Nanny Makes Three

by Cat Schield

  “Nice, but the roan mare is better, and bred to Blue you’d get a really nice foal.” Hadley’s gaze turned thoughtful as she stirred the stew with her spoon. “I also think you’d be fine letting the buckskin go. He’s terrific, but Cielo will be a better reining horse.” Her lips curved. “But I’m not telling you anything you hadn’t already decided.”

  “I appreciate your feedback. And you’re right. Of the four I showed you, I’d selected three to sell. But your suggestion that I breed Tilda to Blue was something I hadn’t considered.”

  Her smile warmed up the already-cozy kitchen. “Glad I could help. It was fun talking horses. It was something my friends and I did all the time when I was younger. I always imagined myself living on a ranch after I finished school, breeding and training horses.”

  Liam’s chest tightened. Hadley possessed the qualities he’d spent the last year deciding his perfect woman must have. Beautiful, loving, maternal and passionate about horses.

  “Of course, that wasn’t a practical dream,” Hadley continued. “My parents were right to insist I put my education first. I figured that out not long after I started college.”

  “But what if you could have figured out a way to make it work? Start small, build something.”

  “Maybe ten years ago I could have.” Her voice held a hint of wistfulness. A moment later, all nostalgia vanished. “These days it’s no longer what I want.”

  Her declaration put an end to the topic. Liam held his gaze steady on her for a moment longer, wondering if he’d imagined her overselling her point. Or was he simply wishing she’d consider giving up her future plans and sticking around Royal? He’d grown attached to her in a very short period of time and wanted to see more of her. And not as his niece’s nanny.

  Liam pushed back from the table. “I have a meeting late this afternoon at the Texas Cattleman’s Club, but I’ll be back in time for you to make your class at seven.”

  “Thank you. I really enjoy the class as much for the company as the candle making.” She carried their bowls to the sink and began rinsing them. “When I’m in school, I don’t have a lot of free time.”

  “Sounds like you don’t make enough time for fun,” he said.

  “I keep telling myself that I’ll have plenty of time to enjoy myself once I’m done with school. In the meantime, I make the most of the free hours I have.”

  Liam was mulling Hadley’s attitude as he strode into the Texas Cattleman’s Club later that day. Originally built as a men’s club around 1910, the club opened its doors to women members as well a few years ago. Liam and his grandfather had been all for the change and had even supported the addition of a child care center. For the most part, though, the decor of the original building had been left intact. The wood floors, paneled walls and hunting trophies created a decidedly masculine atmosphere.

  As Liam entered the lounge and approached the bar, he overheard one table discussing the Samson Oil land purchases. This had been going on for months. Several ranchers had gone bankrupt on the heels of the destructive tornado that had swept through Royal and the surrounding ranches. Many of those who’d survived near financial ruin had then had to face the challenge of the drought that reduced lakes and creeks and made sustaining even limited herds difficult. Some without established systems of watering tanks and pumps had been forced to sell early on. Others were holding out for a miracle that wouldn’t come.

  “I guess I know what’s on the agenda for the meeting today,” Liam mentioned as he slid into the space between his best friend, David “Mac” McCallum, and Case Baxter, current president of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. “Has anybody heard what’s up with all the purchases?”

  Mac shook his head. “Maybe they think there are shale deposits.”

  “Fracking?” The man on the other side of Mac growled. “As if this damned drought isn’t bad enough. What sort of poison is that process going to spill into our groundwater? I’ve got two thousand heads relying on well water.”

  Liam had heard similar complaints every time he set foot in the clubhouse. The drought was wearing on everyone. Wade Ranch relied on both wells and a spring-fed lake to keep its livestock watered. He couldn’t imagine the stress of a situation where he only had one ever-dwindling source to count on.

  “Mellie tells me the property lawyer who’s been buying up all the land for Samson Oil quit,” Case said. His fiancée’s family owned several properties the oil company had tried to buy. “She’s gotten friendly with one of her tenants, the woman who owns the antiques store in the Courtyard. Apparently she and Nolan Dane are involved.”

  “Howard Dane’s son?”

  “Yes, and Nolan’s going back to work with him doing family law.”

  Liam missed who asked the question, but Case’s answer got him thinking about Kyle. That his brother was still out of touch reinforced Liam’s growing conviction that Maggie deserved a parent who was there for her 24/7. Obviously as long as he was on active duty, Kyle couldn’t be counted on. Perhaps Liam should reach out to an attorney familiar with family law and see what his options might be for taking over custody of his niece. He made a mental note to give the man a call the next morning and set up an appointment.

  “Maybe we should invite him to join the club,” Liam suggested, thinking how their numbers had dwindled over the last year as more and more ranchers sold off their land.

  “I think we could use some powerful allies against Samson Oil,” Case said. “Nolan might not be able to give us any information on his former client, but he still has a background in property law that could be useful.”

  The men gathered in the bar began to move toward the boardroom where that night’s meeting was to be held.

  “How are things going for you at home?” Mac asked. “Is fatherhood all it’s cracked up to be?”

