“It’s all right. There’s not so much damage that a few good nights of sleep won’t fix it right up.” She flipped her long red braid over her shoulder and started toward the house. “Trust me. Bea will see that you get it.”
“They’re comin’,” Katie said, turning away from the window she’d been looking out.
Bea glanced at each of the children in turn. “Do you all know what you’re supposed to say?”
They nodded. The front door opened and Jarrod and Abby walked into the living room. Bea studied the younger woman and noticed a becoming pink in her cheeks that she’d never seen before.
Something told her it had nothing to do with the sun, but everything to do with one handsome rancher. Her hunch had been right. She couldn’t blame Abby. Why, if she were thirty years younger, she’d set her cap for Jarrod Blackstone. She noticed the attractive indentation in his strong chin and revised that. Twenty-five years younger and the man wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Jarrod, did you have a nice walk with Abby?” Bea asked.
He tossed a quick gaze at the redhead beside him. Something flickered in his eyes that Bea was sure he wasn’t even aware of.
“We didn’t get farther than the swing in the yard. But it was all right, I guess.” He looked from Bea to the children who were sitting beside her, lined up on the stone hearth.
Jarrod cleared his throat. “Miss Peters—”
“Please call me Bea,” she reminded him. “I gave the children permission.”
“All right. Bea—I’d like to formally offer you the position of housekeeper.”
Bea folded her hands in her lap and stared at him over the spectacles on her nose. “I’m afraid I must decline your offer, Jarrod.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, shocked. The way the woman had them lined up beside her, and given her consent to use her first name, had convinced him they were as familiar as an old pair of boots. “Do you like Bea?” he asked, glancing at each of them.
“Yes, sir,” Katie answered and sat down. “I like everyone.”
Bea cleared her throat. “It’s not that.”
“Then what?” Abby asked in dismay.
Bea felt sorry for her. She had worked so hard to find someone for Jarrod. Under different circumstances, she would have loved this job. But there was something more important at stake.
“She’s too old,” Tom said.
“Tom, it’s rude to say things like that in front of someone else,” Abby said.
“Yes’m,” he responded. He couldn’t quite hide a small grin.
Bea was certain the two adults were too stunned to notice. That was good. “His sentiment is correct, although bluntly put. As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t believe I have the stamina to keep up with four children.”
“Lily, do you have anything to say?” Jarrod asked. “You have the biggest stake in this.”
“I think Tom is right. Bea’s nice and all, but this bunch,” she looked down the line at her brothers and sister, “well, they’re a handful. I think we’d be too much for her, and I’d hate to see her health do poorly.”
“Oliver? Do you have anything to say?”
He took his thumb out of his mouth. “She’s got mean eyes.”
“It’s unanimous?” Jarrod asked.
“What does that mean?” Katie asked. “Is that like Ed Bull?”
Jarrod shook his head quickly as if to clear his ears. “I don’t know about that. But unanimous means you all agree.”
Four heads nodded in unison.
“I just don’t understand. You knew there were four of them when you came all the way out here. Did something change your mind?” His eyes narrowed. “Did they do anything?”
“Good heavens no. Tom picked flowers for me and brought me a pet. They couldn’t have been more well-behaved. They’re just as you said, clean, well-mannered children. But I think it’s just not going to work.”
“We could try having you here for a week or two. Just to see.”
Bea had expected him to take no for an answer. The poor man was even more desperate than she’d thought. “I don’t know—”
“What about a trial period of two weeks? The kids will all help out and be on their best behavior. I’ll pay you—”
“No, Jarrod. If I take this job, I will lose my employment in town. I can’t afford to do that unless I was certain this would work out. I am sorry.”
Lily stepped forward. “I know someone who would be perfect.”
Jarrod frowned. “Who?”
“Abby.” Lily looked at her sister and brothers. Only Tom didn’t seem to agree.
Abby put her arm around Lily’s shoulders. “It means so much that you want me. As much as I’d like to, I can’t take the job.”
“Why not?” Katie asked.
“The same reason as Bea. I work in town.” She looked at Jarrod, her eyes troubled. “I’m sorry.”
“Not half as sorry as I am,” he said.
5
Jarrod yawned and rubbed a hand across his face, feeling the stubble. He was too godawful tired to bother shaving this morning. A week had passed since Bea Peters had turned down his job offer. Abby had brought another candidate out to the ranch. While the children were getting acquainted, he and Abby waited in the oak grove beside the swing that had pleased her so the last time she’d been here. This time she paced. Jarrod didn’t have the energy. He sat, his back braced against a tree trunk.
“What do you think?” Abby asked, glancing at the house as she stopped briefly beside him.
“I’m too tired to think. What do you think?”
She sighed. “I thought Bea would be perfect. My opinion isn’t worth the powder it would take to blow it to kingdom come.”
In spite of the deep weariness filling every muscle and bone in his body, Jarrod smiled. He watched the sunlight that peeked through the thick tree branches ignite her red hair. Firecracker, he thought. When you lit one, it sizzled and sparked and looked real pretty. Made a person smile in anticipation, waiting for the excitement. Abby was like that. Shimmer and sparkle. He’d have bet his last nickel no one could make him smile, as tired as he was. But she had.
