Page 8 of Curvy Nanny for the Cowboy

The screened-in back porch opened and then smacked shut the way it always did, a kind of alert system that someone was here. The telltale sound of heavy boots being discarded against the wooden floor and then the knob twisting gave me the perfect time to escape before he made his appearance for lunch.

I settled on the porch and sent the photo to Mom’s cell, which, of course, started calling me almost immediately. “Hi Mom!”

“Hey, honey. What a gorgeous photo. That’s your view?”

“Yep, every day. Today is so clear and blue, and the mountains are showing off, so I figured I’d send you some of the beauty.”

Mom laughed. “Wonderful. How are you settling into the new job?”

“I love it. Hunter is such a great kid, and he’s so smart and kind, Mom. He’s curious too but without the destructive streak of Jason, Kyle, and Mattie.”

She laughed. “Lucky you. And the cowboys, are they behaving themselves with a beautiful woman around?”

I tossed my head back and laughed. Mom might be a tad biased about my appeal to the opposite sex. “Total gentlemen,” I assured her. “And I’m learning a few dirty jokes I can’t wait to share with you when I have more time to chat.”

“And the father, is he treating you right?” she asked, pointedly ignoring my dirty jokes comment.

“He is,” I answered with a sigh. “He’s quiet, mostly polite and courteous.” Although his discomfort around me didn’t bode well for turning this into a long-term placement, which was always the goal with these jobs because it provided stability to the child as well as the nanny, and it allowed the parents to make plans for the future. I’d started sending him email updates with Hunter’s progress just so I wouldn’t have to seethatlook on his face when I approached him. “Anyway, my lunch is getting cold, Mom.”

“Go eat,” she insisted. “Thanks for the photo. Love you, honey.”

“Love you too, Mom. Give Dad a hug and a kiss for me.”

“I will.”

The call ended, and I dug into my chili and let the bright colors of nature relax me and take my mind off Colton, but that was impossible. Had I done a terrible job of keeping my attraction a secret? Maybe I should just tell him that he was stupidly attractive but that I had no plans to make a move on him; maybe that would get him to relax. My hopeful, optimistic side wanted to believe that, but Amelia had told me that he was a catch around here and had dealt with more than a few women who pretended they wanted to help with Hunter when really they wanted to help themselves to Colton.

I didn’t know what else to do, so avoiding him seemed to be the best course of action, which was fine. I didn’t normally have a lot of interaction with the family anyway, but this was a unique situation, and I just needed to adjust.I will adjust. I have to.

The door opened just as I finished off my chili and the last bite of cornbread, and I turned with a smile for Hunter, but it died on my lips at the sight of his scowling daddy. Instead of his usual cowboy flannel that clung to his biceps and chest perfectly, he was wearing a black t-shirt that was giving off super sexy Danny Zuko vibes. “Oh. Colton. Hey.”

His inky brows dipped into a deeper scowl. “What are you doing out here?”

“Finishing off my lunch. And talking to my mom. Why?”

He didn’t like that at all. “You usually eat in the kitchen.”

Here was my opportunity. I could speak my mind and risk losing this placement before the sixty days were over, or I could just give him the same answer I gave Hunter. “I do, but I figured you and Hunter might want some father-son time. Alone.”

His blank expression somehow held a wealth of emotion, the main one being disbelief. I wished I could convey so many words without saying a word.

Finally, I decided that if he asked, he wanted the truth. “You seem uncomfortable around me, so I’m removing myself from the equation so that Hunter can have you all to himself. The real you.” He still said nothing, and I filled the uncomfortable silence with words. So. Many. Words. “It’s not a problem really. The view is fantastic, and I ate my lunch out here while I checked in with my mom. This way everyone gets to be comfortable,” I continued before finally snapping my mouth shut.

His blank expression shifted into yet another scowl. “I’m not uncomfortable,” he barked at me.

My lips twitched at how much he looked like his son when he pouted, but laughing wouldn’t serve me well right now, so I pulled my lips into my mouth and bit down to resist the urge to laugh.

“I’m not,” he insisted.

“Okay.” This was another battle that I would happily lose. “Whatever you say, Colton.”

His scowl darkened. “You’ll have dinner with us,” he demanded and then left before I could tell him that he couldn’t tell me what to do.

I ignored the shiver that stole through me at the dark look in his hazel eyes when he ordered me around. I shouldn’t like it. I should hate it, but my hard nipples and the pulsing between my legs would’ve pegged me as a liar. Finally, with a little bit of distance, the urge to laugh overwhelmed me, and I let it out, loud laughter that bounced off the porch and echoed across the flat land straight ahead.

Laughing felt good. After dealing with my relationship with Travis and then the end of my relationship with Travis, I hadn’t felt much like laughing, especially after a string ofincompatible placementsthat left me questioning my future as a nanny. It was a cleansing, cathartic laugh, and I took the win as I gathered my dishes and took them into the house.

“Molly, wanna meet Peanut Butter?”

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