  “Maggie is not my daughter,” Liam replied, wearying of everyone assuming he’d been foolhardy. “But I’m enjoying having her around. She’s really quite sweet when she’s not crying.”

  Mac laughed. “I never thought I’d see you settling down.”

  “A year ago I decided I wanted one good relationship rather than a dozen mediocre ones.” Liam was rather impressed with how enlightened he sounded.

  “And yet you’ve buried yourself at the ranch. How are you any closer to a good relationship when you don’t get out and meet women?”

  “I’ve heard that when you’re ready, the right one comes along.” An image of Hadley flashed through his mind.

  Mac’s hand settled forcefully on Liam’s shoulder. “You’re talking like an idiot. Is it sleep deprivation?”

  “I have a newborn living with me. What do you think?”

  But Liam knew that what was keeping him awake at night wasn’t Maggie, but her nanny and the persistent hope that Waldo might sneak into Liam’s bedroom and Hadley would be forced to rescue him a second time. Because if that happened, Liam had prepared a very different end to that encounter.

  Six

  Ivy entered Liam’s office with her tablet in hand and sat down. The back of the chair thumped against the wall, and her knees bumped his desk. She growled in annoyance and rubbed her legs. Unbefitting his status as half owner of the ranch, Liam had one of the tiniest offices in the complex. He preferred to spend his days out and about and left paperwork for evenings. When he met with clients, he had an informal way of handling the meetings and usually entertained in the large lounge area or brought them into the barns.

  “I’m finalizing your plans for Colorado this weekend,” she said, her finger moving across the tablet screen. “The caterer is confirmed. A Suburban will be waiting for you at the airport. Give Hannah Lake a call when you land, and she will meet you at the house.”

  Ivy kept talking, but Liam had stopped listening. He’d forgotten all about the skiing weekend he was hosting for five of his
clients. The tradition had begun several years ago. They looked forward to the event for months, and it was far too late to cancel.

  “Liam?” Ivy regarded him with a steady gaze. “You seem worried. I assure you everything is ready.”

  “It’s not that. I forgot that I was supposed to be heading to Colorado in a couple days. What am I going to do about Maggie?”

  “Take her along.” She jotted a note on the tablet with a stylus. “I’ll see if they can set up a crib in one of the rooms.”

  “Have you forgotten this is supposed to be a guys’ weekend? A chance for everyone to get away from their wives and families so they can smoke cigars, drink too much scotch, ski and play poker?”

  “Sounds lovely.” Ivy rolled her eyes.

  Liam pointed at Ivy’s expression. “And that is exactly what they want to get away from.”

  “I don’t know what you’re worrying about. Bring Hadley along to take care of Maggie. The house is big enough for a dozen people. No one will even know they’re there.”

  Ivy’s suggestion made sense, but Liam’s instincts rebelled at her assumption that no one would realize they were present. He would know. Just like every other night when she slept down the hall.

  “That’s true enough, and Maggie is doing better at night. She barely fusses at all before going back to sleep.” Liam wondered how much of a fight Hadley would make about flying to Colorado. He got to his feet. It was late enough in the afternoon for him to knock off. He’d been looking forward to spending a little time with Maggie before dinner. “I’d better give Hadley a heads-up.”

  “Let me know if she has anything special to arrange for Maggie.” With that, Ivy exited the office.

  Liam scooped his hat off the desk and settled it on his head. As he drove the ten minutes between barns and house, Liam considered the arguments for and against taking Maggie with him to Colorado. In the ten days since his niece had become a part of his life, he’d grown very attached to her. When his brother contacted him, Liam intended to convince him to give the baby up. With the dangerous line of work his brother was in, Maggie would be better off with the sort of stable home environment found here on Wade Ranch.

  Liam entered the house and followed the scent of wood smoke to the den. Hadley looked up from her book as Liam entered. “You’re home early.”

  “I came home to spend some time with Maggie.” And with her. Had he imagined the way her eyes had lit up upon seeing him? They’d spent a great deal of time together in the last few days. All under the guise of caring for Maggie, but Liam knew his own motives weren’t as pure as he’d let on.

  “She had a rough afternoon.”

  She glanced down at the sleeping infant nestled in her arms. Hadley’s fond expression hit Liam in the gut.

  “She looks peaceful now.”

  “I only got her to sleep half an hour ago.” Hadley began shifting the baby in her arms. “Do you want to hold her?”

  “Not yet. I spent most of the day in the saddle. I’m going to grab a shower first.”

  He rushed through his cleanup and ran a comb through his damp hair. Dressed in brown corduroy pants and a denim shirt, he headed back to the den. The afternoon light had faded until it was too dark for Hadley to read, but instead of turning on the lamps, she was relying on the flickering glow of the fire. Outside, the wind howled, and she shivered.

  “Is it as chilly as it sounds?”

  “I suspect the windchill will be below freezing tonight.”

  He eased down on the couch beside her and took the baby. Their bodies pressed against each other hip to knee during the exchange, and Liam smiled as her scent tickled his nose. They’d become a well-oiled machine in the last few days, trading off Maggie’s care like a couple in sync with each other and their child’s needs. It had given him a glimpse of what life would be like with a family. Liam enjoyed Hadley’s undemanding company. She’d demonstrated an impish sense of humor when sharing stories of her fellow nannies’ adventures in caretaking, and he was wearing down her resistance to talking about horses by sharing tales of people she used to compete against.

