by J. P. Comeau
“Why doesn’t your daughter just come to the rodeos? Don’t you want to share something that you love with her?”
I paused. “I do, yeah.”
“Then, let’s take Marie Lee to the rodeos. There’s plenty of food there, and I already know she’s a fiend like I am for lemonade. I could watch her when I’m not preparing for my event. And, of course, woman’s events are before the guys, so she’d be with one of us at all times.”
I smiled. “You’ve been thinking about this.”
“Yes, more than a little bit.”
I chuckled. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“So, other than her routine, what would you say is the most important thing to you right now regarding your daughter?”
I didn’t hesitate. “I want her to know she’s safe.”
She paused. “Safe?”
I nodded. “Yes. Safe. It’s a long story, and one I don’t want to get into. But, I got the sneaking suspicion that Marie Lee never quite felt safe sometimes whenever she was in the care of my wi--.”
Is she still my wife, though?
I cleared my throat. “My ex-wife. I just got this feeling that maybe my daughter didn’t feel too secure when it was just her around. I want her to feel safe, even when I’m not around. That is paramount in this situation.”
Willow grinned. “I don’t think I’ll have a problem with that.”
“Oh? Care to elaborate?”
She crossed her legs at her ankles. “I mean, I’m certified in things all nannies should be. CPR. The Heimlich maneuver. Things like that. But, I’m also trained in self-defense techniques, in general. It’s not easy being a single woman that lives by herself. So, I come with those types of capabilities as well.”
“Is there anything you don’t do?”
She reached for her burger. “I don’t cook like this. I’m much more prone to baking.”
I took pride in watching her enjoy the last bite of her second burger.
“My God, you can throw down,” she murmured.
I smiled. “Much appreciated.”
She licked her fingers, and I found the movements mesmerizing.
“So, when are you looking for me to move in?” she asked.
I blinked. “Move in?”
She giggled. “Bryce, I don’t mean to be forward, but we’ve talked about what your daughter needs. We’ve talked about pay. About moving in, and racing your horses, and what we’ll do with Marie Lee on the weekends while we’re rodeoing. I’m pretty sure you’re about to hand me this job.”
I snickered. “Are you always so confident?”
“More often than not, yes.”
I nodded. “Well, if you want it, the job is yours.”
She leaned forward, sticking out her hand. “If you shake, I move in this weekend.”
I looked down at her hand. “Under one condition.”
“Name it.”
I found her stare. “I won’t make you sign an NDA, but I need your word you won’t talk about the private goings-on of my home, or my work, or my businesses. I don’t know what you might be privy to, so I need someone who’s not going to make me the first piece of gossip that falls from their lips every morning.”
I watched her eyes soften. “You have my word. I’d never do anything like that, especially to a friend.”
The authenticity behind her words tugged at my heartstrings. And with one last movement, I shook her hand.
“Welcome aboard, Willow,” I said with a broad smile.
She giggled with pride. “Good to be here, Bryce.”
7
Willow
Four Days Later
“I still can’t believe he gave you this job,” Sadie said.
Luna turned around in the passenger’s seat. “And so soon. You must be relieved that you won’t skip a beat with paychecks.”
I smiled, gazing out the back window. “It’s nice, yes.”
Sadie looked at me in the rearview mirror. “How do you feel about all of this? Moving in and everything?”
I shrugged. “It’s only temporary. I’m sure I won’t be there for long.”
Luna eyed me carefully. “You aren’t worried about throwing away money when it comes to the apartment? I mean, you’ll be paying rent on a place where you aren’t staying.”
I snickered. “I’ll be able to afford it. He’s paying me seven hundred bucks a week to work, plus twenty percent on the side racing every other weekend. One week alone is enough to cover rent, and the rest I pocket. I’m pretty sure that’s an awesome deal. I held up my finger. And besides, I can always sublease it if I have too. It’s in my lease contract.”
