“I don’t want to lose her,” she cried. “I know I’m being selfish, but I love her.”
He hugged her tight. “You aren’t being selfish. I can’t imagine that the Maxwells would want to take her from you, knowing how much you love her.”
She hiccupped. “But they might.”
Clint let her cry until she was all cried out. Laura stepped out of his arms. He continued to hold her around the waist.
“I’m sorry.” She buried her face in her hands.
He gently removed them. “Laura, I will do all I can to make sure that you keep Hope.” Clint grinned at her. “You could marry me and we could legally adopt her.” This was the second time he’d proposed to her. Clint knew he meant it. He’d protect her and Hope forever, if she’d let him.
Laura shook her head. “No, I can’t marry you because I want to keep Hope. You deserve a wife who loves you and wants to create a family with you.”
Her words cut deeply. He knew she didn’t love him, but her words reminded him that he’d started to fall in love with her. Clint released her and offered what he hoped looked like a friendly smile and not a pain-filled sneer. “Well, I had to offer. I’ll do all I can to help you keep Hope, even if you won’t marry me.” He watched as she hugged the sweater close to her body and nodded.
Clint couldn’t stand the thought of being on the porch with her any longer. “Good night, Laura.” He turned and walked into the house. He stood just inside the door and took a deep breath.
Now that the danger of the rustlers had passed, Clint decided it was time to look more seriously at finding a new nanny. If Laura stayed on the ranch any longer, he was sure she’d take his and Grace’s hearts with her.
* * *
The sound of a wagon coming up the driveway brought Laura’s head up from the beans she’d been sorting. She knew dark circles rested under her eyes from her sleepless night. Camelia had even gone so far as to suggest she take a nap with the girls.
Laura had refused. Her mind wouldn’t stop its fearful racing that the Maxwells were going to take Hope away. It was just silly of her to think such a thing, but she couldn’t still the thoughts that pushed at the edges of her mind. Even now she wondered if the approaching wagon contained the Maxwells. Were they coming to get Hope?
As the wagon came closer, Laura could see that a young woman with raven black hair was guiding the mare into the yard. She didn’t look very old. The woman set the brake on the wagon and then climbed down.
Laura stood up and walked to the top of the steps on the porch. “Hello.”
A soft smile touched the other woman’s lips. “Hello, I’m Selina Morgan. I’ve come in response to Mr. Shepard’s advertisement for a nanny. I hope the position hasn’t been filled yet.”
Laura motioned for Selina to come up on the porch. “It hasn’t. I’ll get Mrs. Murphy and Mr. Shepard. Please have a seat.” Laura indicated the rocker she’d just vacated.
Selina did as asked. “Thank you.”
Laura hurried into the house in search of Camelia. She found her in Clint’s room, dusting. “Camelia, there is a Selina Morgan here to interview for the nanny position.”
“Well, that’s just great. Why do they always choose to come during the girls’ nap times?” She frowned and laid down the dust rag. “That baby hasn’t been feeling well, and I’m not about to get her up to meet this newest woman.”
“I’ll go send one of the men to go get Clint. He can decide about this one.” Laura smiled. She didn’t want to wake Grace either.
Laura and Camelia walked back to the front of the house together.
In a low voice, Camelia asked, “What do you think of this one?”
“Well, so far I’ve only said hello, but she seems awfully young.” Laura shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be good with Grace.”
Camelia nodded and headed out the front door. Laura went through the kitchen and out the back door. She walked to the barn, where she found Richard mending a halter.
He looked up from his work at her and smiled. “What brings you out here, Laura?”
“Camelia would like for you to go get Clint. It seems we have another young woman who’d like to be Grace’s nanny.” She smiled back at him.
Richard laid the halter to the side. He stood and stretched out his back. “I don’t see why you don’t just stay on.”
“Because I’m a schoolteacher, and I have a town full of children to teach.” Laura grinned. Even though she wished she could stay on here at the ranch, it wasn’t possible.
He nodded. “Clint isn’t that far away. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Laura turned and left the barn. Sunshine beat down on her as she walked along the well-worn path. In no hurry to get back to the house, she turned toward the chicken coop. Miss Priss stood off to the side. Her wing had healed, but not as straight as Laura had hoped.
Her thoughts were on the night before and Clint’s proposal. If she had said yes, there would be no need for the new nanny. But she couldn’t marry Clint. She cared about him and might even love him a little, but the truth of the matter was she was barren and he’d want a son.
She sighed and headed back to the house. Entering the kitchen door, Laura gathered up a tray; she placed a dessert plate on it and added small slices of pound cake. As soon as she’d finished adding the cake, Laura made a fresh pot of coffee. She placed three cups on the tray with the coffeepot and then headed back to the front porch.
Clint stood on the top porch step. His hat was in his hand and his fingers were working the brim. He looked to her and smiled as she pushed through the door and handed Camelia the tray. “I thought you might like refreshments.”
“Thank you, Laura.” Camelia set the tray on table.
Laura turned to go back inside.
