The Texas Ranger's Nanny

by Rebecca Winters

  “I intend to.”

  “Vic? Do me a favor and watch your back. You’re a target.”

  “I know. Thanks for understanding, TJ. Good night.”

  * * *

  “HEY, DAD? CAN WE show Claire the miniature horse farm before we drive home?”

  They’d just finished a picnic with Clint and his family in Luckenbach and had said goodbye to them. Though Claire knew Vic wanted to leave before nightfall, how could he refuse when he saw the excitement and pleading in his son’s eyes?

  Jeremy had been acting so natural all day, you would never know he’d been through such a harrowing ordeal. Then again, he’d had his father’s and Claire’s undivided attention.

  “Tell you what. Let’s finish loading the horses in the trailer, and then we’ll drive over there before heading for home. But we won’t be able to stay long.”

  “You’ll love them, Claire.”

  “I can’t wait. I’ve never seen a miniature horse. ”

  After the horses were loaded, she got in the back of the black Dodge Ram truck so Jeremy could sit in front with his father.

  “Dad met Mom there.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. She worked for the owner. Someone stole one of the owner’s horses, and Dad went there to find out who took it.”

  Claire happened to meet Vic’s glance when he looked at her through the rearview mirror, prompting her to ask, “Did you catch the guy?”

  “Yup,” Jeremy answered for his father.

  “I’ll have to hear about that.”

  “Tell her, Dad.”

  “It wasn’t hard to track down the horse thief. He carried the new foal off in his truck in the middle of the night, but the tires left track marks. All I had to do was find out what kind of tires were mounted on that truck. I checked around at all the tire stores until I found out who’d bought tires like that. It led me to the man’s house in Fredericksburg, where I made the arrest.”

  “Yup,” Jeremy cried with animation. “He said Mom was so happy when Dad brought the horse back, she started crying.”

  Claire smiled. “I can understand that. And I bet he kept going over there to check on the horse. I’ve seen all those pictures of your mom. She was so pretty.”

  Jeremy jerked his head around to eye his father. “You thought she was pretty, huh?”

  “I sure did and made up my mind to marry her.”

  Sharp pain attacked Claire’s heart with the realization that he would always love his wife. As far as Claire knew, he’d never been with another woman during the nine months she’d been working for him. No other woman stood a chance. “You look like her, Jeremy.”

  “Aunt Carol says I look like both my parents.”

  “Well, you certainly got your dad’s height, and you walk like him.”

  He looked back at her. “I do?”

  “Yes. The first time I met you, I noticed the similarity. It’s a father and son thing that made me smile. The next time you get out the family videos, you’ll see what I mean.” Those old family videos that showed the love Vic and Laura had for each other.

  Five minutes later they arrived at Hershel’s Miniature Horse Farm. Jeremy got out of the truck first. “Come on, Claire. The corral where you can watch them is around the back.”

  She ran to catch up with him. There were three tiny horses playing inside the fencing of the small outside enclosure. A man walked out and shook their hands. “Hi. I’m Mr. Hershel. Do you like what you see, son?”

  “Yeah.”

  “They were born in the past three weeks. Take all the time you want to look.”

  “Oh, Jeremy—they’re so adorable!”

  “I wish I had one. Dad?” He turned to his father, who leaned against the fencing. “Do they cost a lot?”

  “That depends.”

  After the kidnapping, Claire could imagine it would be next to impossible for Vic to deny Jeremy anything.

  “I like that brown one with the white markings. Which pony is your favorite, Claire?”

  “It’s hard to decide.” She studied each one. “That creamy palomino with the faint café au lait spots is a beauty.”

  “Which one do you like, Dad?”

  “The black one with that big white spot in the middle of his back.”

  “Do you think we could buy all three of them? Then they wouldn’t miss each other.”

  Vic broke into the deep laugh Claire had missed since his son had gone missing. She smiled at Jeremy. “They’re cute all right, but they’re a lot of work. Don’t you think it might make Comet feel neglected if you started to spend all your time with them?”

  “But we could all be together all the time.”

  She could see where this was leading. Vic was vulnerable right now. If he gave in to his son’s desire, it would mean taking on a whole new project. Since she would be leaving soon, she hoped he didn’t make a decision until after a new nanny had been hired. Preferably one who’d grown up around horses and could handle taking care of yet another animal in the Malone household.

  Claire was also against the idea for selfish reasons. If Vic did buy a miniature horse for Jeremy right away, she would have to be involved in helping take care of it. Of course she’d become too attached. Combine that with her love for Jeremy—and her love for Vic—heaven help her, and she’d be swayed to stay on as Jeremy’s nanny and pass up one good job offer after another.

  The owner walked over to Jeremy. “Do you want to go inside the corral and talk to the horses?”

  He turned to Vic. “Would that be okay, Dad?”

  “Sure. Go ahead.”

  “Come with me.” Jeremy followed the man around to the entrance and they walked over to each little horse so he could pet them. The sounds of delight coming from the boy caused her eyes to tear up. Twenty-four hours earlier he’d still been missing. She and Vic had been running on sheer faith that he was still alive and could be found. Again she was reminded that a miracle had happened.