  “I have a business trip scheduled in a couple days,” Liam began, eyeing Hadley as he spoke. Her gaze was on the baby in his arms.

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “I rented a house in Colorado for a week, but usually I’m only gone for four days.” He paused, thinking how he’d prefer to stay in this cozy triangle with Hadley and Maggie rather than flying off to entertain a group of men. “It’s a ski weekend for five of my best clients.”

  “Are you worried about leaving Maggie here?”

  “Yes. I want to bring her along.” He paused a beat before adding, “I want you to come, as well.” He saw the arguments building in her blue eyes. He already had the answer to her first one. “Candace has offered to take Waldo, so you don’t have to worry about him.”

  “I’ve never traveled with a client before.” She wasn’t demonstrating the resistance he’d expected. “Are you sure there will be room for us?”

  “The house is quite large. There are seven bedrooms. Ivy is coordinating the trip and said you should let her know about anything you think Maggie might need. She is already making arrangements for a crib.”

  “When would we leave?”

  “We’ll fly up in two days. I like to get in a day early to make sure everything is in place. Is that enough time for you to get what you’ll need?”

  “Sure.” But she was frowning as she said it.

  “Is something wrong?”

  She laughed self-consciously. “I’ve never seen snow before. What will I need to buy besides a warm coat?”

  “You’ve never seen snow?” Liam was excited at the thought of being there when Hadley experienced the beauty of a winter day in the mountains.

  “For someone as well traveled as you are, that must seem pretty unsophisticated.”

  Liam considered her comment. “You said you’d never traveled with your clients. Is that because you didn’t want to?”

  “It’s mostly been due to school and timing. I always figured there’d be plenty of time to travel after I graduated and settled into a job with regular hours and paid vacation time.”

  Her wistful smile gave him some notion of how long and arduous a journey it had been toward finishing her master’s degree.

  He felt a little hesitant to ask his next question. “Have you flown in a small plane before?”

  “No.” She drew the word out, her gaze finding and holding his. Anxiety and eagerness pulled at the corners of her mouth. “How small is small?”

  * * *

  Small turned out to be forty feet in length with a forty-three-foot wingspan. Hadley’s heart gave a little bump as she approached the elegant six-seat jet with three tiny oval windows. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, maybe a single-prop plane with fixed wheels like the ones used by desperate movie heroes to escape or chase bad guys.

  “This doesn’t look so scary, does it?” She whispered the question to a sleepy Maggie.

  Hadley stopped at the steps leading up to the plane. Liam had gone ahead with her luggage and overnight bag carrying all of Maggie’s things. Now he emerged from the plane and reached down to take Maggie’s carrier.

  “Come on in.” Liam’s irresistible grin pulled Hadley forward.

  She almost floated up the stairs. His charm banished her nervousness, allowing her to focus only on the excitement of visiting Colorado for the first time. Not that she’d see much of it. Her job was to take care of Maggie. But even to glimpse the town of Vail covered in snow as they drove past would be thrill enough.

  The plane’s interior was luxurious, with room enough for a pilot and five passengers. There were six beige leather seats, two facing forward and two backward as well as the two in the cockpit. S
he knew nothing about aviation equipment, but the instrument panel placed in front of the pilot and copilot seats had three large screens filled with data as well as an abundance of switches and buttons and looked very sophisticated.

  “I set up Maggie’s car seat here because I thought you’d prefer to face forward. You’ll find bottles of water and ice over there.” He pointed to the narrow cabinet behind the cockpit. “There’s also a thermos of hot water to make Maggie’s bottle.”

  “Thank you. I made one before we left because it helps babies to adjust to altitudes if they’re sucking on something.”

  “Great. We should be set then.”

  Hadley settled into her seat and buckled herself in. She looked up in time to see Liam closing the airplane’s door.

  “Wait,” she called. “What about the pilot?”

  The grin he turned on her was wolfish. “I am the pilot.” With a wink, he slid into the left cockpit seat and began going through a preflight check.

  Surprise held her immobile for several minutes before her skin heated and her breath rushed out. For almost two weeks now his actions and the things he’d revealed about himself kept knocking askew her preconceived notions about him. It was distracting. And dangerous.

  To avoid fretting over her deepening attraction to Liam, Hadley pulled out Maggie’s bottle and a bib. As the plane taxied she had a hard time ignoring the man at the controls, and surrendered to the anxiety rising in her.

  What was she doing? Falling for Liam was a stupid thing to do. The man charmed everyone without even trying.

  As the plane lifted off, her stomach dipped and her adrenaline surged. Hadley offered Maggie the bottle and the infant sucked greedily at it. Out the window, land fell away, and the small craft bounced a little on the air currents. To keep her nervousness at bay, Hadley focused all her attention on Maggie. The baby was not the least bit disturbed by the plane’s movements. In fact, her eyes were wide and staring as if it was one big adventure.