“I can tell they are, and I’m looking forward to working with them,” Angela assured her.
“That’s good to hear, and I’m glad to have met you. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again soon,” Mom said as she turned to greet a couple coming down the stairs into the common area.
“It was my pleasure,” Angela called after her, watching as Mom conversed with the elderly couple who were preparing to head into the restaurant for brunch.
With guests coming in for our weekday brunch buffet, I asked Angela to come to my office so we could talk and fill out some paperwork. My office was small, and I only had one chair other than my own for visitors to sit in. I closed the door behind her and asked her to have a seat in the extra chair. I headed behind my desk and took the paperwork out of my drawer.
“There’s just a few places to sign for the state,” I told her. “You can read it over and sign where it says to. It basically says that you’re a certified teacher and are teaching the children this school year.”
“Okay,” she agreed, taking the clipboard from me. She took a pair of black reading glasses from her computer bag and put them on.
Damn, she looked sexy. She was wearing her hair up in a bun, and I noticed the elegance of her neckline and how soft and creamy her skin looked as she bent over the papers. She signed them and handed them back to me.
Our eyes met, and our gaze lingered. “Thank you,” I said as I filed the papers, having trouble looking away from her. I felt the butterflies in my stomach again. “One thing we forgot to bring up was your salary,” I said. “I take it you saw in the ad what I was willing to pay?”
“Yes, and that is more than fair for this position,” Angela agreed. Her next statement was slightly hesitant. “However, I wanted to ask you a favor about the payment method.”
“What is it?” I asked, curious. My plan was to write her a personal check. I couldn’t use the resort’s account because it was a shared business account between my family and me.
“I was wondering if you would pay me in cash?” she said quickly. “I know it might be too much to ask, but my bank is in Garden City, Kansas, and I haven’t set up a new account here. I have some financial things to take care of before I do so.”
I did think it was an odd request. Most people didn’t have a problem cashing a check these days. “Okay,” I agreed. “I don’t suppose it matters. I would just ask that you sign a receipt of payment each week for my own records.”
“Sure, no problem. Thank you, I really appreciate that,” she told me.
I thought I saw a look of relief on her face. I had a feeling there was more going on than she was letting on.
Should I ask her about it? Are her personal matters really any of my business? As long as she’s a good teacher, that’s all that should matter to me.
Angela was waiting for me to speak, so I asked her about her lesson plans. She told me she’d downloaded a cyber lesson plan for seventh graders and would start in the fourth quarter.
“I’ll try to figure out where the boys were in school and go from there,” she assured me. “I don’t want to make the transition hard for them. We’ll work together to see where we are in each subject.”
“Sounds like you have this figured out, so that’s a relief. I was wondering how they would transition into new classes so late into the year,” I confided in her.
“I’ll talk to them about it and see what they were learning in the middle school. We’ll just continue from there. Nothing to worry about,” Angela assured me. “I have a guide to follow, but we can change things up as needed,” she said. “I have an online grading system to use and a chart to fill out for state records. They’re mostly interested in the final course grades, but I like to cover all my bases.”
“Okay, great,” I told her. “Ready to go and see the boys? Unless you have any questions for me?”
“No, I’m sure if I need anything while we’re working, the boys know how to reach you?” she asked.
“Yep, and you’ve got my cell number,” I assured her. “I’ll stop in for lunch today. Maybe after we get you settled, we can figure out a lunch break system. You guys can come down to the restaurant, if you like,” I told her. I spread my hands, chuckling. “This is new to us, too.”
“That sounds nice,” she replied. “I’m used to bringing my own lunch and working through my break. I felt like I could never catch up, having all those students before. Especially at the university,” she said, laughing. “It’ll be nice to have only two students to concentrate on and to be able to give them my undivided attention.”
“Yeah, that was one of our reasons for wanting to homeschool,” I informed Angela. “Sam and I wanted our kids to receive a personalized, upfront education. Public school classroom sizes are so large these days, and the kids don’t really get enough attention from their teachers anymore.”
She looked slightly puzzled at the mention of Sam’s name. It dawned on me that I had never mentioned the boys’ mother, and she hadn’t asked.
“Oh, forgive me,” I said, shaking my head. “I forgot to mention to you that the boys’ mother passed away. Four years ago from cancer,” I explained, trying to hide emotions that welled up every time I talked about Sam. I swallowed hard.
Angela saw my emotions surface and looked genuinely sad. “I’m so sorry to hear that,” she replied, frowning, dropping her eyes.
“Thanks,” I told her, regaining my composure. “Anyway, that’s the reasoning for finding a homeschool teacher for my boys. Sam and I talked about it years ago and decided when they got older, that was the path that we wanted to take.” I smiled sadly. “Sam was a teacher, too. She was planning to stay home and school them herself, but then she got sick.”
“And now you’re fulfilling your late wife’s wishes. I understand,” Angela reassured me. “And I promise to make your wife proud,” she added. “I’ll be the best teacher I can to your boys.”
“Thanks,” I said. “That means a lot to me.”
I’m impressed with this lady, I thought. Sam would approve, too. So far, so good.
