“Is that Maggie McKay I hear?” She opened the door to find the little girl looking at her with a mix of sheepishness and surprise.
“How’d you know it was me?”
Caroline winked. “Just a feeling. How are you this morning?”
“Good. I’m glad you’re here. Oh, I’m supposed to tell you that Grandma says breakfast is almost ready.”
“Then we’d better head down—whoa, little man.” Caroline caught Eli as he made a break for the stairs. Or was it Jasper? Setting them loose in the bedroom had scrambled their identities a little in her mind. It was rather like watching that street magician’s game with the pea in the walnut shell. If she had to guess, she’d say this sweet pea was Eli.
Refocusing on Maggie, she realized the girl was exactly the extra set of arms she needed. “You know, Maggie, while I’m here, I could use a special helper to assist me now and then. I don’t suppose you have anyone you would recommend?”
Maggie brightened. “Me, Miss Caroline. You’ve got to choose me. My pa said I’m supposed to help you whenever I can.”
“Wonderful! I knew I could count on you. Right now, I could use an assistant to help me get the triplets safely down to breakfast. Do you think you can carry one of them while I carry the other two?”
“I can do it.”
“Thank you, Maggie. Here. You take Eli.” Caroline transferred the baby to Maggie, making sure she had him safely in her grasp. “Go right on down the stairs, and I’ll meet you at the table.”
She watched to make sure Maggie made it all right, then turned to hunt down the two others. Soon enough all three boys were sitting in their high chairs at the table, which felt like an accomplishment in and of itself. Ida greeted Caroline with a warm hug and words of welcome, then set her to work cutting the triplets’ food into manageable pieces for them.
David entered through the back door with a pail of milk. He smiled at the sight of Maggie entertaining the triplets by making silly faces. David placed another chair at the table. “Caroline, the boys are pretty independent when it comes to mealtimes. At least, they try to be. Usually Ma and I split up the triplets during the meal. I watch over two while Ma takes care of one.”
“I’d be happy to take one of the triplets off your hands.”
“Sounds good.” He nodded and placed one of the high chairs between them.
Finally, they were all seated, but not quite settled. Caroline shifted to find room under the table and accidentally bumped David’s knees with her own. “Sorry!”
“It’s all right. This table is getting a little too small for all of us. Ma, do you know where you stored the leaf? I can put it in before lunch.”
“Yes, I’ll—” Ida hesitated, her gaze flickering from David to Caroline. “I’ll have to look for it.”
Maggie wiggled in her seat as she impatiently eyed the gooey cinnamon rolls at the center of the table. “Is it time for grace, Pa?”
“Go ahead, Maggie.”
She reached for David’s and Ida’s hands. Ida took Caroline’s. Caroline glanced at David. He showed none of the hesitance she felt in joining hands. In fact, he was already closing his eyes by the time her hand found his. A little surge of heat went through her fingers as they slid across his palm, but he didn’t seem to notice, so she determined that she wouldn’t, either.
There was no ignoring that this was the hand of a rancher used to hard work and long hours in the saddle. It had a strength and a roughness to it that made for a much different experience than those few times she’d held Nico’s hand. He’d had soft hands with long fingers, perfect for the piano—and for stealing from unsuspecting women, apparently. Why she persisted in comparing the two men was beyond her and beyond annoying. Especially since it only made Nico look worse, which in turn made her feel more foolish. It also had the inconvenient result of making David look even better in comparison. It needed to stop.
Thankfully, Maggie’s prayer provided a timely distraction from her thoughts. “Lord, thank You for this food and for Miss Caroline coming to stay with us. Help us all have a good day. Amen.”
All the grown-ups echoed, “Amen.”
Caroline grinned at Maggie. “Thank you for including me in your prayer, Maggie. That was very sweet.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Caroline.” Maggie sent her a bashful smile.
Ida gave Caroline’s hand an affectionate little squeeze before releasing it. “It was well deserved. You’re going to be a blessing to us. I can feel it.”
“I hope so.” Caroline glanced at David to see if he had anything to add. She found his thoughtful gaze trained down at the table. No. Not the table. He was looking at their joined hands. Oh, dear. Were they the only ones still holding hands? A quick glance around the table said they were.
Offering him a small smile to cover the awkwardness of it all, she pulled her hand free with a gentle tug. Something was troubling him. She could see that and sense it, too. His expression shuttered and he glanced back to his plate. Oddly enough, she felt cheated. After all, she’d poured her heart and her tears onto his shoulder a couple of days ago. It seemed only fair that he would be just as vulnerable with her.
Of course, they were technically little more than strangers, and the best place for sharing confidences probably wasn’t at the breakfast table. But still. The principle of it bothered her. And it annoyed her to be bothered by it.
“Caroline, dear, the boys like to try to feed themselves, though they don’t quite have the knack of it yet.”
Caroline blinked away her reverie and focused on copying Ida’s technique in making sure the baby, whom she was relatively certain must be Theo, was well fed. It took far more energy and creativity than she’d imagined to keep him interested in the food. Maggie filled the lagging conversation. “Are you riding with the ranch hands today, Pa?”
