Page 66 of Nanny for the Cowboy

“This is the house I’ve been waiting for, Clover. I can feel it in my bones.”

“I’m so happy for you, Dad.” I hug him again. “So you’re going to call the realtor?”

He nods. “I am.”

“Thank God because you needed to get out of that tiny ass apartment.”

Dad laughs, and I join him after eyeing him playfully. I’m genuinely thrilled that my father has found the farmhouse of his dreams, and I reallydohope that Mom comes to visit him every now and then.

Even if I don’t believe in that stuff.

“I can’t wait for you to move in.”

With a broad smile, my dad turns and wraps a single arm around me, looking out over the property in front of the house.

“Well, once I get the keys and everything is settled, you can move in too.” He doesn’t look at me, thankfully, because I’m sure I go white as a sheet. “I’ll have plenty of space for you now. And I know that you’ll be wanting to get back to New York, but that’s not until that mess with your coworker is settled.”

“Right, yeah.” My blood feels cold, and I furrow my brow as I look at my dad. “Umm, hey, I need to hit the bathroom before we leave. I’ll be right back.”

He grins. “Okay, hun. I’ll be in the car. Gonna call that realtor now.”

A smile breaks free. I really am happy for him, and I nod before jogging off inside to the bathroom near the kitchen.

I sit down. Hell, maybe I will actually pee. It’s not why I came in here, but I might as well try for a tactical wee.

Roaming my eyes over the quaint décor, I can see Brooks’s downstairs bathroom in my head. I can see the entire house.

Goddamn.

My chest aches, and I hear Dad’s words in my head again.

You can move in, too.

I love my father endlessly, but the thought of living in this house with him breaks my heart. And I know exactly why it does.

Brooks.

The idea of leaving him and Darby behind is enough to make me sick to my stomach. I love that house. I love being around them each day and helping out at the ranch.

I wanted to deny it for so long, but I do. I love the ranch.

It’s even more of a thing now that Brooks and I have slept together. I don’t want to leave him when we’re starting to try for…something.

Whatever it might be, it feels wrong to leave in the middle of it, even if I would technically still be working for him. I don’t want to be that far away from BrooksorDarby.

I want to be with them.

But it’s not like I can actually tell my dad any of that. Hell, I’m not sure if I can tell Brooks that. It’s not like I want to scare him away.

With another long sigh, I finish up in the bathroom, washing my hands and heading for the front to join my dad in the car. Once I hit the porch, I see the hide-a-key left on the railing and I use it to lock up, putting it back where I found it.

I’m about to head to the car when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

I wonder if it’s Brooks asking how it went.

But it’s not. It’s an unknown number, and I know what that means.Kyle. I consider just deleting the message, but curiosity gets the best of me, and I swipe it open.

Tension clamps down on my spine, and I can hear my pulse in my ears as the words appear in front of me.

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