by Meg Maxwell
“I don’t think a teaspoon of peppers or whatever is in that counts,” a younger guy said.
Jake made the introductions. The younger guy was Jake’s brother, CJ. The other young man was Golden. Hank, gobbling up the sesame bagel, was the ranch foreman, and Grizzle, the oldest of the crew, was munching on a piece of bacon.
“I’m glad to finally meet you, CJ,” Colt said. “It’s thanks to you I’m even here.”
CJ nodded and glanced from twin to twin. “You sure do look a lot alike.”
“Colt is better-looking,” Grizzle said on a chuckle.
“You and your wife have awfully cute twins yourself,” Hank said, grabbing another bagel half and adding even more veggie cream cheese.
“Oh, we’re not married,” Anna said. “The babies are Colt’s nephews. I’m the nanny.”
All eyes to swung to Anna, then Colt.
“My sister and her husband needed emergency childcare while they went on a weeklong cruise,” Colt explained. “I’ve never spent more than two hours with the little guys so I figured I’d need serious help.”
“Enter me,” Anna said.
“Well, I’m glad we have another lady present because these know-nothing guys are ganging up on me about being in the doghouse again with Fern,” Hank said. “Emma here says I should apologize for saying what I meant in the wrong way, but why do I always have to apologize if I’m not wrong?”
“Tell Anna what you did to earn Fern’s wrath,” CJ said, shaking his head.
Hank scowled at CJ, then turned to Anna. “She asked me if her dress made her hips look big and I said yes.”
There was much head shaking at the dining room table.
“Hank, every guy knows the answer to that question is always no,” CJ said. “No. Plain and simple. No.”
“But her hips flare out so nicely,” Hank said. “Fern has one of those hourglass figures. I can’t keep my eyes off her.”
“And that’s what you’ll tell her,” Emma said. “Just explain that that’s what you meant.”
“Why do I have to walk on eggshells with what I say?” Hank complained. “The woman knows I’m madly in love with her. Of course I love her big hips.”
Anna smiled. “I agree with Emma. And maybe don’t add that last part when you talk to her.”
“All right, fine,” Hank said. “If it’s two ladies telling me.”
“And four wiser men,” Grizzle said.
Hank grabbed yet another bagel and sent daggers around the table, then started laughing at a joke CJ was telling. Colt glanced around the table, enjoying the camaraderie of the crew.
“So you’re a traveling nanny?” CJ asked Anna. “That’s interesting.”
Anna laughed. “Well, I’m not a nanny by profession. I’m just helping out.”
“Aha, just as I thought,” Hank said. “You’re not a nanny—you’re the girlfriend.”
Colt was beginning to understand why Jake had referred to his foreman—in a few emails over the past several months—as needing a little refinement when it came to talking to people. He was apparently great at his job, but struck out when he opened his mouth. According to Jake, Emma had done her best operating a makeshift mealtime charm school for his ranch hands, and Hank had barely passed—just enough to get Fern to date him. But the man still kept putting his foot in his mouth.
“Well, Anna said she’s helping out, so she must be,” Golden said, reaching for a pastry. Colt smiled at Golden, so named for the saying about silence. Jake had mentioned that Golden was very shy and rarely spoke, but he and Emma had helped him find his voice to pursue his crush, and now they were engaged.
“Yeah,” Grizzle said, also taking a pastry from the bunch that Anna and Colt had brought. Grizzle was a widower who apparently used to scare small children when he came to town because of his wild hair and long, thick straggly beard. He still had a mountain-man look, but he’d gussied up for his new love, the town’s reference librarian.
“Well, if you want to know a secret,” Anna said to the crew, “I’m Amish and on my rumspringa. Taking the job as Colt’s nanny for the week he’s on baby duty has been a great way for me to decide if I want to stay in the English world—meaning your world—or go back to my village and be baptized in the Amish faith.”
Everyone stared at Emma.
“You’re not Amish,” Hank said. “Where’s your bonnet?”
