Читать книгу The Nanny’s Temporary Triplets - Noelle Marchand - Страница 14
ОглавлениеAgreeing to help David had been an easy decision for Caroline. Perhaps too easy, considering she didn’t have all that much experience caring for babies. It would be worth it to have access to the piano. Her fingers were already itching to touch those smooth ivory keys. She knew from experience that as the music flowed through her it would carry her stress and anxiety with it. She desperately needed that release, and she certainly wouldn’t get it at her brother’s ranch. He refused to allow a single instrument into his house.
Of course, she couldn’t tell him that was one of the reasons she’d agreed to move to the McKay ranch. She didn’t want him to think she was being anything like their parents by putting music above family. She wasn’t, but she couldn’t sit around twiddling her thumbs trying not to think about what had happened in Austin, either.
David answered the door the next morning looking a little bleary-eyed but otherwise ready to start the day. He offered a welcoming smile to Caroline and extended a hand to Matthew, who had accompanied her. “Good morning. There’s a fresh pot of coffee on the stove if either of you want some. Matthew, let me take that luggage from you.”
He was speaking in a slightly hushed tone, so Caroline did the same. “Are the babies still asleep?”
“They were just starting to stir when I saw you driving down the road. I let them be, hoping you’d get here before they really got going.”
She removed her hat and gloves. “And Maggie?”
“She was still sleeping last I checked. My ma’s getting ready for the day. She’ll probably be starting breakfast in a few minutes.” He nodded down the hall. “Follow me to the nursery. I’ll give y’all a quick tour on the way. I think y’all have both been in the parlor. The kitchen and dining room are on the left side of the house. On the right we have my study. Next door to that is my bedroom.” They climbed the stairs. “My mother and Maggie are on the second floor with the nursery.”
David set down the luggage to open the nursery door. One of the babies immediately grabbed on to the crib’s bars and stood to greet them with a happy exclamation. Caroline dropped her hat and gloves on the bed on her way to the crib. She cooed, “Good morning.”
He chortled and began bouncing up and down. Soon one of his brothers stood beside him, staring at her with big brown eyes. The last one seemed content to stay right where he sat, though he smiled shyly. They all blinked when light flooded the room. Caroline glanced at David as he tied back the curtains. “Do you know who is who?”
“The bouncing one is Jasper. Eli is the one standing beside him, staring at you all wide-eyed. The shy one is Theo.”
She searched the boys’ identical faces for some differences. “How do you tell them apart?”
“Mostly by their personalities. They’re each pretty distinctive. If you get confused, just call one of their names. They’re usually pretty good at responding to their own.”
“Well, aren’t you little fellas smart?” She listened intently as Eli started babbling to tell her how right she was. Once he finished, she nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I think, too.”
David walked over to the chest of clothes to show her where they kept the baby clothes, diapers and other supplies. “Everything you need should be right in here.”
Matthew walked over to peer into the crib. “So these are the three cowboys causing such a fuss in town. They’re pretty cute.”
Caroline bumped him with her shoulder. “It won’t be long before you have a little one just like this causing a fuss in your house, too.”
“I can’t wait.” Matthew grinned. “Listen, I’d better head back to the ranch. Have fun with the kids, Caroline. I’ll see you soon.” Matthew turned to David. “David, would you walk me out?”
There was a questioning little lift to David’s brow, but he nodded. “Of course.”
Left alone with her three charges, Caroline clasped her hands behind her back and paced in front of the crib. “All right, boys, listen close. The four of us are going to make a deal. I promise to feed you, keep you clean, sing you to sleep and whatever else is necessary for your comfort. I have two conditions, though.”
The shyest one finally stood up next to his brothers.
She stopped pacing to grin at him. “Well, hello, Theo! Thank you for joining the discussion.”
He gave a little heart-melting grin and babbled something to his brothers.
“I do appreciate the stamp of approval, but it’s a bit early. You haven’t heard my conditions yet. The first one should be very simple. In return for my services, you must each continue to be adorable. Do you think y’all can do that?”
Eli yelled something unintelligible.
“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have questioned your talents. I just want to make sure the terms of our agreement are clear. The last and final condition is not so simple.”
