Page 90 of Nanny for the Cowboy

I finish a bite of my steak wrap. “Yeah, I had a feeling. I’ll definitely think about it. It was really fun.”

“That’s all I want for you, dude.” Rosie wobbles her head, rolling her eyes a little. “And you know, to have someone to sing for me during events and such.”

Laughing, I offer my glass for her to clink, and we each take a sip of our tea. “To good moods.”

“The best,” Rosie adds. “So, I take it you’re liking my little, old Red Lodge then.”

“I am. I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure at first, but it’s been nice. It’s quiet and peaceful. I mean, aside from wrangling Darby, but he’s the best kid. I love him.”

Smiling, Rosie nods, her stare going nostalgic. “I’m going to miss him when he moves to the next grade. That’s the hardest thing about being a teacher here, really. Your kids all move on with their lives. It’s amazing to watch, but the good ones…well, you never want them to leave.”

Call me hormonal, which could definitely be the case, but Rosie’s words have me choking up a little. I’m supposed to be moving on, too. And…yeah.

I’m going to missso muchabout this place.

“Are you really going to leave me too?”

I look up from my plate, a bit surprised that Rosie called me out like that. “Oh, well. Umm…I’m not sure. That’s supposed to be the plan.”

Rosie cocks her head, her brows furrowing. “Supposed to be? What’s that mean?”

“Well,” I sigh, “I do like it here. There’s a lot I don’t want to leave behind, and besides, there’s still this thing with my ex-boss in New York. That’s not resolved. It’s not really best for me to go back yet.”

Her brows raise to her hairline. “So, you’re going to stay?”

Shaking my head, I feel like I can’t find the right words. “I mean, maybe? I don’t know. I know I’m not leaving yet. But the future…is murky.”

“Well, I think you know my vote.” Rosie smiles, reaching across the table to take my hand and give it a squeeze.

“I do.” I smile back at her, letting her lay on the “please stay” vibes.

We chat a bit more, each of us devouring our delicious food, but in the back of my head, I can’t help but think about Kyle…and Brooks.

I have a life and job back in New York, one that is on a tenuous balance right now. Kyle’s been spreading talk about me, and thankfully, none of my clients is biting, but how long can that last?

I know he’s pissed at me, and that guy is like a dog with a bone.

Worse, I don’t know what he’s planning. It makes me undeniably nervous thinking about what he could be cooking up and what I could be walking into if I went back.

I like life, thank you very much.

There’s also Brooks.

Lying to myself isn’t working anymore. There’s something there. I know it, and even more, I think Brooks knows it, too.

The more I think about going back and leaving the life I’ve created here in this beautiful small town, the more my stomach twists into painful knots.

My chest tightens when the image of watching Brooks and Darby fade into the distance hits.

God, I hate this. I don’t want to leave them. But I can’t just…be his nanny forever. What would Brooks and I eventellDarby?

But am I putting them both in danger by staying? What would Kyle really do to me…to them?

Abruptly, my appetite is gone, but I force myself to eat enough so that it doesn’t look like anything is wrong.

“Alright, hun,” Rosie stands up from the table, our server having returned our cards after paying, “I have to get back to it. I’m sure you do, too.”

I wipe my mouth with my napkin and stand up. “That I do. Text me later.”

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