The Nanny's Temporary Triplets

by Noelle Marchand

  “That’s the problem. I haven’t been practicing.”

  “You always say that,” the rich voice chimed in. “And it’s always perfect.”

  The older voice made it unanimous. “Yeah, let’s hear it.”

  David grumbled a bit, picked a few strings in practice, then played something Spanish, classical, romantic and downright lethal to her good sense. As the last notes faded, she hotfooted her way toward the house. She was barely halfway there when a whisper shot across the yard. “Hey, slyboots! Where are you going?”

  She froze. Her heart gave an extra hard thump, but she ignored it. Turning to face David, she clasped her hands behind her back and offered her most innocent expression. “Oh. Hello, David.”

  He offered a nod as he continued toward her with a knowing half smile flashing in the dark. “Caroline.”

  Was that all he had to say? It was an old trick she’d used as a music teacher to get her students to admit to fudging their practice hours. Stay quiet and let the person in trouble implicate themselves with their own words. She wasn’t about to fall for it. “I guess I’d better turn in. Good night.”

  She ignored his chuckle and turned toward the house, hoping he’d let her go. Instead he locked step with her. “How’d you like the music?”

  Her gaze shot to his face. She could see his face pretty clearly now that they were nearing the lantern on the porch. Her mother hated not knowing she had an audience, especially during practice. David didn’t seem to mind. Letting her nervousness ease, Caroline tried to ignore the embarrassment at getting caught sneaking around the barnyard. It wasn’t that hard when she focused on the memory of what she’d just heard. “It was beautiful. How did y’all learn to play like that?”

  “Joaquin, my foreman, learned the guitar from his father, who also happened to be my father’s foreman many years ago. Joaquin taught me after...after my wife died. It helped me deal with the grief, I reckon. Ephraim arrived at my ranch knowing how to play the banjo. I’m blessed that he chose to be a part of my outfit. A cowboy with that fine of a voice is highly sought after. Isaiah Upkins was employed by the previous owner of this ranch. I don’t think he realized he had any musical talent until Ephraim caught on to how his toe was tapping in a rhythm, not only a beat. Joaquin had an old drum. That was that.”

  Caroline laughed in delight. “That’s incredible. I love hearing how people discover their musical gifts.”

  “Naw.” He tilted his head. “I suspect you just outright love music and almost anything having to do with it.”

  “Am I really that obvious?”

  “Afraid so.” He grinned, then leaned on the stair railing. “What about you? How did you discover your musical gifts?”

  She tried not to stare at him with too much suspicion. Why was he being so friendly? Then again, he’d been friendly enough when they’d sung together. Perhaps that was the secret, then—music. “Growing up as I did with a piano prodigy for a father and a renowned soprano for a mother, I was surrounded by music. They gave me the lessons. I took to it.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.” She offered a smile and a shrug. “See? My love story with music isn’t quite as grand as one might imagine.”

  “The beginning might seem ordinary to you. What you have now, though...” He shook his head. “It’s something else.”

  She reached out to trace the newel post. “You mean an obsession?”

  Matthew had accused their parents of it often enough that she was afraid it might be true of her, too. David searched her eyes as though examining the validity of that fear. Finally, he shook his head. “Not obsession. Passion. I saw it when we sang together. I heard it when you sang with Maggie. You become almost...transcendent.”

  “I think that can be true for everyone when we find the thing we were meant to do. Especially when it connects us with God. For that song, in that moment, the melody and my voice lift me higher than the things of this world. My cares and troubles melt away. It’s just me. The creator. Worship. Praise.”

  “Power.”

  “Passion.” She stared into his eyes, feeling something unlock between them. Mutual understanding? Her heart responded with a warning. Don’t. Don’t fall in love.

  His question was a welcome distraction. “So music is what you’re meant to do?”

  “On a basic level. I believe so. It’s what motivates me.” She somehow knew that he was asking himself the same question. The answer came to her, though it really shouldn’t have been hers to give. “Compassion.”

  Their eyes met once more. “What?”

  “That’s what motivates you at the most basic level. It’s rather obvious from the outside looking in.”

  “Is it?”

  She nodded. “The triplets are evidence of it. I met Louisa Clark this past Sunday at church. She told me how you championed them when they were first found abandoned at the county fair. On top of that, you didn’t hesitate to take them into your home the moment they could no longer stay with her. There’s also the matter of the children’s home.”

  His jaw flexed slightly as he glanced away. “Heard about that, did you?”

  “Ida told me. It was a good idea.”

  “And an impractical one.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t hear of anyone else proposing another solution.”

  “Yes, well, mine wasn’t completely altruistic.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’d like to keep the triplets long-term. I might even be able to see myself taking in the Satlers, but I can’t do any of that without some sort of permanent assistance. The most practical solution is for me to find a wife.”

  Her eyes widened. She searched his face. The discouragement there told her the truth. “You don’t want that?”

  “No.” He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced into the darkness. “After my first marriage, I...”

  He must still be grieving. She placed a hand on his arm so that he wouldn’t need to find the words. “I understand, David. Trust God. Maybe He has another way.”

