Then when Jayne died, his whole world shifted. When Annie applied for the nanny position, employing her had been a no-brainer. She was familiar, she already knew Jasper, and Scarlett was only eight months old at the time. Having her move to the ranch was also an easy decision. But allowing someone new the same option didn’t sit right. He didn’t want a stranger interacting with his kids, living down the hall from them. From him.
He only wanted Annie, end of story.
“Daddy!”
Scarlett’s animated voice cut through his thoughts and she came racing toward him, landing against his legs with a resounding thump. He hauled her into his arms and she hugged him tightly. David kissed her rosy cheek and smiled. Everything about his baby girl made him happy. She was a delightful child, sweet natured and fun loving, and he knew much of that was Annie’s doing. Jasper was the more serious of the pair, but he had also flourished under Annie’s guidance and affection. David knew, without a doubt, that Annie loved his children. He looked in her direction and their gazes clashed, registering somewhere deep down and in a way that made him catch a breath. She wasn’t smiling now.
“The kittens are here, Daddy,” Scarlett said excitedly. “Come and see.”
“Okay, sweetie.”
His daughter squirmed out of his arms, grabbed his hand and dragged him into the corner of the stable. “Look.”
David peered into the small, makeshift birthing box he suspected Rudy, the ranch foreman who’d been with him for a long time, had constructed. David noticed several tiny babies moving around. The mommy cat was still in the process of birthing and he watched as his children observed the wonder of nature. One thing about living on a ranch, the reproductive process was never something to shy away from. If it wasn’t the stable cat, it was one of the cows or the chickens. And he liked that they had the opportunity to witness birth and sometimes death, in a way that was open and honest and safe. It was the frame he used to comfort them when they asked about their mom, which happened less and less as the years passed. His fault, he suspected. And it wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk about Jayne or dilute her memory—it was just so hard to make sense of it.
And now they would lose Annie, too.
“Bubbles is going to be the best mommy ever,” Jasper stated. “Don’t you think, Annie?”
David noticed that she flicked a glance in his direction. “Of course.”
Bubbles was, in fact, a stray who had turned up a few weeks earlier and who had decided the shelter of the stables and the supply of mice at suppertime was a good reason to hang around. The cat was friendly and affectionate, if not a little timid, and once the kittens were weaned and rehomed, David figured he’d get the cat neutered and let her stay on. Admittedly, he was more of a dog person, but the kids liked her, and that in and of itself was enough reason to make her a part of things.
“Can I keep one of the kittens, Dad?” Jasper asked and grinned, pointing to the box.
“We’ll see,” he replied and touched his son’s head, staying close for a few moments.
“The black one with the white feet,” Jasper said and chuckled as he pointed to one of the kittens. “I can call him Socks.”
David smiled. Jasper’s logic was an endearing quality. “Sure.”
“Can we keep that one too,” Jasper queried and pointed to a little black kitten that Bubbles was cleaning up. “I mean, one for me and one for Scarlett,” he explained, still grinning. “And probably one for Annie, too. And Aunt Leah. Oh, and great-grandma. And Pop likes cats, so we should save one for him.”
He had to admit, his son was quite the negotiator, since most of the kittens had now been accounted for.
“So, I don’t get a kitten?” he asked, still smiling.
“You can have Bubbles,” Jasper announced, still all logic and David figured the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
The last kitten had arrived and he reminded the kids to remain quiet while the cat went about her business. Annie was silent, watching the birth, biting her lower lip as she often did when deep in thought. He noticed how Scarlett was back holding her hand, standing close to the woman she adored, and again he was overcome with the feeling that life would be very different when Annie left the ranch.
That thought gathered momentum in his gut until it threatened to cut off air to his lungs. He wanted to understand her feelings...but damn, his kids were going to be crushed. And that was unacceptable. Plus, two weeks wasn’t enough time to find a replacement...or to convince her to stay.
“Annie,” he said quietly. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
She met his gaze and hesitated for a moment before releasing Scarlett. David watched as she moved away from the birthing box and then followed until they were out of earshot from the kids.
“What?” she asked tersely.
He turned, crossing his arms, making sure the children couldn’t hear him. “Two things,” he said quietly. “Firstly, I’ll need more time to find someone to replace you, so I want a month’s notice. Secondly,” he said, dropping his voice a fraction. “I’m not going to play bad cop for you, Annie. If you want to leave, you’re going to have to tell the kids yourself.”
She glared at him, and David knew he’d backed her into a corner. She adored his kids; he knew that. She’d never do anything to hurt them.
Except leave them, apparently.
Well, one thing was certain. He wasn’t going to let her go without a damned good fight!
Copyright © 2020 by Helen Lacey
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ISBN: 9781488069734
The Reluctant Fiancée
Copyright © 2020 by Janet Maarschalk
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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The Reluctant Fiancée (The Taylor Triplets Book 3) Page 22
