Colt shook Paul’s hand, and the older man left. As Colt closed the door he turned back to the older woman with an exasperated look.
“What was that?” he demanded.
“He’ll do,” she replied calmly. “Go ahead and hire him.”
“You can’t ask someone about their marital status and their religious affiliation in an interview, Peg!”
“I don’t know him, though,” she replied with a shrug. “Anyone from around here, I’d know that already.”
“Okay, so what makes him acceptable?” Colt asked irritably. “Out of curiosity.”
“He cooked for his family,” she replied with a curt nod.
“That was the part you liked?” he asked.
“It shows that he loves to cook—he’s obviously good at it, or his wife would have taken back the chore in a heartbeat. Trust me on that. And, he’s not the type of man to bow to male pressure. In our generation, a man who cooked would get some ribbing. So if he stood up for that because it worked for his marriage, then he’s got some character. We need character.”
Colt rubbed his hand over his face. “Okay.” He had to grudgingly admit that she had some logic behind all that illegal questioning. “Well, thanks.”
“So go on and hire him,” she said. “You need a cook, and he’ll do fine.” She looked down at the toddlers in her arms. “And these two need a snack.”
Colt picked up his phone and looked down at the résumé in his hand. After his aunt had trampled every legal boundary imaginable, he’d better hire this guy or he could face a lawsuit.
And next time he had to hire someone, he wouldn’t be asking his aunt’s input. His own instincts and a few reference checks would have to be enough from now on.
“Cat!” one of the toddlers hollered, and he looked back to see a little girl leaning out of Peg’s arms and stretching toward him.
Cat. It sounded like that was what she was calling him. It might be as close to Colt as that little mouth could manage.
“I’ll be back, kiddo,” he said, and he gave the toddler his most reassuring grin.
What was he doing? He’d been right irritated with Peg today, but he’d also enjoyed this... What could he say? There was something about these rambunctious little girls in his home that warmed the place up. And it was kind of nice to have little hands reaching for him like that. He’d never entertained the thought of having kids of his own, but he could see why guys wanted the family life. It was sweet...when it worked out.
He’d been through a few breakups already, though. Women wanted a man willing to talk about marriage and kids—and he hadn’t been that guy. He’d always kept his heart pretty securely protected.
Getting used to this, and then having it torn apart when the relationship went bust would be more heartbreak than he even wanted to think about. There was a reason why he was cautious with women.
Whatever—this was a short-term thing. And their mother would be back in a few hours. He was just the guy with the hat and the front shirt pocket. He was entirely replaceable.
Chapter Five
Jane leaned against the doorjamb, looking out the cracked kitchen door as the men lined up to take another serving of lasagna. Hats were off, their hair mussed up and their exposed forearms were bronzed from the sun. They were laughing and talking—deep voices reverberating against the dining room walls.
All she’d done was bake the lasagna, but she still felt a surge of satisfaction to see the men eating heartily. She’d made the salad to go on the side, and the garlic toast. It hadn’t exactly been taxing. She hadn’t thought of getting a plate for herself, but now that she was smelling the food and watching the men power through it, she wished she’d thought of it.
She let the door swing shut again and turned to survey the mess. She headed for the dishwasher. She could start with a few dishes, at least.
Her phone pinged, and she glanced down at it. Peg had sent her a picture of the girls eating macaroni and cheese—cheese up the eyebrows on both of them. She smiled, then typed in a reply—Adorable! I’m hurrying to clean up, and then I’ll be back.
Peg seemed to do better with the girls than Jane had anticipated. Jane had gone back to the house after breakfast, and only came back a few hours later to start dinner, and from what she could see the girls liked Peg. Peg softened up to be almost unrecognizable when she talked to them. Maybe there was some family recognition there, because all three of them seemed to be enjoying their time together. This was what she’d come for, wasn’t it? She’d wanted her girls to be able to have family—and seeing pictures of them happily cared for by their great-aunt... Hopefully her girls would grow up with more family connection than she had.
The sound of cowboy boots on the kitchen floor made her turn, and she realized belatedly that she’d been hoping to see Colt. Instead, a gangly blond-haired cowboy sauntered into the kitchen. His jeans were dirty from a day of work, and he shoved a thumb into his belt loop, glancing around the kitchen.
“Evening,” he said.
“Hi.” She gave him a quick smile and tucked her phone back into her pocket. “Can I help you with something?”
“I heard we had a new cook.”
“I’m very temporary,” she said, turning back toward the sink and starting the water. “You’ll have a proper cook soon enough.”
“That was a good meal,” he countered. “You should stick around.”
“Thanks. But your last cook was the one who actually made it. I didn’t do that much.”
The cowboy crossed the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to her. He eyed her for a moment, his gaze moving over her in a way she didn’t like.
“I’m Ross,” he said. “Who are you?”
“I’m out of your league, Ross,” she replied with a small smile. “And also busy.”
Ross barked out a laugh. “A guy can still hope, can’t he? You single?”
“Should it matter?” She raised an eyebrow. “I said I’m busy. You’d better get back to work.”
“I have a few minutes,” he said, settling in against the counter. “You’re cute.”