A firecracker explodes, he reminded himself. One could be dangerous if a person didn’t know how to handle it. Best not to get too close.
He blinked his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. When he started thinking like that, he knew lack of sleep had turned his mind to mush.
Abby started pacing again. “No matter what happens, Jarrod, I want you to know I did my best.” She stopped for a moment and stared at the house, puzzled. “I talked to nearly everyone in Hollister. Bea wasn’t the only one I thought would do. But now no one seems interested.”
“Except—What did you say her name was?”
“Mary Jane Watkins.”
“Yes, Mary Jane. I really do appreciate you bringing her out here. I know it’s pretty far out of your way.”
She shrugged, downplaying his thanks. “I had to come almost this far anyway. A delivery at the Encinas Ranch. Lydia finally got that bedroom suite she ordered from Chicago.”
“Something’s been puzzling me,” Jarrod said. “Keeping you up nights, from the looks of it,” she said smartly.
He ignored her and asked, “How do you manage to get heavy stuff off the wagon?”
“I’m stronger than I seem?” When he gave her a doubtful look, she laughed. “There’s usually someone around to do the strenuous lifting. If not, I just wait until there is.”
He glanced at the house. “So, tell me. How do you feel about Mary Jane Watkins?”
Her lips thinned for a moment, then she turned her big blue eyes on him. Once more they reminded him of the Pacific Ocean. A man could drown in her eyes. Maybe he could get some rest then. He shook his head again to clear it of those thoughts.
“I think she’s too young,” Abby said.
“How old did you say she was?”
“Seventeen. Why, she’s hardl
y older than Lily. How is she going to get them to mind what she says?”
“Still, they thought Bea was too old, that they’d run her ragged. Mary Jane likely has a lot of energy.” Enough to deal with Katie at night and still ride herd on the kids during the day, he thought.
She nodded doubtfully. “Maybe.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I’m not all that certain she truly wants the job. She hemmed and hawed then asked if Dusty Taylor still worked here.”
“What are you thinking?” Jarrod breathed deeply of the fragrant spring grass as he rested his back against the thick, rough bark of the oak tree. He was too tired to stand up and pace with Abby. And way too worn-out to figure out what she meant.
“I think she’s looking for a husband.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“Not straight out. But I got real tired of hearing about what she’s putting in her hope chest, what she still plans on putting in. Why is it that just because I work for the freight company, folks think I should know what things cost?”
“Don’t you?”
“Of course not. I have a good idea what it costs to ship them, but not what the manufacturer charges.”
“Do you have a hope chest, Abby?” he asked.
She sent him one of those looks that made him glad she wasn’t holding a pistol on him. “Why would I?”
“To make a home when you marry.”
“I haven’t thought about that.”
He tipped his head to the side and studied her. “How old are you?”
“A lot older than Mary Jane,” she shot back. “I really want to know. How old are you?” he asked again.
She turned away and folded her arms over her chest. “Twenty-five.”
“And you haven’t considered marriage? A family?”
She shook her head. “Too many other things to think about.”
“Like what?”
“My brother Clint, for one. He’s in college back East.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “You’re not planning to drop this any time soon, are you?”
“Nope.” He grinned at her in response.
“I send him money to help pay for his schooling. It was our mother’s wish that he be the first Miller to graduate from college. I plan to see that happens.”
“How much longer does he have?”
“A year.”
“So you could be thinking about a hope chest?”
“Could be. But I’m not.”
“Why?”
She turned on him and planted her hands on her hips. “You’re the nosiest man I ever met, Jarrod Blackstone.”
“Not nosy. Sleepy.”
“And prying into my personal life helps?”
“I’m being neighborly. And asking questions keeps me awake.”
“Don’t let me keep you from nodding off. I’ll wake you if anything exciting happens.”
Interesting, Jarrod thought. Most women were like Mary Jane Watkins. Looking for a man to marry them. Not Abby. He had a feeling there was more to it than just helping her brother. But it was none of his business.
“Do you think we should go see what’s going on in there?” she asked, nibbling on her thumbnail as she stared at the house.
He was pretty sure that question was a deliberate attempt to steer him clear of asking her anything else personal. That was all right with him. If he wasn’t so damn tired, he would never have pried into her life in the first place. He didn’t want to know about Abby Miller, or any other woman for that matter.
“I don’t know if we should interrupt them. What do you think?” he asked.
She tapped a finger against her lips thoughtfully. “This time I think we should wait.”
“Done,” he said, letting his eyes slip closed.
Abby glanced over her shoulder when a few minutes had passed without Jarrod asking her a question, or saying anything at all. His head was tilted back, resting against the tree. She smiled when she saw that his chest rose and fell gently, telling her that he was asleep. Her gaze was drawn to the neck of his shirt, where a few masculine chest hairs peeked out. How she wished she could erase the memory of what he looked like wearing nothing from the waist up.