“Yes, I need to check on the herd.”
“May I go with you?”
David paused to look at Maggie, then at Caroline before returning to Maggie. “I thought you were excited about helping Miss Caroline today.”
“I am, but I also like helping you. I can do both.”
David chuckled. “You stay here with your grandma and Miss Caroline today. I’ll take you riding another time.”
Caroline lifted a brow at David slightly, wishing she could say, “See? I was right. You’re the most important person to her.” Instead Caroline smiled at Maggie. “We’ll have fun today, Maggie. I promise.”
Ida took a break from feeding the baby to nudge the bowl of biscuits toward David. “David, will you be back in time for lunch?”
“Probably not, but I’ll be here for dinner.” He finished his plate and set it in the sink before grabbing a biscuit on the way out. “Y’all have a good day now.”
“Bye, Pa.” Maggie returned her father’s parting wave and watched until the door closed after him. Her eyes filled with tears. Her lower lip trembled.
Caroline tensed in alarm. She was about to try to comfort the girl when Ida caught her eye. The woman shook her head in warning. Pressing her lips together to keep them silent, Caroline did her best to listen as Ida went over the triplets’ daily schedule with her. Even so, Caroline couldn’t help glancing at Maggie now and then. The girl’s eyes eventually cleared of tears. Finally, Maggie reengaged in the conversation as though nothing had happened.
Did that happen every morning? It must if Ida was so used to it. Caroline’s heart went out to the girl. At Maggie’s age, she used to do the exact same thing when her parents left for the theater. She’d known she wouldn’t be able to see them again until the next morning, and the small amount of attention they’d paid to her at breakfast was never enough to fill her aching heart. Matthew had always done his best to distract her until she was able to forget about her parents and enjoy the rest of the day. It had bothered her
less and less as she grew older. Eventually she’d learned to accept the fact that her parents cared more about their work than they did about their children.
Could the same thing be happening here? If so, Caroline was a living, breathing example of why that was a disaster waiting to happen. She’d fallen for the first man to show her any attention and ignored every sign of his dishonorable intentions. Caroline couldn’t let the same thing happen to sweet little Maggie. Something had to be done. And she was just the woman to do it.
* * *
David tugged his hat lower to block out the midafternoon sun. Even its scorching heat couldn’t quite rival the intensity of Matthew’s warning glare from earlier this morning. The man’s exact words had been “Watch yourself around my sister. She’s been hurt, and that won’t happen again on my watch. At least, not without some serious repercussions for the man who does the hurting. Understand?”
David understood, all right. He’d done his best to assure Matthew that Caroline would be safe from any romantic entanglements at the McKay ranch. For some reason, Matthew hadn’t seemed entirely convinced. The man really had no need for concern. The only thing David intended to do with Caroline was to stay out of her way. That should be easy enough, since as long as she was doing her job, he’d have plenty of time to do his.
That in and of itself was a blessing. After spending the last few days helping his mother with Maggie and the triplets, he had a lot to catch up on. Beyond the normal day-to-day running of the ranch, David was also battling the drought that continued to wreak havoc on the ranches surrounding Little Horn. He’d grown up on a ranch in west Texas, where rain and water was far less abundant than in the comparatively lush Hill County, so he felt he had an advantage in that fight that many of the nearby ranchers didn’t.
He was used to conserving water and stretching resources. Unfortunately, that didn’t make it any easier to watch the once-green pastureland fade to yellow, then dry up in patches of brown. Nor did it stop him from being concerned about his cattle—especially since the land had to support the extra two hundred head he’d brought with him from out west last year.
Bringing along his best breeding stock had seemed like a good idea at the time. He’d planned to focus on rebuilding the herd and extending his adoptive father’s legacy right here in Little Horn. Now it would take his best efforts to keep the stock healthy and fed through the winter. While the fresh spring near the house looked to be holding up, his hay crop was going to be much smaller than he’d hoped.
David sent a questioning glance to his nearest ranch hand. Ephraim Campbell had been a part of the McKay operation in west Texas and had followed the outfit to Little Horn, along with David’s foreman, Joaquin Reyes. They’d joined together with Isaiah Upkins, an older cowboy who’d worked for the previous owner of the Windy Diamond. As appreciative as David was for Isaiah’s knowledge of the land, David had worked with the other two men long enough that they could all but read his thoughts when they worked together. Proving that, Ephraim simply said, “Twenty-four.”
David nodded. Twenty-four calves still nursing so far. They’d likely find a few more before the day was through. That meant he’d have no choice but to buy additional feed. Other ranchers in the area were going to find themselves in the same position, which meant feed prices were bound to go up. The sooner he got his order in, the better.
The only thing left to determine was how much he’d need to spend. He considered his options for a moment. “I’m thinking about weaning early.”
Ephraim wiped his golden-brown brow on his shirtsleeve before placing his hat back over his dark curls. “Cutting feed cost?”
“Yep.”
Ephraim nodded his agreement. David glanced across the thirty or so cattle they had corralled in search of his foreman. “Hey, Joaquin, what do you think about weaning early this year?”
