Danica Cooper’s legs trembled as she walked up the lane leading to the big house. Her suitcase thumped over the cracks behind her.
It had been three months since the fiasco with the Roberto family and her gambling addiction that had almost gotten her and her family killed. Still, she felt woefully inadequate to accept the job as girl Friday and nanny to ten-year-old twin boys. Was the father unaware of her past, or was he so desperate he’d hire anyone?
The folks of Misty Hollow, while friendly enough, still watched her with wary eyes despite adoring her twin sister, Delaney. But then, Delly had married one of the town’s favorite deputies while Dani had gone to rehab.
Horses grazed in paddocks on each side of her, doing little to still the nervous flutters in her gut. What if her new boss, Dylan Wyatt, canned her the instant he found out? What would she do then? She couldn’t work at the diner anymore. It got old being compared to her perfect sister all the time. Not to mention living with their mother in the camper. No, Dani needed a place of her own, and a chance to start a new life after being almost killed.
She squared her shoulders and pressed the doorbell. Westminster chimes rang out. She stepped back and licked dry lips.
The door swung open. A massive man with coal black hair and piercing blue eyes stared down at her before a slow smile curved chiseled lips. “Miss Cooper?”
“Yes, sir.” This hunk must be her new boss. Yowza. She hadn’t seen him…well, she had seen him. The cowboys had helped patrol the streets during her trouble, but she hadn’t known which one was him.
“Wonderful. Come on in. I’ll show you around while the boys, Eric and Derrick, are at school.” He snatched her suitcase from the porch as if it didn’t weigh more than five pounds, but which in actuality contained everything she owned. “Here is a photo of the rascals. One of your tasks will be taking them to school and picking them up. Of course, summer break is only a couple of weeks away. Let me show you to your room.”
He led her across polished wood floors and up a wide staircase. “These two rooms belong to the boys and are connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. You’re right here across the hall.” He pushed open a set of double doors.
Wow. A four-poster bed adorned with a colorful quilt took up the space between two windows. A door to her left revealed a bathroom. Another door opened into a closet. A carved armoire took up another wall.
“I hope it’s sufficient.”
“It’s beautiful.” Her few clothes wouldn’t make a dent in the closet, much less the armoire.
“Great. Let’s start the tour. You don’t really have a specific time to wake up, especially once summer starts, but the boys don’t usually sleep much later than six or six-thirty. Once they go to bed at night, the hours are yours, and you have Sundays off.”
Dani nodded, not minding the early hours. She’d be up before then anyway.
He showed her the kitchen where she’d help the cook, Mrs. White, with the meals when she wasn’t busy with the boys. “She’s not here right now, but basically, you’ll help with whatever needs doing if the boys are at school.” He flashed a grin, revealing a dimple in his right cheek. “Even work in the barn. During the summer, the boys have a list of chores. You’ll make sure they do them.” He didn’t ask any questions; he simply rattled off her duties as they strolled the property.
Positioned on the top of Misty Mountain, few trees filled the acreage. Instead, red outbuildings and many horses provided a pleasant landscape. She’d heard that an extra-special forces vet had purchased and renovated the Rocking W Ranch, but hadn’t seen the place. Impressive, to say the least.
“I’ll introduce you to the men at lunch. They’re a great group of guys. All ex-military needing a new start in life.”
“Like me,” she muttered. Minus the military.
“Exactly.”
“So, you do know who I am?” She stopped and peered up at him. “I’d wondered.”
“Because I didn’t say anything?” He quirked a brow. “One of the things we value here, Miss Cooper, is discretion. As long as the work is done to my satisfaction, and trouble doesn’t come knocking on my doorstep, I’m good with an employee who used to be in trouble. I trust you’re no longer that person.”
“I’m not.” She felt more relaxed than she had since her ride had dropped her off at the entrance to the Rocking W.
“Then we’ll get along fine. I mean it when I say this is a place for fresh beginnings. No one will judge you here, Miss Cooper, as long as you stay clean, do no harm, and do what is expected of you.”
“Please, call me Dani. I can follow those expectations.”
“Great. I’m Dylan.”
Her phone dinged. She glanced at the text message.
Watch your back. This isn’t over. You still have a debt to pay.
Not even a big cowboy can save you from your transgressions.
~
Dylan frowned at Dani’s pale face. She took a deep shuddering breath and shoved her phone into the pocket of her jeans. “Everything all right?”
“Yes.” She gave a shaky smile. “Wrong number.”
