Callie pulled the phone away from her face, genuinely flummoxed by what she was hearing. For a moment, she would have sworn up and down that she was being pranked. Then she thought back to her advice for Wendy at the end-of-year conference, and she understood. There had been one fatal point of misunderstanding between the two of them, and it was going to be incredibly uncomfortable to sort it out.
“Please, Mr. Henry, I—” she started, trying to ignore the unpleasant way her heart had lodged itself in her throat.
“Right, and before I forget, I wanted to know if you would like a few days off in between the last day of school and when you start, or if you would like to start right away.”
“Yes, Mr. Henry, about that. I—”
But again, she was cut off midsentence. This time, it was a great braying sound from somewhere on Mr. Henry’s end, followed by the loud, frenzied voices of several agitated men. Mr. Henry swore loudly into the receiver, making Callie wince and blush at the same time.
“I’m sorry, Miss Winter, but I’m going to have to call you back. We’ve got a situation over here, and I’ve got to see to it before it goes from bad to worse.”
Before Callie could get in another word, the call went dead. She sat and stared at her phone for a full minute before sighing shakily and tossing it onto the passenger’s seat of her car. Her entire car ride home was plagued with thoughts of how on earth she was going to clear things up now. Even the idea of that conversation made her ill, and she was certain it would be the only thing on her mind until she was able to set Mr. Henry straight. That was, until she parked in front of her little apartment and saw her landlord hammering in a “For Rent” sign.
“What?” she cried, her voice cracking with poorly concealed panic. “What are you doing?”
“Why, I’m getting the place ready to rent out again, Callie,” her landlord answered, a mildly sheepish look flashing across his face.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Wilkins, but I thought we were agreed on the month-to-month thing for me living here. I’ve never been behind on a rent payment, have I? In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve been early the last couple months in a row.” Callie was stunned to find out her apartment was for rent when she hadn’t even moved out yet.
“You have,” Callie’s landlord agreed, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “I’m not arguing that. You’ve been a model renter.”
"Thank you," Callie said uncertainly, her cheeks burning with confusion and the beginnings of indignation, "I appreciate that. So then, what this is about? I mean, if I'm such a model renter, why on earth did you rent the place out from under me?"
Mr. Wilkins looked at the ground instead of at her face. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong. Even so, she didn’t think that was going to matter much in this situation.
They were standing outside the little efficiency apartment that had been her home for the last two years. Two years. Never in her life had she intended to be here so long. After graduating from college with a degree in education, she’d had every intention of making a new life in a big city. It was New York she had dreamed of. The only thing keeping her in Kerrville, Texas now was the little school in which she was employed, and as much as she loved her students, that wasn't enough. She had sent out an application to one of the most prestigious private schools in New York on a wing and a prayer.
She hadn’t expected a reply, least of all an acceptance. Now, all she needed to do was wrap up things at home and work so that she could finally head out to meet her dreams head on. She just hadn’t expected the loose ends in her life to start wrapping themselves up without her active participation.
"Look, Callie," Mr. Wilkins said, clearing his throat gruffly and interrupting her thoughts, "I shouldn't have done it that way. I can see that now. You've always been a good girl, and I've been happy having you here."
“Thanks,” she answered mildly, starting to feel genuinely hurt by the betrayal.
"Truth is, I need the rent money I get from this place. It's an important part of my monthly expenses, and with the school year coming to a close, I knew you were on your way out."
“But I never gave you my notice,” she objected, although a small part of her already knew where this was going. She almost felt guilty for it, too. Mr. Wilkins might have surprised her, but hadn’t she been fixing to do something very similar to him?
“Well now, that’s true, you didn’t. I should’ve spoken to you about that. I can see that, in retrospect. Only, I heard around town, through the grapevine, you know…”
“Heard what, Mr. Wilkins?” she asked softly. She supposed she had a right to be angry. She was being unceremoniously removed from her little home within a few weeks’ time, after all. Anger wasn’t in her nature, however. Even when she did get mad, it was never something she could hold on to for very long.
“I heard that you were planning on leaving us. Some congratulations are in order, by the way. About your big job offer in New York. If memory serves, that’s where you always wanted to end up, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right, it is. I’m leaving at the end of the summer. My mother simply couldn’t stand the idea of me leaving a moment sooner than necessary, or else I suppose I would be leaving sooner.”
The two of them stood in uncomfortable silence. Callie was painfully aware of the way her explanation sounded, and all at once, she couldn’t be surprised by her landlord’s decision. She wasn’t exactly painting herself as a reliable tenant.
“Hey,” he said with a nervous laugh. “It’s not the end of the world, right? You could always go and live with your folks, couldn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right,” she agreed, although she had no intention of doing so.
She had nothing against her folks. She loved her mom and dad dearly, and she was pleased as punch to have them back together again. Callie didn’t presume to know what made a marriage work. Lord knew she didn’t have enough experience with relationships of her own to weigh in on the relationships of others. It was just that going home again felt like taking a giant step backwards from her goal, and she had no interest in doing that. None at all.
