An Unexpected Arrangement

by Heidi McCahan

  “I’m so sorry. I know how much your father and your uncle meant to you.” Laramie leaned over and gently squeezed his forearm. “Please, please hear me when I say that no one blames you for your father’s death.”

  He welcomed the warmth of her touch on his skin, and his fingers itched to blanket hers with his own. Jack wanted to believe her. Laramie’s friendship with Skye meant she’d witnessed the ripple effects of his uncle’s suicide and his father’s death. But he’d seen the hurt and regret and disappointment in his own mother’s eyes. Pete and the rest of his dad’s friends reminded him every time he passed their booth at the diner that he wasn’t living up to his potential.

  “Here’s the thing. My dad was a master manipulator, drove his brother to commit suicide and almost left my mother in financial ruin. So why would I want any part of a business that wreaked havoc on our family? My relationships with my siblings and Gage mean more to me than building a table or a dresser.”

  “What if you could have both? The opportunity to work with your hands and have healthy relationships. It’s possible, you know.”

  “I don’t want both,” he grumbled. “Everything’s fine the way it is.”

  “Is it?”

  Those two little words needled him. If everything was fine, why was he melting down on his deck?

  “Are you happy, Jack?”

  I’m happy when I’m with you.

  What if he had the courage to say those words out loud right now? Laramie made him laugh, challenged his thinking, took great care of his daughters. She didn’t judge him or run when he was coming unglued. But he couldn’t tell her how his feelings for her had changed, because once he crossed that line from friendship to something more, there was no going back.

  The babies’ crying saved him from answering. For once, he was grateful for their timing.

  “I’ll get them,” Laramie said.

  “You don’t have to.” Jack stood but she blocked his path. “You’ve been with them all day.”

  She turned and strode toward the door. “I’ll leave as soon as they’re in bed.”

  Jack sat back down. Selfishly, he’d take all the help she offered. Especially tonight. He glanced over his shoulder and watched as she slipped through the sliding screen door, then lifted Macey out of the portable crib.

  Macey fit nicely on Laramie’s hip and stopped crying immediately.

  Jack sighed. What was he going to do without Laramie? He couldn’t stay in Merritt’s Crossing, but how could he ask her to leave her home, her family and her job for him?

  * * *

  Laramie hated seeing Jack like this. Wrecked. Defeated.

  I know they don’t really want my help...

  A sickening feeling settled in her stomach. Jack thought his family didn’t want him around. Laramie snuck a glance at Jack feeding Macey on the opposite end of the sofa. His mouth turned down in a frown as he held her bottle with the baby snuggled in the crook of his arm.

  Did he honestly believe that he was responsible for his father’s death? What a horrible burden. She’d never heard Skye or Drew or Mrs. Tomlinson say anything like that, but they had made plenty of comments about Jack shirking responsibility. Even though they might’ve laced their comments with humor, Jack was clearly hurt. And maybe that was why he didn’t show up at many family gatherings anymore. Laramie had listened to Skye vent her frustrations when she’d moved home to help their mom during her recovery from surgery and Jack hardly helped at all.

  Like a moth to a flame, Laramie glanced at Jack again. Macey’s hair was still damp from her bath and her eyelids were heavy as she slurped down the last of the formula. If Jack noticed Laramie was staring, he didn’t meet her gaze, so she let her eyes travel to the corded muscles in Jack’s forearm as he tenderly supported Macey. His black T-shirt was a sharp contrast to the baby’s white pajamas with pink polka dots. Laramie captured a mental snapshot of Jack caring for his daughter.

  She sighed and dragged her gaze away. If she wasn’t careful, she’d melt into a pathetic puddle and say all kinds of things she’d only regret later. Despite his self-doubts and the grief and guilt he was obviously wrestling with, moments like these gave her glimpses of a different side of Jack. He was capable of being an attentive father. So maybe he had a long track record of being irresponsible and not showing up for his family, but at least he was trying with his girls. Should she speak up? Tell him that she was proud of him for accepting his role as a single parent of twins?

