Their Surprise Daddy

by Ruth Logan Herne

  She smiled up at him. “You, too.”

  “Great dress.”

  Her smile went wider. “Glad you like it.” She indicated where Steve stood, waiting. “You ready to do this?”

  Cruz was more than ready. “It feels like I’ve been waiting all my life to do this,” he told her, smiling.

  She squeezed his hand lightly. “Then let’s go.”

  She turned toward Steve. So did Cruz. And when her uncle began the beautiful, classic ceremony, it felt like everything had come together perfectly.

  At long last.

  * * * * *

  If you loved this story, pick up the other books

  in the GRACE HAVEN series:

  AN UNEXPECTED GROOM

  HER UNEXPECTED FAMILY

  And check out these other stories of small-town life from author Ruth Logan Herne’s previous

  miniseries KIRKWOOD LAKE:

  THE LAWMAN’S HOLIDAY WISH

  LOVING THE LAWMAN

  HER HOLIDAY FAMILY

  HEALING THE LAWMAN’S HEART

  Available now from Love Inspired!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE NANNY BARGAIN by Glynna Kaye.

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

  Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards

  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

  Dear Reader,

  I absolutely loved writing this beautiful story for multiple reasons. I live in upstate New York, an area ripe with farm produce, orchards, vineyards and seasonal workers. We have local programs to help the children of farm workers, but when the economy takes a hit, programs sometimes get labeled “nonessential.” I not only raised six kids, I’ve helped raise dozens of others, and getting kids off to a good start is vital. Enter Rory, wanting to use her education to make a difference for kids from low-income or disadvantaged families. But rules don’t allow us to simply plant schools here and there.

  Cruz comes back to town carrying a load of bitterness. So much of his family history is unresolved. But when the fate of two small children cracks his facade, he begins to see a new light.

  God works in amazing ways. I don’t just believe that, I see it daily. Watching Cruz and Rosa find common ground after their long estrangement made me hopeful that families can come to see that peace on earth begins right here, with us, with our families. Mother Teresa often said, “Peace begins with a smile.” Let’s prove that today!

  I love to hear from readers. You can reach me through my website, ruthloganherne.com, or come friend me on Facebook at Ruth Logan Herne. I love to chat, play and pray with friends there! I’m also one of the cooks at the Yankee Belle Café, which you can visit online at yankeebellecafe.blogspot.com. You can email me at loganherne@gmail.com or snail mail me through the great folks at Love Inspired, 24th Floor, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.

  And once again, thank you so much for taking the time to read this beautiful story.

  God bless you!

  Ruthy

  Join Harlequin My Rewards & Instantly earn a FREE ebook of your choice.

  Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever & whenever you shop.

  Turn your points into FREE BOOKS.

  Don’t miss out. Reward the book lover in you!

  Register Today & Earn a FREE BOOK*

  *New members who join before December 31st, 2017 will receive 2000 points redeemable for eligible titles.

  Click here to register

  Or visit us online to register at

  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

  You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

  Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  The Nanny Bargain

  by Glynna Kaye

  Chapter One

  “That’s all there is to it,” concluded Sawyer Banks from where he sat behind a weathered oak desk. He looked quite at home in the decidedly masculine-flavored office of his outdoor-gear shop, Echo Ridge Outpost. Leather. Wood. Wildlife prints on the knotty pine walls. “Piece of cake.”

  Easy for him to say. Victoria “Tori” Janner folded her hands primly in her lap, determined to hear him out. But if her best friend, Sunshine Carston, hadn’t vouched for the rugged, blue-eyed outdoorsman, she wouldn’t be sitting here one minute longer on this snowy February afternoon. What he’d outlined during this interview was troubling, at the very least.

  “Apply for the childcare position,” he recapped, his steady gaze holding hers, “and if you get it, I’ll not only employ you here at the Outpost part-time, but behind the scenes I’ll throw in an additional dollar an hour on top of whatever wage you agree on with the Selbys. Does that sound fair?”

  More than fair. Suspiciously so.

  Tori lifted her chin slightly, determined he wouldn’t detect how uneasy his proposition made her feel. She needed the job—desperately—if she intended to remain in the mountain country community of Hunter Ridge, Arizona. Going “home” to life in Jerome was no longer an option if she could help it.

  “If I’m understanding correctly, what your offer boils down to is if I get the childcare job, you want me to spy on the grandparents of your younger siblings and report back to you.”

  “Spy?” He shook his head with a laugh, his longish sun-streaked blond hair brushing the collar of his gray plaid shirt. Fine lines creased at the corners of his eyes. “That term’s extreme for what I’m asking you to do—which is to provide a weekly update on activities and exercise, diet, moods and misbehaviors, and—”

  “All that detail on the boys, or their grandparents, too?”

  He stopped short, then laughed again. “I don’t much care what Ray has for breakfast. Unless, of course, it negatively impacts Landon and Cubby in some way.”

