Home with the Cowboy

by Mary Sue Jackson

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  RELAY PUBLISHING EDITION, DECEMBER 2018

  Copyright © 2018 Relay Publishing Ltd.

  All rights reserved. Published in the United Kingdom by Relay Publishing. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design by LJ Mayhem Covers.

  www.relaypub.com

  Blurb

  For as long as she can remember, Willa Markson has felt the call of the big city, so that’s where she headed as soon as she was able. In New York City, she found a place where she fit, a place filled with art and sophistication that her little Texas town lacked. While working as an au pair, Willa finally gets the opportunity to land the job of her dreams. All she has to do first is bring her two-year-old charge, Bobby, just orphaned, back to his uncle in Texas. One quick trip won’t hurt, and it certainly won’t stop her dreams of becoming a major figure in the New York art world. She’ll drop Bobby off, no matter how much it breaks her heart, and head back to where she belongs. That’s the plan and absolutely nothing, not Bobby or his brooding, handsome uncle, is going to stop her.

  The last thing Daniel Gunn needs is a toddler running around, disrupting his perfectly ordered life. So when his little nephew arrives with an au pair—a distractingly pretty au pair—Daniel asks her to stay to take care of Bobby, a suggestion that’s met with more than a little resistance. No matter what he says or does, or how he tries to make his small town appealing to her, Willa is determined to go back to New York. But how can Daniel make her see that Bobby needs her? That he needs her. Not just for his nephew, but for himself.

  If Daniel is going to have any chance at convincing Willa to stay, then this country boy needs to capture her heart and convince her she no longer belongs in the big city.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  End of Home with the Cowboy

  Thank you!

  About Mary Sue Jackson

  About Leslie

  Sneak Peek

  Also by Leslie

  One

  The second Willa Markson opened the door of her rental car, the blast of Texas heat and humidity threatened to melt her into a puddle. New York City could get hot, but there was nothing like a Texas summer. She slapped at a mosquito in irritation.

  I’m not going to be here long, she told herself for the thousandth time. I’ll just hand Bobby off, and then I can get back to civilization.

  Bobby Gunn, her two-year-old charge, was in the backseat babbling about cows the whole time Willa was unbuckling him. Willa smiled as Bobby pointed to the cows out in the pasture, his fat legs kicking her in his enthusiasm.

  “Yeah, those are cows, buddy,” she said. “And look, there are horses, too.” Bobby didn’t know the difference between the two animals, only knowing they were animals and they were smelly, both things the toddler loved with all of his boyish heart.

  As Willa walked up to the sprawling farmhouse, she wondered for a second if she’d gone to the wrong property, as there didn’t seem to be anyone—anyone human, at least—around. But the house number was right, so this had to be it.

  Although the yard was neatly trimmed and the house newly painted, even Willa could see that the house was old: one window had a crack in the corner, most likely from a hailstorm, while the porch steps squealed so ominously that Willa was afraid she’d fall through the step if she weren’t careful.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when the front door opened and a man stepped out. She blinked as she took in his wide shoulders, the cleft in his chin, the stubble on his cheeks. He was dangerously handsome. And his eyes were so blue that her heart stuttered as she gazed into them. Her heart continued to stutter when she saw the look on his face, and it wasn’t a pleasant one. He looked like she was a bug he’d found skittering across his kitchen counter.

  Well, this must be Daniel Gunn. And he looks thrilled to see me.

  Willa swallowed, her mouth dry as she stared up at the man. A blush climbed up her face when she realized that she was staring and hadn’t said a word.

  “You must be Miss Markson,” the man said in a heavy Texan drawl as he approached Willa. “I’m Daniel Gunn.” He held out his tanned hand and shook hers with a firm grip; Willa barely restrained a shiver at the feeling of his callused palm against her own. Daniel’s gaze went to Bobby. “And you must be my nephew. Howdy, cowboy.”

  Bobby’s babbling quieted as he stared at the strange man before he turned his face into Willa’s shoulder.

  “He’s shy around strangers,” she explained, then immediately felt bad for saying that Daniel was a stranger in the first place. Willa had heard a few bits of the story of Bobby’s family, mostly involving estranged brothers and uncles. Now that Bobby’s parents had died tragically in a car accident only a few weeks ago, Daniel Gunn was all that Bobby had left.

  Willa swallowed against the sadness rising inside her. Maybe she was only Bobby’s nanny, working as an au pair for his parents Robert and Stacey, but the couple had become her friends, not just her employers. Stacey especially had taken Willa under her wing and had introduced her to all of her favorite places in New York. Willa smiled sadly, remembering when Stacey had treated Willa to lunch at a hotdog stand near Times Square that served the biggest hotdogs Willa had ever seen.

  Along with Robert and Stacey, Willa had fallen for Bobby, hook, line, and sinker.