  Vic had moved closer and caught her brushing away the moisture from her cheeks. “I’m still having trouble believing we found him. Claire—” His voice sounded thick. “If it hadn’t been for you...”

  “We made a good team, Jim.” She hoped that reminder would produce a smile, but his expression remained sober. “This has been the end to a perfect day, but Jeremy has school in the morning and you’re rescheduled for an appointment with your therapist, so I’ll see you two back at the car.”

  Without waiting for a response she headed for his truck. She’d love nothing more than to stay there all day, but it was time to wean herself from Jeremy and his father. Tomorrow and Friday she had final interviews for two different jobs. With Vic being on vacation, he’d have time to find the right nanny.

  They had an hour and a half drive back to Vic’s house. During the first part Jeremy chattered nonstop about the horses. But by the time they pulled around the side of the house to the barn, he’d fallen asleep against the seat. Vic carried him in the back door of the house to his bedroom. At that point Claire took over getting Jeremy ready for bed so Vic could unload the horses.

  Jeremy woke up long enough to brush his teeth and get into his pajamas. After he got in bed, she drew the covers over him and sat on the end of the bed until he’d fallen asleep again. Vic came into the bedroom while she was deep in thought. “Claire?” She looked over at him in the semidarkness.

  “He went right back to sleep. But I’m worried that when he has to go to school in the morning, he won’t want to go.”

  Vic moved closer and sat down on one of the chairs. “Did he say anything?”

  “No. But I’ve been trying to put myself in his shoes and know I’d be afraid after what happened.”

  “I’ve been worrying about that, too.”

/>   “Do you think when you visit Dr. Marshall tomorrow you could ask him to recommend someone who works with children? Jeremy probably needs to talk to a therapist.”

  “I’m way ahead of you. Until then, when you drive him to school in the morning, would you walk him inside and see how he reacts when you tell him you’re going home? If he’s anxious, phone me. My first therapy session starts at nine and will be over at ten, but I’ll answer the phone in case there’s a problem.”

  “Okay. I just thought I should remind you that I have a job interview tomorrow at eleven.” At the mention of it, a grimace marred his handsome features. “It’s downtown and shouldn’t take more than an hour. If Jeremy doesn’t want to stay at school, I’ll drive him home and wait until you get there.”

  All of a sudden he got to his feet. “We need to talk, but not in here. Let’s go in the family room. I’ll leave his door open.”

  Sensing his tension, Claire left the bedroom and headed for the family room. She sat in one of the leather chairs. He remained standing. “I didn’t realize your interview is in the morning.”

  “The other one is on Friday. I hadn’t really thought about them until tonight.” Earlier tonight she’d discovered an important truth. Feeling the way she did about Jeremy and his father, it would be painful to stay with them any longer than was absolutely necessary.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Do either of the jobs look promising?”

  “They both offer excellent salaries, but that’s just on paper.”

  “Do either of them involve a change of location?”

  “Both of them would be in Houston.”

  Vic shifted his weight. “How many applications have you submitted so far?”

  “Ten, but these two sound the most promising.”

  He raised a black brow. “Do you mind my asking what salaries they’re offering?”

  Nervous because she knew this was upsetting him, she moistened her lips. “For starting salaries, one said $70,000, and the other said $75,000.”

  She heard a strange sound come out of him. “Either position pays more than double what I pay you. Would you consider working for me another year if I offered you $70,000?”

  Stunned by his offer, Claire could only look at the floor. “I wouldn’t let you pay me that much.”

  “That’s my decision, surely,” he said in what she thought of as his Ranger Malone voice.

  “Another nanny would be more than happy to make the money you’ve been paying me.”

  “But I don’t want another nanny, and I promise you that Jeremy doesn’t want another one, either.”

  Claire had expected a strong reaction from Jeremy, but not his father.

  “Vic—Jeremy will be out of school next week. You’re off work this week—now’s the perfect time for you to find a new nanny. I’ll help you pick the right person. You knew I would only be working for you until my graduation.”

  His eyes blazed like black fire. “But circumstances in our household have changed. The kidnapping was traumatic for Jeremy.”

  Our household? She swallowed hard. “I do know. That’s why you need to get him to a therapist as soon as possible and hire a new nanny. The right set of people will make it easier for him to detach from me.”

  “You think he can shut off his feelings with a simple snap of the fingers?” He’d never been this short with her.

  “No.” She shook her head. “Of course not, but you’re the rock he clings to. Other people, women, will come in and out of his life, but he has you, and he’ll be fine. Now, if it’s all right, I’m tired and need to get to bed. I’m sure you do, too.”

  Claire’s pain went beyond tears. She hurried down the hall to her bedroom. Vic wanted her to stay on for another year and was willing to pay any price to make that happen. There was just one huge thing wrong with that scenario. She loved his son like her own. As for Vic, she was in love with him. Deeply in love.

  But he wasn’t in love with her.

