Page 22 of The Housekeeper's Billionaire Boss
Ellie rolled her head and cooed at Molly.
“Hey, you two,” Caroline said as she came into Josiah’s room.
“Hi…Caroline.” Molly wasn’t comfortable calling her that yet. It felt odd, but Josiah’s mom had insisted on being called by her first name.
Josiah rolled to his side and faced his mom. “What’s up?”
“Carrie Anne, Reagan, and I are going down to the orchard. Gabby’s been working on an apple-pecan pie recipe. Next weekend is their monthly farmer’s market, and she wants us to test it. Your dad is out with Bear and Hunter. I called him, and he said they’d meet us there. You three are more than welcome to join us.”
“Pie?” Molly was in like Flynn. The three words she loved most wereI’ve got pie. Unlike most women, her dream proposal was:I love you, and I have pie. “I love pie.”
Caroline brightened. “Great. I’m sure Gabby would love your opinion. She’d probably thinks the rest of us are just being nice.”
Josiah used his feet to grab a diaper at the end of the bed and began changing Ellie. “Okay, we’ll see you guys in a little bit.”
As soon as Caroline left, Molly turned to him. “I think I’ll change shirts. It won’t take me but a second.”
He smiled. “Take your time. Knowing Gabby, there’s enough pie to feed an army.”
“Yeah, well, when it comes to pie, I’m all four branches of the military, including the Coast Guard.”
Laughing, Josiah shook his head. “Okay, I’ll have Ellie ready and packed by the time you change.”
“Awesome,” she said, briskly walking to the door and pausing as she reached it. “I’ve already said it a million times, but thank you for inviting us.”
He looked up and smiled. “I’m glad you came.”
With a small nod, she walked to her room and shut the door, leaning back against it. It was wonderful that he’d invited her, but at the same time, she could so get used to all of it. Now she had to figure out how to enjoy herself and remember that this was her glass-slipper night. Only, she’d end up barefoot because a prince just wasn’t in her future.
Yes, she liked Josiah. It was beyond great that he loved Ellie, but a relationship…she couldn’t go around breaking the rules she set for herself—even if the small voice in the back of her head said otherwise.
Only, the voice wasn’t so small anymore. It had gotten its hands on a megaphone, and it was so loud her ears were ringing. Why did things have to be so confusing all the time?
Chapter 10
On the drive to the orchard, Josiah had finally remembered to give Molly the promised rundown on what Carrie Anne had tried to do to his brother Bear. She’d been just as shocked as everyone else that his sister had tried to put his brother on a dating website. The whole family had wondered what Carrie Anne was thinking. Two years later, Bear was still a little sore on that subject.
“I guess I didn’t realize how big this place was. Just how big is this ranch?” asked Molly as they pulled into the drive and parked.
“Uh, over nine hundred acres.”
Her eyes widened. “Whoa. That’s a lot of acres. I definitely didn’t know it was that huge.”
He laughed. “Yeah, Bear has always loved this place. When we were kids, he’d tell us all the things he’d do if he ever had the chance to own it.” He twisted in the seat, took Ellie from the car seat, and cradled her.
Man, he loved this baby. It was the scariest thing he’d ever realized. It would absolutely break his heart if he didn’t have her in his life. He kissed her cheek and smiled at her. Then he realized it was super quiet. When he looked up, Molly was staring at him.
“What?” he asked.
A smile slowly spread on her lips. “Nothing. Just…you’re really good with her.”
“I think you’d have to work at being bad with a baby.” He chuckled. “Plus,” he said, turning Ellie to Molly, “who can resist this little face?”
Wrinkling her nose, Molly nodded. “You have a point.” She turned and fetched the diaper bag in the back seat. “May as well take this in. There’s pie, and I have a feeling this might take a while.”
“At least I know what to get you for Christmas.” He shot her a cheesy grin.
“This is true. You get me pie, and we are square.” She laughed.