Sadie leaned over the steering wheel. “Holy shit. Is this the man’s house?”
Luna’s jaw dropped open. “Is it a log cabin or something?”
I smiled. “It’s a ranch-style home done up like a log cabin. Isn’t it gorgeous?”
Bryce’s estate really was a sight to behold. His property seemed to stretch on forever, and his neighbors weren’t even in sight. The sprawling log cabin, ranch-style home was easily over four thousand square feet, and a pool-slash-hot-tub combination separated the backyard of the main house from the front yard of the guesthouse.
I pointed in front. “Down the gravel driveway. Take the first right-hand off-shoot, and it’ll pull us up right to the guesthouse.”
Luna rolled down her window. “You mean, that miniature version of this massive house back there?”
I giggled. “That’s the one.”
Sadie snickered. “Even the guesthouse is huge! How many bedrooms?”
I felt excitement rushing through my veins. “Three bedrooms, two bathrooms. A full kitchen, living room, and a sliding back door with my own little set of patio furniture. It looks out over the hill that slopes right down to the horse’s pasture. It’s an incredible view.”
Sadie murmured to herself. “Lucky bitch.”
I snorted. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
I didn’t bring much with me to move in. Just my clothes, my toiletries, and a few things that would help me make this place feel more like home: pictures and blankets to throw over the couches. My own bedspread to put on the bed--provided it was a queen-sized bed--and some decorations to hang on the walls. I couldn’t wait to get inside and personalize it a bit. Plus, I needed to stock it with groceries.
Maybe some tequila and margarita mix for those nights when I got to sit out back and look out at the horses running around in the pasture below.
Sadie came to a stop by the guesthouse. “Oh. My. God. Look at that pool!”
Luna hopped out of the SUV. “Is that a hot tub?”
I threw my door open. “It sure is.”
Sadie opened the trunk with her keys. “I can’t wait to have our first girls’ night here.”
I furrowed my brow. “Well, this is my job. So, I’m not sure how many of those we’ll actually have here.”
Luna turned to face me. “I mean, surely you’ve got time off, right?”
Sadie motioned for us to head to the trunk. “I’m sure you’ve got time off and stuff. It’s not like you’re a slave to this job. Besides, with three bedrooms, he has to expect you’ll have some company over. Right?”
I gave her a hard glare. “No. Boys.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “You’re not fun.”
Luna grabbed one of my clothing bags. “Still, though, on your first night off, we need to come over and christen this place.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, on my first night off.”
As I helped them haul my things into the guesthouse, I felt myself growing wary. Bryce and I hadn’t actually discussed things like days off, or even vacation time. Was I privy to something like that with the schedule he wanted me to run with Marie Lee? My knee-jerk reaction for the moment was ‘no.’
Would he get upset if I asked about it?
Bryce’s voice pulled me from my trance. “You guys need any help!?”
Marie Lee pract
ically shrieked. “Yoo here!”
I heard her giggling as she ran as quickly as she could across the backyard. Bryce was on her heels, ushering her around the pool, so she didn’t get sidetracked. I dropped the box I was hauling and held out my arms, watching as the beautiful two-year-old with bouncing curly hair and baby blue eyes ran straight into my arms. Her giggles warmed my soul. Her soft hug around my neck with her little baby arms made my soul take flight with happiness. I covered her cheeks in kisses, listening as she laughed so hard she started wheezing. And as Bryce picked up the box beside me, I saw Sadie and Luna practically drooling over him.
“Down, girls,” I warned.
And my words earned a hearty chuckle from Bryce himself.
“Snack?” Marie Lee asked.
I bopped her nose softly with my finger. “Hungry, huh?”
“Carrots?”
My eyebrows rose. “Do you like carrots?”
She nodded heartily. “And tornadoes.”
I blinked. “Tomatoes?”
She paused. “The red fings?”
“Yes, tomatoes. Can you say that?”
She furrowed her brow. “Tomatoes.”
“Toe-may-toes.”