“Come on, let’s go to the house so you can get started,” I said, getting up from my chair and opening the door for Angela. I led her outside to the main parking area. “I’m here,” I said, motioning to the white Jeep Wrangler. “Technically, you can walk to the house, but we sometimes drive.”
“I’m fine with driving,” Angela replied, smiling her lovely smile at me.
I couldn’t help but return her smile. She looked so beautiful, her golden hair shining in the sunlight. “Okay, follow me up, and I’ll show you which house it is. There are five log cabins up the drive. The main house where my mom lives and then four smaller cabins my brothers and I live in,” I explained.
Angela stopped and looked around her. “It’s so stunning here,” she added, looking at the mountain tops in the distance.
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed, glancing at the view I looked at every day. “Maybe one day the boys can take you skiing. Like a field trip.”
“That would be wonderful!” she exclaimed. “I haven't skied in years! We used to go on skiing trips when I was a kid,” she said a little wistfully. “But my dad got bad knees, and we had to stop going.”
“That’s too bad,” I said, curious about her family but not asking. “Yeah, skiing is one of our favorite pastimes here, obviously,” I stated, grinning. “And we like to fish down at the river. I don’t know how you feel about fishing and hunting?”
“I’ve been fishing, but I’m not too good at it. I’d like to try it again sometime. I’ve never been hunting,” she said, grimacing. “Not too sure I’d like it.”
“I understand. Hunting’s not for everyone. My brother Cole is the big hunter in our family. Bryce likes to go with him sometimes, but the rest of us have gotten away from it. I still like to take my pole down to the river, though. Maybe we’ll take you next time we go fishing,” I told her.
“That would be nice,” Angela agreed, g
rinning at me.
“Okay, follow me up,” I said, heading to my Jeep. I pulled out and waited for Angela to start her Sonata and move in line behind me. I led her up the drive and parked in front of the first cabin past the big house.
We got out of our cars, and I watched as Angela took in the view from up here. You could see the entire resort below us through the scattered pine trees. Then, below that, the river, and in the distance, the snow-capped mountaintops.
“Oh my, this view is too much,” Angela gasped.
“Yeah, it’s perfect,” I agreed, moving to stand next to her. “I come out on the porch almost every morning and drink my coffee,” I told her. “The sun rises over the mountains over there. It’s really something to see,” I said, pointing in the distance.
The boys heard us talking and pulled open the front door. “Hey, Angela,” Bryce said, smiling at her. Reid just nodded his head.
“Hi, boys!” she exclaimed, genuinely happy to see them.
Again, I saw the connection between Angela and my boys, especially Bryce, and it was a welcomed sight. I’d picked the right teacher for my children.
We went inside, and I got them settled. Bryce was eager to get started, and Reid, though reluctant, responded to Angela’s naturally cheerful personality. I left, telling them I’d see them at lunchtime.
I turned back to steal a glance at the boys as I headed out the door. Angela was sitting at the kitchen table looking at her laptop, and Reid was looking over her shoulder, smiling. Bryce was following along on his laptop.
It was as if they’d known each other for a long time and didn’t just meet a few days ago.
I felt confident that this could work.
Angela
I arrived at the resort feeling nervous about my first day, but that feeling quickly subsided. Brad was great and put me at ease right away. It was even better after he agreed to pay me in cash.
I knew it sounded strange, asking Brad to pay me in cash. It was the one thing I’d been worrying about since he’d called to hire me. But I didn’t know what else to do. Opening a bank account would leave a paper trail, and I wanted to take no chances that my past might catch up with me.
After I got the awkward question out of the way, I was able to relax and quickly felt comfortable around Brad. I could tell he was a wonderful father and really loved his kids.
When he told me about his late wife passing away, my heart had melted. I saw the look of grief on his face. I wondered if it was possible to ever get over losing the love of your life. I also wondered if anyone would ever feel that way about me.
After signing some papers and having a good conversation, I followed Brad to his house. All the houses on the property were hand-built log cabins. This place is really impressive, I thought. I’m lucky to be here. Brad offered to take me skiing and fishing, and I would hold him to it. Not right away, of course, but I was dying to spend more time with him.
Calm down, I told myself. He’s your boss. Concentrate on the boys.
But I couldn’t stop thinking of Brad. He looked really good today. Manly but intelligent. Dressed in a pink dress shirt, which contrasted with his dark features perfectly and brought out the sexy sky-blue coloring of his eyes, he looked incredible. His facial hair was scruffy but trimmed, just the way I liked it. I imagined running my fingers through his beard, up his sideburns, and through his thick hair. I wondered what his facial hair would feel like against my face when he kissed me. I had trouble keeping my eyes off him.
Stop it, you’re being ridiculous, I told myself. You’re here for a job as his kids’ teacher, for Christ’s sake!
But no matter how much I warned myself to stop thinking of the man, the more I couldn’t stop. I busied myself finding out where the boys were in school and preparing where to go from there.
I was looking forward to lunchtime, though, when Brad would show up at the house again.
The morning went fast. The kids turned out to be a delight to work with. They were so well mannered, smart, and easy to get along with. That made me happy.
