Montana Dad

by Jeannie Watt

  Nick understood that having a house between his two was inconvenient, but if Vince had chosen to work with Rosalie and Gloria, instead of trying to intimidate them into selling, everyone could have benefited. That wasn’t Vince’s way. Nope. In Vince’s mind, his way was the only way. And if he couldn’t get his way, then he did crappy things like pulling in favors to slow down the permitting for the replacement bridge.

  “Daddy, shouldn’t you lock the gate?” Kendra asked when he drove through without stopping.

  “We’ll lock it on our way home, kiddo.”

  “My turn,” Bailey announced.

  “You did it last time.”

  “Uh-uh.”

  “Yes,” Kendra said adamantly. “You did.”

  Bailey let out a defiant humph as Nick glanced at her in the rearview mirror. Kendra took after him—her blond hair was already showing signs of going dark, as his had done, but Bailey was going to be a blonde-blonde, like her mother. And she had Kayla’s stubborn chin and short nose. He missed his wife, and he had no business thinking about Alex so much when his primary job in in life was parenting his girls.

  But he was.

  After they pulled up to the house, Nick laid down a few rules. “You have books and crayons and your music. I want you to stay in the yard. If Ms. Ryan lets you play with the dogs, cool. If she says no, then that means...”

  “No,” the girls answered in unison.

  “I want to play with the dogs,” Bailey whispered to Kendra.

  “You can unless the lady says no,” Kendra replied in a no-nonsense way.

  “The Wapunzel lady.”

  “Rapunzel,” Kendra corrected.

  “That’s the one,” Nick agreed. “Okay. Best behavior. Dad has to get some work done and I don’t want to worry about you getting hurt by falling stuff.”

  “We’ll be good,” Kendra promised. Bailey nodded her agreement as she unbuckled her seat.

  Once again, he was greeted by the low woofs and sharp yips as he climbed the rebuilt porch stairs, and Bailey, who loved dogs, grinned up at him. He scooped her up in his arms at the last minute, so that the dogs didn’t flatten her when they went into the house. Kendra was more adept at staying out of the way and keeping her footing. Lizzie Belle the goat had taught her a thing or two about playful stealth animal attacks.

  Alex ordered the dogs back, then smiled at the girls. “You brought your crew again.”

  “Yes. They have things to keep them busy while I work.” He didn’t say we, because after their last conversation, he wasn’t sure if Alex still felt like spending time with him.

  “Great.” Alex smiled at them, and Bailey cocked her head as she studied Alex’s hair, which was clipped to the back of her head. Then she ran her fingers through her own fine locks as if wondering if she could copy the hairdo. “Can we play with the dogs?” she asked.

  Alex met Nick’s gaze. “I can’t think of anything the dogs would like more.”

  “Great.” He set Bailey down, keeping one hand on her shoulder. “Maybe they could play in the backyard.”

  “Great idea.”

  As soon as Bailey’s feet hit the floor, Roger’s ears went up, giving him a comical bat look, and both girls laughed. Then, sensing an appreciative audience, he circled the girls at high speed before flopping down onto his belly with his paws spread in front of him in an invitation to play.

  “He likes kids,” Alex said in a low voice.

  “Apparently,” Nick agreed.

  Bailey laughed, and Roger ran another circle while Gus sat down and offered a big paw to Kendra, who giggled as she shook his hand.

  “Hey, girls,” Nick said. “Why don’t you see if you can get these guys out the back door?”

  “Okay,” they chimed together.

  “Come on, Woger,” Bailey said as she headed through the dining room to the kitchen. Roger trotted beside her while Gus walked next to Kendra.

  “R-r-Roger,” Kendra said as she followed her sister.

  “R-r-r-Woger,” Bailey repeated.

  Nick tipped back his hat as he watched his girls head out the back door, little Roger dancing beside Bailey, giving her his best canine smile.

  “Big change in that dog,” he commented when he turned back to Alex, catching her midstare. From the way her cheeks went pink, he suspected that she hadn’t been studying him in a casual way, which in turn piqued his curiosity. Why the blush? What had she been thinking?

  He let the moment pass, jerking his head toward the hallways leading to the bathroom and saying, “I guess I’ll get to it.”

  “Yes...do you need any help?”

  He gave her a long look. “I might.”

  “I’m pretty good at handing tools,” she said in a serious tone, but he saw a flicker of amusement in her eyes. Whatever embarrassment she’d felt at being caught studying him in that thoughtful way had dissipated, but he still felt the crackle of awareness between them. The big question was what to do about it?

  Don’t mess up—that’s what you do about it.

  Alex had issues, he had daughters, so he had to move slowly; allow her time to get to know him as he got to know her. It was the only logical way to proceed, and Nick prided himself on being a logical man.

  * * *

  WHY?

  The question kept circling through Alex’s head as she watched Nick assess the extent of the necessary repairs. Why this man? And more than that, why this man at this particular time, when her life was in turmoil?

  You wouldn’t be anywhere near this man if your life wasn’t in turmoil. You’d be in Virginia.

  True.

