The Nanny Bargain

by Glynna Kaye

  They continued to bump along, the time adding up, with their speed not much above fifteen or twenty miles an hour over rubboard roads. Every time she’d start to relax, they’d jolt through a small crater or over another rough patch, forcing her to brace herself—or she’d be brought up short by the memory of Therese’s health revelation. Was that something Sawyer needed to know? But Ray and Therese made a point of asking her not to share the news with anyone.

  Please, God, give me wisdom.

  “Here we are,” Sawyer said at long last, nodding to a clearing up ahead where a two-story cabin with solar panels on the roof and a wisp of smoke curling from a stone chimney looked quite homey. A barn, corral with a few horses, and other outbuildings were scattered across the property. Off to one side she spied huge poly tanks—people living this far out had to haul in water—and in a sunny spot were raised garden beds awaiting spring planting. Annie seemed an “earth mother” type, and this place didn’t disappoint.

  While Sawyer didn’t strike her as the potential mate of an Annie type, he was probably on the lookout for a woman who could hold her own on one of those reality TV survival programs. One who could hike all day without breaking a sweat, build a shelter from scratch with the aid of a pocketknife, start a fire without matches and still manage to catch and clean a bucket of fish and fry them up for supper.

  Not, of course, that what he was looking for was any of her business.

  * * *

  “I’m glad to see you didn’t attempt to come out on your own, Tori.” Tucking a strand of hair back into her ponytail, Annie Guthridge motioned them into the house, a welcoming smile lighting her rosy-cheeked, round face. Sawyer’s buddy Kyle had hit the jackpot when he found his easygoing life partner. Not that she let him get away with much, but they were an ideal match, each the president of the other’s fan club.

  “The last snowfall melting,” she continued, “gummed up the roads. You’ll have to get that truck of yours to the car wash when you get back, Sawyer.”

  “Plan on it.” But washing the pickup was the last thing on his mind with the aroma of freshly baked bread and something beefy in a crockpot scenting the air. No wonder Kyle had put on a few extra pounds in recent years.

  She pointed to a wide doorway. “Take your stuff right in there, Tori, and let’s have a look at it.”

  Tori preceded them, oohing and aahing at a magnificent quilt stretched across a frame in the adjoining room. But Annie held back to grab Sawyer’s arm and whisper in his ear. “Kyle said you had a new lady friend.”

  A bolt of alarm jolted through him, his words barely audible. “She’s not—”

  “Annie! This is gorgeous!” Tori’s voice held the usual upbeat lilt he’d become accustomed to, reminding him that, oddly, it had seldom surfaced on their drive to the Guthridge place. The “not right” feeling that had struck him when she’d first opened the Selbys’ door still lingered.

  His friend’s wife joined Tori and together they moved around the room, Annie explaining her background and processes and showing off several types of sewing machines. From what he could make of it, a Bernina was a good thing.

  Rightly guessing that this might take a while, he settled into a recliner in the corner—Kyle’s spot if he wanted to spend time with his wife when she was neck-deep in a project? Tori then spread out her quilt tops and discussion continued. He took it from Annie’s comments that she was impressed with Tori’s work, so it wasn’t only his amateur eye that discerned they were compelling designs.

  Theme. Mood. Presentation. Fiber content. Technique.

  He didn’t understand much of it, but found it interesting nevertheless. There was more to this quilting business than he’d supposed. Tori spoke knowledgeably, too. Knew this quilting gig as thoroughly as he did his outdoors one.

  But he also had another motive for listening in—to make certain Annie didn’t further allude to a presumed relationship with Tori. Under other circumstances, Annie’s obvious excitement at the prospect might not have put him so much on edge as it had. Tori was smart. Fun. Talented. She loved his little brothers—and tolerated him. He enjoyed her company more than he should. But he was in no way financially anchored well enough to go looking for a lady. His taking this break from work today with a notion of keeping her safe was evidence, if only in a small way, of how time-consuming a relationship would be. Time he needed to spend bringing the Outpost ledgers back into the black.

  An hour later they headed back out the door...Annie giving him an audacious wink when Tori wasn’t looking.

  He shook his head, but couldn’t restrain a smile. She and Kyle had been on his case for several years now to start dating again, insisting it was time to put the memories of the past behind him. He no longer gambled. He no longer hung out with Vegas groupies who’d trailed him and his buddies around in hopes of landing themselves a high-stakes winner. Not that any of the guys ever came close to attaining anything like that. But the girls still hoped.

  But with that part of his life behind him, he’d chosen to focus on the outdoors, on the Outpost, on renovating his cabin—and spending time with Dad and Vanessa and the boys.

  That is, up until the fire.

  Nearing town, he realized Tori hadn’t been talking as excitedly as he would have expected about her encounter with Kyle’s wife or Annie having invited her to coteach a beginner’s quilting class at the church that summer. In fact, their conversation consisted of not much more than taking turns commenting on the passing scenery or the deplorable condition of the winding roads.