She sighed. This cowboy was at least five years younger than she was, and he likely didn’t get around women too often working this ranch.
“Ross,” she said pointedly. “I have to clean up. Please. Let me just finish up.”
“You could take a little break,” he said with a shrug. “Who’d know?”
“What part of ‘I’m busy’ don’t you understand?” she snapped.
“You want to go out sometime?” he pressed. “I get an evening off tonight. I could take you into town. You ever been to the Burnt Barn?”
What was that? A bar? She didn’t drink, and she didn’t frequent bars, either, for that matter. It didn’t actually matter. She ignored him and pulled open the dishwasher.
“You could probably use some fun,” he went on. “Loosen up. Have a good time.”
“No!” Jane sent him an annoyed look, her voice rising. “Look, buddy. I’m a single mom. I have two kids.” She raised two fingers in case he needed the visual. “I’m not where anyone goes for a good time, okay? My fun days are well in the past. So do yourself a favor and find someone your own age.”
Ross’s jovial smile chilled, and he straightened. But before he could answer her, another pair of boots sounded behind them and Jane’s stomach clenched. She could eventually get rid of one thick-skulled cowboy, but if she had to deal with more than one of them... She swallowed, sending up a quick prayer before she turned around.
This cowboy she knew, and she felt a wave of relief to see Colt saunter into the kitchen. He took his cowboy hat off and his dark gaze swept between them, an unimpressed look on his face.
“Evening, Ross,” Colt said, his voice deep and loud. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Uh, yeah—” Ross glanced
toward Jane once more, but that smile had returned. “If you change your mind, now—”
“Not going to happen,” she said, giving him a tight smile of her own. “Have a good night.”
Ross headed toward the kitchen door, but Colt shot out a hand and caught Ross by the shoulder.
“Wait,” Colt said. “Can I have a word with you?”
“I just stopped in to say hello,” Ross said quickly, but his tone was suddenly a whole lot more respectful.
“I heard her tell you real clear that she wasn’t interested,” Colt said, lowering his voice, but not low enough that Jane couldn’t make out what he was saying. “And when a man hears those words, that’s his cue to clear out. Did your old man never teach you that? It’s called consent, and it goes for pretty much every interaction you have with a woman.”
Color rose in Ross’s face, and Jane dropped her gaze, almost feeling sorry for the guy. But not quite.
“Now, if she wanted to talk to you, that’s another story,” Colt went on, his tone like iron. “If she wanted to go out with you, there’s no law against that. But if she doesn’t want to be talking to you—”
“Yeah, yeah, got it,” Ross interrupted, and he made a move to keep walking, but Colt’s hand was still firmly on his shoulder, holding him in place.
“That’s strike one,” Colt said, his voice so quiet that Jane almost didn’t hear it. “I see anything like that again, and I write you up. This is a ranch where a woman can work or visit without having to fight off my ranch hands. Respect comes first. Your romantic life is the least of my concerns.”
Colt released Ross’s shoulder, and the smaller cowboy headed out of the kitchen without a backward glance.
“You embarrassed him,” Jane said.
“He needed to hear it,” Colt said curtly. “I’m not apologizing for how I run my own ranch.”
“Fair enough.”
“You okay?” he asked.
“He was annoying me, but I was this close to getting my message across,” she said.
“Okay. Well, if that kind of thing happens again while you’re here, you tell me and I’ll do more than give warnings.”
She nodded, because she was relieved that Colt had stepped in. Normally when a woman was wrangling two toddlers, it was an effective deterrent to any men in the area. But without the toddlers with her, she felt oddly exposed—she might even look available. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“You want a hand in here?” Colt asked. “I figured I could help you clean up. It would go faster with the two of us.”
“Sure,” Jane said. “Thanks.”
Colt disappeared out that swinging kitchen door again, and Jane did feel better for his presence in the canteen. Colt was strong, confident and he seemed to have a firm hand on the running of this place. Maybe she could learn a few things from him for when she was running her own business, too. Except she wouldn’t have a muscular cowboy on hand to fend off unwanted admirers for long. She’d have to find a way to discourage them that was easier than this. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to fend off unwanted advances in the workplace, although when she’d been a maid she had been able to tell them that she’d be fired if she got socially involved with clients.
Colt came back through the swinging doors carrying a tray stacked with dirty dishes. He placed them on an island, and then brought a pile to the counter next to her.
“I’ve been thinking of putting my wedding ring back on,” Jane said, accepting the plates with a nod of thanks.
“Yeah?” Colt said.
“It might discourage some of those guys if they assume I’m married,” she said.
“It might,” he agreed. “How come you haven’t done it yet?”
Jane felt some heat rise in her face, and she turned her attention to rinsing the plates for a moment before she said, “Because it would be hard.”
“Wearing Josh’s ring?” Colt asked quietly. “The memories?”
“It would be a reminder of the husband I lost,” she admitted. “But it would also be a reminder of a hard time. When I finally took that ring off two years ago it felt like a weight being lifted from my shoulders. I don’t want you to think I didn’t love Josh with my whole heart, because I did. But loving him was a lot of work, too. Standing by him. Supporting him from afar... All of it. It was work.”