His frown deepened. The flitter of fear across her features and the way she avoided eye contact let him know she had lied. He exhaled heavily and led the way to the barn. Had he made a mistake in hiring her? He hoped not. “Do you ride, Dani?”
She shook her head and stepped back as Lightning, his dapple-gray stallion, stuck his head over the stall door in greeting. “Never had the need.”
“This is my pride and joy. He’s used for stud and doesn’t let anyone but me ride him.” Dylan rubbed the horse’s muzzle. “He won’t bite you. It’s important you learn to ride. My sons love to and ride every chance they get. You’ll need to accompany them on occasion. I’ve just the horse for you to learn on.”
“Lord have mercy,” she whispered.
He chuckled. “Seriously, you’ll be fine. Meet Daisy.” He led her to a roan mare with a white blaze. “She’s as gentle as a kitten.”
“Kittens have claws and sharp teeth.” She reached out a timid hand.
“Where’s the brave woman who faced down a murderous loan shark?” Still grinning, he raised a brow.
A laugh escaped her. “Guess a horse is nothing in comparison. Thank you for your help in…keeping the town safe during all that.”
“Hey, that’s what cowboys do.” He patted her shoulder. “We’ll start your riding lesson this afternoon. Let’s meet the rest of the crew, then you can help Mrs. White prepare lunch.”
One cowboy led a horse in a circle around a paddock, another forked hay, and multiple others swarmed the yard. Poor Dani. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he rattled off their names.
“I’ll never remember them all.”
“Sure, you will. In time. You won’t have much to do with them outside of mealtimes, but they’re a good, if not quiet group. They won’t give you any trouble.” Heads would roll if they did. Dylan prided himself on being a fair boss, but he was also a stickler for the rules. Respect was the number-one rule. “That’s the bunkhouse. It’s off limits to the boys, so it’s off limits to you.”
“Not a problem. I’m here to do my job, nothing more.” A determined look settled over her face. “I appreciate the opportunity you’ve given me for a new start and won’t mess that up.”
He certainly hoped not. There weren’t many folks in Misty Hollow willing to take on his two boys. The fact Dani was a twin herself had worked in her favor. Hopefully, she had the strength to deal with rowdy boys with a mischievous streak ten miles long. The last nanny had run off without collecting her paycheck.
He eyed the petite woman at his side and stifled a sigh. The boys would trample her unless he put the fear of God in them. Something he planned on doing the moment they returned home from school.
When they entered the kitchen through the back door, Mrs. White turned with a smile. “I wondered when I’d get to meet the only other woman in this house.”
“This is Dani Cooper. Dani, Mrs. White. You’ll help her when she needs it, if—” He smiled at the older woman, “you aren’t busy with the boys.”
“Pshaw. I’ll put those two rascals to work, too. It’s good to meet you, Dani.”
“Likewise. Is there anything I can help you with to prepare for lunch?” Dani reached for an apron on the wall.
Good. Dylan smiled and left the room. He liked the fact that she’d jump right in where needed. As for him, he had bookkeeping to tend to while the house was relatively quiet.
After his father had died two years ago, Dylan sold the ranch in Texas and rebuilt it on Misty Mountain, preferring hills and hollows to flat land with no trees. It hadn’t been easy, or cheap, but the renovated house had been worth it. If only Lauren had been alive to see the fruition of her dream. His wife had been an Arkansas born-and-bred girl. Coming here was his tribute to her and the legacy he promised to leave her sons.
What would she have thought of his giving people like his ranch hands and Dani a second chance? She would have agreed. His wife’s heart had been filled with the desire to help others.
He flipped open the ledger on his desk, confirming he was about tapped out of funds. If he didn’t get some foals to sell soon, he’d be up the proverbial creek without a paddle. Letting any of his hands go wasn’t an option. Nor was letting the new nanny go. Hopefully, without having to focus on the boys, at least for now, he could come up with some ideas to make money fast.
He tapped a pencil on his desk blotter. Maybe tours for the elementary school? Guided campouts during the summer? Dylan had the options if he could find the time. He had several tame horses children could ride, and he could buy more if he needed to. It might benefit his boys to help out with these things.
Nodding, he glanced up as the cowbell rang for lunch. He glanced out the window to see Dani ringing it. Scratching the back of his neck, he pushed to his feet. The woman was one more expense. Dylan prayed she’d be worth the money.
- Publisher : Winged Publications
- Publication date : December 28, 2023
- Language : English
- Print length : 219 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1962168409
- ISBN-13 : 978-1962168403