  It was as if, as he earlier suspected, she still had something on her mind. But he hadn’t been much of a conversationalist either. The reality of what the well-meaning Annie and Kyle obviously hoped to be a blossoming new relationship weighed heavily. What his two friends didn’t get was that he didn’t have anything to offer a woman at this point in his life, let alone anything to offer someone like the sparkling gem sitting next to him in quiet contemplation.

  Looking for a distraction from his thoughts, he turned on the radio to pull in the familiar country rhythm of an old Alan Jackson tune.

  Tori perked up. “You like Alan Jackson?”

  “Forever.”

  “Me, too.” Humming along, she turned up the volume as if also welcoming a diversion from wherever her thoughts had taken her.

  “I don’t suppose...” he started, then shook his head. He still sensed something was bothering her and would like to cheer her up. But he needed to keep his head in Outpost business and not get ahead of himself. Maybe, if she was still around come next fall...maybe when he got the bills paid off...

  She tilted her head. “What?”

  “Nothing. Thinking out loud.”

  For a moment he thought she was going to say something, but to his disappointment she settled into her seat to once again stare out the window.

  While he still regularly offered up thanks, he hadn’t asked God for much, if anything, in the past year. Didn’t see much point in it. But as his gaze again drifted to Tori, lingered on her delicate profile, the soft blond hair, the gentle, pensive expression in her eyes...he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he needed to rethink that decision...

  Chapter Eleven

  “Curtis, there is no need for you to come here. That’s exactly why your father and I didn’t say anything earlier.” From across the kitchen a week and a half after the trip to Annie’s, Therese gave Tori an exasperated look as her son continued talking to her on the landline. Then she shook her head. “No, let’s not revisit that. You know how we feel about relocating to LA. You kids can get that out of your heads.”

  With breakfast over and Ray and the twins out the door, Tori finished cleaning up, trying not to eavesdrop. But she nevertheless picked up on the tension in Therese’s voice.

  On Sunday Therese and Ray had called each of thei
r offspring individually to share Therese’s diagnosis with them, and it sounded from this call as if their children had gotten together and her oldest son was now voicing their combined concerns.

  Tori knew they’d wanted their parents to relocate to where the three lived within an hour’s drive of each other. Now that they knew of their mother’s developing health issues, that effort was being renewed. Would Therese and Ray consider it? They’d have to take the boys with them, of course, which would devastate Sawyer. And she’d be out of a job.

  Tori hadn’t been back at her sewing too long before a laughing Therese knocked at the open door, making a face and pretending to pull her hair out. “I told Ray that telling the kids would open a can of worms. But I think I have Curtis convinced that he doesn’t need to come over here to ‘talk some sense into us,’ as he put it.”

  “They care for you. Want what’s best for you.”

  “But they aren’t telling us anything we don’t know. This house was way too big for us after our children grew up and moved out. But even though it’s full of happy memories—and a few sad ones—” she was obviously thinking of her daughter, the twins’ mother “—it had been our intent to eventually sell, get a trailer or cabin here for summer months and then winter in Phoenix at one of those senior retirement resorts. Ray and I both love to golf and swim.”

  “Some of those places come with awesome perks.”

  “They do. And quite honestly, we weren’t around that much when Cubby and Landon were tiny. We traveled a lot. Visited our kids and grandkids. But when the boys came to live with us, of course, we tabled those plans and activities.” She moved closer to see what Tori was working on and nodded approvingly. “We raised four kids in a small town and think Hunter Ridge is still ideal. But with two growing boys who will be teenagers in the blink of an eye, we can’t downsize a great deal now either.”

  Teenagers in the blink of an eye. Tori almost shuddered at the thought. “Your kids know, don’t they, that you’d be bringing the boys if you moved to California?”

  “That’s part of the push to move closer to them. They think the twins are too much for us. Baloney. We’re doing fine.”

  But Tori could understand the Selby children’s concerns. The boys took time and energy. Money, too. It was clear from what she’d picked up on from Ray and Therese and others as well, that their social life, church and community involvement, and leisure activities had been greatly curtailed in the past year. Friends complained of seldom seeing them.

  “That’s where you’ve been such a blessing, Tori, and I reminded Curtis of that.” Therese smiled at her. “You’ve taken charge of many things that previously might have been stretching us to our limits. I feel good about where we are, even with this MS hanging over my head. Ray and I feel confident in standing our ground to remain in Hunter Ridge. While we didn’t grow up here, this has been the home of our hearts.”

  Despite her employer’s optimistic spirit, an undercurrent of uneasiness surfaced. “You need to be sure, Therese, to let me know if there’s more I can do to help you. Not just with the kids, but with everyday things you might find tiring.”

  “We hired you to watch after the twins, not be a health-care aide.”

  “I know, but friends help friends.”

  Therese’s gaze softened. “And we are becoming friends, aren’t we?”

  “We are.”

  “I’ll keep your offer in mind, but despite what our worrywart kids think, things are working out.” Therese moved to the table where Tori’s finished items were beginning to stack up and lifted one of the baby quilts. “You’ve been turning out the work. I used to do a little quilting myself. You know, from one of those kits that come with the fabric precut. I’m amazed you choose the color combinations and fabric on your own. No pattern to follow.”

  Tori laughed. “I follow a pattern that’s in my head.”

