Chapter Three
By the time Caleb got back from grabbing Tamara’s truck, he was chilled to the bone.
Strangely, he didn’t mind. The wet jeans clinging to his thighs had been enough to counteract the images he had to keep under control. The ride back to the ranch with Tamara nestled in his arms had been a unique form of hell. Why had he listened to his sister Dare in the first place and hired the dangerous creature?
Right. Because the girls needed a woman around.
For some reason Dustin was hanging out in the yard instead of by the bunkhouse where he’d moved after graduation last June. Caleb got his attention, tossing him the keys to Tamara’s truck. “Park the trailer by the barn then get her horse settled, will you?”
Dustin looked over Caleb’s wet clothes with amusement but for once made the right choice and didn’t ask any questions.
Caleb grabbed the couple of bags off Tamara’s passenger seat and carried them into the house, bumping into Sasha in the hallway.
“I can take those to the nanny, Daddy,” she offered sweetly.
“Thanks, pumpkin.”
She wrinkled her nose when he stooped to give her a kiss, then he escaped to his bathroom.
He turned on the taps, and hot water gushed out instantly. Tamara must have finished her shower—
And dammit if those forbidden images didn’t come crashing back. It had been bad enough having her rub against him the entire ride home. He didn’t need to add thoughts of naked skin under hot, steamy water. It was hard to stop them, though, all things considered.
After his wife left, Caleb had pretty much given up on love. He didn’t need a woman in his life for romantic reasons. Luke could be the dreamer, and Dustin could sweet-talk and romance every young woman in town and the next three counties over if he wanted. Walker could use that cowboy charm of his while out on the rodeo circuit.
When it came down to it, what Caleb wished for most was someone to warm his bed at night. Blunt, but true. Screw the romantic bullshit, he’d like some sex. It was the one thing he hadn’t enjoyed in a long time, and he damn well missed it.
But that was not a safe path to wander down when the woman entering his home was so hands-off he needed to consider her his personal kryptonite.
Moments later he was dressed and hurrying to join his family.
He took two steps into the room then pulled to a stop.
Luke sat with Emma beside him at the kitchen island. As usual, the sight of his youngest daughter hit Caleb with the impact of a kick in the gut. A miniature cameo of his ex-wife, except Emma was sweetness and joy. Also, currently frustrated—her blonde curls wiggled as she squirmed on the spot, homework book open in front of her as Luke pointed to something on the page.
Emma glanced up. Her blue eyes shone and her face brightened with a smile like only she could give, and love melted his heart.
“Hey, button.”
She eagerly abandoned her task, slipping off her stool and hurrying to envelop him in a hug.
He took a moment to enjoy being squeezed by teeny arms before pressing a kiss to her forehead. He rose to his feet to deal with the other unexpected person in the room. “Neat trick, Walker. Last we heard you were miles away. You grow wings overnight?”
Walker marched forward from the side counter where he’d been making a salad, hand outstretched to grasp Caleb’s. “Got in my truck when the last event was done, and the wheels just carried me home.”
He shook Caleb’s hand, the smile on his square-jawed face not quite as wide as Luke’s. A shadow lingered in his dark eyes Caleb didn’t remember seeing before, but before he could ask more questions, Walker turned back to his task, speaking over his shoulder. “Luke says he has no problem with me being a slacker for the next couple of months, so I figure this is as good a place as any to hang my hat.”
“Fine by me. You can slack all that Luke lets you,” Caleb said evenly in return.
They both knew that meant never. Luke might be the fun brother, but he still demanded people get the job done.
Caleb glanced at the table then back at his daughter who was making faces at her homework. “Emma, I was going to tell you to put an extra plate out for the new nanny—she’ll be joining us for supper, but it looks as if you already set the table for one more than we need.”
She pushed away her homework, holding up fingers and counting off without naming names out loud. It was clear she was listing people, and Caleb silently joined in.
Emma, Sasha, him. Luke, Walker, Tamara…and one more.
Ahh. “Dustin is going to be here tonight, is he?”
Emma nodded exaggeratedly, her chin dipping all the way up and down, pleasure returning a smile to her expression.