  Alex followed Nick as he checked the plumbing in the kitchen and bathrooms, then crawled under the house to see what kind of shape the pipes were in. After that, he made his way into the attic to determine the extent of the water damage there, then climbed up on the roof.

  It was interesting to watch how attuned Nick was to his daughters. Despite the fact that he was all over the house, if things became too silent out in the yard, he’d excuse himself to check on the girls and assure himself that all was well.

  “I’ve heard that silence is more telling than loud noises,” Alex commented the second time it happened.

  Nick smiled. “Yes. Definitely.” He turned his attention to the pink postage-stamp tiles covering the walls above the old pink tub in the downstairs bathroom. “I have bad news.”

  Alex’s heart skipped. “How bad?”

  “Wall repair bad.” He put a hand on the tiles and applied gentle pressure. Sure enough, the wall gave a little. “My guess is that they didn’t use water resistant wall board behind it. Judging from the color and style of tub, this tile was probably put in during the late fifties or early sixties. Dampness seeped in and disintegrated the wall. All that’s holding it up is the tile.”

  “Cool,” Alex said on a breath.

  The corners of Nick’s eyes crinkled at her wry statement and once again her heart skipped—but not for the same reason as before. And darned if he didn’t look as if he knew exactly what was going on inside of her—that he was aware of the hum of attraction which made her nerves more reactive than usual and her breathing a touch more shallow.

  Maybe because he felt it, too?

  It was possible, judging from the way his gaze held hers, and the thought made her cheeks go warm.

  Again, why?

  Alex let out a long breath.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Oh, no. Just having a moment here...

  She forced a smile. “I was just thinking about my budget.”

  He nodded in a way that told her that he was going to let her get away with her white lie, but that he suspected she wasn’t being totally forthright. “I think this is something you have to address. They make fiberglass tub surrounds, which would save time and money,
but I’ll still have to replace the walls behind it with cement board, which is water resistant.”

  “I agree. This has to be done.”

  “You want to tear out a wall today?”

  “Could we?” she asked brightly, and Nick laughed, causing a pleasant warmth to tumble through her.

  “Yeah. We could. We should bring in the big trash can from beside the house and lay a cover over the tub to protect the enamel...unless you want to replace it?”

  “Are you kidding? I love a good pink tub.”

  “You and my oldest daughter. We tried to raise them color neutral, but Kendra loves pink.”

  We.

  Alex’s heart squeezed. The “we” had become “I” a few years ago and she felt for him.

  “I’ll get the tarp and catspaw from my truck. Would you mind getting the trash can?”

  “Meet you back here,” Alex said, suddenly glad to get out of the small space they’d been sharing. She needed a moment to regroup, catch her breath.

  The smart thing to do would be to leave Nick to do his work alone, and that way avoid the tug of attraction that seemed to be growing with each passing moment, but Alex didn’t do the smart thing. Instead, she hauled the trash can into the hallway next to the bathroom and waited there while Nick covered the tub with the tarp. And when he asked if she was ready for some demolition, she simply said yes.

  There was something cathartic about demolishing a wall, knocking that first big hole into the crumbling wallboard and old tile and then prying off pieces and breaking them up to fit into the trash can.

  “So,” Nick asked as he ripped a hunk of wallboard off the framing, “what else do you like besides pink bathtubs?”

  Alex took the debris from him and pushed it into the trash can. Not long ago the question would have had her giving a trite answer and then changing the subject, but today, after knocking a hole in the wall with him, she answered honestly. “I like having things organized.”

  He laughed. “Is that like a hobby of yours.”

  She smiled back, trying to remember another time in her life she’d felt so comfortable, yet so on edge. She couldn’t recall a single one. “It makes me feel like I’m in control.” She tore off a hanging chunk of tile and dropped it in the can as she tried to think of something she liked that wasn’t totally boring. “I like dogs.”

  “Obviously.”

  “I like shopping, but I don’t do it very often.”

  “Maybe that’s why you like it.”

  “Could be.” She tipped the trash can so Nick could shove in another piece of wallboard.

  She thought of the boxes of crafting supplies in the upstairs closet, next to the container with the quilt tops and old lace. “I really like doing crafts and handwork, but haven’t had the time to indulge.”

  “I suggest that you hang with my grandmother, then. She’s good at that stuff.”

  “Maybe I will,” she said noncommittally. But she didn’t see it happening.

  They emptied the trash can twice into the bed of Nick’s truck, then dragged it back for a third go.

  “This looks so sad,” Alex said as she surveyed the framing that showed through the gaping hole over the tub.

  “It’ll look better soon,” Nick assured her, bringing one hand up to rest on the door jamb. “I do good work.”

  “I bet you do,” she said softly. She met his gaze, and what was supposed to be a brief glance turned into something more as their eyes met and held. It took her a moment to remember to breathe as the intensity of the moment grew.

  And grew.

  How was this happening? One moment they were discussing pink tubs and shopping and now...oh dear heavens. She was going to kiss him. Or he was going to kiss her.

  Nick made the first move, leaning toward her, and instead of stepping back as a sane woman would do, she lifted her chin to meet the kiss. Doing anything else would have been impossible.