  She glanced at Charlotte snuggled in her arms, taking her dear sweet time finishing her bottle, but thankfully her eyes were slowly closing. Charlotte had fussed and resisted her bath and exhausted all of Laramie’s patience as she helped get the babies ready for bed. Her phone buzzed next to her on the arm of the sofa and Charlotte’s eyes sprang open.

  No, no, no. Laramie willed her to not start fussing again. That text was probably from Skye, asking why Laramie was late for their girls’ night out. She craned her neck to check the time on her phone’s screen. Only fifteen minutes late. Not a big deal. If she was honest, she wanted the babies to go to sleep and she secretly hoped Jack asked her to stay a little longer. Her imagination took that idea and ran with it. Maybe they’d watch a movie. Or just hang out and talk. Sure, taking care of two infants all day had depleted her physically. But sitting here with Jack, feeding the babies, cocooned in the warmth of his house and the innocent fragrance of lavender baby shampoo lingering in the air, it was hard to leave.

  Stop. Why bail on a night out with friends because Jack had a bad day? That was exactly the kind of enabling behavior she’d vowed to avoid. Wasn’t it? Besides, Jack was giving zero indication that he had any intention of asking her to stick around. He’d already encouraged her to leave once the girls’ baths were finished.

  Her phone chimed again with another text. Laramie banished all thoughts of spending the rest of the evening with Jack. As soon as the twins were in bed, she was leaving.

  Finally, Charlotte finished her bottle. Laramie set it on the coffee table and Charlotte heaved a contented sigh, her long eyelashes fluttering against her cheek. Laramie stood, draped a cloth over her shoulder and gently helped the baby burp. She reached for her phone and tucked it in the back pocket of her jeans. Her leg brushed against Jack’s knee as she scooted past him on the way to the girls’ bedroom.

  “I’m going to put her down, then I have to go,” she whispered.

  He didn’t even look up. His nod was almost imperceptible.

  She glared at the top of his head. Like falling in the dunk tank at the county fair, irritation doused the feelings of contentment and attraction that had kindled a few minutes ago. Was a little gratitude too much to expect?

  Laramie gently placed Charlotte in the portable crib, flicked on the white noise machine, then strode down the hall. She snagged her purse from the kitchen counter, double-checked her keys were inside, then slipped out the front door without saying goodbye.

  And Jack didn’t even notice.

  Outside, the horizon burned red with the remnants of the sunset, and a million stars twinkled across the indigo sky. Summer nights were her favorite. Normally, Laramie would pause and inhale a deep breath of the warm evening air. Instead, gravel crunched under her boots today as she hurried to her car.

  Sometimes Jack made her so mad she wanted to scream. He couldn’t feed and bathe his babies without help, so why was he was still thinking about moving? Even following through with the interview process was ridiculous at this point. Okay, so maybe his family had said some hurtful things in the past. While their delivery wasn’t great, their intentions were good. Everyone who cared about Jack, including her, was tired of watching him be miserable. Why did he still think leaving town was the solution to his problems? What about Macey and Charlotte? What about all those things the social worker had told him about introducing too much change in their lives and helping
them bond?

  He’d acted like he was taking the social worker’s advice, but now he railed against it. She forced back an unwanted lump of emotion rising in her throat. Letting him persuade her to be his nanny had been a mistake. Although she’d never been able to turn away from a human in need, she needed to establish boundaries if for no other reason than to protect her heart.

  Chapter Eight

  “Happy Birthday!”

  Jack stood in the middle of Skye and Gage’s back deck, holding a car seat in each hand, and trying not to glare at the silver-haired man standing way too close to his mom. He was supposed to be smiling and thanking his family and clapping a few shoulders, but the only thought running through his head was Mom brought a date to my birthday party?

  “Jack?” Skye moved closer, her smile wavering. “Say something.”

  He cleared his throat, but no words came.