  As soon as the words left her mouth she felt convicted. She was a fine one to talk about trusting God. The woman who hadn’t stopped long enough to consult God on the man she’d planned to marry. She’d wanted so badly to be loved, valued and deemed worthy of attention that she’d allowed herself to be taken in by Nico.

  She didn’t want that to happen to Maggie. With David talking about taking in even more orphans, it seemed even more imperative to speak to him about her concerns. As much as Caroline hated to strain this unexpected new accord with David, she’d sought him out for a chance to talk about Maggie. This looked to be it.

  Chapter Nine

  David was amazed at how easy it was to talk to Caroline. Too easy, actually. He hadn’t planned on telling anyone about the possibility of him remarrying yet. Why he’d chosen Caroline to confide in was a mystery to him, and a discomforting one at that. “Listen, I haven’t told anyone I’m actually considering remarrying, so I’d like for that to stay between us.”

  She nodded. “I won’t say a word. As for the idea of taking in the Satlers, well, I do worry that maybe...”

  She bit her lip, and it was plain that she had something to say. She was holding back on him. He wasn’t sure why. For some reason, he didn’t want her to have to do that. Maybe it was because she seemed to understand him in ways and with a depth that she shouldn’t be able to on such a short acquaintance. Or maybe it was because her large hazel eyes looked troubled. He stepped a bit closer, feeling her hand slide from his arm. “Go on.”

  She swallowed hard. “I don’t want you to forget about Maggie.”

  “Forget Maggie?” The concept made no sense to him.

  Caroline seemed to flush in the golden lantern light. “I’m not saying that you woul
d. It’s only that I’ve been that daughter. The one who feels forgotten by her parents. I know that I wasn’t. I mean, obviously, they remember who I am, but I was never a focus for them. I don’t want that to happen to Maggie.”

  He frowned. “And you think there’s a danger of that happening?”

  “You’re gone quite a bit, which I realize is necessary due to your responsibilities at the ranch. However, once you’re home, you tend to close yourself off in your study as soon as dinner is over. At least that’s what you’ve done nearly every night since I got here. Maggie misses you...”

  Her voice faded into the background as he realized she was right. He had locked himself in his study nearly every night. Technically, he’d been working on the accounts and making decisions about winter feed. He’d had to because he’d been riding with the hands during the day and trying to catch up on the work he’d missed since the triplets had arrived. He could have handled it differently, though. He could have found a way to spend more time with Maggie. He knew that because it was exactly the way he’d always handled it until this week.

  There was one simple reason for that. Maggie stuck to Caroline’s side like a burr to a saddle blanket. Being around Maggie would mean being around Caroline just like avoiding Caroline had the unhappy consequence of meaning he also avoided Maggie. He had good reasons for avoiding Caroline. Reasons that he’d already wrestled with once today while talking to her brother.

  Caroline was genuine and sweet with an inherent vulnerability that made a man want to protect her—particularly after what he’d learned she’d been through. Her hazel eyes drew a man deeper and deeper until he didn’t care which way was up. He’d like to say that he hadn’t noticed them, but he had. That and pretty much everything else about her.

  That was the reason he tried to avoid her. He’d simply refused to acknowledge his attraction to her. He surely shouldn’t be doing it now. After all, he wasn’t interested in getting married. He’d told her that only a minute ago because he’d meant it a minute ago. He still meant it now. Didn’t he? Strange how he suddenly wasn’t sure.

  What was he supposed to do about that? Stare at Caroline Murray, apparently. Try to focus more on the words Caroline said than the soft caress of moonlight against her cheek and willing his fingers not to trace the same path.

  He swallowed hard. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to refocus. Finally, her words began to make sense. He couldn’t help but smile just a little as she ever so gently told him what a horrible father he was being. She meant well. That was obvious from the concern in her eyes. She was also incredibly afraid of offending him. The slight waver in her voice told him that much. Maybe he ought to be offended. Still, it was hard to be angry at someone advocating so strongly on behalf of his daughter, so he listened intently, offering a slight nod now and again until she finally deigned to ask him a question. “Did you know she holds back tears when you leave the house in the morning?”

  “Yes. She’s always done that, ever since she was little. I think it might have something to do with her mother’s death.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw, feeling the prickle that told him he’d need a shave come morning. “Actually, what you’ve seen is a big improvement over how it used to be.”

  “Oh.” Even in the darkness, he could see the blush rising in her cheeks along with a healthy dose of self-doubt.

  He found himself reassuring her with another nod. “You were right about me not being around much this past week, though.”

  “Then you’ll try to be more present?”

  He hesitated. Could he afford to be? He doubted it, but saying no to Caroline meant saying no to Maggie, too. The scary part was he didn’t really want to say that to either one of them. Caroline’s hand came to rest on his arm again. “David, please. Set aside a little time for her even if it’s only once a week. I promise you won’t regret it.”

  Of course he wouldn’t regret it, and no one needed to beg him to spend time with his daughter. In fact, he already set aside time for her. He took Maggie riding every Sunday afternoon. Caroline didn’t know that because she’d spent her day off with Matthew and Emma. How could he tell her that without revealing the true reason he’d been absent lately?