Of course Dustin was going to join them, because if there was anything the younger Stone boys liked more than tormenting their biggest brother, it was satisfying their curiosity.
No wonder the kid been hanging out close to the house. “I’m going to send him a bill if he keeps this up.”
Luke ruffled Emma’s curls as he stood, heading to the counter to drain the enormous pot of pasta that had been boiling on the stove. “It’s great he still loves doing things with us. Got to appreciate that—some kids his age can’t wait to get as far away from home as possible. That he only moved into the bunkhouse because he wanted to be more grown up is a good thing.”
“He gets meals with the bunkhouse. Living completely on his own would require he cook for himself at least part time.” Still, Caleb was smiling as he joined them at the island, slipping an arm around Emma’s shoulders. “You like to spoil your Uncle Dustin, don’t you, little girl?”
Emma leaned against him, her hair tickling his nose as she held up two fingers, her expression going sad.
He squeezed her, knowing there was no way she’d speak in the crowded room. Thankfully, he was able to figure out what she was referring to. “I know we’re two less than before. I miss the girls as well. But Auntie Dare will come and visit when she can, and she’ll bring your new cousin Joey with her. And we’re supposed to Skype with Auntie Ginny next weekend. That’ll be fun, right?”
Emma nodded before sighing heavily and adding another word to her homework page.
It wasn’t math that got his little girl’s goat, it was language. They had to coax the words from her, whether it was her fingers or her mouth doing the talking.
Daughter number one rushed into the room like a whirlwind. Ignoring everyone else, Sasha climbed up Emma’s stool and stuck her lips next to her sister’s ear to speak rapidly, soft enough no one else could hear.
“Hello to you too, Sasha,” Walker said with a chuckle.
She waved at him without interrupting her secret sharing. The longer she muttered, the wider Emma’s eyes grew.
Footsteps sounded again, and Caleb braced himself before turning, only to discover Dustin marching into the room. “That was quick.”
Dustin tossed a set of keys in the air and caught them with one hand, grinning widely as he glanced around the room at his brothers. “She’s got a nice truck.”
That’s what he said.
Caleb mentally kicked himself for turning every damn comment about Tamara into something sexual. “You settled her horse already?”
“Yep.” The next second Dustin shifted on his feet uneasily, looking just as uncomfortable as the girls did when Caleb caught them in a lie. “Okay, I didn’t settle him. Ashton was there, and he said he didn’t mind, so I parked her trailer and brought the truck up to the house. I didn’t want to be late for dinner.”
Luke pushed past Caleb to place a huge pot of spaghetti on the table, speaking softly as he went. “Because he wants to check out the nanny. Told you so.”
Lord Almighty, wasn’t that exactly what Caleb needed.
He chose to focus on the fact that Dustin had been somewhat useful. “Don’t pass off your chores to our foreman, but thanks for parking the trailer.”
“No prob.” Dustin gave Walker a friendly shove on the shoulder in greeting before dropping into a chair and tipping back to balance it on two legs as he watched everyone else in the kitchen work.
Walker leaned past him to place a basket of garlic bread on the table, and Dustin snatched a piece as it went by.
The girls left the island and headed to their seats. Dustin fell into teasing them, his speech garbled as he spoke around the bread he was inhaling.
“I’m curious too,” Walker admitted, speaking in Caleb’s ear soft enough the girls couldn’t overhear. “About the nanny. Colour me shocked to find you’ll be hosting a woman in the house.”
His expression was hard to read, somewhere between concerned and teasing.
“Behave,” Caleb warned. The last thing he needed was for the girls to think there was anything to this nanny business except someone coming to help on a strictly work-type basis.
A squeal escaped Emma as Dustin poked her. Sasha retaliated, and while they were just playing, the volume rose louder than anyone was supposed to be in the house. “Girls. Dustin—do I have to remind you to use your inside voices?”
Dustin shoved a huge chunk of bread into his mouth before answering, obviously amused as his words came out muffled. “We got man’ers.”
“Bad ones.”
His family. Rambunctious and borderline wild, but he loved them—when he didn’t want to kill them.
Tamara rounded the corner just as Dustin made a rude face, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter.
It was childish, but Caleb couldn’t help but feel for the first time that day something had gone his direction.