  Over the past nine months he’d never made any physical overtures. Not once. The only time he’d ever given her a kiss had been when he was at his most vulnerable, fearing that his son had disappeared forever. When they’d recovered Jeremy, he’d caught her from behind because he was euphoric to have his son back. Having lost his parents, he’d needed someone to hold on to and had derived comfort by being with her because she loved Jeremy, too.

  But if the kidnapping had never happened, they’d still be stuck in the same place. Claire wasn’t foolish enough to live with him for another year, hoping he’d develop feelings for her. If he hadn’t been attracted to her from the very beginning, then waiting for it to happen was futile.

  She was honest enough with herself to admit she’d fallen hard for him from the first day she’d met him. Over the months her feelings for him had grown until she was ready to burst. That was why she needed to leave him and Jeremy ASAP.

  * * *

  VIC STARED AT Dr. Marshall. “I couldn’t believe I lunged for Leroy like that. I’ve never done anything even close to that in my life.”

  “It’s understandable. You’d lost your wife and your parents. To think you might have lost Jeremy, too, sent you over the edge. If your colleague Kit hadn’t come in right then, what do you think you would have done?”

  He sucked in his breath. “I don’t really know. The table separated me from Leroy. I presume I would have tried to shake an answer out of him before I realized what I was doing. To beat him unconscious when he was my only lead to Jeremy wouldn’t have made any sense.”

  “That’s an honest answer. Now tell me something else. How has your son behaved since you brought him home?”

  “He acts like nothing happened, sleeps through the night. But this is his first day back at school. I have no idea how he’s handling it, but the nanny will call me if there’s a problem.”

  “Your boy will need therapy, too.”

  “I agree. Jeremy’s nanny said the same thing. I wanted to ask if you could recommend a child psychiatrist for him.”

  “Dr. Andrea King. She has her own clinic in this hospital. I’ll give her a call and explain the circumstances. I’m sure she’ll fit Jeremy in. Just phone the main number and have the operator ring her office.”

  “I will.”

  “Our time is up for today. What I want you to do is think about the other reason why you came close to losing control. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  Vic frowned. “There wasn’t any other reason.”

  “But there is. That’s why your captain told you to see me. You have some unresolved issues in your life. As we explore them and you understand what part they played in that moment when you gripped the perp’s shoulders, you’ll be able to see why the incident happened. With understanding you’ll be able to control your emotions in the future. See you in the morning.”

  Vic thanked him and left his office. But he was troubled by Dr. Marshall’s remarks as he drove home. Unresolved issues?

  His frustration level rose when he saw Claire sitting behind the wheel of her car in the driveway. She was on her way to her interview, but had waited until he returned. He parked alongside her and got out of the car to talk to her.

  She lowered the window at his approach. He noticed she was wearing a white short-sleeved jacket with a navy tank top underneath. The outfit looked great with her coppery hair. Then again, everything she wore looked great. Her gray eyes showed concern. “Hi. How did your appointment go?”

  The simple, normal question set him off, forcing him to take a quick breath. “He gave me the name of a psychiatrist for Jeremy.”

  “I’m happy to hear that. Was it helpful to talk to him?”

  Good question. It would probably alarm her if he told her he’d left the doctor’s office unsettled, angry even. “Today I had to walk him th
rough the facts. There wasn’t time for anything else. Tomorrow we’ll get started.”

  “It’ll be good for you to have someone to talk to. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t talk to my parents during an ordeal like you’ve just been through.”

  “You’re very lucky to have them. How did it go at school?”

  “Jeremy walked straight into his classroom. I stayed in the doorway and told him I’d be standing right there after school. He waved to me with a smile. I took it that he was giving me permission to leave, so I came home. So far, so good.”

  Vic nodded. “I shouldn’t keep you from your interview.” He stepped away from her door.

  “I’ll hurry home after. Oh—I made a fresh pot of coffee. I also wrapped up some roast beef sandwiches for you. They’re in the fridge.”

  “Thank you. Take the rest of the day off. I’ll pick up Jeremy. We’ll see you at dinner.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive. Good luck today.”

  Though he’d said the words, the selfish part of him hoped she’d turn the job down flat if it was offered to her. He’d offered her a matching salary, but she hadn’t wanted it. Why would she when the nanny job was only a means to an end?

  After she drove away, he went inside the house and poured himself a cup of coffee. Now that the crisis was over and he had his boy back, he should be feeling on top of the world. Instead his life seemed to have taken a new twist that left him anxious and dissatisfied.

  Feeling totally out of sorts, he phoned Kit, who’d been assigned to a new case. Vic reached his friend’s voice mail, but decided not to leave a message and hung up. Luckey and Cy were busy on other cases, too.

  Vic realized he would quickly go out of his mind with no work to do. He’d like to take Jeremy out of school today and go on vacation. But he couldn’t, not when he had therapy and needed to get Jeremy’s therapy started. They could vacation later.

  He grabbed a sandwich from the fridge and called Mercy Hospital to set up an appointment for Jeremy with Dr. King. The therapist had been told about Jeremy and made arrangements for him to come in tomorrow at four thirty in the afternoon. Tomorrow was his son’s last day of school. There was going to be a classroom party.