Clint’s voice stopped her. “Laura, Miss Morgan tells us she’s from Denver.”
She looked from him to Selina. “That’s nice. What brings you here?”
“I got tired of the big city life and wanted a change.” She smiled at Clint and batted her long eyelashes. “I was a nanny in Denver so when I saw your advertisement I thought it a blessing.”
Laura couldn’t help but wonder if Selina had known Priscilla while in Denver. She started to ask but then stopped herself. Denver was a big city, and the chances of the two girls knowing each other were slim to none. “Did you attend college in Denver?” she asked instead.
Selina took the cup that Camelia was offering her. “No, I didn’t have the money for school. I worked for the Blanchards. They have two rowdy young boys.”
Camelia shot the next question at her. “Why did you leave? Didn’t they pay enough?”
“Mr. Blanchard got a job in New York, and the family was moving there. They offered to take me with them, but I just couldn’t stand the idea of moving to another big city.” She took a sip of the coffee and grimaced.
Laura tried not to smile. Everyone on the ranch drank their coffee black. It hadn’t occurred to her to bring out cream and sugar for Selina.
Clint took the cup Camelia offered him and stared into it. “When would you be able to start?”
Camelia looked at him, startled. “What I believe Mr. Shepard is trying to say is, if we hire you, when would you be able to move out here?”
Selina smiled. “I can move in now. Everything I own is in the buggy.”
Laura felt as if she were in shock. Was Clint going to hire her on the spot? From the straight line of Camelia’s mouth, she wasn’t happy with this turn of events any more than Laura. If he hired Selina, did Clint expect her and Hope to be moved out by this evening? Her hands began to tremble as well as her lower lip. Laura fought the urge to cry. How had things progressed so swiftly?
Chapter Twenty-One
Clint could tell that two of the three women on the porch were not happy. An
ger radiated from Camelia like steam off a hot teakettle, and Laura looked as if she would burst into tears at any moment. This wasn’t at all what he’d had in mind. He walked toward Selina. “Thank you for coming out. I will talk to the ladies and let you know first thing in the morning what our decision is.” He held out his hand for her to shake.
Selina frowned but stood to leave. “Thank you.” She shook his hand and offered a sweet smile. “I understand.”
He wondered if she truly did. Clint walked her to her wagon and helped her back on.
She smiled and waved as she left the yard. Selina was a pretty girl, but he couldn’t help but compare her sweetness to the beauty that was Laura. The women were as different as night and day in appearance, but he thought she might have the same sweet disposition that Laura had and that Grace loved.
Clint walked back to the porch. He waited to see if either of the ladies were going to speak first. When it became evident that neither had anything to say, he said, “I think I’ll hire her.”
It was Camelia who responded. “Why?”
“Well, she’s smart, she has been a nanny before, and she’s not...” He searched for the right words. “Um, unlikable.”
The Irishwoman shook her head. “Clint Shepard, Selina’s smart. She knew exactly what you wanted to hear and so that’s what she told you. As for her being a nanny before, we only have her word for that.” Camelia took a deep breath. “But you are right in the fact that of all the ladies who have arrived for the job, she is the most likable.”
Laura stood quietly beside the door. She had a look of relief on her face that hadn’t been there before.
“Laura, what did you think of her?”
She gazed at him. “It’s not my place to decide what is best for Grace. It’s yours.” She turned to walk into the house. Sadness shrouded her like a storm cloud on the horizon.
His voice stopped her. “It is your place.” Clint waited for her to turn back around. “You are her nanny now. Would you hire Selina for Hope?”
Laura blinked several times as if she’d been hit in the face with a cold bucket of water. “I’m not sure. We don’t know anything about her.”
Camelia nodded. “My point exactly.”
He grinned at his housekeeper. “All right. I can see your point of view. How about this? How about we hire her for a week? If she works out, she stays, and Laura will be free to move back to town.”
“Where will she sleep? We don’t have a lot of rooms in this house,” Camelia was quick to remind him.
Laura sighed. “She can have my place in the nursery.”
Camelia’s eyes narrowed. “And then where will you sleep?”
Clint grinned as he watched the women face off.
Laura’s shoulders came back, and her eyes narrowed. “There is a small closet right off the kitchen. We can toss a straw mattress in the floor. I’ll sleep in there.”
Camelia opened her mouth to speak, but Clint beat her to it. “How about I pull one of the bunks from the bunkhouse and you sleep on that? If you are sure that’s what you want to do.”
She nodded. “I’m sure and...” Laura looked at Camelia. “There really is no other place in the house, and I want to make sure that Grace is happy before I leave.”
The older woman sighed and picked up the coffee tray. “Well, if you both are set on giving this gal a chance, who am I to stand in the way?”
Clint stopped her from walking away by stepping up in front of her. “Camelia, you are a part of my family. If you don’t want me to hire her, I won’t. But if the only reason you aren’t happy about this is because Laura will be leaving...” He paused and looked to Laura. “Laura and I agreed on this from day one.”
