The Nanny's Temporary Triplets

by Noelle Marchand

  Not that she was threatened by the idea of him having a sweetheart. Really, it was none of her business. Well, the replacement nanny was, but—

  This was the problem. He kept distracting her. What had she been thinking about? Maggie. The girl was blooming under her father’s attention. It was lovely to see. Of course, Caroline hadn’t minded having David around more, either.

  And she was still thinking about him again.

  Despite the current evidence to the contrary, she hadn’t allowed their deepening friendship to go to her head. Most important, she wasn’t allowing it to go to her heart. Just because they’d played one board game together with Maggie and Ida like a real family didn’t mean she had any illusions that they’d become one. Just because he seemed to understand her love for music and had gone so far as to encourage her to share that with Maggie through lessons didn’t mean that...

  She nearly groaned. Who was she fooling? Now that David was actually present, it was hard not to notice that he was incredible. She was doing her best to ignore it. Mostly because she’d be silly to allow herself to get caught up in the idea of another man so soon after Nico.

  Doing so would be even more proof that her emotions weren’t trustworthy, and she’d already had plenty of that. Still, she couldn’t help being grateful that he’d encouraged her to give Maggie singing lessons. Maggie slid onto the piano bench beside Caroline. “Do I get to sing now?”

  The girl had been admirably patient all morning as Caroline took care of her duties with the triplets. The boys now played happily at Ida’s feet as she worked on some mending. Caroline didn’t miss the excited look on Ida’s face. Nor did she forget that this was Ida’s piano to begin with. The woman was clearly eager to hear her granddaughter sing. Caroline didn’t waste another moment. “You sure do. Let’s start with some exercise to warm up the muscles we use to sing. Ready?”

  Maggie glanced back at Ida, who gave her an encouraging nod. “I think so.”

  “Wonderful! Stand up nice and tall beside the piano. Very good. Now relax your belly muscles. Remember you’re going to breathe way down there for me.” And it was so good to feel as though life was getting back to normal. With the hustle and bustle surrounding the wedding and resigning from the music school, she’d missed this. The familiarity of sharing her love of music with an eager young mind was so comforting. She felt her mood lifting. “I’ll go first to show you how it’s done. Then we can do it together, all right?”

  She started out with a simple humming exercise. Maggie caught on quickly, her pitch perfect. Caroline moved on to vowel sounds. Maggie’s vocal range and ability were impressive for one so young and untrained. Her voice was surprisingly rich. Beyond that, her enthusiasm and concentration on the simple exercises were adorable. Caroline finished the warm-ups, sending the girl an approving nod. “Good job, Maggie. You have a beautiful voice.”

  “She certainly does,” Ida seconded.

  A grin flashed across Maggie’s face even as she ducked her head. “Thank you. Are we going to sing a real song now?”

  “I think that’s a great idea. Why don’t we—” A knock interrupted her. Ready to save Ida a trip to the front door, Caroline hopped up. “I’ll get it.”

  She opened the door to find Annie Hill standing on the porch. The girl was so busy scanning the woods in the distance that it took her a second to realize Caroline had answered. Annie removed her bonnet and offered a nervous smile. “Hello, Caroline. Sorry to bother y’all, but I left my magazine here the other day. I thought now was as good a time as any to get it back.”

  “No trouble at all. Come in. I haven’t seen your magazine, though. Let’s ask Maggie and Ida if they have.”

  After Annie asked them about it, Maggie retrieved it from her room. Presenting it to Annie, Maggie said, “I meant to bring it to you at church, but I forgot. Oh, I couldn’t find that cyclone thing you were telling me about. All I saw were pages and pages about dresses.”

  “You mean the bicycle. The article about it was near the back.” Annie perched on the settee to flip through the magazine. She turned it around so they could all see it. “Here it is, Maggie.”

  Ida leaned forward for a better look, then shook her head. “Can you imagine balancing on such a contraption?”

