Page 36 of A Rancher's Heart
Karen brushed her gloves against her thigh. “I’m the horse whisperer, not the goat whisperer,” she teased back.
The next half hour was spent teaching Sasha and Emma what they had to do to take care of their goats.
Caleb backed off and left Tamara and her sisters to the task. He ended up on the far side of the fence with Dustin. Ashton joined them as well, checking the proceedings with great curiosity.
“Like my fencing repairs?” Ashton said with a bit of a gloat.
“You might’ve warned me we were getting goats,” he chided Ashton.
The silver-haired foreman shrugged lazily. “Tamara said you told her she had total responsibility if the girls wanted animal chores. I figured you put this one on yourself.”
Huh. Caleb had to agree. “You’re right, I did.”
Dustin rested his arms on the railing as he watched the girls and the goats with fascination. “How come I never got to have goats?” he asked.
“Because you had everything else, I guess.”
Oh hell. Tamara was right.
At Sasha’s age and earlier, Dustin had already been in the barns with their father. Maybe the situation had been a bit different because there’d been a lot more adults around, but still.
Caleb glanced at the girls working excitedly with the animals, and when Emma put her hands to her cheeks and laughed out loud, he felt that same sense of hopeless wonder strike all over.
There was no way he could do this without screwing up, but at least now he had someone helping him see the forest through the trees.
Tamara slipped into the bench seat at the coffee shop, putting down the tray and dividing the food among them.
“I still can’t believe you asked me for goats,” Karen said. “Those things are going to make your life miserable.”
Tamara shrugged. “I want the girls to have chores. Caleb doesn’t want them in the main barn, and you said goats would be better than pigs.”
“I said the girls would probablylikegoats better than pigs, but raising pigs would’ve been easier,” Karen corrected her.
“Cute kids,” Lisa slipped in. “I know you tried to get away without spilling details on the phone, but now you have no choice but to answer, or I’ll hold your coffee hostage.” She held it out of range while Tamara waited patiently. “Go on. How are you enjoying being a nanny slash housekeeper slash cook?”
Tamara glanced at her sisters. They were both waiting, true interest on their faces. She was lucky to have them in her life. “It’s not much different than being a nurse. I mean, at the hospital I didn’t have to cook, but there was always cleaning involved. I don’t mind the cooking, and the girls are…we’re getting along.”
“Is it weird living in someone else’s house?” Karen asked.
“Yeah, it is, but did you see thatlake? I can’t get enough of the view.”
Lisa had been admiring the coffee shop, and now motioned toward the opening between the area where small tables and comfy chairs were arranged and the space next door filled with knick-knacks, candles and glorious flower blooms. “Well, I think it’s neat you’ve got new places to check out. Buns and Roses—cute name for a shop.”
Karen made an appreciative noise as she took a bite from the enormous cinnamon roll in front of her. “And tasty. Yeah, I can see you’re enjoying spreading your wings a little.”
“Things are going well,” Tamara assured them. “Still got to figure out a few things with the girls. Caleb’s a bit of a stick in the mud at times, but I knew that when I signed on for the job. He’s fine to work for. I’m glad I’m here.” She took a deep breath and asked the burning question. “Is it bad back home? I mean, the rumours about me?”
Karen and Lisa exchanged glances before Karen spoke. “It’s notterrible, but it’s a good thing you’re not there.”
Lisa nodded her agreement. “I think it’ll die down sooner with you not around, but speculation is running wild. Everything from you seduced a patient, to you absconded with the hospital fundraiser money.”
Tamara leaned her head against the wall beside her. In a way, she was surprised her secret had remained buried for as long as it had, but she’d known when she did it she was risking her career.
Years ago she’d discovered a good friend’s mother was dying. That had been tough, but when Allison’s mom failed to tell her children the news, that had been the straw that pushed Tamara over the line.
Allison had already lost her dad to the disease, and the pain of not being there for her mom would have been heartbreaking.
So Tamara had ignored her nursing vows, and instead of keeping a patient’s information confidential, she’d let it slip to Allison who had been able to return to Rocky in time.
