by Helen Lacey
“So, you’re not leaving us to get married?” he asked and scowled.
“I will eventually. Who knows,” she said and flapped her arms. “It’s really not anyone’s business. Look, you asked the question, and I answered it.” She pointed to the envelope. “There’s my resignation. I’ll be going in two weeks, that should give you enough time to advertise for my replacement and conduct interviews.”
David rocked back onto his heels. “No.”
Her bottom lip dropped. “No?”
He crossed his arms. “I don’t accept your resignation,” he said and then moved around the desk, shaking his head in confusion. “I just don’t get it, Annie. You’ve always seemed happy here. Happy with us.”
Her expression remained tight. “I love the kids. I always will. But accept it, or not, David...it won’t change the fact that I’m leaving.”
He stared at her, trying to read something in her expression that would indicate she wasn’t as determined as her words made it seem. But all he saw was steely resolve and a budding antagonism.
And his children, he knew, wouldn’t understand. They would feel her loss. They’d grieve it, would be heartbroken. Four-and-half-year-old Scarlett adored her, and eight-year-old Jasper hung on her every word. They would be devastated by the news. Inconsolable. The very notion made him ache through to his bones.
“You can’t leave us,” he said simply.
Something flickered across her face, shadowed her eyes for a moment. But then the resolve was back. “I have to, David.”
He let out a heavy breath. “Annie, please don’t do this.”
She didn’t flinch. “I’m sorry,” she said as she left the room, leaving the scent of her shampoo in her wake.
David wasn’t sure how long he remained in the office, staring after the opened doorway. Minutes. Hours. No, he corrected, not hours. Only, time had suddenly stretched into some weird vortex and he couldn’t think straight. Of all the things he might expect, Annie’s leaving was not on the list. She was practically a part of their family, and he’d always appreciated everything she did for his children.
So, how on earth was he supposed to tell them that she was leaving? Dread formed in his stomach as he headed from the room and down the hall, making his way toward the kitchen at the rear of the house.
His grandmother Mittie McCall was standing behind the counter, her wild red hair piled high on her head, her long, handcrafted wooden earrings dangling from her ears. Mittie always made him smile. She was his father’s mother, an adventurous and free-spirited woman who had made the ranch her home, but spent a good part of each year travelling the globe. When David was two years old, his father, James McCall died unexpectedly from a heart attack while out mustering cattle. David’s mother, Sandra, remarried Ivan Petrovic when he was six and then had Leah, his half sister. David had always considered Ivan to be his dad, as the older man had always treated him like his son, but he kept his real father’s name out of respect for Mittie and the generations of McCalls before him. Family was important. Family mattered above everything else.
And his had just imploded!
Annie...
He got back to thinking about her. And his shock at her announcement.
“Morning, sweetpea.”
David grimaced at the nickname his grandmother had been calling him for decades. “Hey, Nan.”
She smiled. “I’ve made cookies.”
Mittie was a perennial baker. “The kids will be happy. Speaking of my kids, where are they?”
“In the stables with Annie,” she replied and smiled again, waving a spatula covered in chocolate frosting. “Something about a cat having kittens.”
David nodded, then walked from the kitchen and through the mud room, grabbing his coat from the peg by the door. It was cool outside, the sky rumbling and cloudy and rain looked imminent. October was traditionally cool and this one was proving to be harsher than usual, David thought as he shouldered into his coat and hiked up the collar. The stables were around the front, so he circumnavigated the house and within minutes the dogs Rufus and Daisy were racing around his feet, trying to get him to play chase with a stick. The fluffy pair weren’t exactly ranch hounds...more like lap dogs. But the kids loved them and that was all that mattered.
He’d bought them as pups not long after Jayne and his mom had been killed, as a way to help his children with their loss and overcome the incredible pain they were feeling. It wasn’t nearly enough, of course. But six months later, he’d made the solid decision to hire Annie, and things got better. Time was a healer, too. So was work. And family. Despite everything that had happened, David was grateful for all he had in his life. And up until half an hour ago, he’d been incredibly grateful for Annie. Now he was just annoyed.
He stalled in the doorway, watching the trio. His children and the woman they adored. Annie had been a pivotal part of their lives for so long it would be difficult to imagine life on the ranch without her. Almost impossible. She created balance and harmony. She was the steadiness they all needed after so much loss and was an essential part of their everyday lives. She was...family.
He watched as Scarlett clutched her hand as they bent over, looking into a small box in the corner of the stables. Jasper said something and Annie laughed, the sound echoing and somehow hitting him directly in the center of the chest. It occurred to him that he hadn’t heard her laugh much lately. Oh, sure, sometimes when she was in the garden with Mittie or in the kitchen with the kids, or reading the paper with his dad when his father dropped in. But around him...not so much.
