The Rancher's Bargain

Two

Once the child in James’s arms had settled down, the Texas Cattleman’s Club’s handsome president set the boy on his feet while he went to speak in low tones to the two women who hovered near the entrance of his office.

Lydia did her best not to eavesdrop even though she was wildly curious about the identity of the toddler. The brief bio she’d read of James online hadn’t mentioned a wife or family, and he didn’t wear a wedding ring. Not that it was any of her business. But clearly, the child was his based on the way the toddler had flung chubby arms around James’s leg like he was home base in a game of tag.

For that matter, they shared the same brown eyes flecked with gold, as well.

A gentle tug on the sleeve of her sweater made Lydia realize she’d gotten sidetracked during this round of “peekaboo.” She glanced back to the sober little boy in front of her, his damp hand clutching the ribbed cuff of her sweater to help him keep balance. He looked sleepy and out of sorts as he wobbled on unsteady legs, but the game was still entertaining him. Obediently, she covered her face to hide again, remembering how much her youngest brother had loved playing.

“Thank you,” James said to the woman from the front desk. “I’ll take care of it.”

Then he turned and walked back toward Lydia.

She watched him through her fingers as she hid her face from Teddy. Tall and lean, James Harris moved with the grace of an athlete even in jeans and boots. His button-down shirt looked custom fitted, the only giveaway to his position at the club. Without the Stetson he’d been wearing in the photo she’d seen of him online, she could now appreciate the golden color of his eyes. His dark hair was close cropped, the kind of cut that meant regular trips to the barber. Everything about him was neat. Well-groomed. Incredibly good-looking.

The sight of him was enough to make her throat dry right up in feminine appreciation. She might have forgotten all about the peekaboo game if Teddy hadn’t patted her knee. Belatedly, she slid her hands from her face and surprised the toddler again.

The boy giggled softly before resting his head on her knee, as though he was too tired to hold himself upright any longer. Poor little guy. She rubbed his back absently while the baby fidgeted with his feet.

“I think he’ll be down for the count in another minute,” she told James quietly. “He’s an adorable child.”

“He’s normally a handful,” James admitted, taking the seat across from her. “You’re very good with him.”

His charming smile made her breath hitch in her chest. James Harris’s photo online hadn’t fully prepared her for how devastatingly sexy he’d be in person, an attraction she had no business feeling for a man who had a family of his own. A man who’d bailed her sister out of a thorny financial mess that could have very well derailed both their careers. How could Lydia ever thank him?

“As the oldest of eight kids, I had a lot of firsthand experience,” she admitted, accustomed to glossing over the hurtful aspects of feeling more like hired help than her mother’s daughter. “I’ve worked as a nanny ever since and I hope to open my own child care business out of my home this year.” It couldn’t hurt to start spreading the word to people in the community with young families. “Do you have any other children?”

The question sounded benign enough, right? Not like she was fishing to find out more about whether or not this handsome man was married with a house full of adorable offspring waiting to greet him at the end of the day.

“No.” A shadowed expression crossed his face. “Teddy is my brother’s son. And up until Teddy’s parents died three months ago, I was a bachelor spending every waking hour running a ranch or performing my duties here. My life has been turned upside down.”

She couldn’t deny the momentary relief that James was single. But just as quickly, she thought of the sadness and weariness in his voice and what that meant for Teddy. Her heart ached for all the little boy had lost. She stared down at him, his soft cheek still resting on her knee while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his light-up sneakers flashing back and forth at odd intervals while he rocked.

“I’m so sorry.” She smoothed a palm across the back of the boy’s gray dinosaur T-shirt. “For you both. I can’t imagine how difficult that transition has been to deal with, especially when you’re grieving such a tragic loss.”

She glanced back at James to find him studying her.

His fixed attention rattled her, reminding her that he’d just admitted to being a single man. Warmth rose to her cheeks and she looked away, trying to remember the thread of the conversation.

“You could help us immeasurably.” James’s voice was pitched low in deference to the weary baby between them, but the tone made her think of pillow talk. Intimate conversations between two lovers who knew one another incredibly well.

Who would have guessed a whisper could be so seductive?

“I’m—um.” She tried to think beyond murmured confidences and came up blank, her brain already supplying images of tangled sheets and limbs. “And how would that be?”

“You arrived at my door looking for a compromise on your sister’s bid, and we’ve just found the perfect one.” He pointed to Teddy, who had stopped moving, his eyes closed. Breathing even. “If you’ll take the job of Teddy’s nanny, you can consider Gail’s debt paid in full.”

His suggestion staggered her. Called her from her sensual daydreams.