She focused on me. “Toe-may-toes.”
I smiled. “Right! Tomatoes.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Tormaynoes!”
I threw my head back with laughter before I carried her into the guesthouse. I carried her into the kitchen and surveyed the barren wasteland that was this empty place. Which meant I needed to have groceries delivered. While Bryce unloaded the rest of my things while the girls ogled him like lovesick puppies, I pulled out my phone and opened up the Instacart app.
And twenty minutes later, I had a kitchen full of groceries headed in my direction.
“All right. Want to go see if there are any tomatoes in the kitchen?” I asked.
Marie Lee paused. “This not kitchen?”
I giggled. “It is a kitchen. But, it doesn’t have any food in it yet.”
Bryce stuck his head around the corner. “Need me to order some?”
I craned my eyes over my shoulder. “I already got them coming. Could you stay and receive them, though? Marie Lee wants some tomatoes, and I don’t know when the groceries are actually going to arrive.”
He nodded. “I can do that. Want me to unpack any of your stuff?”
I paused. “Leave the bags. Those are my clothes. But, the boxes have things you can unpack. Just pictures and blankets and stuff I brought with me. I think one has a queen-sized bed sheet set in it.”
He chuckled. “That might not work on the king-sized beds that are in here.”
I could hear the girls practically squealing as they stood in the corner, watching the two of us interact.
“Well, then just toss it in a closet somewhere, I guess,” I said with a wave of my hand.
It shocked me that Bryce seemed to be in such good spirits. His smiles were genuine, and he was eager to help out any way he could. And all the while, I wondered what kind of hurt he was covering up. As Marie Lee laid her head on my shoulder, I watched Bryce dig into the first box he found. I found myself focusing on his arms. His muscles, undulating beneath his skin. His pert ass jutted out every time he bent over for the entire world to behold. My head fell off to the side as I mindlessly bounced Marie Lee in my arms. But, it was Sadie clearing her throat that ripped me from my trance.
“I’m glad you’re settled in, but now Luna and I have to get out of here. We have some shopping to do ourselves,” she said.
I blinked. “Yes, yes. I’m so sorry. Let me hug you girls first. Thank you so much for helping me out.”
I hugged their necks tightly before Luna pressed her lips to my ear.
“Don’t do anything Sadie wouldn’t do.”
I grinned. “Doesn’t leave much, Luna.”
Sadie piped up from the door. “I heard that!”
I gave Luna one more hug before I ushered them back to the car. While Bryce continued to unpack boxes, I waved the girls off. Then, I finally took Marie Lee inside and got her a small bowl of cherry tomatoes. It took me a little bit to figure out that she wanted to drown them in ranch dressing. But, was there really any other way to eat cherry tomatoes?
“Want one?” she asked.
And when Marie Lee held out a dripping tomato for me to eat, pain filled my gut.
“I’d love one. Thank you,” I said.
How in the world would anyone leave such a beautiful girl behind? I’d only spent a short amount of time with her, but I was already in love with her. How Bryce’s ex-wife--or, soon to be ex wife?--could leave behind her own daughter was beyond me. Just to ditch the entire family you’ve created for another man? It made me ache for them both.
For Marie Lee, and for Bryce.
“I promise never to leave you,” I whispered.
And when she smiled at me with those ranch-covered cheeks, she stole my heart all over again.
Heavy footfalls came up behind me. “Looks like a good snack. Mind if I join?”
I turned around at the sound of Bryce’s voice. “Sure. Want some tomatoes with your ranch, like your daughter over here?”
Marie Lee smiled brightly. “Hi, Daddy.”
He chuckled. “Hi, princess.”
I watched him walk over to his daughter and ruffle her hair, to which she grimaced up at him. It would’ve made me laugh, too, if Bryce didn’t look so sizzling hot in the jeans he wore. His sleeves were rolled up, showcasing the veins protruding from his sunkissed forearms. And when he flashed me that pearly white smile of his, I noticed something.