It hadn’t been difficult to find the kitchen. Tamara let her ears lead her toward the noise even as she straightened her spine and mentally prepared herself.
Didn’t matter that she’d spent years dealing with life-and-death situations, and had even given presentations in front of large groups on various topics during her nursing career. This was different. She was meeting the people she would be living with twenty-four/seven, and they were family. She was the newcomer. She had to fit in, which meant being on her best behaviour.
If she knew how to pull that off.
Two steps into the room she paused. This section of the house held an open-design room, with the dining room to the right and the kitchen laid out to the left in an L along two walls. A large island sat conveniently in front of the cooking workspace, a row of tall stools tucked under the overhang.
She noticed all that in an instant, kind of as a backdrop to the main event which were the faces turning her way. She ignored the male bodies and focused on the two little girls sitting next to each other at the table, motionless as they eyed her.
Sasha’s expression was guarded as she leaned protectively toward a curly-haired blonde angel of a girl who had to be her little sister. Emma looked confused and worried, teeth digging into her lower lip as she chewed on it, her clear blue eyes examining Tamara intently.
Something inside Tamara settled with an abrupt click. This was why she was here—for these girls. And no matter that she would never admit how scared she was at having left her comfort zone and being a bit of a fish out of water, putting the job in perspective made it a lot simpler.
Taking care of the people who couldn’t defend themselves was right up Tamara’s alley. Making sure these kids were safe and happy she could do.
Which is why after offering them a smile, she glanced toward the four men in the room with more confidence. “I hope that delicious smell means I can convince someone to feed me.”
The teenager sitting beside the girls jerked his chair to vertical so fast he nearly tipped over. A younger mirror image to Caleb, he chewed around an enormous chunk of food, cheeks flushing red as he raised a hand to cover his mouth.
Tamara took pity on him and looked the opposite direction.
She met Caleb’s gaze just in time to see him wiping away a bit of a smirk. His balanced stoic expression returned, and his amusement vanished as if it had never been there.
He dipped his chin politely.
Before he could speak, another tall man with unruly red-tinged hair stepped forward, hand outstretched in greeting. “Food and water, if you can imagine. Hi, I’m Luke. Nice to meet you.”
His smile was full-out welcoming, a twinkle of mischief in his brown eyes as she gave his hand a firm shake. “Nice to meet you too. Tamara Coleman.”
Luke jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the tallest of the lot who was leaning against the counter, arms folded over his chest. “That one is Walker. He’s just back from time on the circuit, so I don’t know how civilized he is at the moment.”
“I don’t know why you think you’re funny,” Walker muttered. “I really don’t.” His pitch-black hair and brows with his decidedly less friendly expression combined to make him look a lot more dangerous than the exuberant Luke.
Butterflies flipped for a moment in Tamara’s stomach before she stepped forward and offered her hand in spite of Walker’s non-welcoming body language.
He shook her hand briefly before moving to the sink to fill a pitcher with water.
“You know Caleb,” Luke continued in his self-appointed role of Master of Ceremonies. “And that one over there is Dusty. Don’t worry, contrary to appearances you won’t need to nanny him as well.”
Poor Dusty’s face was flaming red, and while Tamara understood teasing was part of being a family, she felt sorry for the kid.
She walked over and extended her hand same as she had to Walker. “While I don’t have any big brothers, I have a bunch of older cousins, so trust me. I understand what a royal pain they are at times.”
His lips twitched and a little of the tension slipped from him. “Three older brothers and two older sisters—pain and me are well acquainted. And it’s Dustin, if you don’t mind.”
“Dustin it is.”
Tamara turned to greet the final member of the family, dropping to her knees to put her head on level with Emma’s. “I met your sister, which means you are Emma. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”
She waited to see what kind of a response she got. She wasn’t about to put the little girl on the spot by offering a handshake and potentially having it shut down.
Emma tipped her head and looked Tamara over, a little frown creasing her forehead before she lifted her hand and ran a finger along the edge of Tamara’s glasses.
“Like them? Back when I worked in the hospital I had to wear certain clothes because of a dress code, and sometimes that felt pretty boring. I started collecting all sorts of glasses that were not boring. These are one of my favourite. Wearing them makes me feel like I’m having a summer day, even in the middle of winter.”
