by Ashley Shay
Her nerves ran rampant. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever been this nervous. She blamed it on the idiot driver of the pickup. She’d been fine until he scared the daylights out of her. She listened to the rhythmic click, click, click of the turn signal, trying to get her heart to slow down to match the steady, regular beat.
“You can do this, Carly Barnes.”
As she drove around the bend, she saw the entrance in the distance. With a sigh of determination, she turned into the driveway and drove toward two brick pillars holding a security gate and a small gatekeeper post. Okay, this is good. The Lucas clan believed in basic security measures. She felt a bit better already.
She paused at the half door into the guard post. She gave the older man with a military-style haircut inside a tentative smile. “Hello. My name is Carly Barnes, and I have an appointment with—”
“ID please,” the man said.
“Oh, yes, of course.” Carly grabbed her purse from the passenger seat and dug for the wallet. She pulled out her driver’s license and handed it over. He gave it a thorough inspection, handed it back, then hit a button on a console inside his small building. A buzzer sounded, and the gate began to open slowly.
The man nodded. “Mr. Lucas is expecting you.” Then a smile split his wide face. “Welcome to Cattail Ranch, Ms. Barnes.”
She smiled back and felt the first positive vibes since she’d begun the drive to Catamount and the ranch.
I’m going to get this job. I’m going to get this job. She repeated the mantra in her mind as she drove the rental car cautiously down the narrow driveway. It crossed her mind she shouldn’t speed because, despite the openness of the area, there could be security cameras anywhere. They might think she was reckless and unfit to drive Suzie around. But she shouldn’t creep along, or they would think she was reluctant to meet with them. Oh hell. Carly pushed the pedal down a bit. Don’t overanalyze this, Carly Barnes. Just be yourself for a change. Don’t try to please everyone by being what you think they want you to be.
She pasted on a smile and pulled the Toyota into an empty space beside a new Ford pickup truck. Carly allowed herself one small glance in the mirror and resisted freshening up her lip gloss. She reached toward the door, only to have it yanked opened before she could touch the handle. Unprepared for the sudden movement, Carly squeaked in alarm then felt her face turn various shades of red. Her heart lurched, the click-click-click rhythm she’d found lost as her heart sped up like a runaway freight train.
“Whoa there, little lady,” a deep male voice soothed. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. You must be Carly Barnes, the new nanny.”
Carly swallowed hard, nodded weakly, and extended her hand for a shake. Instead, a huge, warm hand enveloped hers, and she found herself gallantly pulled from the car and supported by a strong arm until she felt steady on her feet. He took a step away, his warmth disappearing like it had never been there. She recognized him as one of the twins by the amused sparkle in his eyes. She knew all four men were gorgeous, probably the most handsome group of brothers in the state of Texas, if not the entire country, but she’d had no idea how she would feel once she actually met them. She hadn’t been prepared at all. Not by a long shot. This man made her want to purr.
He looked her up and down, from head to toe, without apology, and God help her, it felt wonderful to have his hot, appreciative gaze travel over every inch of her body. If he touched her, she would melt into a puddle at his feet. She could feel it in every bone in her body.
“Well, aren’t you the finest thing I’ve ever seen?” he drawled, pushing his hat back on his head and releasing amber curls to fall over his brow. He looked so adorable she had to clench her hand to keep from reaching out to touch him. “I think we’ve found us a playmate.” He drew back for a moment, slapping a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide and boyish as he pretended to be shocked and apologetic. He gave her a little wink. “I mean Suzie has a playmate, of course. You’ll have to forgive me, ma’am. Sometimes my mouth gets me in trouble.”
Carly raised one eyebrow, playing it cool even though her heart still beat like a jackhammer and she was shaking inside. “I’m sure you say exactly what you mean to say, Mr. Lucas.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “You’ve got spunk, haven’t you? You’re gonna need it around here with my three brothers and our little hellion. I mean, Suzie is a great kid, but she’s a headstrong little thing. A whole lot of trouble if you ask me, and it’s getting worse by the day. Think you’re up to the challenge?” His full, perfect, kissable lips lifted as that sparkle returned to his eyes.