  “You’re a gifted artist. It’s a shame you can’t do this full-time.”

  “I will. Someday. But it will take time to get there.”

  Therese looked at her fondly. “I don’t doubt you will. You’re young. Determined. Like Sawyer in that respect, who thinks the sky is the limit.”

  Therese drifted toward the door, then paused. “I know I mentioned this the other day, but I do appreciate you not saying anything to anyone—including Sawyer—about my health. I don’t need him doubting that I’m capable of caring for his siblings.”

  Tori took a steadying breath. It hadn’t been easy not saying anything to Sawyer about Therese’s occasional brain fog. A faucet left running or an opened medication bottle on the countertop. But health issues were personal and if she hadn’t been working here she’d never have been made aware of those things. Which was why she’d determined to be as diligent as possible in keeping the boys safe and bringing potentially harmful situations to the attention of the Selbys, as she’d already been faithfully doing.

  “He’d be concerned, Therese—for you.”

  Therese’s gentle smile held a tinge of disbelief. “He’d be concerned I’m sure—concerned that my health might go belly-up entirely and he’d get stuck with the kids himself. He’s next in line in the will for taking on the boys, you know. But I’m not sure much troubles that young man as long as it doesn’t impact him.”

  “Why do you say that?” She hadn’t known the twins’ parents had included Sawyer in their contingency plans.

  The older woman studied her. “You like him, don’t you?”

  Tori’s face warmed. “He’s nice. A good boss. He loves his little brothers.”

  “Just be careful.”

  “I think you’re wrong about him. But you needn’t worry about me. I came out of a deeply disappointing relationship not that many months ago and I’m in no hurry to get myself into another one.”

  At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

  “I’m glad to hear you’re taking your time. God has someone special in mind for you.” Therese placed her hand to her heart. “I feel it right here.”

  When she left, Tori returned to her sewing, but found it hard to concentrate. She didn’t like keeping things from Sawyer that might impact him and the boys. The MS diagnosis. The pressure to move to California. But Therese and Ray had no intention of leaving Hunter Ridge, despite their children’s urging, so for the time being at least, that was a nonissue. Should things change, if Therese and Ray reconsidered a move to California, then she’d speak up.

  And yet...what good would that do?

  The Selbys had legal custody of the boys and it was doubtful they’d consider relinquishing that to a bachelor older brother who’d personally assured Tori he had no interest in or intention of trying to take the boys from their grandparents. Even Sunshine had laughed when Tori shared concerns that he might be setting her up to “get the goods” on the boys’ grandparents so he could use her testimony in court to gain custody.

  Tori adjusted the fabric under the sewing machine’s foot. She’d seen no signs that Sawyer was working toward taking the boys from their grandparents. In fact, it was at her urging that he was becoming more involved in their lives.

  The good news, too, was that with the Selbys determined to raise their grandsons in Hunter Ridge, she had housing and a job for a while. Maybe clear through their grade school years. She could continue to be closely involved in the lives of Cubby and Landon.

  And that of their big brother?

  Giving attention again to her sewing, she shook away that intruding thought, not sure where it had come from. Yes, as Therese had observed, she did like him. But liking...well, she liked a lot of people, right?

  She was here in Hunter Ridge for the twins and the twins alone.

  * * *

  “Keep backing up, Cubby!” Sawyer’s voice carried across the tree-lined open space at the city park nestled in the hea
rt of Hunter Ridge’s business district. He sidestepped Landon, who was trying to keep him from throwing the football.

  It was hard to stay focused, though, with a laughing Tori playfully running back and forth in front of Cubby, waving her hands as if determined to gain an interception. With the sun high overhead, raising the April early-afternoon temperature to at least fifty degrees, she’d earlier tossed her jacket on top of a nearby picnic table. In trim jeans and a fitted ocean-blue sweater, sunlight illuminating her blond hair, she was distracting, that was for sure.

  With Landon moving in on him again, Sawyer sent the football gently arcing toward Cubby, confident he’d hit his target if his little brother would stretch out his arms. But the boy froze.

  “Catch it, Cub!”

  Abruptly, the boy thrust out his arms and, as the ball landed in them, he hugged the pigskin to his chest as Sawyer had shown him in practice.

  Cubby’s grin widened. “I caught it! I caught it!”

  Spotting Tori’s amused look, Sawyer laughed. “You did, buddy, but don’t stand there. Run!”

  The boy’s eyes widened, then still hugging the ball he turned and took off toward their opponents’ goal.

  “No, Cub, the other way!”

  Making a wide arc Cubby swung around and headed in the right direction. But not far from the goal line Landon snagged the red bandanna from his back pocket. Cubby kept moving, though, right over the sticks marking an end zone, and did his own version of a victory dance.

  “That doesn’t count,” Landon complained loudly, looking in disgust to Sawyer. “I had the bandanna.”

  “You’re right. It doesn’t count, but he’s put us in a great position, so heads up, defensive line.”

  Cubby trotted up to him for a high five, then handed over the ball. Man, did he love these brothers. It was encouraging, too, to see Cubby enjoying himself. Gaining confidence. Acting more like he had before his parents died—back when the world seemed a happier place to be.