  Maggie traced the wheels with her finger. “Maybe it’s like riding a horse.”

  “Now, there’s a thought.” Caroline lifted a brow. “Can you imagine cowboys trying to round up cattle on that?”

  They all laughed, but Annie shook her head. “Oh, no. These could never replace horses.”

  “Maybe not on a ranch, but they’re becoming popular in the city.”

  Ida’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you’ve had a chance to ride one of those.”

  “Not yet. I’ve seen a few people riding them in Austin, though. You should see the ladies in their cycling suits. It’s quite a sight.”

  “Actually, there’s a sketching of a cycling suit in here, too.” Annie turned a few pages, then held up the magazine again.

  Ida lifted a brow. “Are those pants?”

  “Technically, they’re bloomers,” Caroline offered. Seeing Maggie’s fierce frown, she couldn’t help asking, “What do you think, Maggie? Would you wear bloomers?”

  “I think they look silly.”

  Ida sent Caroline a wide-eyed glance. “You do?”

  “Sure I do. Grown-up ladies should look like ladies.” She hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her denim trousers. “’Course, when you’re a kid, they just aren’t practical—especially for climbing trees and running in the woods.”

  Ida’s shoulders relaxed in what seemed to be relief. Before she could comment, another knock sounded on the front door. Ida grinned. “Aren’t we popular today.”

  “I’ll get it,” Caroline offered, since she had yet to sit down.

  Jamie Coleman greeted her when she opened the door. A puppy sat next to him on the porch. She hadn’t really had a chance to see the dog up close. She’d seen only a flash of him from her horse when he’d run across the pasture. The last time he’d visited, Jamie and Maggie had kept him outside while Caroline had been busy cleaning up the triplets after their playtime in the creek. Now she couldn’t help noticing that Duke wasn’t just cute; he was actually kind of beautiful. Fashioned with elegant lines and droopy triangular ears, his coat had a white base with a mixture of gray spots and black spots. His paws were awfully big for such a small fellow. His wagging tail set the entire back half of his body wiggling. Caroline grinned. “Well, hello there. May I pet him, Jamie?”

  She glanced up when Jamie didn’t respond. He didn’t appear to have heard her. He was too busy scanning the woods in the distance. Caroline followed his gaze but saw nothing of interest. “Is something out there?”

  “What?” His face turned slightly pink. “Oh. No, ma’am. I was just...um, is David around?”

  “I’m afraid not. He went into town to check the mail. He should be back soon.” She glanced down at the puppy, who was looking back and forth between them as though he understood the conversation. “Are you here for another training session?”

  “Sure am. Maybe David will be back by the time I’m through.” Jamie peered past her. “Hello, Maggie.”

  “I knew it would be you and Duke.” Maggie grinned. Caroline stepped out of the way so that Maggie could greet the dog, who was now beside himself with joy. “Grandma says to bring him inside. She wants to see how he behaves around the triplets.”

  Jamie wasted no time accepting the invitation. His only pause came when he saw Annie in the parlor. Caroline tensed as she remembered their two families were feuding. She watched them both for any sign of aggression or hostility while half expecting Annie to make her excuses and hurry from the house. The visitors’ gazes connected, then held. Jamie smiled. Annie didn’t have to. Her heart was in her
eyes.

  Caroline’s mouth fell open, and she couldn’t quite seem to get it closed. Apparently, they’d both found what or should she say whom they’d been looking for in the woods right here in the McKays’ parlor. Well, this was an unexpected twist on the story Emma had told her about their feuding neighbors. Who else knew that Jamie and Annie had feelings for each other? She clamped her lips together as she stole a glance at Ida and Maggie. Either they hadn’t seen what Caroline had or they already knew because they didn’t act like anything out of the ordinary had happened. They were both focused on the triplets and the puppy.