His mouth, relaxed as he dozed, drew her attention. It had a nice shape, not too full, but not thin and stern. She couldn’t help wondering how his lips would feel against her own, and her heart beat a little faster at the thought.
This preoccupation with notions of Jarrod Blackstone annoyed her. What business did he have snooping into her life the way he had? If she didn’t think about getting married, that was her own business. She had her reasons. Good ones.
She glanced at the house again. With luck, she was wrong about Mary Jane Watkins, and Jarrod would have his housekeeper. Then her promise, and any real or imagined obligation to him, would be fulfilled. She wouldn’t have to see him here on the ranch again. If he came into town, which was rare, any chance meeting between them would be far from intimate.
The front door opened and Mary Jane walked out on the porch. Her straight golden-blond hair lifted in the breeze as she looked around.
“Jarrod?” Abby turned to him. He didn’t budge. She bent down and put a hand on his shoulder. The muscle was wide beneath her palm and she felt the warmth of his skin clear through his shirt. Quickly, she shook him and pulled her fingers away as if he had burned her. “Wake up.”
“Hmm?” He stretched like a bear coming out of hibernation. “What?” he asked sleepily.
She wished she didn’t have to wake him, but she had promised she would if anything exciting happened. “Mary Jane just came out of the house.”
He sat up and blinked, then ran a hand across his face. The rasping sound of whiskers drifted up to her. She held a hand down to him, to help him up.
He hesitated a moment, then took it, swallowing her palm in his much larger one. She braced herself and pulled with all her might. As he got to his feet, she felt the weight of him. It had been nothing more than a polite gesture on her part, she realized. If he hadn’t cooperated, she didn’t possess the strength to actually move him.
Abby took a deep breath. “Let’s hope she has good news.”
“Yeah.”
Side by side, they walked from beneath the shady oaks and stopped at the bottom porch step. “How’d it go?” Abby asked.
“All right, I guess.” Mary Jane tossed a strand of hair over her shoulder.
“Where are the kids?” Jarrod wanted to know.
The young woman cocked her thumb over her shoulder toward the door. “Inside. Having a family meeting. They’re great kids.”
Abby smiled at Jarrod, relieved that the girl liked them. One less thing to worry about. “Yes, they are.”
Jarrod stuck his fingers in the pockets of his denims. “Do you think you can handle them and the housework? Now that you’ve seen the place, I mean?”
Mary Jane nodded. “I’ve got a younger brother and sister and helped Ma with chores. I think I can do a good job for you, Mr. Blackstone.”
“So you’ll take it? If the kids agree?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.” She glanced down the hill toward the outer ranch buildings. “Dusty Taylor around anywheres?” she asked a little shyly.
Jarrod shook his head. “I sent him to look for strays in the canyon.”
“Will he be back soon?” she inquired, sliding him a look from beneath her gold-tipped lashes.
“Can’t say for sure. But my guess would be no. Probably not till close to sundown.
“Shoot,” she said. “I was hopin’ to say howdy.”
“Slim Logan’s in the barn working on the bridles and harness,” Jarrod offered helpfully. “He’d be pleased if you went up to say hello.”
She smiled coyly and nodded. “Thanks, Mr. Blackstone. I think I will.”
She skipped down the steps and headed in the direction Jarrod indicated.
A
bby looked at him. “Do you think that was wise?”
“What?” he asked, watching the girl’s back.
“Encouraging her to see one of the hands?”
“Why not?” he asked. “She’ll be living here at the ranch soon.”
“Just seems like you’re letting yourself in for a pile of trouble if any of them, or all of them, take a shine to her.”
He turned his gaze back to Abby and lifted his shoulders in resignation. “Short of putting a bag over her head, or locking her up, I don’t see how I can keep them away from her.”
Abby frowned. “It would have been a lot easier if Bea had taken the job.”
“I agree,” he said, stifling a yawn. “But right now, beggars can’t be choosers.”
“I suppose.” She looked at the closed door. “Do you think we should join the children?”
“They’re having a family meeting.”
“You’re family,” she reminded him.
“I’m not so sure they consider me family. Besides, I don’t want to influence them.”
Considering he was tired enough to sleep under a tree with oak bark for a mattress, that was awfully generous of him, Abby thought. She wondered if she would be as understanding if their situations were reversed. It was a shame he had never had any children of his own. Then again, maybe the good Lord knew what he was doing, knowing that Sally’s kids would need a father. But he wouldn’t have to father them much since the housekeeper would be the one spending time with them.
She sighed. “Maybe they do need a few minutes by themselves.”
He slid her a lazy grin. “Another trip, another compliment. Careful, Abby. Folks might get to think we like each other.”
“Can’t have that,” she agreed. “Still, you’re understanding.”
“Not really. Just practical. The kids are the ones who have to spend time with the housekeeper. Not me. It’s not like choosing a wife.”
She shot him a sharp look as he yawned again.
Lily looked at her brothers and sister. “What are we going to tell Abby and Uncle Jarrod?”
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