They were sheer fun. Bright yellow frames with a row of miniature blue birds perched along the top.
Emma pulled her hand back but she was smiling a little.
“You have more than one pair of glasses?” Sasha sounded amazed. “Auntie Ginny wears glasses, but she only has one pair. Oh, and sometimes she has sunglasses, and sometimes she doesn’t wear them at all.”
“I have to wear my glasses,” Tamara told her seriously. “Otherwise everything is just a big blur.”
“Emma and I don’t need to wear glasses—”
“How about we get everybody seated,” Caleb interrupted. “That way we can see food on our plates a little quicker.”
Instead of the typical rectangular farm-style table, the dining area of the open floor plan held an enormous circular one laid with cutlery and glasses. Enough seats for a dozen people were arranged around it, the wooden chairs mismatched yet sturdy, and the result was surprisingly homey.
After a bit of shuffling, Tamara found herself seated in the chair Dustin had abandoned, only half of the big table being utilized. Caleb sat three spots down on the other side of Emma, and Tamara watched with interest as he set to scooping pasta, sauce and salad on the plates stacked in front of him.
As he finished the first plate he passed it to Emma, who carefully passed it to Sasha.
When Sasha laid the plate in front of herself and picked up her fork Caleb coughed sternly. “You have someone sitting beside you tonight,” he reminded her.
It was on the tip of Tamara’s tongue to pipe up that she didn’t mind waiting, but this was his house and she wanted to know what she was getting into. How did they do things in the Stone family, and was she going to fit in…
No. If she was honest that wasn’t the question. The question was—would she approve?
She accepted the plate from Sasha. “Thank you. It looks good.”
“That’s Auntie Ginny’s chair.” A sullen, childish reprimand.
“Sasha.” A warning sounded in Caleb’s tone. “Auntie Ginny’s in France. I don’t think we need to leave the chair empty for her. Be nice.”
Sasha looked back at her plate, but she was quiet for only seconds before turning back to Tamara speaking politely, but pointedly.
“It will be a good supper because Uncle Luke makes the best garlic bread. Daddy makes the best spaghetti sauce. Uncle Walker makes the best salad. Uncle Dusty…” She glanced across the table at where Dustin was waiting patiently for his plate to arrive. “Uncle Dusty…”
“Uncle Dusty is the best supper-eater ever,” Luke drawled, catching hold of Dustin’s elbow as it jerked toward him.
Dustin grinned at his niece. “How about Uncle Dustin serves up the best bowls of ice cream for dessert?”
Sasha looked up at Tamara with a bit of attitude. “Do you know how to cook?”
“I can make toast,” Tamara said.
The little girl’s eyes widened. “Is that all?”
“Maybe a few more things. But toast is my specialty.”
Sasha looked back at her plate. So quietly there was no way Caleb could hear she muttered, “We’re going to starve.”
Tamara fought to keep from laughing.
Caleb was efficient as he served dinner, and they all had full plates in quick order. No one touched their food, though, until Caleb put the serving spoon down, the final plate resting in front of himself.
Tamara waited in case the Stones had some other family tradition. But the instant Caleb picked up his fork, it was obvious that was the ready-to-go signal.
Tamara had no objection. Between the drive and the unexpected dip in cold water, she was hungry enough to do justice to the steaming hot food.
“Any idea how long you’ll be sticking around?” Dustin asked Walker.
“Until the new year. I need a bit of a break, so I may as well spend my time with you.”
Caleb eyed his brother. “Did you take a tumble you need to recover from we don’t know about?”
Walker paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. “Do I look as if I took a beating? Don’t worry about me. You’re the one I saw limping as you walked into the room.”
Shoulders lifting in a gentle shrug, Caleb focused back on his plate. “Wouldn’t be the first time you were black and blue and didn’t say a word.”
“On a different note, did you girls figure out what you’re wearing for Halloween, yet?” Luke asked. “It’s just over a week away.”
“I want to be an astronaut, and Emma wants to be a cat. We get to wear our costumes to school all day, and my teacher, Ms. Miller, says she’s going to dress up like Mrs. McGonagall. I think all of the teachers should dress up, but Kelli says some of them take themselves far too seriously to let their hair down and have fun.”