"I'm not moving backward," she whispered to herself, "Not ever."
And there was the rub. Callie had spent too much of her life already feeling over-protected. Whether they meant it or not, she knew what her parents would be like if she moved back home. The fact that she would soon be abandoning Texas for the Big Apple would only increase their need to keep her close. In the end, there was only one thing she could think to do.
“Even though it’s crazy?” she asked herself as she grabbed her bag from her old, beat-up Jeep and marched to her apartment.
Yes, she thought to herself defiantly, even though it’s crazy.
In that moment, Callie understood that she would rather be crazy than stagnant or stuck. Without allowing herself to think too hard on what she was doing, she let herself into her apartment on shaky legs, pulling her phone out of her purse as she went. She perched on the edge of her couch, hunched over her phone’s screen, and composed a text to Mr. Henry. She made it clear that she would take whatever salary he deemed fair and that she did not require any time off before moving to his home. Before she could talk herself out of it, she pressed send.
“There,” she whispered to herself in disbelief. “It’s done. No taking it back.”
Even now, there was a large part of her that thought it would be best to tell him thanks but no thanks and move on. She would have her little place for the remainder of the school year, and once that was done, she could make her move to New York. It would be earlier than intended, but it would be simpler too. It would be a clean break. Mess wasn't something she needed to be taking on at the moment. She had to go out to the Henry ranch anyhow, to drop off Wendy's school papers. If she changed her mind on the drive out to the ranch, embarrassing though it might be, she could tell him that her text message had been sent in error.
“And maybe I’ll catch a glimpse of F
inn Henry without his shirt on,” she smiled to herself, blushing almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
* * *
Wendy was playing in the dirt drive next to the Henry house when Callie put her Jeep into park. Crouched down with her face so close to a leaf she was cross-eyed, she looked every bit her five years of age. Just a glimpse of her, all rosy cheeks and dark ringlets falling in her little face, was enough to make Callie smile. Callie always had a smile for Wendy; there was something about that little girl that her heart responded to.
“Miss Winter!” Wendy crowed, hopping to her feet with the grace of a small child, “You’re at my house!”
“That’s right, sweet pea,” Callie laughed, dropping to her knees and scooping Wendy up in a hug. “I am.”
Wendy threw hot little arms around Callie's neck and held on tight. Callie sighed, breathing in deeply. The little girl's hair smelled like strawberries, despite the dust and twigs buried in the curls, and it was all Callie could do not to kiss her on the top of her head. She was well aware of the boundaries between a teacher and her student and kept them carefully. Some kids you just connected with, made you want to go the extra mile. If ever Callie had encountered a child like that, it was Wendy.
“Did you come here to see my daddy?” Wendy asked, pulling away slightly. Her hot, chocolate-tinged breath wafted softly over Callie’s face.
“Sort of,” Callie smiled, “but mostly I came to see you.”
“Me?” Wendy asked, the shock on her face so perfect it made Callie laugh out loud. “Nobody comes just to see me!”
"Oh, come on now. What about playdates?" Callie asked, smoothing the hair out of the little girl's face.
Wendy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t do playdates. Don’t know if I ever did one. Not since it was just Daddy and me, and I don’t remember my mommy.”
Callie was taken aback, rendered momentarily mute. She could count on one hand the number of times she had heard Wendy mention her mother, and never so candidly as this. It was heartbreaking to hear the little sweetheart talk about being motherless so matter-of-factly, even if Wendy herself didn’t seem bothered by it. But the lack of playdates, which might not have meant much to an adult but was pretty much the whole world to kids Wendy’s age! She had half a mind to go looking for Finn, to tell him here was yet another detail he needed to see to in his child’s upbringing, but his voice from behind her surprised her so badly, she almost toppled over.
“Well, fancy seeing you here,” a deep southern drawl said, amusement evident.
“Mr. Henry!” Callie said quickly, setting Wendy down and rising to her feet. “I’m sorry to come unannounced. I probably should have called or something.”
“Please, don’t worry about it. We’re not quite so formal around here, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Finn grinned, glancing down at himself and his weekend workday appearance. Callie’s eyes followed his, and by the time she was able to pull them away, she was blushing furiously. Never in her life had she been so thankful not to have a mirror. By the feel of her face, she must be redder than a tomato.
Finn wasn't shirtless, not quite, but he might as well have been for all the good his clothing was doing him. His long-sleeved chambray work shirt was tied loosely around his hips, presumably worn to protect from the sun and then removed when the heat got to be too much. His jeans were slung low enough on his hips to give her a glimpse of the start of the fabled v line, and his white undershirt was so wet with sweat, it clung to the muscles of his chest. He looked like the front of a freaking romance novel, for crying out loud! How was she supposed to keep her head?
“Miss Winter?” he prompted, causing her blush to deepen even further, something she wouldn’t have thought possible.
“Please,” she said quickly, looking down at her hands, “why don’t you just call me Callie, okay? It feels strange being ‘Miss Winter’ at least while I’m here. Seeing as we’re being less formal and all.”
“All right, then, Callie. What can I do for you today?”
