CHAPTER SIX

 

“I like her, daddy.”

Weston stared into the face of Brie whose bright eyes and smile tugged at his heart strings. “Who, sweetie?”

“S-A-M.”

“You need to stop spelling out her name. I got the feeling you liked her.” He liked her too, and that was a big problem. He should dislike her.

“She’s pretty and nice. I wish she could be my nanny.”

“How about you pick a book, climb into bed, and I’ll read it to you?”

“Okay.” She reached for a book from the shelf of many and held it up proudly. “How about this one?”

“Ah, Charlotte’s Web, huh? Excellent choice. Now crawl into the covers and get comfortable.” He patted the bed. He didn’t mind reading to Brie, but he was tired and could barely keep his eyes open. He’d been doing nothing but running and juggling since they lost the first nanny and he had a new appreciation for his mother who helped with the administrative duties at Second Chances and always had dinner on the table, clean clothes for her boys to wear, and never complained once when he and his brothers asked for a ride to practice or a friend’s house. She’d been superwoman.

Brie jumped onto the bed and crawled between the sheets. He tucked her in. “Don’t you think so, daddy?”

“Think what, baby girl?” He leaned against the plush, purple headboard hoping he didn’t fall asleep.

“That Sam is pretty.”

“Yes, I think she’s very pretty.” He opened the book cover.

“Is she pretty like my mom?”

“Brie, where is this headed?” When her bottom lip puffed out, he sighed. “Different pretty. Both are beautiful women, but a woman’s character changes how she looks on the outside. A woman’s heart is the most important part.”

“Then I bet Sam is real pretty on the inside too.”

Weston closed the book. “Back when I knew her best, she was very nice.”

“Did you kiss her?” Her eyes twinkled.

“How do you know about stuff like that, young lady?”

“Donny says that’s what people do when they like each other.”

“Well, don’t take life lessons from a six-year-old. First, kissing requires more than liking someone. Two, if Donny asks you for a kiss, you tell him you’re not allowed until you’re twenty.” He was realizing his daughter was growing up fast. He sure hoped he could be enough for her when the bigger questions popped up like first boyfriends. Female issues. Life in general. Being a guy, he had no clue what women wanted.

“You should invite Sam to dinner.”

“Why?” he huffed.

“Because Pippa and Harley say you need a girlfriend.”

“They do, do they?” He wished people would keep their nose out of his relationship status. “Dad here can take care of himself in the area of romance, my dear.”

“Are we going to start this book already?” She dragged the sheet high up under her chin.

He smiled. “Sorry for lollygagging.” He opened the cover again.

Thankfully, Brie was fast asleep within several pages. He laid the book on the nightstand, turned off her light and closed the door on his way out. He was damn tired, but he still had to make Brie’s lunch for tomorrow, check on business with the ranch and SCS, the business he and his brothers owned together, and make a few important phone calls.

While spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread, Sammie and her proposition crossed his mind. He understood her problem all too well. Taking on a troubled ranch wouldn’t be easy, especially for someone who had no desire to pick up the pieces. However, knowing Lucas as well as Weston did, he knew his friend wouldn’t agree to sell. The man loved his land and a captain always went down with his ship.

The more Weston thought about it, did he have any other choice but to help Sammie? He’d called her to come home for her father and here she was up to her eyeballs in problems. And truth be known, he needed a nanny and soon. He loved his daughter, would do anything for her, but the last few weeks he’d made a mess of everything because he didn’t have a clue if he was coming or going. He had gone into a business meeting with a client and pulled out the data for an upgraded security system, only to find out he’d accidentally brought a stack of school papers. Thankfully, the client laughed about the mishap. Yet, it wasn’t a laughing matter, at least to Weston, when he showed up to give the calves their shots only to have Urban point out that Weston’s fingernails were painted a bright blue. Brie must have done it when he fell asleep early the night before and he’d been in such a rush to get her up the next morning that he hadn’t even noticed. He couldn’t rely on Pippa and Harley to help more than they already were, although he knew they didn’t mind. Brie needed stability. It was important for a child to be on a schedule.

After placing the sandwich in a plastic bag and sticking it in the lunchbox along with an apple and bag of chips, he went into his office and sat down behind his cluttered desk. Reaching for his phone, he dialed Pippa’s number and she answered on the second ring.

“What’s up, Wes?”

“Hey, you said you had a friend who was interested in the nanny position. Is she still available?”

“Sorry. When I told her you’d found someone, she said she planned to accept another offer. What happened?”

“Ms. Figglestein broke her leg, unfortunately.” He rubbed his forehead, feeling his muscles tighten.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No. I’ve got it covered. If you come across anyone who is interested, let me know. Talk soon.”

He hung up, tossed the phone onto a stack of papers and leaned back into the chair, hearing it squeak in protest. He stared at the forms, data and material for the new ranch in Texas, Nirvana 2. Chance Taylor owned the popular resort in Wyoming and was branching out. He and his partner hired SCS to handle the security system, which was a big project. Weston had taken on the job, feeling as though this would give the company a boost after losing Reed Industries, but now he wondered if he’d taken on a bit too much. He, Urban, and Hugh would handle most of the work because Roman and Penn were stuck here at the ranch.