Had it always been like that? Had he simply been blinded by the fact she was essential to his kids and therefore didn’t think about their relationship. Not that they actually had a relationship. She worked for him. She lived in his house. They ate dinner together with the kids most weeknights. They talked about the children, the weather and other mundane things, but never about anything really personal. Of course, he’d done a background check before hiring and knew all about her. He knew her stepsister, as well as her father and stepmother. She loved chocolate and hated avocado and always ordered her pizza with extra mushrooms. She was an early riser, but was often asleep on the sofa by nine in the evening. The woman jogged three mornings a week and some Sundays and did yoga downtown on Thursday evenings. He knew she liked reading murder mysteries. She loved Christmas and holidays and spent forever searching for the right gifts. Annie had a sweet voice and would often sing the kids to sleep with a lullaby. She cried every time she watched The Notebook. He knew she liked to wear knitted scarves in winter. He knew she liked to dance, listened to country music and had a hankering for George Strait and Kenny Chesney love songs.
But what he didn’t know was why in the hell she was leaving him.
Not me, he corrected, but the kids, their family, and the life she had on the ranch.
Again, he remembered she’d said something about getting married, registered that it irked him and didn’t want to think about why. Besides, she hadn’t mentioned she was seeing anyone. Maybe he’d been wrong...maybe she was dating someone. It wasn’t as though he paid a lot of attention to her love life. Although, if she was in a relationship, she was certainly discreet about it to the point of keeping the guy invisible.
Yep, it definitely irked him—a lot—which he knew wasn’t rational. Annie could do whatever she liked. Still, he didn’t like secrets. And really, she could still have a relationship and work for him. Most people balanced a professional and personal life. He even did it himself occasionally. Although he was hard pressed to remember the last time he’d been on a date. And he hadn’t had sex in forever, not since Rachel had left town over a year earlier. She’d worked at the local hospital in the surgical unit and they’d had a mutually agreeable no-commitment-required relationship for about eight months. The no-strings arrangement suited them both. When she left town to pursue her career in
Boise, neither of them was exactly heartbroken. Sure, he’d liked Rachel, but she would never have been someone he could settle down with permanently. For one, she didn’t want kids, and since he already had two of his own, imagining they could have anything long-term or serious was out of the question. Besides, he wasn’t in love with her. He liked her well enough, but that was it. They hadn’t even really been friends...more like two people who occasionally got together for dinner and sex. Which had suited them both.
Since then, David hadn’t been inclined to try meeting anyone. His accounting practice kept him busy and so did the kids. His children were everything to him, and frankly, he wasn’t sure he wanted another live-in nanny, either. He’d actually known Annie for a long time, having met her at his cousin Mitch’s first wedding to her stepsister, a decade earlier. Their paths had crossed several times in the ensuing years, mostly at the holidays or weddings and funerals.
Then when Jayne died, his whole world shifted. When Annie applied for the nanny position, employing her had been a no-brainer. She was familiar, she already knew Jasper, and Scarlett was only eight months old at the time. Having her move to the ranch was also an easy decision. But allowing someone new the same option didn’t sit right. He didn’t want a stranger interacting with his kids, living down the hall from them. From him.
He only wanted Annie, end of story.
“Daddy!”
Scarlett’s animated voice cut through his thoughts and she came racing toward him, landing against his legs with a resounding thump. He hauled her into his arms and she hugged him tightly. David kissed her rosy cheek and smiled. Everything about his baby girl made him happy. She was a delightful child, sweet natured and fun loving, and he knew much of that was Annie’s doing. Jasper was the more serious of the pair, but he had also flourished under Annie’s guidance and affection. David knew, without a doubt, that Annie loved his children. He looked in her direction and their gazes clashed, registering somewhere deep down and in a way that made him catch a breath. She wasn’t smiling now.
“The kittens are here, Daddy,” Scarlett said excitedly. “Come and see.”
“Okay, sweetie.”
His daughter squirmed out of his arms, grabbed his hand and dragged him into the corner of the stable. “Look.”
David peered into the small, makeshift birthing box he suspected Rudy, the ranch foreman who’d been with him for a long time, had constructed. David noticed several tiny babies moving around. The mommy cat was still in the process of birthing and he watched as his children observed the wonder of nature. One thing about living on a ranch, the reproductive process was never something to shy away from. If it wasn’t the stable cat, it was one of the cows or the chickens. And he liked that they had the opportunity to witness birth and sometimes death, in a way that was open and honest and safe. It was the frame he used to comfort them when they asked about their mom, which happened less and less as the years passed. His fault, he suspected. And it wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk about Jayne or dilute her memory—it was just so hard to make sense of it.
And now they would lose Annie, too.
“Bubbles is going to be the best mommy ever,” Jasper stated. “Don’t you think, Annie?”
David noticed that she flicked a glance in his direction. “Of course.”
Bubbles was, in fact, a stray who had turned up a few weeks earlier and who had decided the shelter of the stables and the supply of mice at suppertime was a good reason to hang around. The cat was friendly and affectionate, if not a little timid, and once the kittens were weaned and rehomed, David figured he’d get the cat neutered and let her stay on. Admittedly, he was more of a dog person, but the kids liked her, and that in and of itself was enough reason to make her a part of things.
“Can I keep one of the kittens, Dad?” Jasper asked and grinned, pointing to the box.
“We’ll see,” he replied and touched his son’s head, staying close for a few moments.
“The black one with the white feet,” Jasper said and chuckled as he pointed to one of the kittens. “I can call him Socks.”