“She bid one hundred thousand dollars,” Lydia reminded him, wondering where she should lay Teddy down for a nap. “You’d be forgiving the cost of a home for the sake of child care. That’s far too generous of you.”

He shook his head, his jaw flexing. “I haven’t kept a nanny for more than two weeks because he’s such a handful, between the tantrums and days of being withdrawn. We could have a trial period to see how it worked out.” He seemed to warm to the idea quickly, laying out terms. “If you stayed for a trial period of two months, then I’d forgive half the debt. Stick around for a year, and we’ll call it even.”

“You can’t be serious.” She got distracted around him after a few minutes. How could she ever work in his home for a year?

“I’m running out of options and I can’t afford this much time away from my ranching business. You have no idea what it would be worth to me to know my brother’s boy is in good hands.”

She couldn’t miss the desperation in his eyes. In his voice. But as much as she felt called to help him, it wasn’t her debt to pay. Gail was the one who should be providing free nanny services, not her. Still, another thought trickled through, making her realize things weren’t quite so simple. No matter how strongly she felt that Gail needed to clean up her own messes, Lydia recognized that without James’s clearing the debt with the charity, the Walker name might have become the kiss of death for a new business in a close-knit community like Royal. While she wrestled with what to do, she turned her attention to the sleeping baby between them.

“First things first, we should find a comfortable place for Teddy.” She reached to lift him, but James moved closer.

“I can get him.” He slipped his hands around the boy’s waist to pick him up, his hand briefly brushing against her calf and causing a whole riot of sensations in her before he shifted the child to rest on his shoulder. “And you don’t need to make a decision about my offer right now. If you’re okay with continuing our meeting another time, I should be leaving for the day anyhow. I think he’ll stay asleep if I put him in his car seat.”

Lydia tried to ignore the residual tingling in her skin. She appreciated the opportunity he was giving her to think about his proposal. And distance from his striking good looks would give her the chance to think with a clearer head.

“You have someone to watch him today?” Lydia didn’t mean to sound like she was questioning his arrangements for the child. She was just trying to keep the focus on Teddy and not the heady jolt of attraction she was feeling.

She stood to follow James toward the door.

“My foreman’s daughter is home from college for the holidays, and she agreed to give me afternoon help two days a week for the next month. That’s as much child care as I’ve got covered when I’m not here. Provided she doesn’t give up on Teddy, too, when he has his next atomic meltdown.” He sounded frustrated and she understood why.

James shouldered the leather diaper bag that the child care worker had set near the door to his office, then lifted his Stetson from the coat rack and dropped it into place. When she stepped out of the room, he locked the door behind them. She couldn’t miss the way his large hands cradled the child so gently against his broad chest. The gesture called to her, reminding her of dreams she had for her own children one day.

Not that she was thinking of James in that way. She must be overtired and stressed to let her imagination wander like that. The sooner she made tracks out of here and away from James’s tempting presence, the better.

As they left the clubhouse and strode out into the December sunlight, James tugged a blanket from an exterior pocket of the diaper bag and laid it over the sleeping boy. The day was mild, but with the holidays approaching, the temperatures had been dropping. Lydia tipped her face into the breeze, grateful for the cooler air on her too-warm skin.

“I researched the child care facilities in town when I got the idea to open a full-service business here, and I know there’s a definite need.” Royal was thriving, and the demographics for young families were a particular area of growth. “I’ve heard there are waiting lists at the most coveted places.”

James nodded in response. “You’ve got that right. When I called one day care they said families reserve space when they’re pregnant, even knowing they might not put a child into the system for a full year.” He sighed wearily. “The last few months have been an education—from learning how to change a diaper to educating myself on how to avoid tree nuts for his allergy.”

“He has allergies?” Lydia was accustomed to the dietary needs for children with the most common allergies. Her brother broke out in hives if he even got in the same room as a peanut.

“Just tree nuts. But I live in fear I’ll leave the house without the EpiPen.” He huffed out a long breath, clearly feeling the same stress that many new parents went through. “I hope you’ll consider my offer, Lydia. Maybe you can work for me, and your sister can do something to repay you.”

“I’d need to figure out a way to pay my bills in the meantime.” It was true she was between nanny jobs right now, but she had hoped to devote the extra time toward working on her house, doing some of the simpler labor she didn’t want to pay a contractor for.

James tucked the blanket more securely around the baby’s feet, a gesture that touched her all the more now that she knew he wasn’t the baby’s father. He was simply a man trying to do his best taking care of a child he hadn’t been ready for.

“And I can’t put a price on what it would mean to me to have qualified help with Teddy.” He nodded at a gray-haired cowboy walking into the club. Then, once the man had passed, James turned to Lydia again. “Forget about Gail and the charity money. The universe is smiling on me by having a nanny walk into my office at a time in my life when I’m hanging on by my fingernails. Consider this a job offer for whatever you usually charge. I would have sought you out before this if I’d known about you.”

