodding, Brittany chuckled. “Daddies are like that. My dad says that all the time, too, when I complain.”

Parker didn’t say anything, but wondered whether she was thinking about losing her job. He wanted his girls to grow up with a realistic outlook, though he hoped his sometimesgloomy viewpoint wouldn’t unduly color their world. Still, life wasn’t fair. Sometimes it was downright unjust. There seemed to be a lot more chutes than ladders in his life.

As the game got underway, he tried to steer his thinking in a more positive direction. He was here with the family who loved him. That should be all he needed, but he sometimes wished he could have his old life back. That wasn’t going to happen. Too much animosity still existed between him and the people he knew in Stockton, and he had to protect his girls from any unkindness. That was a top priority.

After each of them had a few turns, Brittany landed on a square where a ladder propelled her to a square near the top of the board. “Wow! I liked that spin.”

“Now you’re going to win.” Rose stuck out her lower lip.

“You never know.” Brittany shrugged. “The game’s not over.”

“Yeah. She could land on that chute a few squares ahead and go way back.” Jasmine pointed to the place three spots away.

“That’s true.” Parker handed the spinner to Rose, so she could take her turn. He hoped her attitude improved. He hated dealing with her sour moods. Was it the result of the changes that had taken place on the ranch with Jenny and her family leaving, or had his less-than-sunny outlook rubbed off on Rose? He hoped he wasn’t to blame. Being a parent held a lot of responsibility, but he was still glad for the choice he’d made to adopt these little girls.

“Daddy, it’s your turn.” Rose poked his arm with the spinner.

He took his turn, realizing he’d been doing too much thinking, rather than enjoying the game. When Brittany had her next turn, she landed on the square Jasmine had mentioned earlier.

As Brittany moved her game piece down the chute to a place much closer to the beginning, she laughed and gave Jasmine a playful tickle in the ribs. “How did you know that was going to happen?”

“It almost always happens when we play.” Jasmine giggled.

Her high-pitched giggle joined Brittany’s laughter. The joyous sound touched something deep inside Parker. It felt like the warmth of a sunbeam on a cold day, but he steeled his heart against it. He would let his little girls work on his emotions, but he couldn’t let someone outside the family circle move him.

A little while later, Rose raised her arms above her head in triumph. “I won. I won.”

Parker smiled at Rose. “Good job.”

Brittany patted Rose on one arm. “You’re the champ this time.”

“I want to be the champ, so let’s play again.” Jasmine grabbed her game piece and plunked it down at the starting point.

Narrowing her gaze, Rose did the same. “Just cuz we play again doesn’t mean you’ll win. Maybe Brittany or Daddy will win.”