Jasper reached out for her.
She lifted him into her arms and hugged him close. “I’m only going to be here a short time, so you little honeybees better not make me fall in love with you. My poor heart’s been through enough, and it can’t take any more breaking. Is that understood?”
David cleared his throat. She spun around to find him watching her from the doorway. A blush rushed over her cheeks as she met his amused gaze.
“It was a nice speech, but I don’t think they have any intention of obeying.”
“You can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“No, I guess not.” He sobered as sincerity filled his voice. “Caroline, I wanted to thank you for being so kind to Maggie after finding out she was involved in spooking your horse.”
“You’re welcome, but there’s really no need to thank me. Maggie is easy to be kind to. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that I was a lot like her when I was younger.” She laughed at his surprised look. “I didn’t go quite so far as wearing pants, but I was forever chasing after Matthew. Anything he did, I had to do or at least attempt.”
“I never would have guessed that.” She followed his gaze as it swept over her bottle green skirt, black shirtwaist and cream blouse. From the lace on her collar to the puff sleeves and the slender, tulip-shaped skirt that smoothed over her hips, everything about her clothing was as feminine as it was fashionable.
“What changed?” he asked with more than a hint of desperation. “I mean, what made you want to be ladylike?”
She shrugged. “I made friends with several little girls my age and wanted to be more like them.”
His mouth settled into a discouraged frown. “Maggie’s been around girls her age, but that hasn’t changed anything.”
“That’s because you’re more important to her than they are.”
He tilted his head to stare at her. “What do you mean?”
“She could be trying to emulate you just like I was trying to emulate Matthew.” She could see him thinking about it, but she didn’t have time for him to reach a conclusion. Dampness was beginning to seep through Jasper’s diaper. She turned toward the changing table. “Uh-oh. Someone needs a little changing.”
“They probably all do.” He strode closer. “Would you like some help getting started?”
“No, I’m sure I can handle it. Why don’t you head on down for breakfast? I’ll bring the boys as soon as they’re ready.”
He hesitated. Eventually, the confidence in her smile must have convinced him she could handle this, because he nodded and left the room. That was a good thing because it took all her concentration to remember the lessons Emma had given her last night about changing diapers. She probably should have accepted David’s help, but she wanted to start out being a help to the McKays, not a hindrance.
She finished changing Jasper and set him on the floor to crawl. He found her luggage intriguing. Since everything was still closed up, she let him fiddle with it to his heart’s content. She opened the window that was far out of reach of the triplets to let in some fresh air before taking on the other boys. With them all clean and smelling good, she took a few moments to freshen up herself. She was just pondering how she was going to carry the triplets down the stairs to the kitchen when a tentative knock sounded too far down on the door to be anyone other than Maggie.
“Is that Maggie McKay I hear?” She opened the door to find the little girl looking at her with a mix of sheepishness and surprise.
“How’d you know it was me?”
Caroline winked. “Just a feeling. How are you this morning?”
“Good. I’m glad you’re here. Oh, I’m supposed to tell you that Grandma says breakfast is almost ready.”
“Then we’d better head down—whoa, little man.” Caroline caught Eli as he made a break for the stairs. Or was it Jasper? Setting them loose in the bedroom had scrambled their identities a little in her mind. It was rather like watching that street magician’s game with the pea in the walnut shell. If she had to guess, she’d say this sweet pea was Eli.
Refocusing on Maggie, she realized the girl was exactly the extra set of arms she needed. “You know, Maggie, while I’m here, I could use a special helper to assist me now and then. I don’t suppose you have anyone you would recommend?”
Maggie brightened. “Me, Miss Caroline. You’ve got to choose me. My pa said I’m supposed to help you whenever I can.”
“Wonderful! I knew I could count on you. Right now, I could use an assistant to help me get the triplets safely down to breakfast. Do you think you can carry one of them while I carry the other two?”
“I can do it.”
“Thank you, Maggie. Here. You take Eli.” Caroline transferred the baby to Maggie, making sure she had him safely in her grasp. “Go right on down the stairs, and I’ll meet you at the table.”
