“How was your day, kiddo?”
“Daddy, it was the best day ever.” She told him all about the play and her part. “Merry is gonna help me remember my lines.”
He met her gaze. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I’d be happy to do it even if it wasn’t part of my responsibilities.”
“Still, I appreciate it.” There was gratitude in his expression along with something hot and intense.
The look lasted only a moment before the spark flickered and was firmly extinguished. What a shame. But she understood. Life had kicked him in the teeth. Who could blame him for protecting himself and his daughter?
“You’re welcome. Because, it has to be said, your child can be so difficult.” Since she was the exact opposite of that, the teasing words made him smile. “Seriously, I should pay you. She is a joy to be around.”
“Yeah, she’s a pretty great kid. I think I’ll keep her—”
“Look!” Wren pointed at a few fluffy white flakes drifting down from the sky, then held her palm up to catch one. “Is it snow?”
“Yes,” Merry said.
“You were right. Merry said it would snow today.” The little girl hugged her. “Mistlesnow. Quick. Make a wish.”
Wren closed her eyes and there was a look of fierce concentration on her face. Merry wished for the first thing that popped into her head. Hunter just looked confused.
“Mistlesnow,” Merry said. “It’s a new thing for me, too. When it first starts to snow, you make a wish. I’m told it will come true.”
“Then I wish for the snow to stop,” he said. “I’ve got work to do.”
“Daddy, you can’t say your wish out loud,” his daughter scolded. “It won’t come true.”
“My bad.” He shrugged those impossibly broad shoulders. “I’ll make another one.”
“Too late,” Wren told him. “You only get one wish.”
Merry’s eyebrows lifted. “Apparently she’s the mistlesnow police.”
Hunter laughed and for the third time that day she felt a tug on her heart. He didn’t smile nearly often enough, so the bonus of that cheerful sound was particularly satisfying. On the down side, the brooding man was gone, replaced by this smiling one who could so easily make her weak in the knees. A memory of the kiss that never was went through her mind and she sighed with disappointment. She just knew it would have been the best kiss she’d ever had.
Even a mistlesnow wish wouldn’t be powerful enough to confirm her suspicions. It was no match for his defenses. She was grateful for Wren’s rules of keeping a wish to yourself. Hers had been about Hunter, an involuntary yearning to be with him that had popped into her mind. Saying it out loud would have been humiliating.
But that was nothing compared to the pain of wanting something she could never have.
* * *
“There are a couple more things I need to run by you, Dad.” Hunter had been pacing in his father’s office up at the big ranch house. Wilder was here for this meeting, too. “I want to increase the herd.”
Max leaned back in his cushy leather chair and steepled his fingers. “Are you sure about that, son?”
“Yes, sir, I am. I know we started this operation small because of the move. The plan was to increase slowly. Grazing management is more cost effective with a bigger herd. By that, I mean it’s quicker and more efficient to check on, say, five hundred cows in one herd than a hundred cows in five herds.”
His father looked at Wilder, who was sprawled in one of the chairs in front of the big desk. “Do you agree with your brother?”
“Yes, sir. He’s the one with that fancy college degree in ranching from Texas A&M. But it’s just common sense. Increase profits without a big investment in overhead.”
Max nodded. “Okay then. Go for it.”
“Okay. I’ll start the process.” Hunter grinned.
It always felt good to have his father’s approval. Max Crawford didn’t become successful by making stupid decisions. His personal life was less praiseworthy and the six brothers had paid a price for that. But Hunter wasn’t going there. He still had to finish this meeting.
“Also,” he said, “I’m going to look for a used baler. More cows means more hay to feed them in the winter.”
“What about buying new?” Wilder asked.
“A used one is cheaper. That keeps down the cost of expanding the herd.”
“What if it needs repairs?” his brother wanted to know.
“You and I have learned to make repairs. But if something happens that we can’t handle, there’s a local guy. Brendan Tanner. He’s an ex-marine who’s supposed to be really good at fixing machinery.”
“How do you know this?” Wilder gave him a look that said “you’ve been holding out.” “No offense, bro, but you’re not very friendly. You make hermits look social.”
“I’m social. I just talk to different people than you.” And by that he meant women. His brother went out of his way to talk to them. Hunter didn’t. He preferred chatting with local ranchers about cattle prices and machinery. “But I do get around.”
Like Thanksgiving night when he’d almost kissed Merry. The regret of not doing that got bigger every time he saw her. And the temptation to follow through with what he’d started was becoming nearly impossible to resist. Then he saw his brother studying him with questions in his eyes and forced himself back into the moment.
“I ran into Paddy O’Reilly in town. He’s a local rancher and Brendan is his daughter’s husband.”
“I think all your plans look good.” Max nodded. “And I’ve carefully considered the spreadsheets you gave me and the bottom line is impressive. I think you should allocate some funds to start fixing up your house.”
“Do this place first,” he said, looking around the office. The house was livable but needed updating, especially the kitchen, according to his sister-in-law, Lily. “My house is fine.”