I’m really going to like this job, I thought.
Just as he promised, Brad arrived at close to one. He brought in a stack of boxes of takeout from the restaurant.
“I forgot to ask you what you like, so I brought a little bit of everything from the brunch buffet. If you want something else, just let me know, and I’ll run down and grab it,” he offered.
One of the boxes had a salad, another grilled chicken breasts. My favorites.
“This is perfect,” I told him and thanked him for his consideration.
“Sure, no problem,” he answered. “Anything you need, just let me know. I want you to be happy here.”
“You are too kind,” I said, returning his gorgeous smile. Our eyes met and held for a moment, and my nerves caught on fire. And not because he made me feel that way, but because I was attracted to him and knew I shouldn’t be. I hoped the kids didn’t notice any awkwardness. That was the last thing I wanted to happen. I looked away from his intense gaze and took a deep breath.
As I ate my lunch, I made sure not to let my eyes meet Brad’s again. I wasn’t sure I could control myself. This man is driving me crazy, I thought, munching on my salad, trying to concentrate on what Reid was saying.
When lunch was over, I was a bit relieved. I needed time to process my emotions and get a handle on them. That would be much easier done without Brad sitting three feet from me.
The afternoon continued like the morning. The kids and I figured out where they were in each subject, and we arranged our lessons accordingly.
“Can we have a computer class?” Reid asked me.
“We can do that as an elective,” I informed him. “We need to pick two electives to complete three times a week. So, yep, computer lessons can be one of them. Bryce, do you have an idea for a second one?” I asked him, giving him the chance to pick something he liked.
“What can I choose?” he asked.
“We can do art or photography,” I suggested. “We have to complete some physical education and have a health class, too. Which means walking or some kind of outdoor activity twice a week.”
“That’s cool,” Bryce said. “We can go on nature walks and stuff. How about when we’re walking, we take some pictures for photography?” he suggested. “Would that count as an elective?”
“Sure,” I replied, excited he had such a good idea. “I have a camera at home I can bring along. I’m sure with all this space, we can set up a dark room somewhere. Then, we can develop our own photos,” I told them.
“Wow, that would be cool!” Reid exclaimed, giving his brother a playful nudge. “For once, you had a good idea, Bryce.”
“That’s ‘cause I’m smart,” Bryce smirked.
“Yep,” I agreed, getting excited. Photography had always been an interest of mine, and the idea of exploring it with the boys sounded fun.
Three o’clock came quickly, and we wrapped up our last lesson.
“Good job today, guys,” I praised them. “I had a great time.”
“Thanks, Angela,” Bryce replied. “We had a good time too, didn’t we, Reid?”
“Yeah, it was fun,” Reid agreed, shrugging his shoulders in an I’m too cool gesture. He smiled slowly. “I didn’t know that homeschooling could be fun.”
“Good, I’m glad you feel that way,” I said happily.
“Do you guys want to take me down to your dad, if he’s not too busy? I want to say goodbye to him for the day and tell him about our progress today.”
Bryce nodded, and Reid shrugged but rose first and headed for the door, opening it for me. We went out to my car, and I drove us down to the resort. Inside the main building, we found out Brad was in a meeting with a sales agent. When he saw us through the dining room doorway, he raised one finger, asking us to wait for him.
I waved and went to sit in the common room to wait while the boys said goodbye; they were going outside to play before dinner time. I sat quietly, a
dmiring the rustic decorations.
With spring arriving, the large lobby was decorated with wreaths of wildflowers and berries. Small decorative lights lit up the stairway and hallway. A small, country-style lamp glowed on the reception desk, adding to the ambiance. I could imagine in the wintertime a fire burning in the fireplace, warming up the room. Maybe they put up a Christmas tree. I hoped I would be around to see it.
After a few minutes, Brad emerged from the dining room. His voice reached me before he actually exited, drawing my eyes. He was smiling as he said goodbye to the man he was meeting. He shook his hand and said he’d be in touch.
Brad wandered over and sat beside me on the couch. He sat close to me so that our knees were touching. I felt a tinge of excitement wash over me, and goosebumps rose on my skin. I quickly rubbed my arm to wipe them away.
“Did the boys go outside to play?” he asked.
“Yes, they said they would see you for dinner,” I told him.
“I wish they’d changed their clothes first,” he said, laughing, rubbing his beard with his fingers. “They’re rough on their clothes.”
“I’m sorry,” I immediately said, feeling bad. “I should’ve thought to tell them to change.”
“It’s not your fault,” Brad replied, smiling at me. “They should know better. They’re old enough.”
“Well, the day went really well. I just wanted to tell you that,” I told him.
“That’s good. I could tell it was going well when I came up for lunch,” he said, nodding his head. “I’m glad this is working out.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “And thank you for the job. I was going stir crazy looking for work. I knew moving to a small town would make it hard, but I thought I’d enjoy a break. Turns out, once I got settled in, I didn’t know what to do with myself.”
“I hear you,” Brad replied. “I’d probably go crazy, too, if this place didn’t keep me so busy.”
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 5