by Paty Jager
The wail of Tate waking from a nap pulled her angry gaze from his face. That was the first insight she’d given him to her previous marriage, and he found it interesting.
“I’ll get Tate.” She handed her spoon to Maddie. “Give your dad some cookies,” she said, leaving the room.
Brock followed her departure with his gaze. She was all woman coming or going and after watching the sway of her hips when she sang, it was a scene that would remain branded on his mind.
A tug on his shirt drew his attention back to the kitchen. “Don’t be mad at Carina.”
Maddie’s worried voice startled him. “Why should I be mad?” He sat at the table while she placed a plate of cookies and a cup of coffee before him.
“We had the radio loud and were goofing around.”
Had he been so hard on his daughter she felt she couldn’t have fun? Damn.
“Honey, never apologize for having fun as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone or interfere with your work.”
She threw her arms around his neck and looked at him with tears glistening in her eyes. “Don’t send Carina away at the end of the month. She’s fun and helps me learn things I can’t get from a book.”
He was just as torn about their nanny. “I’m trying to find a way to keep her. So let me worry about it.” He bit a cookie and wrinkled his nose. “This tastes funny.”
“We’ve run out of a lot of stuff so we experimented.”
“That reminds me. I plan to go to Dutch Springs this afternoon. You interested in tagging along?”
His daughter’s eyes lit up. “You know I am. Rayanne lives there!” Maddie hugged him tight then danced around the kitchen.
“What’s this all about?” Carina asked, entering the kitchen with Tate on her hip.
Brock envied his son. He’d like to be the one riding…
“We’re going to Dutch Springs this afternoon!” Maddie said, continuing to dance and pulling Brock away from the sensual images of his thoughts.
“Oh! Is it a big town?”
Maddie laughed and looked at him.
“No, it’s a community of about twenty people. There’s a grocery store, gas station, and restaurant.” Brock didn’t miss the look of fascination that twinkled in Carina’s eyes.
“Do they have phone service?” Carina placed Tate in his high chair and carefully strapped in his wiggly body.
“Probably not, but you should be able to use your cell phone. They are a little higher and have a cell tower to the south of them.” Brock stood. “I figure if we leave right after lunch, we can get there about two, get the groceries, fill up with gas, grab an early dinner, and head home.”
“It takes that long to get there? Wouldn’t it be closer to go to Halverton?”
“It usually only takes about forty-five minutes, but Willie T said all the roads are treacherous due to all the rain.”
“Oh, so it’ll be an adventure.” Her face lit up.
“I guess you could call it that.” Brock scratched his head and stared at the woman. Did she find a silver lining in everything?
She moved about the kitchen, preparing the noon meal. He knew he should get back to the books, but watching her filled him with contentment.
“Maddie, will you open a can of tuna and fix it, please,” Carina said, smiling at the girl. Maddie jumped into action.
The bond between Carina and Maddie made him smile. They respected one another. He’d seen few women show the kind of respect to children that Carina did. She said her marriage ended due to health reasons. Was that why she’d never had any children? Her actions proved she’d make a wonderful mother and an exceptional wife. What kind of jerk had she been married to?
Easy, man. There’s no need to be jealous of someone who isn’t around. Especially when you have no designs on ever marrying again .
“Do you have brothers and sisters?” he asked, knowing she didn’t like to talk about herself, but maybe she’d talk about her family.
“No. You?” She placed a loaf of bread on the table and returned to the counter.
“No. What about your parents? Are they still alive?” He saw her shoulders relax as she dumped chips into a bowl.
The look of love and serenity in her eyes when she turned to the table told him she thought highly of her parents.
“My mother is. She buys and sells antiques.”
“What about your father?” The brightness in her eyes faded. “He died when I was young.”
“Your mother never remarried?”
“No. After my dad died, she put all her love and passion into me and antiques.” The sadness in her voice perplexed him.
“Why does that make you sad?”
She looked up from her task. “I don’t want to go into it now.” The pain in her eyes made his heart ache.
“Why?”
She looked away. “It’s personal.”
Maddie touched his shoulder and shook her head. He grabbed his daughter and gave her hug. When had she become so sensitive to others?
“What did your mother think of you coming out here to be a nanny?” he asked, changing the subject.
Her face colored, and her eyes dulled before she turned to retrieve something from the refrigerator.
“She wondered about my career change.” Carina knew she’d let her feelings show briefly by the way he stared at her. Her mother had been devastated by the miscarriage and then her only child rushing out of her life.
“Did she accept it or are you running?” His direct question hit her like a smack to the head. She grabbed the pickles out of the refrigerator and placed them on the table with a solid thud.
“She has never questioned any of my decisions. But, no, she wasn’t thrilled with my leaving.” She glanced around. “Where are your parents? Or the children’s other grandparents for that matter? They could help watch Maddie and Tate.”
She saw the hint of anger flash in his eyes before he grabbed the loaf of bread and started dealing slices out on the plates like a card shark.
“My father passed away ten years ago. After his funeral, my mother packed her things and moved to Florida with her sister.”
“Did you ask her to come back and help with your children?”