“I couldn’t possibly—”

“Please.” He cut her off, his tone laced with an urgency—a need—she hadn’t anticipated. “Just think about it. Start with the trial period and sign on for two months. See how it goes. If things don’t work out, I’ll understand.”

Swallowing her protests, she nodded. “It’s a very generous offer and I will consider it.”

He seemed to relax then, a tension sliding away from him as he exhaled. “Thank you. I’ll be working from the main house at the Double H tomorrow. If you’d like to stop by, I can show you around. You could see what the job would entail and take a look at the nanny’s quarters before you decide.”

“The Double H is your ranch?” She knew the property. It was close to the Clayton family ranch, the Silver C. The portions of the Double H she could see from the main road were all beautifully manicured. The stables and ranch house were both painted crisp white with dark gray trim, and the window boxes were refreshed year-round with red flowers.

“It is.” His smile was warm. “I never knew how easy ranch work was until I tried my hand at child care. I’m very ready to return to my cattle full-time.”

The idea troubled her, given that his responsibility to his nephew wasn’t going to end when he filled the nanny position. But she couldn’t afford to feel any more empathy for this man than she already did. She had some tough decisions ahead of her where he was concerned.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow. Does after lunch work for you?”

“That’s perfect.” He laid a protective hand on Teddy’s back. “You can repeat the trick you did today of getting him to fall asleep for his nap.”

She’d been given similar compliments many times from happy clients. She was good with children. Period. And yet, somehow the thought of putting the child to sleep with James Harris looking on filled her with a whole host of fluttery sensations.

“I’ll see you then.” Nodding, she backed away fast, needing refuge from the strong pull of desire. Retreating to her car, she forced her gaze away from James and shut the door behind her.

She locked the door for good measure. And then felt like an idiot if he’d heard her flick the locks. She wasn’t trying to keep anyone out as much as she was trying to keep herself in check around the too-handsome rancher with golden-brown eyes.

Switching on the ignition, she pulled out of the parking lot fast, hating herself for thinking that if it wasn’t for James’s blatant sex appeal, she probably already would have accepted the job he’d offered.

That wasn’t fair to him. And it definitely wasn’t fair to the innocent boy who’d just lost both his parents.

She could help Teddy and James. And no matter what she told herself about not getting involved in her sister’s mayhem, Lydia felt a responsibility to repay James in whatever way she could. By covering Gail’s debt, he’d ensured both Walker women would be able to run their small businesses in Royal without censure from locals knowing that Gail had cheated the Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation.

Lydia would just have to find a way to do the job while avoiding the hot rancher as much as possible.

Shouldering the pole pruner he’d been using to trim an apple tree, James squinted in the afternoon sunlight to check his watch at half-past noon.

Based on the number of times he’d glanced at the vintage Omega Seamaster timepiece that had belonged to his grandfather, James couldn’t deny that he looked forward to a visit from Lydia Walker today. And as much as he wanted to credit his anticipation to the possibility he’d found a solution to his nanny problem, he knew that accounted for only part of it.

He wanted to see her again.

Taking his time to wipe down the blade on the pruner—an important step to prevent spreading disease—James needed to be sure Lydia agreed to his bargain. And frankly, that need was at odds with how fiercely he was attracted to her. She’d invaded his thoughts constantly since their last meeting. During the daytime, he shut down the visions as fast as possible. But during the night? His dreams about her had been wildly inappropriate and hot as hell.

Securing a nanny was his number one goal right now, and had been for the past three months. He couldn’t afford to let an undeniable hunger for her confuse the issue that should be a simple business arrangement. Her sister’s overbid aside, James needed Lydia. He’d spent time the night before researching her credentials and had been thoroughly impressed. Not only had she served as a nanny for two TCC members who spoke highly of her—he’d messaged them both to check—but Lydia also had an intriguing connection to the popular childrearing blog House Rules.

The blog was written by her mother, Fiona, but had often featured Lydia even as a teenager. There was a whole video library of Lydia, showing her mother’s followers how to do everything from making organic baby food to refreshing vintage nursery furniture to meeting modern health codes. Simply put, she was incredibly qualified. But the most convincing fact for him was that he’d seen how quickly she could turn Teddy’s stormy tantrums into full-fledged smiles.

That alone made her services necessary. And he’d be damned if he allowed his unbidden desire for the woman to get in the way. Besides, if his divorce had taught him anything, it was that chemistry between people could fade fast, and made shaky ground for any relationship.