  Charlotte squealed and kicked, rocking the car seat. Jack tightened his grip on the handle and kept staring. The man said something to Laramie’s parents, which made his mom lean even closer and squeeze the arm of his pastel-pink button-down. Who wore a pink button-down to an ice cream party in July, anyway? His mom’s laughter rang out and Jack ground his teeth. Some stranger was making her laugh like she hadn’t in a long time, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  “Hey.” Skye stood in front of him. Her uncertain gaze scanned his face. “Are you all right? You said an afternoon party sounded great. We thought you’d love a big bash. I mean—” she gestured to the car seats “—probably not a bash like you’d prefer, but we wanted to celebrate your big day anyway.”

  Ah, yes, a big-sister jab at his former carefree days. “The party’s great, sis. Thanks.” He forced a smile, then tipped his chin toward their mom. “Who is the guy standing beside Mom?”

  “Happy Birthday, Jack.” Gage strode by with their son, Connor, riding on his shoulders.

  “Hi, Grandma!” Connor yelled across the yard.

  Laughter rippled through the group gathered on the lawn.

  The man with Jack’s mother smiled and greeted Gage with a friendly handshake. Jack’s breath hitched. Connor leaned forward and gave his grandmother’s new boyfriend an enthusiastic high five.

  Jack shot Skye a pointed look. “You’ve met him already.”

  It was a statement instead of a question, and he didn’t even bother to conceal his accusatory tone.

  Skye avoided his gaze. Instead, she reached into the car seat, walked her fingers up Charlotte’s tummy and tapped the baby’s nose, eliciting a bubbly giggle. Skye laughed and repeated the process, earning more adorable squeals. Usually Jack couldn’t resist that kind of happiness from his daughters. Except today. He couldn’t get over the fact that his mother had brought him here.

  “We had dinner last night,” Skye said. “He’s super nice.”

  Super nice. All righty, then. That made the whole scenario peachy keen, didn’t it?

  Jack battled back the snarky comments. His sister had thrown him a birthday party. Now was not the time to say what he was really thinking. But wasn’t she the least bit concerned about who their mother was spending time with?

  “Want me to hold the girls while you say hello?”

  “Nope.” Not interested. There would be plenty of time for his mother to make introductions. Besides, he’d brought twins to a party when neither baby had napped well. He was already in way over his head.

  “There’s a portable crib set up for you.” Skye motioned to a corner of the yard under a huge tree. “Macey and Charlotte can take turns in the baby swing we borrowed from a friend. I’ll ask Gage to bring it out on the deck.”

  Jack looked past Skye’s shoulder in time to make eye contact with Laramie. Her smile was tight as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His gaze traveled from her long platinum hair to her leather earrings shaped liked feathers, and the mint-green T-shirt she’d paired with white pants. His pulse sped. She looked amazing. As always. After the girls went down for their naps, she’d left his house to get ready for the party. Seeing Laramie here was already the best part of the whole afternoon. Surrounded by her family and friends, she glowed with contentment.

  He was instantly jealous of his friend Cooper, who was talking to her, and wished he was the one standing beside her now.

  “If you need a break, I can find someone to help. It’s hard to take care of two babies and—”

  “Skye.” Jack silenced her with a gentle squeeze on her arm. “Thank you. For everything. You’re so thoughtful.”

  “We’re more than happy to throw a party for you, Jack.” Skye smiled. “Happy birthday.”

  He was thrown off-kilter by her words. Other than the comment about a bash, this was the most enjoyable interaction he’d had with his sister in a long time. “You don’t have to stand here with me,” he said. “I know you want to say hello to everyone.”

  Macey’s babbling grew louder while Charlotte’s screeching was drawing some curious stares from other guests.

  Skye’s brows arched.

  “I’ve got this. Honest.” He angled his head toward the people standing in her backyard. “Go have fun.”

  “All right.” She hesitated, still hovering. “I’ll be around if you need me.”