“I haven’t been hired yet, Mr. Lucas. I imagine the hiring is up to Suzie’s father, after all, and your brother Tyler may not find me as fine as you do.”
The twin—maybe Dustin—stared at her like she’d momentarily lost her senses. “Then you don’t know Tyler Lucas. Honey, have you looked at yourself in the mirror?”
She smiled. “Why yes I have. Just this morning, I—”
“Dustin! You going to bring Miss Barnes inside or stand out there bullshitting all day?”
Dustin grinned, glancing back over his shoulder. “That charming fellow is the one and only Tyler, and as you can hear, he’s in a good mood today.”
Carly laughed in spite of herself. She glanced toward Tyler Lucas, who stood on the wide porch, hands on his hips, frowning. His own personal thundercloud swirled around his handsome features. That fierce look in his eyes was intimidating, but her legs nearly buckled with the intensity of the heat that swelled through her body, leaving a small pool of liquid in her panties. She had a feeling things were about to get interesting.
Chapter Three
Tyler had a bad feeling. His first glimpse of this protected witness in the guise of a nanny candidate hadn’t felt right, and this full-on stare clinched it. This wasn’t a good idea for anyone, not for himself or for his brothers, and it certainly didn’t bode well for the future of Cattail Ranch. The ranch and the family had just dropped into a viper’s nest of potential problems. What on Earth had he gotten himself into, and when had he lost his fucking mind?
He should have told Gabe to shove this whole idea down his canine throat. First of all, he didn’t need a human being in close contact with his recalcitrant five-year-old hellcub. Suzie had just discovered the art of manipulation and realized she had a lot of power in her tiny little self, and it took all four Lucas men to keep her in line. They could have used Gabe in that endeavor once in a while as well. Suzie had a thing for the canine cousin.
Most days they met with success in dealing with her antics, but that new horse in the stable testified that they weren’t always so lucky. One woman, especially one human woman, didn’t stand a chance against her, and God knew what would happen if this stranger brought attention down on them.
He also loved his community, and he managed to rule the colony without an iron fist. Everyone was happy, healthy, and content, living their lives with minimal outside interference and inspection. He sure as hell didn’t need a woman stirring up trouble for anyone here in Catamount, and this woman, though she looked far from what he’d call a trouble magnet, was standing hip-deep in shit at the moment according to Gabe. So the real issue was the mess she’d managed to get herself into. Gabe hadn’t gone into details, but the gist of the problem seemed to be that she’d run across a pretty powerful shifter involved in an assassination plot.
How such a magnificent, gentle creature as this lovely lady had embroiled herself in shifter intrigue defied his imagination. Shifters rarely took notice of humans at her level, so she must have done something extremely volatile or witnessed something pretty god-awful if Gabe thought he needed to hide her indefinitely.
He had a bad feeling about all this, but his heart kept asking how an angel like this could possibly bring disaster. She wasn’t anything like he’d been expecting. Gabe must be laughing his ass off right about now. He’d described Miss Barnes as a plump, unexciting little woman that would fit
into the Lucas household without being noticed.
Yeah, right.
He wondered if the coyote was up to his old tricks, hoping he could convince Tyler she was nothing special to leave her alone. Maybe Gabe wanted her for himself. That certainly sounded like his cousin. He’d been a bit of a loner recently. Then again, maybe Gabe had gone blind in the last few years, because surely a man would have to be blind not to notice Carly or like what he saw. He wouldn’t go so far as to say she was plump, but she was rounded in all the right places. When she walked, her full breasts jiggled invitingly under the thin material and that ass… Well, he liked the feel of flesh in his hands. She wore conservative clothes, but somehow, that only intensified her sexuality in Tyler’s mind as he thought of every inch of naked skin underneath.
He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Those wavy little tendrils cupping her face gave her an aura of innocence he didn’t often see in anyone over twelve. Her long lashes were dark with just a hint of mascara and swept shadows over high cheekbones flushed with nerves, or possibly excitement. By the aroma that swelled from her, it could be excitement. Maybe she liked what she saw too because he could scent the flow of her arousal from where he stood. Not strong, but enough to know he—or possibly Dusty, damn his hide—had piqued her interest.
