The Nanny's Temporary Triplets

by Noelle Marchand

  “Thank you, Lula May.” David stepped out from the pew to join her at the front. He wanted to be able to see everyone and include them in his plans. Of course, that meant he had a roomful of ranchers staring back at him. Worse yet, the effects of Lula May’s famous chocolate macaroons would soon be almost entirely worn off. That meant the natives would be getting restless soon.

  Before David could say a word, Bo Stillwater, the preacher’s twin brother, called out, “How are the triplets?”

  A murmur of interest swept through the room, causing David’s chest to swell a little. Jasper, Eli and Theo were blessed to have so many people concerned with their welfare. Surely those same people would take an interest in any plan that would make life better for the triplets and other orphans like them. With renewed confidence, David smiled. “They’re doing real well. They’ve gotten so they can almost sleep through the whole night. They’re even learning how to take a few steps here and there with some help.”

  “Heard you had some trouble with a nanny,” a woman near the back said.

  David tilted his head for a better look at the woman; everyone else turned to look, as well. None other than Constance Hickey, town gossip and well-known troublemaker, stood in the back of the church. David glanced at Lula May in time to see his sister-in-law bristle and narrow her eyes. David cleared his throat. “Mrs. Hickey, this is a private meeting for ranchers only.”

  Mrs. Hickey huffed and muttered something unintelligible about “secret meetings” before sauntering out rather slowly. Once the door closed behind her, David addressed the issue she’d raised. “The original nanny did leave, but Matthew Murray’s sister, Caroline, was kind enough to step in. Today I want to talk about a more permanent solution for the triplets’ care.”

  “You here to say you don’t want ’em anymore?” Casper Magnuson asked from his seat near the aisle.

  Second to Mrs. Hickey, Casper might just be the most...contentious person to deal with in Little Horn. David refused to let the man get him off track. He pulled in a deep breath. “No, sir. Taking on triplets can be a challenge. I’m sure Bo can attest to that, since he helped out when Miss Clark cared for them. However, it’s also a privilege. One I don’t take lightly. The problem we face is bigger than the triplets.”

  CJ Thorn smiled from his seat in the front row as curiosity filled his eyes. “For a man who usually gets straight to the point, you sure are beating around the bush today, David.”

  A few others called out in agreement. Someone mentioned a roast waiting for him at home. Apparently, they were also completely out of macaroons. David held up a hand to silence the lot of them. “All right. Listen. I’ll tell it to you straight. The triplets aren’t the only orphans in this town. We’ve also got the Satlers. If I could take all of them in, I would. I can’t. None of us can. At least not on a long-term basis. That’s why I think we need to create a place for them where they can stay until they find a permanent family. Otherwise, they’re going to be tossed from pillar to post.”

  Bo frowned. “What kind of place are you talking about? An orphanage?”

  “No,” he said quickly. “Children shouldn’t be raised in a clinical setting. They should feel as though they have a home—a real home—for as long as they need it. That means having a loving married couple to serve as houseparents. The orphans would attend school with the rest of the town’s children. As they grow older, vocational training could be made available.”

  Everyone seemed to be listening intently, but David couldn’t tell if he was winning them over or not. “The facility itself should be a real house. None of that dormitory-style living that orphanages are known for. Only two or three children to each bedroom. We’d have a nursery for the babies. Of course, there would need to be a dining room and kitchen. The house would need to have a large yard for the children to play. A garden, some chickens and other livestock to give the children some responsibility and provide food for—”

  Casper shot to his feet. “That’s the biggest load of nonsense I’ve heard in a long time!”

  Stunned at the man’s vehemence, David could only blink mutely.

  “Where do you think we’re going to find a house like that in this town? Or were you planning on building it? Doesn’t matter. We ain’t got the money.”

  David swallowed. “The county fair we had—”

  “Made us flush, but for how long? That money needs to be saved to get us all through the drought. If you think I’ll agree to using the funds to buy a big fancy house for five little kids that already got someplace to stay, you must be crazy. No, their situation ain’t ideal, but whose is in this town? We’re all a couple weeks away from being in desperate straits, losing ranches and animals.” Magnuson shook his head. “This is no time to talk about expanding.”

  David pulled in a calming breath. “Listen, I understand that, but the drought won’t last forever. Once it’s over, the children will still need a home. We need to think beyond our own needs and consider the needs of others.”

  Magnuson crossed his arms. “Let’s consider it now, why don’t we? Short-term. You’d have us build a house or buy a house. Furnish it. Hire a staff. All of that and more even though folks are struggling right now as it is. Long-term. We’d be supporting five children all the way to adulthood. And if you think it would be only those five, you’re kidding yourself. Soon as word gets out about this, every parent who’s in trouble or negligent is going to start abandoning their babies on our doorstep. That means more staff, more food, more housing. Fact of the matter is, despite the whole lot of Good Samaritans we’ve got in this room, the LSCL isn’t a charitable organization. It’s here to support the ranchers’ interest. I don’t see how any of this is in the interest of ranchers.”