David smiled. Jasper’s logic was an endearing quality. “Sure.”
“Can we keep that one too,” Jasper queried and pointed to a little black kitten that Bubbles was cleaning up. “I mean, one for me and one for Scarlett,” he explained, still grinning. “And probably one for Annie, too. And Aunt Leah. Oh, and great-grandma. And Pop likes cats, so we should save one for him.”
He had to admit, his son was quite the negotiator, since most of the kittens had now been accounted for.
“So, I don’t get a kitten?” he asked, still smiling.
“You can have Bubbles,” Jasper announced, still all logic and David figured the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
The last kitten had arrived and he reminded the kids to remain quiet while the cat went about her business. Annie was silent, watching the birth, biting her lower lip as she often did when deep in thought. He noticed how Scarlett was back holding her hand, standing close to the woman she adored, and again he was overcome with the feeling that life would be very different when Annie left the ranch.
That thought gathered momentum in his gut until it threatened to cut off air to his lungs. He wanted to understand her feelings...but damn, his kids were going to be crushed. And that was unacceptable. Plus, two weeks wasn’t enough time to find a replacement...or to convince her to stay.
“Annie,” he said quietly. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
She met his gaze and hesitated for a moment before releasing Scarlett. David watched as she moved away from the birthing box and then followed until they were out of earshot from the kids.
“What?” she asked tersely.
He turned, crossing his arms, making sure the children couldn’t hear him. “Two things,” he said quietly. “Firstly, I’ll need more time to find someone to replace you, so I want a month’s notice. Secondly,” he said, dropping his voice a fraction. “I’m not going to play bad cop for you, Annie. If you want to leave, you’re going to have to tell the kids yourself.”
She glared at him, and David knew he’d backed her into a corner. She adored his kids; he knew that. She’d never do anything to hurt them.
Except leave them, apparently.
Well, one thing was certain. He wasn’t going to let her go without a damned good fight!
Chapter Two
Annie took a breath, staring at him, noticing how his green eyes glittered behind his glasses. He really did have the Clark Kent thing down to a fine art. He was highly intelligent and with little patience—or skill, frankly—for small talk. He liked jazz music, didn’t dance, had never smoked and rarely drank. Annie swallowed hard, trying not to think about the fact he hadn’t shaved that morning and his stubble was incredibly sexy. Because thinking David was sexy was plain old stupid.
So, snap out of it...
She shrugged. “Sure, no problem.”
He didn’t look convinced and his mouth twisted a little. “Go ahead, do it. We’re both here...say what you need to say.”
She stepped closer. “You’re being impossible.”
“I’m not the one abandoning them.”
It was a low blow. “You know why I—”
“So you can marry some guy you haven’t even met yet?”
“Who says I haven’t?” she shot back, her teeth clenched tightly.
David’s brows came together. “You did,” he replied. “You said you didn’t know who—”
“If you must know,” she said, keeping her voice low, “there is someone. But I’d rather not talk about it.”
“If you’ve got some secret lover, Annie, rest assured you can still see him and remain here...the world is full of people juggling relationships and work.”
Secret lover? Hardly. But she did have someone she thought might one day become her lover...a
nd maybe more. Twelve months earlier she’d done something completely out of character—she’d logged on to a dating site. Four months after some brief texting sessions with a couple of definite Mr. Noes, she was matched up with Byron Eckart. He was funny and charming and exactly the tonic she needed for her stuck-in-a-rut life. He was single, over thirty, six foot five and handsome in a rugged kind of way. Plus, he was a fireman—a job that he loved. The only thing was, that job was in Texas, so they’d never actually met. They texted, they talked on the phone, they even Facetimed—but she hadn’t summoned the courage for a meeting. He’d asked, of course. And she knew it was the next step. But something held her back.
A six-foot-five, green-eyed something...
She shook off the thought. Byron was her future—maybe. She just needed the courage to take a chance on that future.
“He’s not a secret.” She corrected David’s interpretation and sighed. “I just don’t like flaunting my personal life.”
His gaze narrowed, and then he raised a curious brow as though the idea of her actually having a personal life was surprising. “Who is he? Someone local?”
“No one you know,” she replied hotly, holding on to her building embarrassment. She didn’t want to talk to David about her love-life. Not ever. “And I’ll tell the children today. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll just get back to my Saturday...it is my day off, after all.”
“I never stop you having your time off,” he reminded her.
Which was true. Annie chose to spend most of her Saturdays at the ranch. The fact was, the place felt like home. It was her home. And although David looked after the kids on the weekend, she still enjoyed hanging out with them.
She sighed. “I know. Sorry.”
“I don’t want you to be sorry, Annie,” he said quietly. “I want you to stay.”
She ignored the hint of vulnerability in his voice, figuring she was imagining it, and turned, striding back toward the kids. Rudy, came out from his small cottage behind the stables and walked through the door. He stopped to speak with David for a moment, then came toward the birthing box. She’d always liked Rudy and they chatted for a few minutes, while the kids began naming the kittens. She didn’t relax though...she couldn’t when she knew David was near, silently listening to her every word. Making judgments, of course. Thinking he had all the answers. Believing he knew everything about her.