“Kelli said that?” Luke asked, a smirk twisting his lips as he glanced across the table at Tamara to explain. “Kelli’s one of the ranch hands.”
Sasha rolled on. “Kelli said she’s going to dress up as a cowgirl, but I don’t think that’s a very good costume because that’s how she dresses all the time.”
“Ahh. Cowgirl. Now that makes sense.” Tamara made eye contact with Emma. “You know, that’s pretty much what my sister has been for every Halloween as far back as I can remember.”
Emma leaned across her plate, wonder in her eyes as she checked out Tamara closer. She bumped her shoulder against Sasha.
“Emma wants to know if you have a Halloween costume,” Sasha claimed before staring pleadingly across the table at Caleb. “Can you take us trick-or-treating this year, Daddy? Can you, please?”
In the split second before everyone’s attention turned to Caleb, Tamara swore she saw frustration on Emma’s face. She wondered how often Sasha spoke for her little sister and got it wrong.
Caleb lifted a brow. “Don’t I always take you?”
“Yes, but I just thought maybe…” Sasha glanced at Tamara suspiciously.
“Ahh.” Caleb refilled his water glass thoughtfully before he answered Sasha’s unspoken question. “Some of the things you used to do with me, or Ginny, or Dare, you might do with Tamara. That’s what she’s here for—so you don’t miss out on fun stuff if I get too busy. But I’ll always be there for the most important events.”
Conversation twisted to new topics after that, like Dustin asking Walker for advice on his truck, and Sasha telling her Uncle Luke a long story about one of the ranch dogs who went by the auspicious name of Demon.
Tamara joined in at moments, but for the most part she listened and watched, trying to learn the rhythm of this new family. They had a kinship and a deep sense of love amongst them, but there was a missing piece as well.
Growing up on the Whiskey Creek ranch, it had been her and her two sisters with her dad for as long as she could remember. She loved her sisters, and she and her dad tolerated each other, but that same sense of something missing had sent Tamara from working the land to get her nursing degree. Working with her hands to help heal people had been a way to be accepted and appreciated for her skills, and the longer she sat at the table, the more certain she was that this was where she needed to be.
Settling in at Silver Stone ranch wasn’t going to be completely comfortable. She was pretty sure she and Caleb were going to butt heads more than a few times, but there was something that felt right about being here.
When the meal was over and they’d finished clearing the dishes, Tamara didn’t fight when Caleb all but dismissed her.
“The girls and Dustin can do the dishes tonight,” he insisted, ignoring their groans. He looked Dustin in the eye. “Part of being a family—cook or wash, right?”
His youngest brother sighed heavily, but he hauled a stool into place in front of the sink and plopped Emma up on it with the ease of a well-known routine. “Come on, kiddo. You wash, I’ll dry, and Sasha can put things away. Then you can show me what you got planned for your costume.”
Moments later, Tamara took a second look around the room it was to discover she was alone. Caleb, Walker and Luke had all vanished.
She wandered back through the house examining the homey touches here and there, some older than others. Gingham fabric curtains framed the tall living room windows that faced to the east, the same frilly material topping the glass window of an exit door to the side of the kitchen, but the fabric was faded by the sun. In contrast, there were bright new cushions on the couches and easy chairs.
The pictures on the walls were the same, some old, some new, along with the knickknacks displayed on shelves and bookcases. Each shot and item a bit of memory on display, all pointing to events and details she knew nothing about.
It was strange to be so…ignorant. Uninformed. Tamara wasn’t sure she liked not knowing things.
She ran a finger over the edge of a gilded frame. Two families next to each other, a family of four and a family of seven. They stood under a tree, with a lake shining in the background. Caleb was clearly recognizable even though he was years younger. The smile on his face far more innocent and lighthearted than she’d seen so far.
Everything around Tamara held secrets—clues to this family she’d dropped into the midst of. There was so much she didn’t know. Not just about them, but herself. Would Heart Falls be a long stop on the new journey she’d begun, or a short one?
All she knew for certain was she couldn’t go back, which meant the future was wide open and very, very unclear.