  David had no response as Magnuson’s words hung in the air. As much as he hated to admit it, the man was right. The Windy Diamond was doing all right considering, but many of the ranchers in this room were struggling. Every indication showed the drought would get worse before it got better. All his grand plans were for naught.

  Lula May came to stand beside David in a silent show of support. “Does anyone else have an opinion they’d like to share?”

  For a moment David hoped that someone might speak up to champion his idea. That hope withered in the silence that followed. Bo finally met his gaze and nodded in appreciation. “It was a nice thought, David. A real nice thought.”

  The other ranchers agreed, each in their quiet way. Magnuson shook his head but finally sat down again. David kept his chin up. “Thank y’all for hearing me out.”

  David took his seat. Lula May soon called an end to the meeting. The other men filed out as Edmund clasped David on the shoulder. “I’m sorry your idea got shot down, David. It was a good one. If circumstances were different, I’m sure you would have gotten more people behind you.”

  Lula May reached over to give him a hug. “I’m sorry, David. I could tell how much that meant to you.”

  He hugged her back, then stepped away to shrug. “It’s fine. Sunday supper at Josiah’s place next week, right?”

  “Yep.” Edmund nodded. “We’ll be there.”

  Someone else needed Lula May’s attention, so David took the opportunity to slip outside. Only after he stepped into the summer sun did he finally acknowledge the disappointment seeping through his chest. Lula May had been right. The children’s home idea had meant a lot to him. It would have meant even more to the orphans in their community.

  “Seems to me you’ve found yourself in a bit of a predicament.”

  David blinked as Matthew’s voice jolted through his reverie. He suddenly became aware of the fact that the man was walking beside him, toward where their horses waited. “How’s that?”

  “If you’re looking for a more permanent solution to the triplets’ care, it must mean you don’t have another one.” Matthew untied their horses f
rom the hitching post. “You haven’t been able to find a nanny to replace Caroline when she leaves, have you?”

  David stopped beneath a rather barren tree to survey the man. Recognizing that the question stemmed from more than just idle curiosity, David nodded as he accepted his reins from the man. “Actually, I’m still waiting to hear back from the woman who I... Let’s just say I’m open to other suggestions. I don’t suppose you have any?”

  “Before I answer that, I have a question for you.” Matthew mounted his horse, then waited for David to do the same before searching his face. “Is my sister happy with you?”

  Alarm made him stiffen in the saddle. “With me?”

  “At your ranch.”

  “Oh.” David thought about the glimpses he’d caught of her in the past week she’d been living at his place. “Sure. She seems happy to me.”

  Matthew nodded. “Seems that way to me, too. I’ve been concerned about how she’d recover from that near miss at the wedding. She tells me she’s fine, but you know how it is with women. Fine can mean about a hundred different things.”

  David chuckled as they headed out on the road that led east. “I know what you mean. It seems to be true in this case, though. Of course, I’m not privy to her most inward feelings, so I can’t say for sure.”

  Matthew lifted an eyebrow. “Aren’t you, though? She told me that she ran into you when she first got to town and that you were a help to her. I appreciate that.”

  Feeling heat crawling up from his jaw, David rubbed the nape of his neck. “It was the least I could do, but that was a onetime thing. I’ve kept my distance since then...as per your instruction the morning you dropped her off at my place.”

  “I didn’t mean you had to keep your distance. Just that I wanted you to be careful. She’s been through a lot lately.”

  “I believe your exact words were ‘Watch yourself around my sister. She’s been hurt, and it won’t happen again on my watch. At least not without some serious repercussions for the man who does the hurting.’”

  Matthew chuckled. “Well, now, the man does pay attention.”

  David rolled his eyes. “Let’s just say you made an impression.”

  “Not too deep of one, I hope.” Matthew lifted a hand to wave off David’s confused look. “What I’m trying to say is I don’t want to see her hurt, but I don’t want her to be isolated, either. She needs friends around her right now. Seems to me she chose you as one of those as soon as she got off the train.”

  If that was the case, then he hadn’t done a good job at being a friend to her at all. Truth be told, he hadn’t had many women friends in his life. He’d been too busy pursuing them. That had been back when he was young, foolish and more interested in a woman’s face and figure than her character. He was different now. He didn’t have to do things that way anymore.

  Did that mean he could be friends with a woman without expecting anything more? Honestly, he wasn’t sure. After all, Caroline wasn’t just any woman. She was special. She was caring. She was downright beautiful. Still, she could also be a friend. If he let her. If he kept his wits about him.

  Realizing Matthew was waiting for a response, David couldn’t be anything but honest. “I haven’t seen much of her. I’ve been pretty busy with the ranch. I had a lot to catch up on now that we have someone to watch the children.”

  “Well, I’m sure being around them has helped her a lot, as well.”

  He smiled. “Yes, she’s likely too busy chasing after them to focus on what happened in Austin.”

  “Things are still happening in Austin, actually. She doesn’t like me bringing it up, so I plan to let things develop a little more before I tell her this. The man she was going to marry was caught by the authorities. He’ll likely be going to prison before it’s all said and done.”