  “Cubby?”

  “Nickname for Jacob.”

  He made his proposition sound so benign. She felt silly challenging him and suspecting hidden motives. But she couldn’t go into anything blindly, no matter how much she needed a job. “I’ll be quite honest, Mr. Banks, I—”

  “Honesty is exactly what I want. And discretion. Common sense.” The corners of his mouth lifted. “And call me Sawyer.”

  She ignored his coaxing smile, one he’d undoubtedly perfected to sway female hearts. But she was newly immunized against that well-practiced male maneuver. “I require honesty, as well. Is it your intention for me to gather evidence that will enable you to take those children away from their grandparents? I don’t want any part in that.”

  Her mom’s mother had raised her, and she wouldn’t accept a role that undermined the twins’ relationship with their grandparents.

  “Whoa.” Sawyer held up his hands in defense, and she realized her brows had been lowered, her tone too sharp. Not how she wanted to come across to a potential employer. “Rest assured, Tori, that’s not my intention. Far from it. I have no doubt Ray and Therese love the grandsons my dad fathered with their daughter. That’s not the issue. The deal is that they’ve suddenly had to take on two active children. That’s asking a lot of people who’ve reached the golden years of a retirement they’ve worked long and hard for. I’m just not convinced it isn’t more than they can handle on their own.”<
br />
  He again sounded reasonable. Kind and caring. Why was she so distrustful? A residual effect of her ex-fiancé’s abrupt departure, no doubt.

  “While we’re not close, I have a decent enough relationship with them and the boys.” He turned in his chair to snag a photo off the bookshelf behind him and handed it to her. Gazing down at the towheaded, freckle-faced twins, she suspected the adorable twosome were the spitting image of Sawyer in his childhood.

  “So I want to do whatever I can,” he continued, “to ensure the welfare of kids and grandparents alike without it appearing that I’m meddling.”

  “Which is why...”

  “Why I suggested they hire someone at least part-time to give them a hand. After months of debating the pros and cons between them, they’re suddenly acting on it.”

  He raised a brow, awaiting her response.

  Once more she glanced down at the photo, then placed it on the desk. “How long, again, has it been since the fire?”

  “Over a year. Fifteen months. The twins were almost three and a half years old at the time. Four and a half now. They’ll start kindergarten in the fall.”

  “Heartbreaking.” How well she knew life could be sailing along fine one minute and upended the next. “I’m sorry, too, that you lost your father and your—”

  “Dad’s wife. She was never my stepmother. They’d been married less than five years before...” A shadow seemed to pass over his features.

  She nodded, again acknowledging the tragic event that had left the twins orphaned. Sawyer had told her his father—widowed? divorced?—had remarried and started a late-in-life family.

  “How are the boys doing? Emotionally, I mean.” She didn’t want to get in over her head. “I’m not a psychologist or counselor, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

  “What I’m after is a competent pair of eyes and ears—and someone who’s good with kids. Your friend Sunshine assures me you took good care of her daughter while she was wrapped up in the town council campaign last fall. That you and Tessa have a good relationship.”

  “I’ve known Tess since she was a baby, so that could account for that.”

  “You’re being too modest. Sunshine mentioned you grew up babysitting neighbor kids, as well.”

  “I did.” That had been the only means of earning money for her artistic endeavors until she was old enough to work in one of the tourist-frequented shops. Infant care had scared her, but by the time her charges reached the toddler stage she’d done fine. Okay, maybe better than fine.

  “Sunshine says you’re bright, well-grounded, sensible and loyal to a fault,” he continued, making her sound like the next best thing to a golden retriever. “She says, too, that if you err, it’s on the side of caution. That’s what I need. Someone I can entrust with my little brothers.”

  She looked at him doubtfully, uneasiness continuing to gnaw as he handed her a slip of paper with the Selbys’ phone number and email address. “You’re telling me, then, that you don’t know anyone else in town who fits the bill?”

  * * *

  The pretty blonde with gray eyes and a pixie haircut was sharp alright, homing in on that point. Truth was, in addition to her other job-suitable assets, Tori was relatively new to town. Having lived here off and on for under six months, it appeared she hadn’t yet formed deep attachments aside from the established one with Sunshine. She wouldn’t be attuned to the histories of those who lived here—like his—and wouldn’t be likely to make assumptions or confide in others. She was a churchgoer, too, which would win persuasive points with his siblings’ grandparents during an interview. A solid recommendation from a past and present pastor and any former employers would further strengthen her prospects.

  “Truth of the matter is, Tori, I’ve known Sunshine for several years and the family she’s marrying into even longer, and she highly recommends you. I personally don’t know anyone else who appears to meet the needs of the situation I’ve found myself in. I’ve never before had to be a nanny recruiter.”

  He offered what he hoped was a winning smile, but Tori made a face.

  “Please don’t call the position nanny.” Color rose in her cheeks, almost matching the soft pink of her turtleneck sweater. “That word always makes me picture a goat herding—pardon the pun—kids.”

