Page 4 of Curvy Girl and the Single Dad Cowboy

I shoot him a look. "That obvious?"

He shrugs. "I heard her. She walked three miles not to let you down. That counts for something."

I watch as Lily chatters away to Charlotte in the other room, already showing her the toy horses that make up her prized collection. Charlotte's listening intently, her exhaustion seemingly forgotten as she engages with my daughter.

"We'll see," I say, but even I can hear that my tone has softened. "Still early days."

I watch the young woman in the blue dress who walked three miles up a dusty road to keep her word, now sitting cross-legged on my living room floor while my daughter introduces her to plastic horses with names like Sparkle and Thunderbolt.

Not exactly what I had in mind when I hired a nanny.

But maybe, just maybe, exactly what we need.

Chapter 2 - Charlotte

I never expected my first day to start like this—sweaty, disheveled, and thirty minutes late. Yet here I am, sitting cross-legged on Vincent Covington's living room floor, surrounded by a collection of plastic horses while trying not to think about how I must smell after walking three miles in the summer heat.

"This is Thunderbolt," Lily tells me solemnly, placing a black stallion figurine in my palm. "He's the fastest horse on the whole ranch. And this—" she picks up a dappled gray mare, "—is Moonbeam. She's Thunderbolt's girlfriend."

"They make a handsome couple," I say, examining the detailed plastic figurines.

"Daddy says real horses don't have girlfriends, they have mares, but I think that's boring," Lily informs me, wrinkling her nose.

I laugh, trying not to glance back toward the kitchen where I can feel Vincent's eyes on us. He's watching me like I'm a newly introduced animal that might bite—cautious, evaluating, ready to intervene. I don't blame him.

"Sometimes we have to make our own stories," I tell Lily, arranging Moonbeam next to Thunderbolt. "That's what imagination is for."

She smiles at me, and something melts a little inside my chest. I've worked with children before, but there's something special about this one—a thoughtfulness behind her eyes that seems beyond her five years.

"Can I show you my real horse next? His name is Butterscotch, and he's little like me. Daddy says he's a—" She scrunches her face in concentration. "A Shetland pony."

"I'd love to meet Butterscotch, but maybe we should ask your dad first?" I suggest, aware that I haven't exactly received a proper tour or instructions yet. For all I know, Vincent Covington is regretting hiring me after my disastrous arrival.

Lily jumps up, dark curls bouncing. "Daddy! Can I show Charlotte Butterscotch?" she calls out, not bothering to move from her spot.

Vincent appears in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Up close, he's even more intimidating than I initially thought—tall, broad-shouldered, with the kind of rugged good looks that belong on a magazine cover, not running a working ranch. His dark eyes, the same shade as Lily's, are guarded as they move from his daughter to me.

"Not right now, princess. Miss Wilson just got here and hasn't even had a chance to settle in."

"Charlotte," I correct automatically, then wince.

Perhaps not the best time to be pushing first-name basis when I've already made such a mess of things.

His eyebrow raises slightly.

"Charlotte," he concedes, "probably needs to get cleaned up and situated before we start touring the ranch."

Lily's shoulders slump. "But she wants to meet Butterscotch."

"And she will," Vincent assures her, his voice softening when he addresses his daughter. "But remember what we talked about with being a good host?"

Lily sighs dramatically. "Making sure guests are comfortable before adventures."

I can't help but smile at the recited lesson. Vincent catches my expression and for a moment, the ice in his eyes thaws slightly.

"Actually," I say, getting to my feet and smoothing down my hopelessly wrinkled dress, "I would love to freshen up a bit if that's possible. Then I'm all yours for ranch tours and horse introductions."

Lily brightens immediately. "I can show you your room! Daddy and Uncle Jackson fixed it up special. Dad told me it used to be grandma's sewing room."

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