  Surprised, David turned to look at Matthew. “He was a criminal?”

  Matthew nodded. “A con man to be exact. Nico pulled the same con in several states. His victims have been coming forward.”

  “Victims?” David found himself bristling at the idea of someone trying to turn Caroline into a victim.

  “It seems he preyed on women like Caroline—sweet, trusting, beautiful, wealthy, unprotected and lonely.”

  “That’s awful.” He couldn’t imagine Caroline being lonely. There was something about her that seemed to draw those around her. Look how quickly Maggie, the triplets, his mother and, by all appearances, the town had taken to her.

  Matthew grimaced. “It gets worse. He’d court them, take advantage of them, then disappear in the middle of the night with their money, never to be seen or heard from again.”

  David shook his head in disbelief at the man’s action and how close Caroline had been to suffering the fate he’d had in store for her. “No wonder you’re protective of her.”

  “Someone has to be. Actually, someone should have been. I wish I’d been there to do it. And that’s what we’re all doing right now. Blaming ourselves for what happened—Caroline included. She thinks she should have seen it coming.”

  “Well, I hope in time she’ll be able to let it go.”

  Matthew nodded. “I think it would be a whole lot easier for her to do that here than in Austin.”

  Truth be told, Caroline seemed to fit right in to life in Little Horn. Granted, he hadn’t been around her all that much, but from what he’d seen she looked to be adjusting well. “Do you really think she’d be willing to stay here in Little Horn?”

  “With the right incentive? I think so.”

  David tilted his head to survey the man riding beside him. “And what’s the right incentive?”

  Matthew grinned. “Well, she seems plenty happy at your place, doesn’t she?”

  Matthew was right. The triplets. Maggie. The opportunity to sing and play the piano. All of that seemed to make her plenty happy. David would be happy, too, because with a live-in nanny, he wouldn’t have to marry anyone. Of course, he’d have to figure out how to be in the same house with her without avoiding her, but surely that would be less of a problem than having a wife. David squared his shoulders. “I’ll do all I can to convince her to stay.”

  “Good.” Matthew held out his hand across the empty space between their horses, and they shook on it. “Very good.”

  * * *

  Caroline had waited all evening for a private audience with David. One look at his face when he returned from the ranchers’ meeting told Caroline that the children’s home idea Ida had mentioned hadn’t worked out. That one look was pretty much all she’d gotten because she’d needed to get the triplets bathed and into bed. By Maggie and Ida’s request, she played a few nocturnes until it was time for Maggie to go to sleep.

  David stayed in the parlor rather than retreating to his study, but a private conversation was impossible. Finally, Maggie was put to bed, and Ida retired to her room. Caroline heard David shut Maggie’s door, but she hesitated to open her own. Maybe this wasn’t the best time. After all, he seemed to have had a disappointing evening. He might not be in the mood to listen.

  She squared her shoulders. If she didn’t take this opportunity to talk to David, she wouldn’t have another one for...well, who knew when she’d find another chance to corner the evasive man?

  Caroline crept down the stairs to find the first floor dark and quiet. As disappointing as that was, she could hardly knock on his bedroom door and demand an audience. Even she didn’t have that much gall. Releasing a sigh, she turned to go back upstairs only to notice the front door was cracked open slightly. Perhaps that meant he was sitting on the front porch. She stepped outside—the porch swing was empty. Her gaze scanned the shadows of the barnyard, and that was when she heard it. The faint sound of a guitar drifted through the air from the direction of the barn.

  It must be David. Beneath that was an equally faint b
ut persistent rhythm. Someone else on the ranch was a percussionist? She bit her lip and stared across the darkened expanse to the barn. Her caution gave way to curiosity. She lifted her skirt to rush across the grass toward the sound. She stopped to lean against the side of the barn. Someone began to sing in Spanish. The man was a tenor with a smoky quality to his voice. Well, then. That was definitely not David.

  A banjo joined in...or was it a mandolin? Feeling as though she’d been transported to some exotic location, she sank to the grass to listen. Someone else began to sing—still not David. This voice was full, rich, soulful, deeper. My, but this was beautiful. Where was David, though? Something within her desperately wanted to hear his voice. When the piece was over, yet another voice spoke. This one was older. “You boys need to write down the music you create.”

  She barely smothered a gasp. They’d created that?

  The others, including David, suggested different reasons why it wasn’t necessary. It was all Caroline could do to keep herself from jumping around the corner to volunteer for the job. That music deserved to be preserved in some fashion. It seemed too good to be true that so much talent resided on one ranch. Then again, she’d heard tales of cowboys who sang and played to calm their cattle, so perhaps this wasn’t unusual at all.

  David spoke. “Listen, we’d better call it a night, men. Morning comes early.”

  Realizing she was about to get caught, Caroline struggled to get to her feet. She almost toppled over as her boots tangled in her skirt, and she heard an unmistakable rip. Thankfully, that was covered by the men’s protests. The Spanish-singing tenor chided, “You won’t get away that easy. We want to hear the piece you’ve been practicing.”