“When in Rome,” Colt said. “She’s dressed like an Englisher.”
“So are you going back?” CJ asked.
“I don’t know for sure yet,” Anna said. “My heart is in your world. But a big piece of it is back home, with my family, with where I grew up.”
Emma sipped her coffee. “Well, if you decide to stay, there are lots of nanny jobs to be had in town. I know two families looking for full-time nannies.”
“Actually, I’ve always dreamed about becoming a nurse,” Anna said. “The Amish only go to school through the eighth grade, but I have my GED. I think if I stay I’d like to go to nursing school.”
Colt had a feeling this was the first time Anna had said those words aloud, the first time she’d permitted herself to express her dream as a possibility. He could absolutely see her as a nurse, dedicated to helping people.
“A friend of mine is a nurse,” Emma said. “She graduated from a nursing school in Houston. I’ll email you her contact info if you’d like.”
Anna beamed. “That would be great. Thank you.”
Despite all the talking, plates and platters were picked clean and breakfast had wound down. It was clearly time for Jake and the crew to get to work, and Colt had taken up enough of his time. “Well, we’d better get these rascals home. Thanks again for taking care of them.”
“When the crew found out we were babysitting, Grizzle read them a bedtime story,” Emma said. “And Hank sang the ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ song.”
“The babies really are adorable,” CJ said. “My fiancée has been talking a lot about babies lately. Asking how many kids I want to have. But being around Violet and seeing how fun it is to play with your nephews has made the idea less scary.”
“CJ a father. Now that’s scary,” Grizzle said with a grin, giving CJ an elbow in the ribs.
Jake laughed. “CJ will be a great dad. No doubt.”
Anna scooped up Nathaniel from the playpen and Colt did the same to Noah. Jake and his brother brought out the babies’ gear to Jake’s car.
“Thanks again,” Colt said, extending his hand.
“Anytime you need anything. I’m here.”
The more time Colt spent with his twin, the closer he felt to the man. “That goes for me, too.”
With everyone settled in the car, Colt waved at Jake and headed up the long dirt drive, enjoying the view of the cattle and horses and sheep in various pastures. Jake had a very different life than Colt did, and he’d like to spend more time at the ranch. Maybe when he was done with his next case, he could come back and have some time with Jake and Sarah, as well. He’d like to hear more about her and how he and Jake had come into the world.
Huh. He’d never really wondered about that before. But now he was curious about her story and who his biological father was. Jake had relayed the information that their birth father had turned his back on Sarah and denied he was the father and that Sarah’s mother had sent her to a home for pregnant teenagers. He hadn’t spent much time letting any of that penetrate because it seemed so personal and he wasn’t sure he wanted to get too close to Sarah Mack Ford.
But he felt his interest expanding. He was...changing. And he wondered if the beautiful woman in the passenger seat had something to do with that.
* * *
“Maybe before we leave for Houston we can drop by the ranch again,” Anna said as Colt turned onto Blue Gulch Street and stopped for a red light. �
�I’d love to visit the livestock.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged.”
It would give Colt a nice reason to come back, she realized, if he felt as though he needed one. She knew he’d like to spend some more time with the Morrows before he left the area.
“Great group of guys,” Anna said. “Emma must have to do a lot of refereeing with that crew.”
Colt smiled. “I’ll bet.”
“I’ll look forward to getting the contact info from her friend,” Anna said. “I’m not sure of what the future will hold for me, but I do want to explore the idea of nursing school and see if it’s possible for me.”
“Of course it’s possible. You can do anything you want.”
Anna felt her heart ping. “Well, I don’t know the first thing about applying to college or what that’s all about. Maybe my background won’t be enough to meet the application requirements.”
“And maybe it will,” he said. “In fact, I’m sure it will. You have a very interesting life story, Anna Miller. And you do have your GED.”