“I know. But Wren is growing up. She’ll be wanting to have her friends over before you know it,” Max pointed out.
Hunter didn’t want to think about her getting older. That meant more freedom, independence, social situations where he couldn’t always be there to make sure she was safe. But, if she felt comfortable inviting her friends to the house, Merry would be there to supervise. Or not. She was a beautiful woman and wouldn’t necessarily stay on forever.
From experience he knew that men plan and God laughs. He couldn’t count on anything being the way he wanted it to be.
Still, he would rather have his daughter socializing here on the ranch. “You have a point, Dad.”
“I do?” Max’s eyebrows rose.
“Don’t look so surprised,” Wilder needled.
“Hard not to. I get more pushback than agreement from you boys.”
“We have our reasons.” Hunter rested a hip on the corner of the desk.
“I know.” Max’s voice was deep, serious. “There’s been some hard knocks in this family. But lately you’ve got more of a spring in your step.”
“Me?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah, I’m looking at you.” The twinkle was back in his father’s eyes.
“I’ve noticed that, too,” Wilder said. “You’ve been much easier to work with lately.”
“You’re both full of it.” Hunter glared at his brother. “And I’ve always been a sweetheart of a guy to work with.”
His younger brother laughed, a mocking sound. “Are you serious? You’re like a ticked-off grizzly bear, and that’s on a good day. But recently you’ve mellowed.”
Max nodded his agreement. “I think this move to Montana has been good for you. A change of scene, not just for you, but Wren, too. It’s been just the thing to get you out of the rut you’ve been in.”
“I wasn’t in a rut,” Hunter protested. “Working and raising a daughter
are what I do.”
“That’s called a rut,” his brother said.
“What do you know? Your life is work and women. That’s what you call a rut,” Hunter countered.
Wilder shifted in the chair and met his father’s gaze. “Now that you mention it, Dad, his attitude adjusted pretty recently. Right around the time Finn and Avery got married.”
“Ah.” Max nodded knowingly. “That’s when you hired Merry Matthews full time. By the way, how are things working out with her?”
“Wren loves her. And knowing she’s there taking care of my daughter gives me peace of mind.” Knowing she was under his roof at night gave him no peace at all. It drove him crazy. She slept just down the hall and he was tied up in knots from the longing to go to her, hold her. And more.
“But is it just about Wren?” Max asked.
Since when could his father read minds? Or figure out what someone else was feeling? Hunter was starting to feel like that ticked-off grizzly his brother had called him. “What do you mean?”
“Merry is obviously wonderful with my granddaughter. But she’s also quite a lovely young woman. Smart, sweet and pretty. I can’t help wondering if she isn’t—well—making you merry.”
Hunter narrowed his gaze on his father. “This has to be said. It makes me skittish when I have your approval. Especially about a woman.”
“He has a point, Dad.” Wilder glanced at him then back to their father. “You have to admit you’re not the best judge of character where women are concerned.”
Hunter recalled Max admitting that he’d done some things to manipulate their mother, controlling moves to get her to stay. Misguided love could best describe what they’d had. But the woman had given up on her kids.
“My brother is saying you chose a woman who walked out and left six boys motherless. And he has a point.”
“You’ll never know how much I regret what happened with me and your mother.” Max really did look sorry. “I made mistakes. But I can’t change the past. My concern is for your futures. Four of my sons have settled down. It’s just you two left to take care of.”
“It is what it is, Dad. Just leave it alone.”
“Seriously, Hunter?” His brother laughed but there was no humor in it. “Have you met our father? When did he not stick his nose in our business thinking he knew best?”
“There is that.” Hunter braced for a blistering retort from his father and was surprised when it didn’t come.
“I deserve that. You may not believe this, but everything I do is out of love for you boys.” Max sighed a little sadly. “But you’re men now. All grown up. And I can see how what I’ve done wrong has affected you. I’m going to fix it, though. I will see all of my sons happily settled down with families of their own, or die trying.”
Wilder jumped out of the chair as if a snake had bitten him in the backside. Something about the sheer force of will in their father’s expression had obviously spooked him. That and the fact that his four older brothers had fallen like dominoes and were married.
“I’m good, Dad. Really,” Wilder said. “Don’t waste your time on me. I’m perfectly happy playing the field. Settling down is not my game plan. I mean, can you really see me as a father?” He shook his head and shuddered. “Not gonna happen. So—and I mean this in the best possible way—back off.”
Max just smiled.
That made Wilder even more nervous. “I assume this meeting is over. It is for me anyway. The horses must need feeding. Chores are waiting. I’m out of here.”
Hunter watched as his brother couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. “Good luck with him, Dad.”
“I’m not worried. He’ll come around.”
Then he noticed that his father’s determined gaze was trained on him. Suddenly he understood how cornered his brother had felt. They both said he’d been happier since Merry had come to work for him. Their imaginations were working overtime. He hadn’t changed.