She watched to make sure Maggie made it all right, then turned to hunt down the two others. Soon enough all three boys were sitting in their high chairs at the table, which felt like an accomplishment in and of itself. Ida greeted Caroline with a warm hug and words of welcome, then set her to work cutting the triplets’ food into manageable pieces for them.
David entered through the back door with a pail of milk. He smiled at the sight of Maggie entertaining the triplets by making silly faces. David placed another chair at the table. “Caroline, the boys are pretty independent when it comes to mealtimes. At least, they try to be. Usually Ma and I split up the triplets during the meal. I watch over two while Ma takes care of one.”
“I’d be happy to take one of the triplets off your hands.”
“Sounds good.” He nodded and placed one of the high chairs between them.
Finally, they were all seated, but not quite settled. Caroline shifted to find room under the table and accidentally bumped David’s knees with her own. “Sorry!”
“It’s all right. This table is getting a little too small for all of us. Ma, do you know where you stored the leaf? I can put it in before lunch.”
“Yes, I’ll—” Ida hesitated, her gaze flickering from David to Caroline. “I’ll have to look for it.”
Maggie wiggled in her seat as she impatiently eyed the gooey cinnamon rolls at the center of the table. “Is it time for grace, Pa?”
“Go ahead, Maggie.”
She reached for David’s and Ida’s hands. Ida took Caroline’s. Caroline glanced at David. He showed none of the hesitance she felt in joining hands. In fact, he was already closing his eyes by the time her hand found his. A little surge of heat went through her fingers as they slid across his palm, but he didn’t seem to notice, so she determined that she wouldn’t, either.
There was no ignoring that this was the hand of a rancher used to hard work and long hours in the saddle. It had a strength and a roughness to it that made for a much different experience than those few times she’d held Nico’s hand. He’d had soft hands with long fingers, perfect for the piano—and for stealing from unsuspecting women, apparently. Why she persisted in comparing the two men was beyond her and beyond annoying. Especially since it only made Nico look worse, which in turn made her feel more foolish. It also had the inconvenient result of making David look even better in comparison. It needed to stop.
Thankfully, Maggie’s prayer provided a timely distraction from her thoughts. “Lord, thank You for this food and for Miss Caroline coming to stay with us. Help us all have a good day. Amen.”
All the grown-ups echoed, “Amen.”
Caroline grinned at Maggie. “Thank you for including me in your prayer, Maggie. That was very sweet.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Caroline.” Maggie sent her a bashful smile.
Ida gave Caroline’s hand an affectionate little squeeze before releasing it. “It was well deserved. You’re going to be a blessing to us. I can feel it.”
“I hope so.” Caroline glanced at David to see if he had anything to add. She found his thoughtful gaze trained down at the table. No. Not the table. He was looking at their joined hands. Oh, dear. Were they the only ones still holding hands? A quick glance around the table said they were.
Offering him a small smile to cover the awkwardness of it all, she pulled her hand free with a gentle tug. Something was troubling him. She could see that and sense it, too. His expression shuttered and he glanced back to his plate. Oddly enough, she felt cheated. After all, she’d poured her heart and her tears onto his shoulder a couple of days ago. It seemed only fair that he would be just as vulnerable with her.
Of course, they were technically little more than strangers, and the best place for sharing confidences probably wasn’t at the breakfast table. But still. The principle of it bothered her. And it annoyed her to be bothered by it.
“Caroline, dear, the boys like to try to feed themselves, though they don’t quite have the knack of it yet.”
Caroline blinked away her reverie and focused on copying Ida’s technique in making sure the baby, whom she was relatively certain must be Theo, was well fed. It took far more energy and creativity than she’d imagined to keep him interested in the food. Maggie filled the lagging conversation. “Are you riding with the ranch hands today, Pa?”
“Yes, I need to check on the herd.”
“May I go with you?”
David paused to look at Maggie, then at Caroline before returning to Maggie. “I thought you were excited about helping Miss Caroline today.”
“I am, but I also like helping you. I can do both.”
David chuckled. “You stay here with your grandma and Miss Caroline today. I’ll take you riding another time.”