He liked the fact that, though Gabe said she’d come from the big city, she had none of those traits he associated with big-city girls. Though her body posture was a bit reserved, she laughed without artifice, and it was obvious she didn’t starve herself. She looked healthy and vital, filled with a radiance he found positively alluring.
Maybe too alluring.
Tyler had a hard time tamping down his alpha tendencies at times, and this situation offered the perfect example. He was a good brother and alpha, but if Dusty didn’t lay off the charm, he’d find himself planted facedown in the dust. Not that Dusty wouldn’t think it all worthwhile. Just a couple moments in this woman’s presence would be worth any amount of ass kicking, but if anyone planned to woo this little kitten into the household, it was damn well going to be him and not the older twin.
He shook his head, wondering how his thoughts had gone in that direction. The last thing they needed was a new female, and any choice of a potential mate should never involve the word human.
She’d caught him off guard, though not by her presence of course. He’d blasted by her in Firebolt just minutes ago on the road. In fact, he thought he might have scared her pretty bad. He felt a bit of regret over that, but he’d been caught up in the aftermath of an accident while tailing her and doing a bit of spying in the city and had to make up the lost time. It sure wouldn’t look good to be late for an appointment, and once he’d seen her in San Antonio, he sure as hell didn’t want to leave her in the more-than-capable hands of Dusty, or worse yet, Justin. Dusty would have been in her pants in an hour, but his twin would have her locking her car door and speeding back to San Antonio in five seconds flat. There was a reason he’d insisted on being called Cougar since he turned five.
Shane might have handled it okay. Normally Tyler felt comfortable leaving anything in Shane’s capable hands. But this woman…that would have been risky. The middle Lucas brother offered his own brand of charm.
When Tyler had barreled past her Toyota in Firebolt, he’d passed the main gate and taken the private one farther down the road so he could avoid her seeing his truck. He’d been on his way to the front of the house, hoping to head anyone off at the pass when she arrived, and the sound of her gentle, lilting voice had filtered into the foyer through the open door. Damn, each note of her voice made him harder. Not a good sign, given the circumstances.
This was a bad idea. After the interview, he’d let her down gently. He’d tell her he had other candidates in mind, and he would let her know. Then of course he’d tell her he’d found someone more suitable. Yes, that sounded right. Better to avoid this whole thing. He’d keep his community safe, his daughter out of the eye of a potential witness, and make it up to Gabe some other way. He couldn’t have this woman in his house. It would bring all kinds of trouble.
All of that sounded very good in his head, but then she stepped forward, marched up the stairs, and stuck out her hand.
“Hi! I’m Carly Barnes. Nice to meet you, Mr. Lucas.”
He took her soft, warm hand, and after that, he was done for.
“Why don’t you come into my office, Miss Barnes?” He arched an eyebrow at Dusty. “Where we can talk in private.” When Carly cleared the door, Tyler slammed it with a thud, hoping Dusty would take the hint and keep his ass outside where he belonged.
He led her to his study, and Tyler motioned for Carly to take one of the overstuffed leather chairs by the window. He sat down opposite her, stretching his long legs out so far the tip of his cowboy boot almost connected with her sensible heels. He quickly drew his feet back and straightened up in the chair. God forbid she thought he was playing footsie with her. He didn’t need to be accused of sexual harassment before he’d even hired her.
He glanced back down at her small feet tucked into those heels. As pretty as those shoes were, and as much as they fit in at a real school, he hoped she had some boots or, at the very least, some kind of athletic shoes. He might be hiring a nanny and tutor, but Suzie sure as hell wasn’t going to be sitting around in a classroom all day. He could barely keep her in the house on a bad-weather day, let alone all the others.
She wiggled around, getting comfortable in the chair, and that was when it hit him. A soft rush of excitement brushed his inner fur. The longer he watched her body squirm against the buttery leather, the stronger the feeling got until he reached the point where he had to fight to keep from changing. He could feel the heat burning under his skin, and his nerve endings began to fire in rapid succession as the tiny ripples swelled and rushed through his muscles, signaling he might just lose this battle.