Heading toward the potting shed to stow the garden tools, James heard the crunch of car tires on gravel. Turning, he recognized Lydia’s vehicle from the day before. He made quick work of putting away the tools and washed his hands at the shed’s utility sink before stepping outside again.

He had almost reached her car when she stepped from it. Her long legs were clad in tall boots and dark leggings. A gray sweater dress and long herringbone-patterned coat were simple, efficient pieces. Definitely nothing overtly sexy. And yet, he found his gaze wandering over the way the sweater dress hugged her curves. But it was her smile that drew him more than anything. From her light brown hair streaked with honey to the sun-warmed shade of her skin, she seemed to glow from within. Today, like yesterday, she wore little makeup that he could see. A long golden necklace glinted as she straightened, the charms jingling gently as they settled.

“Welcome to the Double H,” he greeted her, arms spread wide. “Home of the Harris family since nineteen fifty-three.”

He and his brother had been born here and he took immense pride in the place, the same as his father had before his death. His brother had planned to move back to Royal one day and help expand the ranching operation. A plan that would never happen now. Strange how many ways grief could find to stab him when he least expected it.

Still, James continued to think about expanding on his own, to give Teddy the future that his father had dreamed for him.

“Thank you.” She let him close the car door behind her while she spun in a slow circle to view the closest buildings. “I’ve always thought this was a pretty property when I’ve driven past here.”

He couldn’t help the rueful grin. “I don’t know how thrilled my grandfather would be to hear that I’ve turned the place ‘pretty.’ But I’ve toyed with the idea of expanding the horse sales side of the business after we’ve had some success with recent yearlings. And traditionally, horse farms have more curb appeal since potential clients often come through the barns.”

“You’ve done a great job.” Lydia walked toward the small grove where he’d been working. “Are these fruit trees?”

He nodded, pleased she’d noticed. “I’ve got a dozen apple trees, a few peaches and pears. Just enough to make the ranch hands grumble about the extra work at harvest time.” Although no one complained about taking fresh fruit home at the end of the day. “I was pruning these before you arrived.”

“I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.” She stopped her trek through the grove and peered back at him. “I know I’m a little early, but I wasn’t sure how long the drive would take.”

“I had just quit when you pulled in. Your timing is perfect.” He waved her toward a side entrance to the main house. “Come on in. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No. Thank you.” She waited while he opened the door, then stepped inside the mudroom. “Where’s Teddy? I brought him a gift.” She tugged at the sleeve of her coat and he moved behind her to help.

Her hair brushed the backs of his knuckles, the silk lining of her coat warm from her body. He tried to move quickly—to keep himself from lingering too long—but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid a hint of her fragrance. Something vanilla with a trace of floral.

With effort, he turned away from her to hang the coat on one of the metal hooks from the rack.

“That’s very kind of you. My housekeeper took Teddy for a couple of hours while he naps so I could get the trees sprayed and pruned. I’ve been falling behind on every conceivable chore.” He led her deeper into the house, pausing outside the kitchen. “Besides, I wanted to give my sales pitch for the nanny gig without any distraction.”

Shaking her head, she gave him a half smile. “But he is the job, James. Your best selling point.”

Skeptical, he figured he’d hedge his bets on showing off the house first. “Your three predecessors didn’t seem quite as charmed by their charge.”

Lydia crossed her arms as she studied him. “They don’t sound worthy of the task, then.”

Her defensiveness on Teddy’s behalf was a credit to her character, yes. But she’d been with the boy for only a few minutes. She hadn’t seen the long crying jags or the stormy rages that had caught the other nannies off guard.

“That makes me all the more eager to sign you on,” he told her honestly.

After taking her on a tour of the kitchen and great room, he took the main staircase up to the nursery where his housekeeper, Mrs. Davis, all but bolted from the room when she spotted them. Her greeting was brusque at best.

“Thank you, Mrs. Davis.” James knew the housekeeper wasn’t happy with the added babysitting responsibilities, but he’d shown his gratitude in her paycheck over the last two weeks. “This is Lydia Walker. She’s here to discuss the possibility of taking over child care duties full-time.”

“In that case, I won’t keep you.” She gave an abrupt nod and hurried on her way, her white tennis shoes squeaking on the hardwood in the hall as she stalked off.

“The household staff is overburdened,” he explained, hoping Lydia wouldn’t be put off by the woman’s cool reception. “Mrs. Davis has helped me out more than once, and I’ve also got temporary help from my foreman’s daughter. But the extra work is taking a toll.”

“Understandable,” Lydia murmured softly while she peered down into the crib at the sleeping baby. “Caring for a child is a huge life adjustment. Expectant parents have nine months to prepare themselves, and most of them are still overwhelmed by the transition.” She smiled up at him. “You’re doing well.”