  Reminded of her duty, Caroline knelt beside the triplets to keep watch as Duke caught sight of the babies. The dog tilted his head as he studied them. Theo seemed more interested in trying to take the magazine from Annie despite her attempts to point out the new visitor on the floor. Eli stared at the dog intently. Jasper slapped his hands on the floor playfully at the puppy. Duke’s tail started wagging again. He sank to his belly and slowly crawled toward the boys until he was close enough to nudge Jasper with his nose. No longer worried about the puppy, Caroline sank to her knees beside Jasper and took his hand in hers to show him how to pet the dog. “Gently, gently.”

  Eli crawled over to carefully investigate Duke’s ears with his little fingers. Theo crawled over to talk to Eli in that language only the triplets could understand. Frustrated with being ignored by the boy, Duke barked at him. Theo started. He stared at the dog, then a laugh slipped out. Duke barked again. Theo laughed some more. Jasper giggled. Eli chortled. Maggie sank to the floor beside the boys. She put Theo in her lap, and he reached out for the dog, sliding onto his stomach toward Duke as he continued giggling. Maggie grinned. “They laugh at everything—don’t they?”

  “Sure seems like it,” David said as he entered the room, his arms full of brown paper packages. He winked at Maggie, then nodded to everyone else. “Hello, Annie, Jamie. Caroline, someone left this bag of old toys in the wagon for the triplets. Would you mind sorting through them? See what they might like to play with.”

  “Of course.” She took a small flour bag full of toys from him.

  “Ma, the things you asked me to order from the general store a few days ago finally arrived. I’ll put them in the kitchen for you.”

  Ida stood and took a few of the packages. “Let me help you with that. I was about to head for the kitchen to get some refreshments for our guests anyway.”

  While Maggie and the triplets played with Duke, Caroline sorted through the bag of what turned out to be several wooden blocks. She couldn’t help stealing glances at Jamie and Annie. They exchanged small talk, but the conversation between them was more than casual despite the common words they used. It went deeper than mere politeness all the way to caring, concern, focus. Especially on Jamie’s part, since he was the main one asking the questions.

  A longing filled Caroline’s chest at the sight of it. Wasn’t that what she’d wanted so badly? Wasn’t that why she’d been so eager to embrace Nico’s presence in her life? Because of that need to matter to someone. To be another person’s central focus if only for a moment. It was a dangerous thing. She wouldn’t let herself make that same mistake again. No matter how much she might long to experience what Jamie and Annie seemed to have.

  Chapter Ten

  Caroline refocused her attention on the triplets as Ida bustled into the room with a tray full of refreshments. Meanwhile, David paused in the doorway to call Caroline’s name. She met him there with an inquiring look. He gave the package he held a little wave. “This is for you. The postmaster heard you were staying at my ranch, so he entrusted me to give it to you.”

  She took the thick envelope from him and eyed the return address. “It’s from my parents.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it?”

  She wasn’t entirely sure. They’d been too stunned by the events of the wedding to have much of a response in the immediate aftermath. Then Matthew had whisked her away to Little Horn. Now that her parents had been given a chance to process all that had happened, she had no idea what their reaction might be. The large envelope surely had to contain more than sympathy. Trepidation closed her throat. She swallowed hard and gave a light shrug. “I don’t know.”

  He caught her gaze, searching it in concern. His hand settled on her forearm, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t I put this in my study for now? You can open it later when you have more privacy.”

  Reminded that they weren’t the only ones in the room, she glanced over her shoulder. Ida, Jamie and Annie appeared to be in a deep conversation of their own, while Duke continued to entertain Maggie and the triplets. Relief filled her at the realization that no one else had noticed their exchange. She gave David a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” He gave her a small nod, then left to stow the envelope.

  Jamie joined them when he returned. “David, I came by to let you know Duke is housebroken now. We just have to remember to let him outside often. A good rule of thumb is that he’ll be able to hold himself one hour for every month of age. Other than that, he’s caught on quickly with his training. As long as Maggie keeps making him practice, he should be fine to stay here if you’re willing to let him.”