Caroline lifted a brow at David slightly, wishing she could say, “See? I was right. You’re the most important person to her.” Instead Caroline smiled at Maggie. “We’ll have fun today, Maggie. I promise.”
Ida took a break from feeding the baby to nudge the bowl of biscuits toward David. “David, will you be back in time for lunch?”
“Probably not, but I’ll be here for dinner.” He finished his plate and set it in the sink before grabbing a biscuit on the way out. “Y’all have a good day now.”
“Bye, Pa.” Maggie returned her father’s parting wave and watched until the door closed after him. Her eyes filled with tears. Her lower lip trembled.
Caroline tensed in alarm. She was about to try to comfort the girl when Ida caught her eye. The woman shook her head in warning. Pressing her lips together to keep them silent, Caroline did her best to listen as Ida went over the triplets’ daily schedule with her. Even so, Caroline couldn’t help glancing at Maggie now and then. The girl’s eyes eventually cleared of tears. Finally, Maggie reengaged in the conversation as though nothing had happened.
Did that happen every morning? It must if Ida was so used to it. Caroline’s heart went out to the girl. At Maggie’s age, she used to do the exact same thing when her parents left for the theater. She’d known she wouldn’t be able to see them again until the next morning, and the small amount of attention they’d paid to her at breakfast was never enough to fill her aching heart. Matthew had always done his best to distract her until she was able to forget about her parents and enjoy the rest of the day. It had bothered her less and less as she grew older. Eventually she’d learned to accept the fact that her parents cared more about their work than they did about their children.
Could the same thing be happening here? If so, Caroline was a living, breathing example of why that was a disaster waiting to happen. She’d fallen for the first man to show her any attention and ignored every sign of his dishonorable intentions. Caroline couldn’t let the same thing happen to sweet little Maggie. Something had to be done. And she was just the woman to do it.
* * *
David tugged his hat lower to block out the midafternoon sun. Even its scorching heat couldn’t quite rival the intensity of Matthew’s warning glare from earlier this morning. The man’s exact words had been “Watch yourself around my sister. She’s been hurt, and that won’t happen again on my watch. At least, not without some serious repercussions for the man who does the hurting. Understand?”
David understood, all right. He’d done his best to assure Matthew that Caroline would be safe from any romantic entanglements at the McKay ranch. For some reason, Matthew hadn’t seemed entirely convinced. The man really had no need for concern. The only thing David intended to do with Caroline was to stay out of her way. That should be easy enough, since as long as she was doing her job, he’d have plenty of time to do his.
That in and of itself was a blessing. After spending the last few days helping his mother with Maggie and the triplets, he had a lot to catch up on. Beyond the normal day-to-day running of the ranch, David was also battling the drought that continued to wreak havoc on the ranches surrounding Little Horn. He’d grown up on a ranch in west Texas, where rain and water was far less abundant than in the comparatively lush Hill County, so he felt he had an advantage in that fight that many of the nearby ranchers didn’t.
He was used to conserving water and stretching resources. Unfortunately, that didn’t make it any easier to watch the once-green pastureland fade to yellow, then dry up in patches of brown. Nor did it stop him from being concerned about his cattle—especially since the land had to support the extra two hundred head he’d brought with him from out west last year.
Bringing along his best breeding stock had seemed like a good idea at the time. He’d planned to focus on rebuilding the herd and extending his adoptive father’s legacy right here in Little Horn. Now it would take his best efforts to keep the stock healthy and fed through the winter. While the fresh spring near the house looked to be holding up, his hay crop was going to be much smaller than he’d hoped.
David sent a questioning glance to his nearest ranch hand. Ephraim Campbell had been a part of the McKay operation in west Texas and had followed the outfit to Little Horn, along with David’s foreman, Joaquin Reyes. They’d joined together with Isaiah Upkins, an older cowboy who’d worked for the previous owner of the Windy Diamond. As appreciative as David was for Isaiah’s knowledge of the land, David had worked with the other two men long enough that they could all but read his thoughts when they worked together. Proving that, Ephraim simply said, “Twenty-four.”
David nodded. Twenty-four calves still nursing so far. They’d likely find a few more before the day was through. That meant he’d have no choice but to buy additional feed. Other ranchers in the area were going to find themselves in the same position, which meant feed prices were bound to go up. The sooner he got his order in, the better.