  Daniel gestured for her to follow him inside. “My uncle James was going to be here, but he had to run some errands. He’ll be here in a bit. You want some tea? It’s a hot one out there.”

  Having grown up in Texas, Willa knew that declining a glass of diabetes-inducing sweet tea was akin to treason, so she smiled and said she’d love a glass. Daniel returned with two glasses just as Willa set Bobby on the living room floor and began to give him some toys to play with to keep him occupied.

  “Thank you again for bringing him all this way,” said Daniel as he handed her a glass of sweet tea. He gestured for her to sit down, and she took a seat on the worn but well-maintained suede couch. “We thought it’d be easier on the boy to be with someone he knew when he came here.”

  “Of course. I’m just sorry it all had to come about like this.” She glanced at Bobby, who was playing with trains, completely unaware of the tragedy surrounding him. Although he cried for his parents, he had only the babyish understanding that they were gone temporarily and would return soon. Willa wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse as of yet.

  “I set up the guest room
for you to stay in,” said Daniel.

  Willa’s eyes widened in surprise. Did this guy really think she was going to stay in his house with him? She wasn’t going to stay in Texas a day longer than necessary. “I’m not staying long. I have to get back to New York as soon as possible.”

  Daniel had relaxed back into the armchair, but he leaned forward at Willa’s words. His frown was severe enough that Willa’s palms got clammy.

  “Not staying? You’re just gonna leave my nephew, when you’re all he knows?”

  Willa turned scarlet, sweat beading on her forehead. Why was it so hot in here? A fan blew in the corner, sluggishly pushing air around, like it knew it could never compete against a Texas summer. She wished she could ask Daniel to lower the AC, but he didn’t look particularly accommodating after her announcement.

  Willa sipped her tea as she struggled to figure out what to say, the shock of sugar making her teeth ache. She’d grown up drinking sweet tea, but when you hadn’t drunk it for a while, that first sip was always a bit of a surprise. She’d gotten used to tea in the north, usually unsweetened with maybe a slice of lemon, a concoction Willa’s father had considered downright blasphemous when he’d visited her once in New York a few years ago.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Gunn,” she said, “but I have something super important that I have to get back for. The timing is terrible, I know, and I’m sorry I can’t stay longer. But you’re Bobby’s family—I’m not. I’m just his nanny.”

  “Nanny or not, we need you. Bobby has already lost his parents, and he likes you. What can I do to get you to stay?”

  His tone brooked no argument, and Willa wondered why he’d even framed it as a question. He looked as immoveable as granite, his jaw slightly clenched, his eyes narrowed. How had she ever thought he was handsome? He wasn’t handsome—he was obnoxious and stubborn as hell.

  Willa gritted her teeth in frustration. She knew this man meant well, but God Almighty, she couldn’t stay here! The last thing she wanted was to get stuck in this state she’d run away from the second she could. She’d left her hometown years ago because she’d never felt like she’d fit in. She’d wanted to paint, to bask in beautiful artwork. Her hometown’s idea of art had featured faded prints of Texan landscapes and photographs of horses.

  After graduating from art school and working tirelessly as an au pair to pay her bills, now she had the chance for a position at one of the most prestigious art galleries in the country. She was not going to let that job slip through her fingers. She’d worked too hard to get to this point.

  Bobby squealed then, and Willa jumped up, almost dropping her glass of sweet tea, when she realized he was about to stick his tiny finger in an electrical outlet. Why wasn’t the outlet covered? In shock, she realized that none of the outlets were covered, and if she had to guess as she took in the house, none of it was baby-proofed. She wanted to groan out loud. How could she in good conscience leave Bobby in a house like this?

  “Do you have any outlet covers?” she asked Daniel as she scooped Bobby up, which resulted in him yelling in her ear in protest. “And do you have a baby gate?”

  Daniel looked like she’d asked him if he liked to wear high heels, he was so thunderstruck. Willa restrained a laugh. Men!

  “What are you talking about? This house is perfectly safe,” he said.

  “Maybe it was safe thirty years ago, but things have changed.” She set Bobby on the floor again, keeping half an eye on him as she prowled around the living room. “I have some extra outlet covers in my bag. Thank God I brought them.” She’d had a feeling the house wouldn’t be baby-proofed, and she was glad she’d listened to her instincts.

  When Bobby had first started crawling, Robert had been the one who’d been fastidious about covering outlets, locking cabinets, and putting up gates. It wasn’t that Stacey hadn’t cared—far from it. But she was the type of person who didn’t always think about details, which was why Robert had been such a great match for her. Willa smiled at the memory of Robert coming home with bags of baby locks and whatnot, turning the house into the most baby-proofed abode in the history of baby-proofing.