  David nodded. “I reckon I’ve held off on this long enough.”

  Caroline grinned. “Maggie will be ecstatic.”

  “Let’s see.” He gave her a conspiratorial smile before calling out, “Magpie, what do you think about letting Duke stay here from now on?”

  Maggie gasped. After staying frozen for a full second, she jumped to her feet. “You aren’t pulling my leg—are you, Pa?”

  “No, I’m serious. Do you want him to stay?”

  She nodded.

  “Then he stays.”

  Maggie didn’t say a word at first. She just rushed over to hug her father. He lifted her into his arms and hugged her even closer. Finally, she whispered, “Thank you! I’ll take good care of him. I promise.”

  “I know you will, and you’re welcome, sweetheart. Thank you for being patient.” He set Maggie down as she began to wiggle a little.

  She immediately went over to place a kiss on Duke’s head. “Can I take him outside to play?”

  “Stay close to the house.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And what do you say to Jamie for helping train the pup?”

  “Thank you, Jamie!” Maggie gave him a quick hug, then clapped her hands. “Duke! C’mon, Duke. Let’s go outside.”

  Jamie gave the dog a parting pat as Duke rushed out the door after Maggie. “I’d better head on back to my pa’s ranch. I’ll come by to check on Duke later this week.”

  David shook Jamie’s hand. It didn’t escape Caroline’s notice that Annie readied herself to leave, too. Caroline bit her lip as the young couple walked out together. Ida lifted Annie’s magazine off the settee. “Oh, dear. She left it again.”

  “I’ll take it to her,” Caroline volunteered. “They couldn’t have gotten that far.”

  Knowing they were likely headed north, Caroline rounded the corner of the house and caught sight of them. She called Annie’s name. The girl whirled around. Caroline held up the magazine. Annie slapped a hand to her forehead and rushed over. “I can’t believe I forgot it again. Thank you for bringing it to me.”

  “You’re welcome.” Caroline hesitated. However, when Annie began to turn away, the words rushed out anyway. “So you and Jamie, huh?”

  Annie’s blue eyes went wide as red suffused her cheeks. “You know. How do you know?”

  Caroline smiled. “The way you look at him. The way he talks to you. Honestly, it’s one of the sweetest things I’ve seen in a long time. But I’m worried about y’all. Your families—”

  “They have their suspicions, but they don’t know for sure.” Annie placed a hand o
n Caroline’s shoulder. “I’d like to keep it that way. Please say you won’t tell them.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Thank you.” Annie released Caroline and let out a relieved breath. It seemed Annie was somehow able to sense that Jamie was heading their way even though her back was turned. She lifted her hand in a little wave that made him stop. “It’s actually a relief to be able to admit this to someone.”

  “That you’ve been seeing each other?”

  “That we’re in love.”

  Caroline blinked. “Oh my.”

  “Jamie wants to marry me. Only, he says we can’t tell our parents yet. It would only make the feud worse.”

  “So you’re sneaking around instead?” She shook her head. “Oh, Annie, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  Annie shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what else to do. We’ve talked about him speaking to my mother on my behalf, but what’s the point? All she would do is refuse to let him court me or ban me from seeing him altogether.”

  “Are you eighteen, Annie?” When the girl nodded, Caroline offered a shrug. “Then it’s your decision to make. You’ll need to decide whether you’ll abide by your mother’s wishes or marry Jamie anyway.”

  Annie stilled as hope and trepidation filled her eyes. “You think...I could marry him even if my ma doesn’t want me to?”

  “Ultimately, it’s your choice. If y’all are serious about being together, then you’d best tell your folks before they find out on their own.” She paused, then frowned at the yellow grass beside their boots. “Listen to me giving advice. I’m hardly an expert when it comes to love or relationships. I just want you to be careful, Annie. You’ve been so nice to me. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”