He glared at her and nodded toward Maddie, indicating he didn’t want to talk about it with the girl present.
“It’s okay Daddy. I know Grandma doesn’t want to come here. Rayanne’s grandma told me how much Grandma hated it here.” Maddie looked at Carina and shrugged. “My grandma hated this country. Rayanne’s grandma said she tried to be friends with her, but Grandma didn’t want any kind of relationship that bound her to this land other than her husband.” She looked at her father. “Sorry, Daddy.” She bowed her head.
“It’s okay, Freckles. You can’t help how your Grandma felt about the land.” He looked at Carina. “My mother and father met at college. It was the only time in his life my father left this ranch. My grandfather wanted him to see the world before he made the decision to live here.” He scoffed. “I guess he loved the land so much he made it sound like Eden to my mother. They married before she’d set foot here. Right after the honeymoon they moved into this house with my grandparents. I don’t have any siblings because I was conceived on their honeymoon–before she felt like a prisoner.” He ran a hand through his hair. Even though he spoke of this with as little emotion as possible, Carina could see his mother’s abandonment of him and the ranch hurt deeply.
“My appearance made any more children out of the question. By then, I was one more commitment she didn’t want. As Rayanne’s grandma stated, she didn’t want anything to hold her to this land. When my father was out late, she didn’t wait up for him. I think she secretly hoped something would happen to him. She hated it out here as much as my father loved it.”
“Why didn’t she just get a divorce?” Carina wouldn’t have stayed somewhere she loathed.
“Her father told her she would be sorry to marry a desert rancher. They never got along, and she
wasn’t about to go home to him and admit he’d been right.” Brock shook his head. “Eat. Let’s not let a conversation about my mother ruin our afternoon.”
Carina knew he was hurting and embarrassed. She’d find another time to try and sooth his feeling of abandonment. First his mother leaving and not looking back, then his first wife dying, and his second wife running, it was enough to make even a strong man like Brock have issues.
She and Brock ate in silence while Maddie kept a one-sided dialogue going about her friend Rayanne and the community of Dutch Springs.
“The restaurant is run by Rayanne’s mom and dad. They mostly get locals, but every once in a while someone will drive through and stop for a meal. Everyone comes to her grandma for answers to everything. She’s related to Willie T, but I’ve never asked how. Then there’s the gas station. Rayanne’s uncle owns and runs the gas station. He’s kind of grumpy.” Her nose wrinkled. “And the motel is run by Rayanne’s aunt and uncle. They’re real nice. We stayed there once when a bad storm came in after we got there.” She looked at Brock. “Do you remember that Daddy?”
He nodded, but the look in his eyes told Carina it was an event he wanted to forget. Making her all the more curious about the event and the man.
“Why were you at Dutch Springs?” she asked, hoping Brock wouldn’t cut Maddie off.
“We’d come back from Mommy’s funeral and needed supplies, so we drove straight to Dutch Springs instead of stopping here and spending the night and going on in the morning.”
Carina picked at the crust on her bread. He had avoided coming home to a house full of memories. She could understand that. “If the storm hit without notice, it was a good thing you went straight for supplies instead of getting here with nothing to eat.”
“Yeah, I think Mommy told us to get supplies first. Not wanting us to be home and starving.” Maddie looked at Brock. “That’s what you said, huh, Daddy?”
“Yeah, Freckles. Mommy looks after us.” His voice cracked with emotion as he pushed back from the table. “I’m going to get the fuel barrel loaded in the pickup. Clean up and be ready to go in fifteen minutes,” he said, avoiding eye contact. He stood, walking out of the room so fast you’d have thought it was on fire.
Maddie turned her sad eyes to Carina. “He misses her too much.” She gathered the dishes from the table. “Cindy told him he’d never love anyone but his dead wife.” Maddie gazed at her with maturity. “I know he loved Mommy for a long time before they married, but I think he could love someone else. He tells me he has enough love in his heart for both Tate and me, so why shouldn’t he have enough for another wife?”
Carina hugged the wise girl. “He does, he just hasn’t accepted it yet. Sometimes when you love someone as much as your father loved your mother it takes a while for them to let someone else in.”
“I hope he lets someone in soon. He’s lonely.” Maddie pulled out of her embrace, putting the dishes in the sink.
Carina had to agree. He was a lonely man who would make an excellent husband. She thought of their embrace in the barn. Her body warmed just thinking of his strong arms around her. She was sure he would be an excellent husband in all ways.
A horn blasted and Maddie squealed, “He didn’t give us time to wash the dishes!”
“Get your coat and tell him to hold on. I’ll get Tate’s shoes and coat and my phone.” Carina hauled Tate out of the high chair and carried him upstairs to gather his shoes, coat, and diaper bag. Then she hurried to her room to collect her cell phone. It would be good to hear Georgie’s voice and let her friend know she was still here and surviving.
The horn blasted again and she rolled her eyes. The man could be so impatient when he tried to run from his past. The more she learned about him, she understood why he kept to himself. It was how he avoided pain. If he didn’t put himself out there no one could hurt him.
She headed down the stairs being careful not to slip. Tate wiggled in her arms, feeling the excitement of something happening.