  He managed not to laugh as his spirits lifted at the cute expression on her face. He’d have to watch himself if she’d be working here as well as with his brothers. He couldn’t afford to let himself get distracted right now, not with the Outpost needing his full attention. He couldn’t put his livelihood at further risk by not giving his best to keep it afloat. And he certainly couldn’t risk it for what would in all probability be another here-today-gone-tomorrow relationship. But she’d obviously taken exception to the nanny label. Might that mean she was seriously considering his offer?

  “Then nanny is tossed out the door. Babysitter? Caregiver? Childcare worker?”

  “Much better.”

  After rising from his chair, he moved around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge of it. “What other questions do you have?”

  If he wasn’t mistaken, he needed to come across as open and approachable, especially considering her reservations about the possibility of being involved in a custody battle. He honestly didn’t want to be part of anything like that any more than she did. No way. What would he do with two little kids underfoot? Children were time-consuming. Demanded attention. With him being next in line for legal guardianship, per the wishes of the boys’ parents, he hoped with all his heart that Therese and Ray were perfectly capable of raising his little brothers. If investing a few extra bucks in hired help increased that likelihood and kept him out of direct oversight of the twins, it would be money well spent. And if that hired help provided him an inside line to the household dynamics, all the better.

  A crease formed between Tori’s brows as she looked around his office, then toward the door that led to the main room of the business he’d inherited from his grandfather right out of college. Hunting, fishing, camping and hiking paraphernalia packed the rustic interior of a building that faced the winding, pine-lined main road through town.

  “This other part-time job you mentioned,” she said, focusing again on him. “The one here. What would that entail? I’m not sure I’m the right fit for clerking in a place like this. I don’t know anything about hunting or fishing and not much more about camping, although I’ve hiked.”

  “There you go. And you’ve rung up a sale on a cash register before?”

  “In shops that I worked at in Jerome, yes. But—”

  “You wouldn’t have to advise someone on purchases. Les, Diego or I’ll be around to do that.” He hesitated, then brushed back the hair from his eyes and gave her an apologetic look. “It’s not glamorous, but in addition to stocking, inventory and general office work, I could use assistance with upkeep.”

  “You mean housekeeping, right? Not toolbox types of stuff, but dusting and cleaning and that kind of thing?”

  “Right.”

  To his relief she merely shrugged, unfazed. Hopes mounting, he hurried on. “Depending on the schedule you arrange with the Selbys, you can work your hours in around here as you find most convenient.”

  She tilted her head slightly. “That’s assuming, of course, that I get the childcare job. If I decide to apply, I mean.”

  His rising spirits faltered. “Right.”

  “How many hours a week are we talking about?”

  “That depends on what you agree to with Ray and Therese. Assuming it’s at least twenty hours a week there, I could probably make up the difference on this end to bring it up to a total of thirty-five or forty.”

  That sounded plenty generous to him and probably more than he could afford right now. But he caught uncertainty in her eyes. “Is there a problem?”


  “Well, I do have a business of my own that I’d hoped to get off the ground after a too-long sabbatical.”

  “I wasn’t aware of that.”

  “Not that I’m not looking for a job,” she said quickly. “I am. But I’m also trying to use the months before summer to prepare a body of work for the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative.”

  He knew from Sunshine that Tori hailed from Jerome, Arizona, an old mining town turned artists’ colony and tourist attraction. So last night he’d touched base with the mother of a friend who lived there. She’d mentioned—among other things—Tori’s involvement in the arts. Although one reported incident from Tori’s teen years might make the Selbys leery of hiring her, nothing about it alarmed him. She was still a top-notch candidate.

  “I’m a quilter.” She met his gaze almost cautiously, as if watching for his reaction. “Not only bedspreads and comforters, but wall hangings and other home and office decorations. Pillows, purses and tote bags, too.”

  That sounded practical enough. Unpretentious. “My mom always wanted to quilt. Never had time, though, with three rambunctious boys.”

  He didn’t miss the curiosity that flickered through her eyes, but he wasn’t wading into the past today. Then he glanced down at the photo of the twins, a professional picture taken not too long before their parents died. Maybe it was his imagination, but the boys seemed increasingly subdued lately, not as lively and laughter-filled as they’d once been. Was that to be expected with the loss of their folks—or was it related to something in their current living environment?

  He had his suspicions. And since they’d still be living happily with their parents if he’d have taken care of business, his mission now was to see to their welfare. But time was running out on this particular opportunity. He’d learned yesterday that Ray and Therese had placed a want ad in surrounding-area church newsletters two weeks ago and were embarking on a search for a part-time live-in helper.

  He motioned to the photo. “So, are you interested in the childcare position? Interviews are under way, and although I don’t anticipate a quick decision on their part, timing is critical to get your application in. If filling in here also is too much to take on, we can figure something out.”