The only thing left to determine was how much he’d need to spend. He considered his options for a moment. “I’m thinking about weaning early.”
Ephraim wiped his golden-brown brow on his shirtsleeve before placing his hat back over his dark curls. “Cutting feed cost?”
“Yep.”
Ephraim nodded his agreement. David glanced across the thirty or so cattle they had corralled in search of his foreman. “Hey, Joaquin, what do you think about weaning early this year?”
Joaquin tipped back his hat to eye the calves in the bunch. “They look good. I think they can handle it. Want us to separate them out?”
“Yes, as soon as we get a final tally.”
Far in the distance, Isaiah headed their way, returning from a scouting mission with a couple of strays. Catching sight of a limping calf, David rode out to meet him. “Have you checked the injury?”
“Not yet. This red-spotted steer has a mind of his own.” As if to prove Isaiah’s point, the steer bolted left.
“I’ll doctor the calf. Have fun with the steer.” He grinned as Isaiah grimaced and redirected the steer.
Joaquin cantered over as David doctored the calf’s leg. “What’s the matter with him?”
“Looks like he got caught up on some barbed wire.” David untied the calf and watched him lope back toward his mother. “If so, his mother might be scratched up, too, even though she isn’t limping. Once we’re done counting calves, let’s bring them into the corral by the barn. Examine the mother. Keep an eye on the calf.”
“Sure thing, jefe.” Joaquin tipped his hat back. “Do you want us to check the fence? It might be damaged.”
David remounted his horse. “I’ll ride over now and take a look, since I wanted to check on the crop anyway. Meanwhile, y’all keep looking for nursing cattle.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
With a nod of thanks, David rode the hay field fence until he found the spot where the cattle had tried to break through. Oddly enough, a large branch blocked the opening. It had to have been put there after the cows had broken in. Had one of his men coaxed the cow and calf from the field and placed the branch here as a temporary fix?
It seemed a strange thing to do when fixing the breech was a relatively simple task with the right tools. Stranger still was the fact that none of them had mentioned it. No. His men hadn’t done this. They’d started rounding up those heads of cattle two days ago. That meant whoever had helped them out by blocking the fence was long gone.
Shrugging off the matter for now, David set about mending the break. He was nearly finished when he spotted Jamie Coleman riding toward him. They’d missed each other yesterday when David had returned the puppy to the Coleman ranch. Tug, Jamie’s father, had promised to send his son out to apologize for giving Maggie the dog without David’s permission. David had insisted it wasn’t necessary.
Apparently, Tug hadn’t agreed, because the nineteen-year-old in question greeted David with a wave of his hat. “Howdy, Mr. McKay! I came to apologize. My pa is right. I should have checked with you before I gave Maggie that puppy.”
“It was only a misunderstanding. Don’t worry about it.”
Jamie nodded, though worry entered his hazel eyes. “I hope Maggie wasn’t too upset by it all.”
Oh, she’d been plenty upset. The fact that Caroline was coming to live with them had been the only thing to save the evening. “She’ll be fine. I softened the news by telling her we’d get a dog someday when everything calms down. Right now adding an untrained puppy to the mix is just too much.”
“I understand.” Jamie hesitated. “What if I kept the dog for a little while and trained him for you? That way you and Maggie both get what you want and I’ll feel a whole lot better about the whole thing.”
David stopped wrestling with the barbed wire fence to consider the offer. “That would be a huge help. I’d be happy to pay you for the training.”
Jamie grinned. “Great! No need to pay me. Would it be all right if I bring him around now and then so Maggie could have a hand in training him?”
“She’d love that. Thank you, Jamie.” David held out his hand and they shook on it. “You’ve just made my daughter’s day.”
“Happy to help. I’d better get back to work. I’ll be by with the dog in a couple of days.”
“See you then.” David let out a sigh of relief. With the dog training out of the way, he’d still have to deal with its day-to-day care, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem now that Caroline was caring for the triplets. Maggie would help out, too. He’d hold her to the promise.