Could Weston juggle?

He had no choice. This project would be good for the family business.

Ashley had offered to help with Brie. She was willing to do whatever it took to be a mother. He could call, give her a chance to start afresh with their daughter. He reached for the phone, but it wasn’t Ashley who he called.

Sammie answered and Weston’s gut twisted. “Can you meet me at the diner in the morning? Around nine?”

 

*****

Wes didn’t tell Sammie why he wanted to see her, but she was pretty sure he wanted to agree to her proposition. If in the end she got what she wanted, to sell Tanner Ranch, she would be more than happy to allow Wes to come in and put his intelligence and skill to work on things. For Sammie, watching Brie would be a pleasure. She liked the little girl.

When it came to ranch business, no one was smarter or more clever than Wes. He and his brothers were running one of the most lucrative ranches this side of Texas, along with a reputable security business. She knew because she’d kept track of things in Colton.

Wow. Wes was a father. The realization had caught her by surprise, and really, she shouldn’t be too shocked. The cowboy was a catch. Sammie had often wondered what her life would have been like in the small town if she’d stayed. Would she have ended up married, carrying Wes’s baby? Two or three more little Jerichos running around with their daddy’s smile and her precociousness? They’d be living at Second Chances Ranch, and would Tanner Ranch still be where it is now? No. She would have never allowed things to go so far downhill. Her daddy wasn’t thinking clearly and she had to find out why.

To deny that she’d written “Sammie loves Wes” about a hundred times on her notebooks, in the dust at the barn and in the dirt behind the house would be a waste of her time. She’d been star-crossed and head over boots for the cowboy. She couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t have it bad for him. So, when he’d asked her out, she’d jumped so fast that she’d tripped over her naivety. It wasn’t that he ever took advantage of her, although he was five years older and had a reputation for spending a lot of time with the buckle bunnies that fell at his dusty boots. On their second date, she’d forgotten the rule she’d made for herself to concentrate on her goals and none of those included hanky panky in the bed of an old truck. And she’d felt not one single regret.

Nine years ago, in her mid-twenties, she’d been old enough to start thinking about her future…and having sex, even if her daddy would have been as mad as a hornet knowing she wasn’t abiding by his traditional beliefs.

Unfortunately, she had no idea things would take a tumble for the worse.

Turning the light out in the living room, she headed upstairs, stopping at the open doorway to his room. She knocked on the frame, but didn’t get an answer. Peering in, he was sound asleep with the TV still on. Stepping in, she started to turn it off, but decided to leave it alone for fear that she’d disturb him. Covering him with a blanket, she saw the framed picture sitting on the nightstand. It was of Sammie around age five, sitting on her mother’s lap.

Tears filled her eyes, but she couldn’t break down. She had to be strong.

What would her mother think of how things were at the homestead?

Back in town for only a day and a half, Sammie could see how things had changed around here. She didn’t look forward to telling her daddy the plans for the ranch. He’d fuss every step.

In the bathroom, she undressed and bent to turn on the water to the tub when the rusted knob broke off in her hand. With a frustrated groan, she added “call a plumber” to her fast-growing list. Looking over at the sink, she sighed. She hadn’t taken a sponge bath since elementary school. Slick with sweat in these high temps, she needed to wash. Standing on the rug, she dipped a clean wash cloth into water and squirted her luxurious bath soap into the center of the cloth, then ran it over her arms, shoulders and chest. Her nipples beaded and her inner thighs warmed. Parts of her were sensitive and needy after seeing Wes, especially after so long, but there was no way in hell she’d take care of business while her father slept down the hall. The mere thought made her stomach roll. She’d liked living independently and privately, and being back under his roof, abiding by his rules, wouldn’t be so easy.

Once she rinsed and dried, she dressed and started for her bedroom when she realized she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet. She descended the stairs and found her way into the living room, clicking on the lamp that flooded the room in golden light. A smile lifted her lips as she remembered how she’d find her mother sitting in the window seat reading late at night when she had trouble sleeping, although Sammie believed her mother’s insomnia had more to do with her father’s snoring.

Taking a seat on the old flowered cushion, she relaxed. Beside the chair sat a plastic bin. She opened the lid, smiling at what she found inside. Several books and a bundle of yarn with a crochet needle. It was right here, at this spot, where Sammie had told her mother that she wanted to make changes at Tanner Ranch. Her mother had always encouraged her daughter to do what made her happy. If only she could speak to her mother one more time. She always had the best advice.

Although Lucas wanted Sammie on the ranch, he had more old-style beliefs on what her role should be. She and her father had butted heads in everything, even the simplest things, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have ample respect for him. He was a hard worker and treated her mother with the kindness of a man in love.

Leaning her head back, she stared up at the swirls of shadows on the ceiling. “Momma, if you can hear me, I need your help. I want to do what’s best for everyone.” Closing her eyes, she snuggled deeper into the seat, dragging the warm throw over her legs. She drifted into sleep.