  Willa began to cover outlets and closed doors to rooms where she could see furniture that was all-too-likely not screwed to the wall. She frowned when she saw that the stairway leading down to the basement, situated next to the kitchen and behind the living room, had no door, just stairs descending into the dark. They’d have to add a baby gate there pronto, as Robert had been fond of saying. “You’ll need a baby gate or two,” she said. “Can you buy them in town?”

  “How should I know?” Daniel sounded irritable, but as Bobby walked up to him and patted his knee, his frown turned to a smile. Looking down to meet Bobby’s wide-eyed gaze, he ruffled the toddler’s hair. “He looks just like Robert.”

  The sadness in his voice caught at Willa’s heart, but she ignored it. As she continued to baby-proof the house—which looked like it had been decorated in the seventies and had never been updated, considering the olive green and muted browns everywhere—Daniel followed her, Bobby toddling beside him, his little fingers hanging onto Daniel’s pant leg.

  “Miss Markson, I can see that you care about this little cowpoke just as much as we do. How would we know about this baby-proofing stuff the way you do? Two bachelors know as much about babies as a horse knows how to paint.”

  Willa snorted under her breath, but then sighed as she moved cords from the floor to a nearby table. “New York is my home. I need to go back.”

  Willa covered up a loose nail with a piece of sticky foam she’d discovered in one of the drawers in the kitchen in her wanderings and now found herself on the threshold of the biggest room of the house. It was clearly the master bedroom, and it smelled like leather. The bed was neatly made, the quilt faded but clearly stitched with skill. She saw jeans hanging in the closet—jeans upon jeans upon jeans—and she could bet that she’d find a few Stetsons and a number of cowboy boots in that closet, too.

  “I can do my own bedroom,” rumbled Daniel behind her.

  She jumped, her heart pounding. She turned to look at Daniel, who was now only a few feet from her. In the low light of the hallway, his dark eyes assessed her. Lordy, she didn’t have time to moon over some handsome but grouchy cowboy!

  “Of course,” she stammered. She handed him the remaining outlet covers. She picked up Bobby before he could wreak havoc in Daniel’s room, her nose wrinkling as she caught a whiff of a problem.

  “Diaper-changing time. Do you have a place I can change him?” she said.

  Daniel blinked, rubbing the back of his neck. “Got a changing table in his room,” she started to move toward the hallway, but he stopped her with his next words. “But it’s still in the box. Cows got out just after I got the crib put together, so I didn’t get a chance to put it together yet. Uh, the bathroom?”

  She rolled her eyes. “The living room is fine.” She wasn’t going to sit on the hard bathroom floor with a kicking toddler.

  Willa heard Daniel moving around in his bedroom, and once she’d finished with Bobby’s diaper, the toddler ran straight to those darn basement stairs. She needed to block those off right now. Picking up Bobby, she frowned, thinking. What could she use that would keep Bobby out?

  Remembering the kitchen chairs and seeing a small coffee table in the living room, she decided she’d finagle something. She distracted Bobby with some toys before creating a wall of furniture: the chairs turned over, the table upside-down. It was a bit like a game of Tetris, but Willa smiled in triumph when Bobby ran to the steps, tried to get around the blockade, and couldn’t.

  “Looks like this’ll work,” she said.

  Right then, the front door opened. “Hello?” a new masculine voice said.

  Willa returned to the living room, Bobby in hand, as a man who looked to be in his mid-sixties came inside.

  He doffed his hat like some gentleman of old as he said, “You must be Miss Markson. I’m James Gunn, Daniel’s uncle.” />
  Willa held out her hand. “So nice to meet you. This is Bobby. Bobby, this is your other uncle. Can you say hi?”

  Once again Bobby hid behind her leg, but Uncle James’s kind face merely crinkled in a smile.

  “No worries, miss. He doesn’t know who I am, and I got such a wrinkled old face that I’m sure I’d scare any little britches who looked at me.”

  Unlike Daniel, Uncle James made Willa feel instantly relaxed. It probably helped that he was old enough to be her father.

  “What’s all the commotion in here?” said Daniel as he finally emerged from his bedroom.

  Willa stiffened. So much for feeling relaxed, she thought.

  Two

  When Uncle James had told Daniel that Robert’s nanny was bringing Bobby to them from New York, Daniel had expected the woman to be old and gray, as nannies were supposed to look.

  But when Daniel had come outside to meet this Miss Markson, he’d realized that she wasn’t old and gray. She was young and pretty—the last thing he needed.

  As Uncle James introduced himself, Daniel took in Willa’s appearance once again. She had a riot of black curls that were pulled back into a braid. A few tendrils had since escaped the plait and were curling about her face. She was fair-skinned, although Daniel could make out freckles on her nose and cheeks even from where he was standing. With her rosebud mouth and sparkling brown eyes, she was the definition of pretty.