Joaquin tipped back his hat to eye the calves in the bunch. “They look good. I think they can handle it. Want us to separate them out?”
“Yes, as soon as we get a final tally.”
Far in the distance, Isaiah headed their way, returning from a scouting mission with a couple of strays. Catching sight of a limping calf, David rode out to meet him. “Have you checked the injury?”
“Not yet. This red-spotted steer has a mind of his own.” As if to prove Isaiah’s point, the steer bolted left.
“I’ll doctor the calf. Have fun with the steer.” He grinned as Isaiah grimaced and redirected the steer.
Joaquin cantered over as David doctored the calf’s leg. “What’s the matter with him?”
“Looks like he got caught up on some barbed wire.” David untied the calf and watched him lope back toward his mother. “If so, his mother might be scratched up, too, even though she isn’t limping. Once we’re done counting calves, let’s bring them into the corral by the barn. Examine the mother. Keep an eye on the calf.”
“Sure thing, jefe.” Joaquin tipped his hat back. “Do you want us to check the fence? It might be damaged.”
David remounted his horse. “I’ll ride over now and take a look, since I wanted to check on the crop anyway. Meanwhile, y’all keep looking for nursing cattle.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
With a nod of thanks, David rode the hay field fence until he found the spot where the cattle had tried to break through. Oddly enough, a large branch blocked the opening. It had to have been put there after the cows had broken in. Had one of his men coaxed the cow and calf from the field and placed the branch here as a temporary fix?
It seemed a strange thing to do when fixing the breech was a relatively simple task with the right tools. Stranger still was the fact that none of them had mentioned it. No. His men hadn’t done this. They’d started rounding up those heads of cattle two days ago. That meant whoever had helped them out by blocking the fence was long gone.
Shrugging off the matter for now, David set about mending the break. He was nearly finished when he spotted Jamie Coleman riding toward him. They’d missed each other yesterday when David had returned the puppy to the Coleman ranch. Tug, Jamie’s father, had promised to send his son out to apologize for giving Maggie the dog without David’s permission. David had insisted it wasn’t necessary.
Apparently, Tug hadn’t agreed, because the nineteen-year-old in question greeted David with a wave of his hat. “Howdy, Mr. McKay! I came to apologize. My pa is right. I should have checked with you before I gave Maggie that puppy.”
“It was only a misunderstanding. Don’t worry about it.”
Jamie nodded, though worry entered his hazel eyes. “I hope Maggie wasn’t too upset by it all.”
Oh, she’d been plenty upset. The fact that Caroline was coming to live with them had been the only thing to save the evening. “She’ll be fine. I softened the news by telling her we’d get a dog someday when everything calms down. Right now adding an untrained puppy to the mix is just too much.”
“I understand.” Jamie hesitated. “What if I kept the dog for a little while and trained him for you? That way you and Maggie both get what you want and I’ll feel a whole lot better about the whole thing.”
David stopped wrestling with the barbed wire fence to consider the offer. “That would be a huge help. I’d be happy to pay you for the training.”
Jamie grinned. “Great! No need to pay me. Would it be all right if I bring him around now and then so Maggie could have a hand in training him?”
“She’d love that. Thank you, Jamie.” David held out his hand and they shook on it. “You’ve just made my daughter’s day.”
“Happy to help. I’d better get back to work. I’ll be by with the dog in a couple of days.”
“See you then.” David let out a sigh of relief. With the dog training out of the way, he’d still have to deal with its day-to-day care, but that shouldn’t be too much of a prob
lem now that Caroline was caring for the triplets. Maggie would help out, too. He’d hold her to the promise.
He’d tell her the news when he tucked her in tonight. For now, he had a fence to finish repairing. With that done, he rode the fence to check for other breaks in it. That took David well to the north side of his spread, so he took the road back around toward the house.
He hadn’t gone far before he spotted two children riding a mule ahead of him on the road. Neither of them seemed to notice David’s approach as they talked to each other. David called out, “Hello there!”
The children startled. The girl kicked her heels into the mule’s side and sank low to its back as though she expected him to gallop away. Instead the mule brayed in stubborn protest and continued its plodding progress. David easily caught up with them. Up close, the children looked so much alike that they had to be siblings. The girl seemed to be around Maggie’s age with brown hair and serious brown eyes. The boy matched her in coloring but looked to be several years younger. Noting their wide eyes, David spoke in a friendly, gentle tone. “Evening, folks. My name is David McKay. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
The two exchanged a look rife with meaning before the boy answered for them. “My name is Gil. This is my sister, Jo.”
“Do you two have a last name?”
“Satler.”
Oh. The Satler siblings. He’d never met the pair, but he’d heard enough about them to make sympathy stir in his chest. Their widowed mother had died recently, leaving them orphans. The last David had heard they’d been taken in by some friends of their family who lived in town. However, that didn’t explain what they were doing way out here by themselves.
“It’s nice to meet you both. What brings you to these parts?”
The Nanny's Temporary Triplets Page 5