by K. C. Crowne
I’d heard everything was bigger in Texas and that the men there were a different breed.
I loved Portland, but some of the city guys there could be…soft. And soft wasn’t a word I’d use to describe Chance at all. The man looked like he’d been carved out of lumber and stone.
He started to walk towards the door to let Ellie in. As my gaze followed him, I thoroughly and completely enjoyed the view of his tight rear.
Focus, focus. The real interview’s about to start. I pushed how insanely hot Chance was out of my mind as he opened the door.
Ellie Walker stepped into the house, tiny and precious. She looked so much like her dad it was almost crazy. She had the same steely eyes, the same brown hair – though hers was pulled back into a long ponytail. She was dressed like a little cowgirl too, wearing a green-and-black checkered shirt and faded jeans, and a pair of adorable boots on her little feet.
She clapped her eyes on me, her mouth opening slightly in suspician“Who’s that?” she asked, raising a tiny finger in my direction.
“I’m really excited for you to meet Samantha. Come on in, kiddo.”
Ellie took hesitant steps into the room, Chance shutting the door behind her. She stopped a few feet away from me, her expression uncertain.
It was my time to shine. I rose and stuck out my hand. “Hi, Ellie!” I exclaimed. “My name’s Samantha, but you can call me Sam.”
“Who… who are you?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Well, your daddy’s thinking of hiring me to help out around here.”
“But we have lots of people working here.”
I smiled, squatting and putting my hands on my knees. “I wouldn’t be doing any kind of ranch work. I’d be here to hang out with you. You think you’d like that?”
She said nothing, instead continuing to gaze at me with that same uncertain expression. The girl was adorable – no doubt about that. Ellie turned to her dad. “She’s going to stay here?”
“Well we still need to talk about all that, but if we all decide together that it’d be a good idea for her to work for us she’d be your nanny,” he clarified. “She’d live here with us, looking after you when I have to be away at work. And she’d take you to school, play with you in the park – all kinds of fun stuff.”
“I don’t want any new friends,” she announced petulantly, her face scrunched up unhappily. “I wanna be alone.”
Chance glanced at me with an expression that seemed to say, “here’s what I’ve been talking about.”
I decided to try to help him out. “I heard you and your dad didn’t agree on something earlier. Do you want to tell me what happened? I’d love to know how you felt about what happened.”
“He was being mean.” Her arms crossed over her chest.
I nodded to her and turned to Chance. “How about I take her for a little walk, spend a little time with her?”
“What do you think, Ellie? Would you like that?” he questioned the little girl. I’ll be close by if you need me.
“Oh, maybe you could show me the horses around here. What do you think?,” I asked.
Her eyes lit up, a smile appearing on her face for the first time since she’d walked in. “Yeah! There’s a bunch. And they’re all really, really pretty. My favorite is this one named Red. She’s red, just like her name says.”
“Wow, sounds cool,” I replied. “How about you show her to me?”
She glanced at her dad, asking without words if it was alright with him. “Sure,” he said. “Go let her take a gander at Red. But you know the rules, right?”
The smile faded from her face. “No touching unless an adult is there. And don’t ever walk behind them.”
“That’s right,” Chance said, smiling at her before lifting his eyes to me. “And that goes for you too, Samantha. Horses get spooked real easy. Be careful around ‘em.”
I nodded and glanced at Ellie. “So, what do you say, Ellie? Want to show me Red?”
“OK!”
I glanced at Chance, who offered a warm smile at his daughter’s response. Then I stuck my hand out to Ellie, and she took it, her tiny palm disappearing in mine.
“Don’t stay out too long, Ellie,” Chance called. “I’ve still got some things to talk about with Miss Samantha.”
“OK, OK.”
Ellie led me out of the cabin, her hand still in mine. I felt relief as soon as we were out. Chance had an easy, though tough personality, but I was still nervous as all get-out about the interview. It felt good to get some fresh air.
“You know, Ellie,” I began.
“El.”
“Hmm?”
“You called me Ellie, but I like to be called El.”
“Sure, El,” I said. “You know, you’re a really lucky girl.”
We walked along the trodden path away from the cabin, the worn grass winding through the emerald green around us.
“I’m lucky?”
“Look at this place.” I swept my hand toward the vast expanse of Rainbow Canyons. “You have this beautiful place all around you, and you get to live here. Plenty of grownups pay a lot of money just to stay here for a little while. But it’s all yours.”
Rainbow Canyons was about the most amazing place I’d seen in my life. Various shades of green surrounded us, from the fresh, fragrant grass to the towering oak trees. The land stretched into the distance, the sky above a clear blue. Small cabins dotted the landscape here and there, and I assumed they belonged to one member of the Walker family or another.
In the center of the property, situated in front of a small lake, was the main cabin. Though calling it a cabin seemed like something of a misnomer. The building was huge, three stories, and designed in the style that seemed more suited to the deep south rather than Texas.
“I guess,” she said. “But I miss home.”
“I understand that.”
“I could see the whole city from Gram and Papa’s house.” Her tiny voice was tinged by sadness.