Camelia made a sniffing sound. “We’ll give her a week. She might not be too bad.” Then she walked around both Clint and Laura and went into the house.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Laura said, “Camelia will be all right. She doesn’t like change.”
Clint nodded. “What about you? Will you be all right?”
“Like you said, this is what we agreed on from the beginning.” Laura turned and followed Camelia.
He stood on the porch and sighed heavily. What was it about women and change? Martha had hated change, as well. His thoughts traveled to what the women didn’t like changing. They ran straight into Laura. Neither woman looked forward to her leaving. Come to think of it, he didn’t care much for the change either. Had Laura become such a part of their lives that she now felt like family? How was Grace going to take the changes that were coming?
* * *
After the girls were in bed and sleeping, Laura began to pack up her things. There was no reason to wait until morning to do it. Maybe if she did it now, Grace wouldn’t get to upset when Selina arrived and began to unpack.
She carried her clothes to the closet off the kitchen and looked about for a place to put them. The pantry was being used for canned goods and dishes that weren’t everyday items. Laura laid the clothes on a stool and began to move things about.
“You can stay in my room, if you don’t mind snoring.”
Laura smiled at Camelia over her shoulder. “Thank you, but I think we’ll both feel better if I stay here.”
Camelia gave an unladylike snort. “I don’t know why you don’t just give up that teaching job and stay out here with us.”
“You know I can’t do that. In a few years, Grace will be going off to school, and then what need will Clint have of a nanny? I’d be without a job and no prospects of finding another one.” Laura placed her clothes on the newly cleaned off shelf. “I think I’ll leave everything else in the bedroom with the girls.”
“I would. It’s going to be crowded in here when the cot gets added.” Camelia stepped out of the doorway.
Laura followed. She watched her friend go to the sink and start washing the last of the pots from supper. They’d gotten into a routine of having dessert after the dishes were done and the kids put to bed. She moved to the table and sat down.
“You know what I think?” Camelia looked over her shoulder at Laura.
She gave her friend a cheeky grin. “Never.”
“I think that gal won’t last the week.” She turned back to the dishes.
Laura laughed. “That’s probably what you thought of me, too.”
“No, I knew you were made of strong fibers. But that girl, I don’t think she will be able to handle our Gracie.” She set the pan on the counter to dry.
Laura gave the Irishwoman one of her firmest looks. “Camelia, promise me you won’t make this job hard on that girl.”
The older woman cut them each a slice of cake and turned to face her. “I won’t make it any harder on her than I did on you.” She set the cake in front of Laura.
“That’s what I mean. You were mean to me when I first came here. Don’t be that way with Selina. She’s coming into a house with two women and two little girls. She’ll be nervous and maybe even a little scared. I don’t think that she’s even twenty years old.” Laura reached for a fork from the crock in the center of the table.
Camelia returned to the counter and poured two cups of coffee. “I believe you are right about her age. She seemed awfully young to me.” She sat down with the cups and searched Laura’s face. “What do you think her story really is?”
Laura shook her head. “I don’t know. She may be running from her family, a new husband or—” she grinned “—she told the truth and just got tired of city living and wants a simpler life.”
Camelia handed her one of the cups. “Maybe. Something just didn’t set as true to me.”
Laura shrugged. “I wasn’t with her long enough to make that decision.”
They ate their treat in silence. Laura couldn’t help but think how young Selina looked. Once more she thought of Priscilla and the fact that they both were young
, they both came from Denver, and they both seemed to have something to hide.
Banging on the back door had Camelia jumping out of her seat. She stared at the door as if she thought a cattle rustler was going to break in.
Clint’s voice called to them. “Camelia! Laura! Open the door. This cot is heavy.”
Laura shook her head at Camelia and hurried to the door. She pulled it open with a grin. She moved back to let Clint and Parker enter. “Here I thought I’d have at least one more night sleeping on a soft mattress.”
Clint walked backwards into the pantry. Parker followed, carrying in the other end of the cot.
Laura returned to the table and sat back down, aware Clint hadn’t answered her. She picked up her fork and shoved a huge piece of cake in her mouth.
Parker walked toward the back door. “Good night, ladies.” He closed it behind him.
Clint walked to the table and sat down. “You do have another night in the girls’ room. I just thought it might be best if we moved the cot in tonight so as not to upset the girls in the morning.”
Camelia nodded toward the cake pan. “Help yourself to cake and coffee.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. Laura watched as he crossed the room and helped himself to a generous piece of the cake. It amazed her that like her, he’d thought not to upset the girls with the changes that were taking place.
“Would either of you like to ride into town with me in the morning?” He returned to the table and snatched a fork from the crock before sitting down.
Laura wanted to say no and could have used the girls as an excuse not to go. But she also thought it might be good for Selina and Grace to meet. They could get to know one another on the way back to the ranch. And she needed to visit Mrs. Maxwell and see if she were still willing to let her stay in the house meant for Priscilla.
Camelia shook her head. “No, thanks, I’ve had enough of town to last me another month.”
Clint looked to Laura.
“It might be good for Grace to meet Selina in town.”
Baby On Her Doorstep Page 15