“Me, a college student. With the goal of becoming a nurse.” Excitement and butterflies flew around her midsection. She felt tears sting her eyes even though she had a dopey—no, proud—smile on her face. She could do this. “And Houston would be just the right place. A big city like I’d always dreamed of and just fifteen minutes from my family. And right next door to Grass Creek. I could visit the Amish market for a taste of home anytime I needed to.”
“And you could run into me now and again,” he said.
Every muscle in her body twitched. “Now and again, huh?”
“Well, in the coffee shop, the dry cleaner, the grocery store. We’ll be neighbors.”
Her smile faded. Oh, Colt. For a minute there, she forgot he was halfway gone already—in his mind, anyway. She’d forgotten all about her plan to make him see that he could have his job and love, his work and a serious relationship. A wife. Children.
How exactly she was going to make him see this, she had no clue. But she had a few more days.
He had her heart. There was no denying that. And she also knew that staying in the English world wasn’t dependent on whether Colt wanted her in his life or not.
She was staying, regardless.
Oh, God. There it was. She was staying.
“I’m staying, Colt. I’m staying in your world. I kept telling myself I wasn’t a hundred-percent sure, but I think I’ve known all along. And I know now. For sure. I’m staying.”
“Welcome,” he said, giving her a smile that stopped her heart.
“I’m going to become a nurse. And in my free time I’m going to volunteer the way my cousin Mara does, helping those in need. I’m sure there are clinics that need volunteer nurses.”
“I’m very impressed by you, Anna. You know what you want and you go for it. That’s how it’s done.”
She beamed. And thought, Yes, yes it is, Colt Asher. And I also want you.
Chapter Twelve
The next day, the babies were up early and it was another warm morning at almost sixty degrees, so Anna took Noah and Nathaniel out for an early stroll after breakfast. When the town began to wake up she treated herself to a mocha latte at the coffee shop, then stopped in at Hurley’s Homestyle since there was a light on in the kitchen.
An older woman answered the doorbell. “Hi, there,” she said. “I’m Essie Hurley. I’ve seen you in here before, I’m pretty sure.”
“Yes. I had an amazing lunch here. My first barbecued po’boy. My name is Anna Miller, and I’m here in town temporarily—as nanny to these cuties—until Christmas Eve. I took a couple of wishes from the Santa’s Elves box and my boss and I would both like to volunteer in the kitchen.”
“Oh, great!” Essie said. “I see you’ve got the babies with you, but my granddaughters have babies and there are playpens full of fun toys in the kitchen if you’d like to commit to an hour now.”
Anna smiled. “I’d love it. I’ll just text my boss. We’re staying just a few doors down at the inn.”
After shooting off a quick text to Colt, Anna took Noah out of the stroller while Essie plucked Nathaniel, and they headed inside. The kitchen was big and country-style, and there were a few cooks already at work.
“Everyone, this is Anna Miller. She’s our Santa’s Elf helper for the Christmas-week food donations.”
Essie made the introductions. All three of Essie’s granddaughters, Annabel, Georgia and Clementine, were in the kitchen. Annabel had a five-year-old stepdaughter and a baby. Georgia’s baby was almost the same age as Annabel’s, and Clementine had a nine-year-old and was helping to raise her husband’s young orphaned nephews. “Let’s set down your little guys right here,” she said, putting Nathaniel in the empty playpen next to the one that two other babies were sharing. Anna placed Noah beside him, and they both immediately reached for the colorful baby toys in the pen. There were a few toys that hung up on the insides as well, so that they could stand and stretch their legs and cruise around the sides.
With the twins settled, Anna put on an apron and stood next to Essie at a counter by the window. Her job was to scoop Essie’s homemade spicy coleslaw into small containers with lids and place them into boxes that would be delivered to area food banks.