“I’m here for Wendy, actually,” she answered, grateful to have something concrete to put her back on track. “I wanted to bring her some papers to get her ready for this summer.”
"For this summer, huh?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. She had a feeling she knew what that was about. It wasn't only coming to his ranch without giving him a heads-up that was presumptuous. It was the assumption that Finn was definitely taking her advice and enrolling Wendy in the private school's summer program. Callie wasn't prepared to let it stop her. While she was about as mild-mannered as they came, when it came down to getting something she really wanted, she could be as stubborn as a pit bull.
“That’s right,” she answered, trying not to sound unsure. “Just some practice sheets to help her prepare for the school’s vigorous program, if you decide to go that route. It’s going to be a big change for her, I won’t lie to you about that, but she’s up to the challenge.”
"How hard?" Wendy broke in to ask speculatively. The expression on her face was so like that of an adult hearing a deal she knew was too good to be true that Callie couldn't help busting out laughing, and she ruffled the little girl's hair fondly.
“Not so hard that it’ll be a problem for you,” Callie assured her favorite student, “unless I’m very much mistaken. Believe me when I say, sweet pea, you can handle this challenge. I’m pretty sure you were born for it.”
Finn straightened and rubbed the back of his neck. “I appreciate your coming out here just for that, but I’m still not all that sure about the whole idea.”
“I understand, Mr. Henry, honestly, I do. I happen to believe that it’s the perfect thing for her, though, and I intend to spend the summer showing you that I’m right. Even if you decide not to take advantage of the summer program, she can still work on some of their modules to see if they’re more challenging for her.”
“Okay, I hear you,” he said with a sigh and a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Only one point I have to disagree with you on.”
“Of course,” she nodded, prepared for any number of concerns over either her plans or her proposed methods.
“No ‘Mr. Henry,’ okay? Just call me Finn. I prefer to be on a first-name basis with the person I’m haggling with.”
“Fine,” she smiled, “Finn, then. I hope you know how much I love teaching your daughter.”
“I do. You made it pretty clear.”
“Then you must know that I would do whatever I could to make sure she gets what she needs, which is precisely what I intend to do. The thing is, I’m moving to New York before the start of the next school year.”
“Right,” he nodded, “I think I heard something about that around town.”
“Of course you did,” she muttered, shaking her head before forging forward with the conversation. “As I was saying, I’m leaving at the end of the summer.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck in consideration. “The way I see it, that’s not going to be a problem. I’m not thinking about next year. I’m hardly even thinking about next week. I only want to make sure my little girl is okay now.”
“Just so long as you understand it might make things harder for you, once it’s time for me to go.”
“I understand, Miss Winter. But I also understand that Wendy needs looking after," he interrupted. "I'm...I think I might be drowning here a little. I'm going to be working on something extra this summer, and I think it would be good for her, having you around. I'll make it worth your while, too."
“I’m not trying to hold out for more money, Finn, honest,” she stammered, mortified that he might think such a thing of her.
“I know you’re not, but I believe in paying what a job is worth. To me, this job is worth a whole hell of a lot.”
“Bad word, Daddy,” Wendy interjected matter-of-factly. “Money in the swear jar.”
Finn looked at Callie, grinned, and shrugged his shoulders. Wendy did the same thing, a perfect imitation of
her father's gesture, and pretty soon all three of them were laughing. By the time Callie got back into her Jeep half an hour later, she had herself a new job. Part of her was thrilled to know she wouldn't be leaving her comfortable little hometown just yet. Another part of her, though, couldn't help worrying. This nanny job, taking care of her favorite little girl, felt dangerously close to putting down roots. That was a good way to get stuck, the last thing in the world Callie wanted to be.
Three
Finn leaned against one of the front porch posts, squinting into one of the more spectacular sunsets he’d seen. He had traveled to a hell of a lot of places in his younger days, tagging along with his rodeo clown father, and seen plenty of sunsets and sunrises. In all his wandering, though, he'd never discovered anything quite like Hill Country skies: so pretty, they were almost enough to break your heart.
He took a long, slow sip of his beer, relishing the feel of the cold liquid sliding down his throat. May in Texas meant warming temperatures, and this Saturday had been warmer than usual. There was nothing like an ice-cold beer after a long day of hard work.
More than just the beer and his tired muscles had Finn in such a good mood, though, and he didn't mind admitting it to himself. Ever since his latest foray into his daughter's classroom, he hadn't been able to get Callie's idea out of his mind. It was true that he wanted to do what was best for his daughter. He'd never been a man to ask for help. Somehow, the fact that it had come from Wendy's teacher and not from him made it feel a little more okay.
Looking back on it now, he figured he should have realized she didn’t mean herself when she brought up the idea of a nanny. He’d wanted to believe it. He was still sort of in shock over her agreeing so easily. He had been prepared to do just about everything short of begging to get her on board. Now that it was settled, at least for the summer, he felt almost drunk with satisfaction and relief. He was feeling so good about things that he didn’t even mind having Alexandra’s parents stop by for a visit.
The Rancher’s Unexpected Nanny Page 2