Her scent became stronger, swirling around her in a mad spiral of heady fragrance. She smelled of sex, lust, desire, passion. Her arousal signaled animal attraction and never-ending heat. She squeezed her thighs together, but the movement of skin on skin only sharpened the aroma until Tyler wanted to leap across the small distance between them and bury his cock in her sweet silky folds. Her gaze faltered on his as she bit down on her lip, looking for all the world like she might be trying to control the same kind of urge. He wondered what would happen if they both stood.
He watched as her gaze flickered, trying to avoid his stare. Her eyes darted from his face to his lap to the door then finally to the window. He was halfway out of his seat.
And then Carly laughed.
Tyler immediately held up his hands to check for damage. Had his claws sprouted? He then glanced down at himself, wondering if he’d nearly shifted, or done something equally embarrassing like get an erection before he’d said a word. Everything seemed in the right place and the right size. Thank god for small favors. He’d had a devil of a time explaining how he’d managed to turn into a cougar.
Carly held up her hand in a wave, and Tyler glanced out the window to see his daughter jumping up and down on the lawn, trying to get a glimpse of the new nanny. Suzie had her hand clasped on her head to hold on her cowgirl hat, and with each jump, it fell over her eyes. He sighed heavily. “That would be my daughter.”
Carly gave him a little smirk. “Such a sigh, Mr. Lucas. She can’t be all that bad.”
“You’ve no idea.”
“Well, she’s completely adorable and seems very curious.”
“Curious as a cat.”
Tyler steeled himself and glanced out the window again. Suzie had decided to hoist herself up on the window box and now hung suspended in air.
Carly waved again. “And look at that determination.”
Suzie balanced like a gymnast on the lip of the window box and surprised him by waving back. With a smile. An actual honest-to-God smile. Okay, so it wasn’t directed at him, but he’d take what he could get. His daughter had a beautiful smil
e. He’d almost forgotten that in the last year.
“You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Lucas.”
“That’s one way to look at it I suppose.”
He watched as Suzie swung her leg up into the window box, crushing the pretty red flowers Rosa had bought in the spring. Her tiny cowgirl boot smashed three before she’d perched herself on the edge to spy. He was lucky all right. If there was a luckier man in Texas, he didn’t know who it would be. Dang, he needed to get his little kit under control.
“She’s lovely. I think she seems utterly charming.”
“Yes, she’s all that and more. Too much sometimes. And only when she wants to be. It seems to be rather iffy on any given day. She’s definitely more than the four of us can handle.” He curled his hand into a fist because he was blowing this. He needed to shut his mouth before he talked this woman out of even wanting this job. He took a deep breath and tried again, hoping he hadn’t already ruined the whole thing. “She needs a woman’s touch, and though our housekeeper—that would be Rosa—does give her plenty of attention and loves her to pieces, it’s not enough. It’s been very hard for Suzie in the last year, what with my wife’s death and all…”
“Yes, I imagine it’s been hard on all of you. It’s always hard to lose someone and harder still when it involves a small child.”
Carly leaned forward, and for a horrifying moment, Tyler thought she might touch him. He steeled himself for the moment of contact, wondering if he’d be able to handle it. Her soft hair, her luminous skin, that silky voice, and the honeyed smell that hovered in the air around her all combined to make her both a monumental distraction and an unholy temptation. She spared him the agony of her touch by just shifting forward in her chair to look out the window. He followed her gaze to watch Suzie press her dirty palms against the window.
He could not, would not, get involved with another human woman. Jillian’s death had just about killed them all. In their world, a female without the protective ability to shift in danger was very often fatal. He’d failed her. He thought he’d been doing the best thing for their species by joining the shifter task force in Homeland Security, but one year had led to two and two to three, and soon almost a decade had passed, a decade in which quick trips homes had been almost heartbreaking. He’d watched from outside the circle as his brothers fell more deeply in love with their mate and wife. He watched from a distance as a baby was born and a toddler grew. He should have been here.