  He couldn’t. So he looked deep into her eyes and said the only thing that seemed anywhere close to being right. “I love my daughter. I believe she knows that. I usually try to spend as much time with her and my mother as I can. This past week was out of the ordinary. Please don’t think that’s the norm. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me this week. And I’ll be seeing a lot more of Maggie.”

  “Promise?”

  He nodded. “I promise, Caroline.”

  She squeezed his arm and gave him a smile of approval that filled him with a warm glow he knew better than to analyze too closely. It stuck with him all the way to the next morning when she greeted him with a smile as he entered the kitchen for breakfast. He tried to ignore it...ignore her.

  Then he realized it would be downright rude to do that after what they’d shared last night. Besides, he didn’t want to. Unfortunately, with his guard lowered, what came out was...well, a wink.

  It was just a small one. A friendly one, but it reminded him too much of that cocky, flirtatious younger version of himself that hadn’t questioned his ability to win the heart of the belle of the county. The older, more mature and love-worn man he was now should know better than to go around winking at nannies.

  He glanced around the kitchen to see who’d noticed his lapse. His ma was still at the stove with her back turned to the table. Maggie was distracted by the triplets. That still left Caroline, who surely couldn’t help but notice, since it had been directed at her. It was far too late to pretend he had something in his eye. He stole a cautious look at her.

  She leaned forward slightly to capture his gaze. Her eyes danced with something friendly and teasing. Her lips tilted in some mixture of amusement and surprise. “Did you just—”

  “Maggie,” he called a bit too loudly, already reaching for Caroline’s hand. “Why don’t you say grace?”

  Ida gave a slightly indignant snort as she placed a bowl of biscuits on the table. “Maybe because I haven’t even had a chance to sit down yet. Land sakes, son. Are you that hungry?”

  He wasn’t. He simply hadn’t wanted Caroline to mention his winking in front of his ma and Maggie—two people who would surely get the wrong idea. His eagle-eyed mother was already narrowing hers rather speculatively at the way he was still holding Caroline’s hand. He released it and ignored the curious look he was getting from all three females. He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’m thinking it would be good to get an early start today. I need to head into town.”

  “Well, I suppose there’s no harm in saying grace. You can start eating while I finish the bacon. Go ahead, Maggie.”

  Once Maggie finished, David steered the conversation back to safer subjects. “Ma, do you need me to pick up anything from the general store for you while I’m in town?”

  “We could use a few things.” Ida placed strips of bacon on his plate. After doing the same for Maggie and Caroline, she took the seat across from him. “I’ll make a list for you.”

  He turned to Caroline to ask her the same, but she nodded toward Maggie instead. Apparently, she still thought he needed prodding to spend time with his daughter. He wasn’t entirely sure what he could do to disabuse her of that notion other than go along with her efforts to help him. “Maggie, would you like to ride into town with me?”

  Maggie’s brow furrowed. “Would I have to wear a dress?”

  He gave her a firm look. “You know the rules. Skirts are required when you go to town.”

  “Hmm.” She poked at the last piece of her scrambled eggs. “I don’t know if it’s worth it, Pa.”

  David barely held back a laugh. Caroline looked appalled and more than a little confused at
Maggie’s hesitancy. “Maggie, I’m sure wearing a skirt is a small price to pay for a chance to go riding with your father.”

  Curiosity filled Maggie’s eyes. “Do you want to go with him, then?”

  The last thing David needed on this particular errand was Caroline watching over his shoulder. “She needs to take care of the triplets. Come on, Magpie. I’ll let you pick out a few pieces of candy while we’re at the general store.”

  “Oh, all right, I guess.” She wrinkled her nose. “May I be excused to change clothes?”

  “Go ahead.” David barely managed to hold back a laugh as she tromped up the stairs with a decided lack of enthusiasm.

  A quick glance at Caroline revealed her cheeks had turned a dusky pink. “I’m sure she’ll enjoy it, David.”

  “Well, she’ll like the candy. That’s for sure. What about you, Caroline? Is there anything I can get for you while I’m in town?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think so. I packed more than enough of everything for my—” She bit her lip, and he knew she was thinking about the fact that she should have been on her honeymoon. She continued, “For my trip. I do have a letter that is ready to be mailed if you don’t mind taking it along.”

  “I wouldn’t mind at all.” In fact, visiting the post office was his main reason for going into town. He should be hearing back from the mail-order bride soon. He doubted any woman would agree to travel all the way to Texas from Boston to enter into what was little more than the equivalent of a business arrangement. If that was the case, he’d be free to... He stole a quick glance at Caroline. Well, free to consider other solutions should he find the courage.

  * * *

  Caroline had a problem, and that problem was David McKay. He’d done exactly what he’d promised he would over the past three days by being more accessible to and engaged with Maggie. He’d also been going into town to check the mail every day. If Caroline didn’t know better, she’d think he had a sweetheart he couldn’t wait to hear from. Ida had finally mentioned that he was looking for a response from a nanny who might be interested in staying on more permanently. Caroline hadn’t felt any less threatened by that.