“I love these silly quizzes,” Annabel said with a smile, her long auburn hair in a low ponytail. She had a magazine open at her station, where she was stirring the contents of a big silver pot. If Anna wasn’t mistaken, she smelled the delicious aroma of sweet, tangy barbecue sauce. “‘How to know if your man really loves you. Christmas is coming and you hint that you’d love to go away for a preseason getaway. He, A, pretends he doesn’t hear you, B, avoids you, or C, whisks you off for a surprise adventure at the place of your dreams.’”
“I think your guy can still love you and pretend not to hear you about a preseason getaway,” Clementine said. “I mean, who isn’t really busy right before Christmas? Who has time to go away? I’ve got a daughter and two little boys to take care of, a husband, a home, extended family and work. I’m going away with ‘my man’ for a weekend?”
Georgia laughed. “You do need a vacation, Clem. I say if your man loves you, he doesn’t pretend he doesn’t hear you, he doesn’t avoid you, and he surprises you with the getaway after Christmas when life is back to normal.”
“Agreed,” Essie says.
“What do you think, Anna?” Clementine asked.
“Me? I’m the last person to ask about relationships. I’ve never even had a real relationship. I mean, I tried to date here and there, and I almost started dating someone who was my best friend, but I just didn’t feel what you’re supposed to feel, what I think you’re supposed to feel. Until now,” she added, frowning.
“You’re in love with someone!” Annabel said. “Does he know?”
“I’ve been pretty open about it,” she said. “But I haven’t come right out and said ‘I love you’ to him. He’d run for the hills.”
Georgia laughed. “Or not. Sometimes you have to just tell a man like it is. Honestly, they can be a little slow on the uptake when it comes to romance. My husband had no idea I was madly in love with him.”
“Really?” Anna asked. “So you think I should just tell him?”
“Well, let’s get your answer to the quiz question about him,” Clementine said. “Then we’ll advise you.”
“He might pretend he didn’t hear me say I wanted a getaway,” Anna said, capping another container of coleslaw. He’d done that a few times. “He might avoid me.” He’d done that before, too. “But—” Anna froze.
“But what?” Essie asked.
Anna told them the story of how she and Colt met—the stolen guinea pig, Colt driving into her Amish village with his FBI badge and how he’d come back to hire her as his nanny.
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br /> “He did listen to me. He’d heard every word I said about not having a chance to go on my rumspringa, to experience life in the English world. Yes, he needed a nanny, but I’m sure an Amish stranger wasn’t his only option. He took me on the ultimate preseason getaway because he heard me loud and clear.”
“He loves you,” Annabel said.
Georgia paused with her rolling pin in the air. “Yup. He loves you.”
Clementine nodded. “True love.”
Anna laughed and shook her head. “True love before he even really knew me? We’d had one ten-minute conversation before he hired me.”
“Love at first sight. It happens. Clem fell for Logan the first time she saw him.”
“I did. A few minutes after I talked to him I thought, I’m gonna marry that man. And I did. Took a while to get us there, but it happened,” she said, holding up her left hand, where a gold band shone in the early morning light.
“Sometimes, you just know about a person,” Essie said.
Colt loved her? After meeting her in Daed’s overalls and smelling of baby goat? No. No way. He’d had a need for a nanny. He’d just met her right before the issue came up. He’d wisely realized they could help each other out. That was all there was to that.
“Well, if a man loves you, there would be no obstacles for him, right?” Anna asked, scooping the coleslaw into the cups. She was getting faster at this. “I mean, let’s say he was a lone-wolf type who was completely focused on his job and had no time or interest in having a family.”
“You’ve met my husband, detective Nick Slater?” Georgia said, smiling.
“He was the same way?” Anna asked.
“Exactly the same way. Sometimes a man can be madly in love and scared to death of it, unwilling to let himself feel that much for a woman.”
“But it shouldn’t be so hard, right?” Anna said. Isn’t that what Caleb had said? That their love was so easy, so natural, and romance wasn’t supposed to be about arguments and stomping off. Stop confusing crazy emotional tantrums for passion and love, he’d said, and Anna had spent days trying to figure out if that was what she was doing. If that was what she was still doing.