“Don’t put the ring back on for us,” Colt said. “I won’t let anyone else bother you. Besides, I hired a cook this afternoon. He starts tomorrow.”
Jane gave him a curious look. “That quickly?”
“I needed a cook,” he said with a shrug.
Jane rinsed a plate and put it into the dishwasher. Colt joined her at the sink. They worked together for a few minutes in silence, loading up the plates and cups.
“I’m sorry marriage wasn’t easier for you,” Colt said, dropping a handful of cutlery into the appropriate slot.
“The problem wasn’t Josh,” she said. “I have to be honest about that. Josh was a good man dealing with some tough stuff.”
“Well, I don’t think the problem would have been you, either,” he replied.
She shot him a small smile. “The problem was life, Colt. That’s what marriage is—it’s hard work. It takes a lot of energy and dedication, and I wouldn’t undo a moment of my marriage to Josh. It was hard in a lot of ways, and it left me exhausted, but I loved him. And he gave me my beautiful girls. I just...don’t want to do it again.”
Was it terrible that after three years of marriage, she had already slipped out of the romantic honeymoon stage of things?
She looked down at her left hand in the suds—no rings. When she’d taken off her wedding ring after a year of mourning, she’d felt like herself again. Freer, calmer, lighter. Maybe it would seem heartless to anyone else looking in, but she didn’t want to have to put that wedding ring back on. Maybe there would be another way to discourage unwanted advances—something she hadn’t thought of yet. There was a lot of Biblical advice to married women, but not a whole lot for the single woman who wanted to stay that way.
Provide for me, Father, she prayed in her heart. And for my girls. Show me how to be single again.
* * *
Colt pulled open the passenger-side door of his truck for Jane, then headed around to the driver’s side. The cleaning up hadn’t taken too long with both of them working at it, and he’d enjoyed it more than he normally enjoyed cleaning up massive loads of dishes. There was something about Jane that made even the most mundane stuff into something special. It wasn’t “fun” exactly, but he couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather be doing, all the same. It was a small price to pay for a bit of time with her—something Ross had tried for, too.
He was still pretty upset with Ross, though. Colt had stopped outside the kitchen door and heard everything. If she’d shown any interest in Ross, Colt would have backed off and left the two of them alone to talk, but she hadn’t. And if he was forced to get really honest with himself, he’d been glad of it.
Which was stupid, because the thing he and Jane had in common was a mutual desire to stay single. If she changed her mind, that wasn’t his business. He knew where he stood, and that was what mattered.
When Colt got up into the driver’s seat, Jane had already buckled her seat belt.
“I’ve got to drop my truck off at the garage,” Colt said. “It’s not far from the house. One of our guys is going to change the oil this evening. We’ve got a pretty strict schedule for the ranch vehicles. We can walk back to the house from there. It’ll take like ten minutes.”
“Oh, sure,” Jane said. “Do what you have to do.”
Jane looked down at her phone and smiled wistfully. When she felt his gaze on her, she held it up, revealing a photo of her twins eating what looked like mac and cheese.
“Cute,” he said, turning the key.
<
br /> “I miss them,” she said. “Even when it’s only been a few hours.”
Colt backed the truck out and headed down the drive.
“I can’t tell them apart,” Colt said. “How do you do it?”
“Micha has a freckle on her forehead,” Jane said. “That’s all I’ve got. Physically, at least. Their personalities are very different. Micha’s the leader. She’ll be the first one to start trouble, and she was the first one to walk. Suzie’s quieter. She’s more of a thinker. She said Mama first.”
“I’ll have to look for the freckle,” Colt chuckled. “I saw them when I stopped by to talk to my aunt about hiring the new cook. And they looked pretty happy, if that makes you feel any better.”
“It does, actually.”
The truck bumped over a pothole, and Jane’s hand flew up to the window to stabilize herself.
“Sorry,” he said. “We’ve got to fill that one in. Every time it rains it hollows out again.”
He turned up the narrow road that led to the garage. It was shaded by a few trees, and he drove up to the front where the doors were open. Another truck was already in there, and Colt parked to the side. He looked over at Jane as he turned off the engine, and she pulled a hand through her dark hair, her face looking flushed from the heat of the day. He tossed the keys into the visor.
“We walk from here,” he said. He wasn’t supposed to be noticing how beautiful she was—at least not appreciating it quite this much. He wasn’t like Ross—he knew the line and he respected it.
They both got out of the truck and slammed their doors behind them. It was almost seven, and while sunset was still a couple of hours off, the sunshine was warm and golden and the shadows stretched long. Colt started down the lane toward the road, and Jane fell into step beside him. He slowed his pace a little to make it easier for her to keep up. It felt good to have her company out here—just the two of them in the sunshine-scented air.
“So, Peg says that you’re planning on opening a bed-and-breakfast,” he said.
“That’s the hope,” she said. “If I can find the right house. It would be nice to work from home, not have to drop the girls off at day care every day. I could make these pretty little breakfasts, maybe even do some homemade jars of jam I could sell to my guests...”
Her Twins' Cowboy Dad Page 7