“Wow, that sounds neat. I used to live in a city, too.”
“Really?” she asked. “Which one?”
“Have you heard of Portland before?”
“No, where is it?’
“It’s on the west side of the country, right on the water. But living on a ranch like this is even cooler.”
“How come you came here?” she asked.
“Because sometimes you get older and decide you want to do something different with your life.” That was about the simplest way I could put it. “I used to be a teacher,” I told her. “For kids your age.”
“Really?”
“Really. And they were a lot of fun. You have some friends from school you keep in touch with?”
Her expression fell. “Not really.”
“How come?”
“They think I’m weird.”
“Well, you know that’s crazy, right? I’ve been talking to you for only a few minutes, and I can tell you’re a special, really cool kid.”
“You think so?” she asked, curious and skeptical at such a young age.
“I know so. And I know cool when I see it.” I gave her a wink, and she smiled.
“I had to go to a new school here, and I don’t know anybody.”
“I bet that was hard. Makes it tough to have friends.”
She nodded. Off in the distance, a barn appeared over the horizon, and Ellie led me toward it. “Yeah,” she said, her voice soft. “And I guess the ranch is cool. I have cousins, but they’re still babies.”
“That’s what would be really neat if I came to live here. I’m new here, just like you. We’d be buds, and we wouldn’t have to feel so alone.”
She glanced at me, her eyes looking even bigger and brighter in the late afternoon sun. “Really? You’d be my friend?”
“Of course! We could do all sorts of fun stuff, like go to the park in town, or watch movies and eat ice cream, or ride horses – if it’s all okay with your dad.”
“That’d be so fun,” sh
e said, her smile widening a little.
“And I could help you with your schoolwork, too,” I offered, smiling down at her. “I bet you and I would be best friends before you knew it.”
She smiled again, and I knew I was making progress. Ellie seemed like a great kid, and it broke my heart that she was having such a rough time fitting in and finding her place. If I could help her with that, I’d be doing some real good.
“Here’s where Red lives.” Ellie walked in front of the side door to the barn and opened it. Sunlight flooded the space, and the scent of hay and horse filled my nostrils.
Ellie disappeared into the barn, and I followed. The sides of the barn were lined with horse stalls, the magnificent animals snorting and eating their food, their dark eyes locking onto us as we arrived. They were all incredible. Living in Portland, I never had a chance to be around nature like this, to see the sorts of animals in person that were common on the ranch.
“Okay,” Ellie said as she led me through the barn. “That’s Ginger, and that’s Madeline, and that’s Traveler.” She pointed out the horses as we passed. “And that’s Juniper – Red’s mama.”
“Hi, Juniper!” I said, looking at the big, grey-and-black speckled horse in front of me.
“And here’s Red!”
We stopped in front of one of the stalls. Red had been named fittingly. She was a gorgeous animal, sleek and trim, a little smaller than the rest of the horses – likely on account of her age.
Ellie opened the stall and stepped in, and I followed her. Her lack of fear fascinated me around an animal easily four times or more her weight.
“Good girl,” Ellie said, patting Red on her long muzzle. “You’re so pretty. Isn’t she pretty?’
“Very pretty,” I agreed.
“You should pet her – she likes that.”
“You know, I’ve never touched a horse before.”
Ellie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Really? Never once?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Lived in the city all my life. Not too many horses there.”
“I love horses. It makes me less sad to be here because I get to see them.”
Ellie took my hand and slowly moved it toward Red’s muzzle. Her fur was bristly but soft, a light snort sounding from her nose as I petted her.
“She likes you,” Ellie told me confidently. “I can tell.”
“I like her, too. I bet it’d be fun to ride her.”
“Yeah!” Ellie whooped. “I want Daddy to teach me how.”
“Maybe he can teach both of us. We could learn together – that’d be fun, right?”
Ellie smiled at me. “You’re fun,” she decided. “Not like Daddy always telling me what to do.”
“Well, it’s important to do what the adults say. But I’ll be learning the rules around here just like you. We’ll help each other out.”
Her eyes lit up. “Does that mean you’re staying?”
I realized I’d gotten a little ahead of myself. “Maybe. We still have to see what your dad has to say about it. We’re talking today to see if I’m a good fit for the job.”
“I’ll tell him to let you stay, OK?”
I laughed, not a little relieved. “Okay, that sounds good.”
Ellie petted Red one last time. “Alright, bye Red. Did you like meeting Miss Samantha?”
“You can just call me Sam,” I reminded her. “Like how I call you El.”
She offered another smile. “Sam.”
We said our goodbyes to Red before heading back outside. Right as we stepped out, a big, dark red truck pulled up and came to a stop, the huge tires sending up clouds of dust. The door opened and out stepped Chance, a cowboy hat on his head and his eyes hidden behind a pair of aviator sunglasses.
The sight of him was enough to make my heart skip a beat. I never thought I’d be so into cowboys – they seemed like something out of another time. And besides, I’d always thought I was into more urban men, the types who worked in office buildings and lived in sleek, modern condos. But Chance was anything but that, and I really dug it. He was tough and raw and rugged and manly – a combination that turned me on in ways I could hardly wrap my head around.