He and his daughter had the same baby blue eyes.
“You hungry, Willow?” he asked.
The sound of my name on his voice made the hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end.
This isn’t good. Don’t make the mistake you did with Morris.
I swallowed hard. “I’m good, but thanks. I can get you something, though?”
He shook his head. “You’re the nanny. Not the butler. I can get my own snack. Thanks for offering, though.”
Marie Lee held up another tomato. “Here, Daddy.”
He took it. “Thanks, princess.”
And when he plopped it into his mouth, I couldn't help but watch his tongue swipe over the ranch sitting against his lower lip.
Making me hot between my legs as I sat there, trying not to fall for yet another boss.
8
Bryce
I laid in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I couldn't think straight. Hell, I could hardly see straight. And despite my long days, taxed with physical and mental exhaustion, I still couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. Between training horses, helping my brothers run the family petroleum company, and raising my daughter, one w ould have figured sleep would come easy for me. That I’d hit the bed, fall asleep, and not move until the sun came up. However, as nighttime hung heavily outside, I found myself reaching for my phone to check the time.
And groaned when I saw it was damn near midnight.
“Damn it,” I murmured.
I couldn’t stop thinking about my wife. About that note. About the fact that she had abandoned our daughter. Someone was sleeping with her, and that man had defiled my family with his actions. Fury boiled my blood as I sat up straight. I threw the covers off my legs and slipped my feet into my slippers. I had practically memorized that note she left behind—the only remnant of the fact that I’d ever had a wife in the first place. I mean, fucking hell, the woman cleaned out her damn closet when she left. She took her clothes and her shoes and her trinkets and erased all pieces of her in this house. I wasn’t sure I’d ever forgive her for it. But, there was one person I was much angrier at.
And that was the man who thought he could break up my family.
I stormed over to my desk in the corner and opened my laptop. I pushed away the fact that Patricia hadn’t called all week. I pushed aside the fact that Marie Lee didn’t once ask where
her mother had gone. I even pushed away the fact that it didn’t take much for Patricia to erase her existence from this house. I mean, she hadn’t once helped me decorate or hang a picture. She wasn’t in any of the ‘family photos’ I wanted to put up on the walls. Without her clothes and her massive collection of shoes, no one would’ve even known there was a woman in this house in the first place.
The thought made me sick.
Had I done wrong by Patricia? I thought I had been doing the right thing by marrying her when we figured out we were pregnant. That’s what any self-respecting man of my upbringing would have done. She was the mother of my child, for crying out loud! Of course, I’d stick by her through thick and thin. She ripped her entire body open and gave up whatever future she saw for herself to have my child. I’d bend over backward for her any day of the week.
And this is the thanks I got from her?
“I want to know who this man is,” I grumbled to myself.
At damn near midnight, I started my search. I wanted to know who the fuck she was doing that was more important than her own child. I wanted to know who the hell had her attention so fixated that she completely forgot to call and check up on her own flesh and blood. So, I typed away on my computer, trying to find any shred of evidence that might point me in the right direction.
“Come on, Facebook,” I murmured.
I scrolled endlessly through her pictures of the sunset outside in our backyard and mindless pictures of her and Marie Lee. And the one thing I found in all of those pictures was the fact that her smile was fake. The corners of her smile never quite reached her eyes, and I found it more unnerving than anything. It seemed too blatant in all of the pictures, so why didn’t I see it in real-time?
Had Patricia been miserable all this time?
Her note ran through my head as I logged into Instagram. I wasn’t a social media user, but I did have business accounts. And those business accounts had my wife added to them. I scrolled through her endless selfies and pictures of cocktails at two in the afternoon she’d had Maria make her, and part of me wanted to cry out in anger. My wife, drinking at two in the afternoon with our daughter sitting on the floor in the background, seemingly in tears. My hands trembled in fury and anguish at how lost my daughter felt in the presence of her own mother.