He’d tell her the news when he tucked her in tonight. For now, he had a fence to finish repairing. With that done, he rode the fence to check for other breaks in it. That took David well to the north side of his spread, so he took the road back around toward the house.
He hadn’t gone far before he spotted two children riding a mule ahead of him on the road. Neither of them seemed to notice David’s approach as they talked to each other. David called out, “Hello there!”
The children startled. The girl kicked her heels into the mule’s side and sank low to its back as though she expected him to gallop away. Instead the mule brayed in stubborn protest and continued its plodding progress. David easily caught up with them. Up close, the children looked so much alike that they had to be siblings. The girl seemed to be around Maggie’s age with brown hair and serious brown eyes. The boy matched her in coloring but looked to be several years younger. Noting their wide eyes, David spoke in a friendly, gentle tone. “Evening, folks. My name is David McKay. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
The two exchanged a look rife with meaning before the boy answered for them. “My name is Gil. This is my sister, Jo.”
“Do you two have a last name?”
“Satler.”
Oh. The Satler siblings. He’d never met the pair, but he’d heard enough about them to make sympathy stir in his chest. Their widowed mother had died recently, leaving them orphans. The last David had heard they’d been taken in by some friends of their family who lived in town. However, that didn’t explain what they were doing way out here by themselves.
“It’s nice to meet you both. What brings you to these parts?”
“We’re out for a ride, sir.”
“I see.” That sounded innocent enough, but they had the same look on their faces that he saw on Maggie’s whenever she had something to hide. “Do your guardians know you’re out here by yourselves?”
Gil shrugged. “Don’t reckon they much care, sir.”
“Hmm.” David hoped that wasn’t true, but he couldn’t help taking a closer look at the pair for signs of neglect. They were both a mite thin. Otherwise, they appeared to be well taken care of. Sometimes appearances only went surface deep, though.
Jo poked her brother in the ribs, loosening his tongue a bit more. “I mean, they let us do what we like so long as we stay out of trouble and make it back in time for supper.”
Jo nudged the mule’s side again. This time the mule picked up speed. Gil waved. “We’ve got to go now, Mr. McKay. Don’t want to miss supper. Bye!”
David watched them take the turnoff toward town and shook his head. It was a shame that the Satlers didn’t feel cared about at home. David had every intention of following up with their guardians to see if there was anything he could do to help support the siblings. Even so, he wished there was something more he could do for them. Something like what exactly? Take them into his home? He’d expanded the former Windy Diamond homestead into the ranch house it was today. Even after adding a second floor with three bedrooms, the McKay house was full up to the rafters. Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. He could ask Maggie to share her room or he could clear out the study, which operated as his business office. But he was already struggling to care for the children under his protection now.
The sad fact was he simply couldn’t take in every orphan in the county—no matter how much he might want to. No matter how much they needed a home and not just a transient one, either, but a permanent place where they could grow up or stay until they found new families.
“Wait a minute,” David whispered to the quiet woods. “That’s it. That’s the answer.”
A children’s home would provide the town’s orphans a permanent place to stay where they knew they would be safe and cared for. It was the perfect solution. Not just for the children, either, but for him. He wouldn’t need a nanny. He wouldn’t need a wife. Not if the children had a permanent place to stay. Selfishness aside, the children needed this, too. The triplets needed stability. The other children in the community, children like the Satlers, should have a place to go where they knew they would be cared about. This was the perfect solution. He simply needed to develop it more.
He said a quick hello to his family when he entered the house, then all but locked himself in his study to do just that. Once he ran out of ideas, he switched his focus to pinning down the feed order. Before he knew it, his mother was calling him for supper. He took one look at the table and asked, “Ma, did you find the table leaf?”
She shook her head. “I’m still looking. Sit down, son. Supper is getting cold.”
He hesitated only a second, then took his seat. Maggie extended her hand to him. Caroline’s fingers slid across his palm to rest in his grasp. He stole a quick glance at her only to find her watching him expectantly—just like everyone else.
Grace. He was supposed to be saying grace. Clearing his throat, he kept his prayer brief and released Caroline’s hand even faster once it was over. No romantic entangles. Not even the merest possibility of one. That was what he’d said. That was what he’d meant. End of story.