BEEP! BEEP!
“I’m coming,” she muttered under her breath, grabbing her coat from the rack in the mud room. She pulled the back door shut behind her and wondered how to lock it.
“Hey!” She hollered at Brock who stood beside the truck talking to a man sitting in a smaller version.
He glanced up, smiled and waved her over.
She shook her head. “How do I lock the door?”
“You don’t. Come meet Jack.”
She rolled her eyes and walked over to where Brock stood talking to a man who appeared not much larger than Maddie.
“Carina Valencia, this is Jack Barreda. He helps me keep this place in the black.”
“Please to meet you Mr.—”
“Please, call me Jack.” He flashed a smile full of large, white teeth.
“Then you must call me Carina.” She faced Brock. “You really should get a lock for your doors.”
He smiled and spoke to Jack. “I’m glad your family is dug out and you’re back. Check out the cows down by the spring. We’re headed for supplies. See you tomorrow.” He squeezed Jack’s arm and motioned for Carina to get in the truck.
His nonchalance about the valuables in his house irked her. She briskly walked to the passenger side of the truck and set Tate over the front seat into the car seat. When Brock was behind the wheel and started the vehicle, she couldn’t hold her thoughts any longer.
Sprawled over the back of the seat, sliding Tate’s feet into his shoes, she said, “You have thousands of dollars of antiques in there. You should lock your house.”
“You mean all that old furniture?” Brock shoved the gear stick into first and headed out the driveway. Carina nearly flopped into the back. She pushed her body up and took a seat in the front, glaring at Brock.
“Most of that ‘old furniture’ is over a hundred years old and in excellent condition. There are a lot of collectors out there who would pay top dollar for nearly everything in your house.”
“And you know this how?”
“I told you, my mother buys and sells antiques. I’ve spent many summers and weekends helping in her shop.” She looked over Maddie’s head to watch Brock. “The Grandfather clock would bring in as much as forty of your calves.”
He stared at her until Maddie yelped, causing him to wrench on the steering wheel to bring the truck back on the road.
“That clock is worth twenty thousand?”
“That’s a low estimate, but at the right auction or shop, you would get top dollar.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t just trying to get your mother some work?”
“No!” The nerve of the man, thinking she was scouting for her mother. “I’m just making you see the need for locks on your doors.” She folded her arms and settled into the seat. All she wanted to do was help, not hock his family heirlooms.
Brock stared at the road, running figures over in his head. He’d not parted with the old furniture over the years because it was easier to keep it than try and find anything to replace it.
But several pieces just took up space. He watched Carina out of the corner of his eye. Would she be willing to take some of the pieces as payment? It would keep her on a few more months, which would make Maddie happy. And after all, she was the one who brought Carina to them and deserved to have the pleasure of her companionship.
He watched Carina push thick hair behind her tiny ear, and he knew he’d try whatever it took to get her to stay longer. She was the first woman in a long time he felt at ease around. Sure, she put him in his place when he deserved it and even when he didn’t, but it wasn’t out of spite, it was because she wanted what was best for his children.
“Daddy!”
Seven
Brock turned his attention back to the road in time to avoid burying the bumper in a mud slide. “Thanks, freckles.” He squeezed Maddie’s leg before putting the pickup in reverse. When he had the vehicle headed down the road again, he looked over at Carina.
&nb
sp; “Would you be willing to stay on as nanny for some of those antiques?” He held his breath when she continued to stare forward. He finally had to look at the road to keep from sliding off the edge.
“Are you saying you’re willing to sell your family’s heirlooms to have me stay on as your children’s nanny?”
“If you’ll accept some of the antiques until I can pay you the right way.”
“How long do you think that will be?”
He looked over Maddie’s head. Carina watched him intently.
“Until I get the calves sold next September.”
“So basically a year of paying for my services with antiques.”
He shrugged. “The idea just came to me. I haven’t had time to think it through.”
“Well, think it through because it isn’t me you pay, but the nanny agency. I don’t think they’ll be interested in antiques as payment.” She stared at the road in front of them.
Maddie squirmed beside him and tugged on his sleeve. He looked down at her and she wrinkled her nose in a conspiring grin. He smiled back and knew with her help they’d find a way to turn the antiques into money to pay the nanny agency.
Brock spotted Dutch Springs about two in the afternoon. Maddie wiggled in the seat next to him.
“Hold on. Your squirming isn’t going to get us there any faster,” he said, looking over at Carina. He had to smile at the excitement sparkling in the woman’s eyes.
“Why is this called a community rather than a town?” she asked, scanning the few buildings along the road. He pulled into the gas station and switched the ignition off.
“They aren’t incorporated. No post office, mayor or anything official. Just a family trying to stay alive without relying on Mother Nature and the land.” Brock opened his door and pointed to the grocery store. “It’s small, but they stock it well knowing we don’t have time to go the distance to the bigger stores. You go on over and start gathering what we need.” He tugged on Maddie’s braid. “Go on and find Rayanne. We’ll meet you at the restaurant when we’re ready to eat.” Maddie crawled over him and disappeared in a flash.