  Nick’s lips met hers lightly, his mouth warm and firm and perfect. Alex’s hand slipped up around his neck, but all she did was savor the warmth of his skin rather than pull him closer. The pressure of his lips increased, and Alex’s knees started to give a little as the kiss deepened.

  When Nick lifted his head, she had to fight to keep a small murmur of protest from escaping her lips. She gazed up at him, and he returned her stare, looking a touch shell-shocked.

  “I hadn’t planned to do that,” he said huskily.

  “But you did.”

  “Yes.”

  “Um...” Alex stepped back, putting up her palms in a no-big-deal gesture as she put space between them. “No need for alarm. Just two healthy adults—” she hesitated “—being healthy.”

  Nick laughed, showing white teeth as his cheeks creased. “That’s one way to put it.”

  Alex should have felt more alarmed than she did, but it was now patently obvious that she wasn’t the only one treading on unfamiliar ground. “I don’t know what to do here, Nick.”

  Honesty felt amazing. She didn’t know what to do and she said it aloud instead of pretending she was in control.

  “Me, either.”

  “The last guy who kissed me set me up to take the blame for a crime.”

  He moved closer, once again setting his hands on her shoulders. “I won’t do that. I promise.”

  She bit her lip, but a smile broke through. “I can honestly say that I believe you.”

  “Daddy! Where are you?”

  The screen door slammed behind Bailey as she came into the kitchen and Nick took a slow step back, dropping his hands. “Don’t disappear on me,” he said in a low voice.

  “Do you think I will?”

  “I don’t know,” he said as Bailey called his name again.

  Neither did she.

  “We’re here, kiddo,” he called to his daughter.

  “There you are.” Bailey came down the short hallway and hooked an arm around Nick’s leg before peering into the bathroom.

  The little girl’s expression was so horrified that Alex pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. Talk about a seesaw of emotions over the course of the last two minutes.

  “You made a bad mess,” Bailey said in an awed tone.

  “We’ll clean it up tomorrow,” Nick promised as he ran a hand over Bailey’s blond head. “Do you guys want lunch?”

  “Kendra’s making a place for us to have a picnic.” Bailey looked up at Alex. “Do you got paper plates?”

  “I do,” she said. “I even know where they are.” She gave Nick a quick look, then headed to the kitchen to pull a package of plates out of a cupboard.

  “Thanks,” Nick said as Bailey left the house a few minutes later with plates and plastic forks.

  He looked down at her, a serious expression on his handsome face. “Are we in an okay place?” he asked softly.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I think we are.”

  It was a half-truth. They were okay, but she wasn’t certain if she was okay. Kissing the neighbor had not been in her game plan, which meant she was going to have to asses and come up with a new plan.

  * * *

  KENDRA AND BAILEY played with the dogs, read books and colored while Alex and Nick finished up the bathroom demolition and then started removing kitchen cabinets so that Alex could sand and paint them the following day while Nick attacked the old plumbing. Nick’s sister Katie drove in midafternoon, and Alex thought she did a pretty good job of not jumping a mile at the sound of an engine—but her heartrate did step up at the thought of meeting another Callahan.

  She’s a neighbor. No need to be nervous.

  She was also the sister of the guy Alex had kissed a few hours ago.

  “Is that my sister?” Nick called from the bathroom.

  “It is,” Alex said before opening the front door to meet her new neighbo
r. She started down the porch steps as a dark-haired woman climbed out of a red pickup truck.

  “You must be Alex,” she said as she approached the gate. “I’m Katie. Nick’s long-suffering sister.”

  “Nice to meet you.” The resemblance between Nick and his sister was striking. Nick’s eyes were darker, and the angles of Katie’s face were softer, but Alex had no trouble pegging them as brother and sister.

  “Thank you for adopting Roger.”

  Alex lifted her eyebrows at the unexpected and heartfelt pronouncement. “You’re welcome?”

  Katie beamed at her. “The little guy is legend, you know. But no one else would take him on.”

  “I’m glad I did.” She also felt as if she’d passed some kind of test when Nick’s sister gave her an approving nod.

  The front door opened, and Kendra poked her head out. “It is Aunt Katie,” she called over her shoulder, as if settling an argument. “Get your stuff, Bailey.”

  After the gathering of scattered kid accoutrements and shooting down a suggestion that “Woger” go home with them, Katie and the girls took off for the Callahan ranch, leaving Alex and Nick very much alone.

  “And here we are,” Nick said as his sister drove away.

  “Yep. You and me.” Thanks to the kiss that morning, Alex had no idea what to expect now that there were no little girls on the premises. It wasn’t a dinner invitation.

  “I think,” Nick said after gathering his tools together, “that you should consider coming to the ranch for dinner tonight.”

  Alex lifted her eyebrows. The truth was that she wouldn’t mind company for the evening, but did she want to get more deeply involved with the Callahan family? “I couldn’t put anyone out like that.”

  He her an ironic look.

  “What?” Alex demanded.

  “I kind of knew you were going to say that. As it happens, dinner is yet another slow-cooker meal. The ranch would collapse if that thing went on the fritz while Brady, my cooking brother-in-law-to-be, is away at school.” That sexy mouth tilted up at the corners. “You won’t be putting anyone out.”