He sauntered over to us in true cowboy style. His thumbs hooked around his big, gleaming belt buckle. “You ladies have fun?”
“Yeah!” Ellie announced. “I let Sam meet Red, and they’re friends now.”
“Sam?” he asked with a wry smile. “She say you can call her that?”
“I did,” I assured him. “Don’t mind it at all. And you can call me the same.”
“Well, alright, Sam.” He said the name like he was savoring it. I loved hearing it come out of his mouth, hearing him say my name with that sexy-as-hell Texas twang. “Anyway, we oughta get back to the house. Mama G’s about to have dinner on the table.”
“Yes!” Ellie celebrated. “I’m starving.” Then she turned to me. “Are you going to eat with us, Sam?”
I glanced at Chance, unsure of how to answer.
“I think that’d be alright,” he said. “But I’m gonna need to talk to her for a little bit before we do that, alright?”
“Okay,” Ellie agreed.
“Let’s all hop in the truck – El, I’ll drop you off at the house, and you can get washed up for dinner.”
The three of us climbed into the truck. As I stepped in, Chance placed his hand on the small of my back, the sensation of his touch on my body sending a thrill through me. Even though it was simply a polite gesture, it felt electrical. I involuntarily wondered what it’d be like for him to put his hands other places.
Stop it right now, I ordered myself. You’re not even hired, and you’re already fantasizing about the guy. And what are you gonna do if he does give you the job – have some kind of stupid schoolgirl crush on him? Get real.
I managed to talk myself out of the most pressing feelings running through me. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t still attracted to the guy. I caught myself glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, liking the intense expression on his face as he steered the truck toward the main house, his eyes narrowed and his full mouth in a flat line. Total cowboy, to the core.
We pulled up to the main house, and Chance reached over to open the door for Ellie.
“I’ll make sure you get the seat by me, okay?” she asked me.
“Sounds good. And it was really nice meeting you, El.”
“You too!”
To my surprise, she threw her little arms around me in a tight, quick hug before hopping out of the truck and bounding toward the house. Chance reached his toned arm across me again and shut the door before driving off.
“Well,” he said. “I was gonna ask you about how you two were gettin’ along. But I think she answered the question for me.”
“She’s a great kid,” I said. “And I’d love the chance to get to know her better.”
He nodded slowly; his eyes still fixed ahead. “I’m thinkin’ you passed the test, and maybe one of them…what’re they called – probationary periods? That might be the thing to do. Give you a week or so, see how you fit in.”
“I’d love that.”
“Well, alright,” he said. “Next step would be gettin’ you moved into the house. Figure you can stay in one of the guest rooms in the main cabin. You’ll probably want to go get your stuff.”
“That won’t be a problem. I have a small duffel in my car,” I told him. What I didn’t tell him was that I was still driving around with most of my belongings packed into my 2003 dark blue Rav 4. That was a conversation I didn’t want to have.
“Alright then. Well, I’m glad you took a chance on comin’ all the way out here for the interview,” Chance said.
“It didn’t really feel like a chance,” I said.
He looked slightly puzzled. “How do you mean?”
“I mean, I had a really good feeling about this place. Something about it just seemed…I don’t know – like it was meant to be.”
He grinned, flashin
g a row of white teeth. “You might be right about that. You and my little lady hit it off like crazy. Maybe you’re the one I’ve been waitin’ for.”
I knew he meant that in the sense of being the nanny he’d been waiting for. But part of me liked the idea of him meaning it in a different way…something more personal.
More bad thoughts. I put them out of my head as he came to a stop in front of my car.
“Go on and pull your ride up in front of the house. I’ll help you get settled in.”
“Thanks,” I said, giving him one last smile before getting out of the truck.
I sucked in a deep, relieved breath the moment I was back in my car. I’d been nervous as hell since the interview had started, despite the good feeling about it all.
I gunned the engine, the sound almost tinny compared to the roar of Chance’s truck. Then I pulled behind him, and the two of us drove to the house. He parked, and I did the same. Chance strolled over to the car, and I grabbed my duffel full of clothes and essentials.
“You always drive around with a packed suitcase?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Uh, not usually, no. But I like to be prepared.” I flashed a smile that hopefully showed confidence, not fear. I didn’t want to tell him the real reason I was packed to run at a moment’s notice.
He grabbed the suitcase, and I reached for my purse and bag of toiletries. We approached the house, the huge building stately and imposing but homey at the same time.
“Alright,” he said. “Once we get up to your room, you’re takin’ a load off. No arguments about it.”
I wanted to say something about how he didn’t have to, that I didn’t need a rest. But there was a sternness to Chance’s tone, and part of me liked how he was able to take control like that.
He fished the keys out of his pocket and slipped one into the lock. Then he opened the door and we stepped inside.
It was time to start my new life, and I was excited as hell.
Chapter 3
CHANCE
She was in total awe of the house. Sam’s eyes widened as she stepped into the entry hall, our home as impressive as ever.