“Look, Dad, don’t analyze me. Wren and I are good. She loves school. By the way, she’s in the Christmas play and excited about that. She’s looking forward to Christmas. If my daughter is happy, I’m happy. It’s as simple as that.”
“If you say so, son.” Max looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. He wasn’t buying this.
Hunter felt as if every time he opened his mouth to make the case for his recent positive mood change, he actually made his father’s case for Merry being at the heart of it. He wouldn’t let that be true, even if it killed him. And now he was starting to think like Max Crawford, who’d admitted to manipulating his sons to get them settled down.
It was time to follow his little brother’s example and beat a hasty retreat. “Speaking of Christmas, I need to get my little girl a tree to decorate.”
“If I know my granddaughter, she’s going to want her nanny to come along,” Max pointed out with some satisfaction.
The man wasn’t wrong, Hunter thought. And if he was being completely honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind Merry’s company either, and not just to look out for Wren.
Her smiling face seemed to make everything better. But neither wild horses nor his father could drag that admission out of him.
Chapter Eleven
Merry felt awful about asking Hunter for the evening off. He’d just returned to the house after a meeting with his father and said something about taking Wren to chop down a Christmas tree. But her house was closing escrow very soon, and she needed to pack up what was going into storage, then clean out, toss out or give away what was left. Hunter had generously agreed to her request. Since his daughter had said she wanted Merry to go, they’d put off the excursion until the following day. That sweet little girl’s words made Merry’s eyes well up with tears every time she thought about it.
Now she was in the kitchen along with a stack of boxes she’d gotten from Crawford’s General Store, and bubble wrap and a tape dispenser in order to securely seal the box flaps.
Shaking her head, she looked around at the cupboards and knickknacks. Fortunately it was a small kitchen, but still... “This is going to be the worst,” she said aloud.
The doorbell rang and she was grateful for the momentary reprieve. She’d asked Zoey to give her a hand, and her friend was standing on the porch with more boxes, flattened for easier transport.
“I am so glad to see you.” Merry hugged her friend. “So much to do, so little time. I’m suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get this done.” There was a confident, reassuring look in her friend’s blue eyes.
Merry really needed that. “It’s going to be emotional, too.”
“I know.” Zoey gave her a hard squeeze then let go. “So, what are we doing first?”
“Kitchen.” Merry took half the boxes and led the way to the back of the house. After leaning the stack against one of the dinette chairs, she said, “This is going to be the biggest job. After dad died I cleaned out his room and donated his clothes. Most of his tools sold in the garage sale. That leaves the furniture and my things. And the kitchen.”
“Let’s get down to business,” Zoey said.
Working together, they wrapped dishware, then arranged it snugly in a box to minimize breakage. When it was full, Merry sealed the top and labeled it with a black Sharpie.
“Now we have to box those pots and pans, and that cast iron skillet that was my mother’s.”
“My mom has one, too. She swears by it.” Zoey opened a cupboard next to the stove and studied the contents—a lot of spices. “Are you sure you don’t want to bring some of this stuff out to the ranch? You’re cooking for Hunter and Wren, right?”
“Yes.”
“Might be nice to have some of the cookware you’re used to. And these bottles of spices won’t do well in storage.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” She mu
lled it over and nodded. “It’s a good idea. I’ll run it by Hunter.”
“I’ll get some of the flat boxes ready for packing the other stuff,” Zoey said. “Speaking of the ranch, how is it going? Living there, I mean.”
“The timing of it all couldn’t have worked out better,” Merry said, ruefully surveying the open cupboard. There were things inside she used only once a year and had forgotten about. She wrapped up a gravy boat and handed it to her friend. “At least I don’t have to worry right away about where I’m going to live.”
“Do you think this ranch arrangement is permanent?”
“Is anything?” Merry was the poster girl for change. “Right now Wren seems really happy that I’m there.”
“And her father?”
“What about him?” Besides the fact that his deep voice sent shivers down her spine and made her tingle in places she’d never tingled before.
Zoey gave her a “duh” look. “Is he happy you’re there?”
“He hasn’t said he’s not.” Technically that was true, but she saw looks on his face when he didn’t know she was watching. Dark expressions that made her wonder if he was questioning the decision to hire her.
Zoey took a wrapped glass and set it in the box. “I know you’re fiercely independent and all that, but you don’t ever have to worry about a place to live. My mom considers you another daughter. We will always have room for you.”
“Oh, Zo—” She blinked at the moisture suddenly in her eyes. “You’re gonna make me cry.”
“Don’t you dare. Or I’ll start.” She sniffled. “Now hand me another glass.”
“I appreciate the offer more than I can tell you. But—” She shrugged. “It’s all good.”
“Then why do I keep reading between the lines? It’s all good—right now. It’s fine—but...”
“I don’t mean to imply that,” Merry said. “It’s just that life has given me more than one lesson about how things can change from one day to the next.”
Maverick Holiday Magic (Montana Mavericks: Six Brides For Six Brothers Book 5) Page 13