  “I won’t.” He was such a liar. If she stood there another second, he was going to take her up on her offer and tuck a grumpy baby in her arms.

  Jack sank to his knees and unbuckled Charlotte first. Man, he’d miscalculated. He’d learned how to care for both babies at the same time, but only when they were sleepy. What was he thinking, bringing them along? He should’ve hired a babysitter. As he pushed to his feet with Charlotte in his arms, both girls were crying. Panic flamed in his gut and he whirled around, hating himself for telling his sister he didn’t need her help.

  Emily, an elementary school teacher and a woman he’d dated a few times but never called again, strode toward him wearing a white sleeveless blouse, heels and a denim mini skirt. Her lipstick was too red and her perfume overbearing as she stretched out her arms. “Come say hello to me, little one.”

  “Here.” Jack didn’t even bother with a greeting. He just leaned close, letting her take Charlotte from him. Immediately, the baby stopped crying, no doubt captivated by the fistful of Emily’s long hair she’d just grabbed.

  He was kneeling to unbuckle Macey from her car seat when he caught a glimpse of a white cowboy hat through Gage and Skye’s sliding door. Then voices rose, Emily gasped and the boards on the deck vibrated as Landon Chambers made his grand entrance.

  “Jack, my man.” Landon’s too-white smile split his tanned face. Was he a bull rider or an influencer for a teeth-whitening product?

  “Hey, Landon.” Jack flinched as Landon smacked him on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.” Landon braced his hands on his waist. “Happy Birthday.”

  “Thanks.”

  Landon’s boot-cut jeans looked like they’d come from an upscale shop in Denver. The short sleeves on his pearl-snap button-down were so snug his arms practically bulged against the fabric. If Jack wasn’t so worried about what Laramie was thinking right now, he’d probably laugh at how much Landon had changed. Something niggled in his gut, warning him that she was not happy to see her brother.

  While Emily held Charlotte and flirted shamelessly with Landon, a flash of white and mint green caught Jack’s attention. Laramie cut long strides across the yard, then disappeared around the side of the house.

  “I’ll be right back.” Jack left Macey in her car seat, Charlotte in Emily’s arms and pushed past Landon. He leaped off the deck’s steps and jogged across the yard.

  “Laramie, wait.”

  He didn’t care who saw him or what they thought about him running after her. She was like a ray of sunshine and he couldn’t imagine getting through the r
est of the afternoon without her.

  * * *

  “Ouch.” Laramie winced and glanced down at her new shoes. The silver sandals with the wedge heels had seemed like a good idea when she’d slipped them on, but now the straps cut into her skin and derailed her quick exit from the party.

  Her stupid brother just had to show up like this party was meant for him and hog the spotlight. Who invited him, anyway? Her parents hadn’t said a word about Landon coming home. According to social media, he was supposed to be at some big event in Texas. She gritted her teeth as she hurried across the street to the park in Skye and Gage’s neighborhood.

  One minute, Laramie was sipping lemonade and talking with Cooper, the next she was glaring daggers at Emily while she flirted with Jack and pretended to like babies. Charlotte wasn’t a newborn and she hated to be held the way Emily had her—cradled like a football. Facing out so she could see what was going on kept her happiest. Laramie was about to intervene and rescue Jack and the twins from Emily when her brother had showed up. Somebody should tell him that white cowboy hat looked ridiculous.

  “Laramie, please.”

  Jack’s voice drifted toward her. She refused to turn around, although she did have to stop running. Her feet were killing her and she was surrounded by a playground, two picnic tables and a basketball court. She’d left her purse, car keys and phone in Skye and Gage’s guest room because she’d planned on staying late to help clean up after the party. It was too far to walk home, especially in these sandals, and she wasn’t about to ask Jack to give her a ride.

  “Can we talk?”

  She ignored him and sat down at the picnic table. He stopped a few feet away, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. Laramie leaned over, unbuckled the sandals then tossed them in the grass. Mercy. Sweet relief.