Page 24 of Curvy Nanny for the Cowboy

His shoulders fell and he mumbled, “Corn, then.”

I laughed and turned to the approaching waitress, a middle-aged woman with pouty red lips and bright red hair. I placed the order, and she rushed off as two groups entered the diner.

“Do you like it on the ranch, Molly?”

The question caught me off guard, and I had a feeling he was asking for a deeper reason. “I love it, actually. All the wide-open spaces, and I really like the goats, especially the kids. And I really love working with a smart kid like you.”

His smile beamed. “Are you gonna stay forever? Because I want you to stay forever. I love you, Molly.”

Good Lord, but this kid knew how to grab at my heart and clench it in his little fists. I blinked back tears and reached across the table to grab his small hand. “I love you too, Hunter. A whole lot.” I felt bad that I couldn’t give him any guarantees about staying because the truth was I just couldn’t. Technically, there were about twelve days left on my probationary period, and I had no idea what Colton was thinking about my long-term employment or even about us. He could just decide to let me go because it was highly unprofessional to sleep with him, or because he could sense I was getting too attached, and this would be the easiest way out for him.

I decided to call Toni soon to get her advice. She was busy with her own life and a baby on the way, but she would make time to impart some wisdom. I hoped.

“I’m full,” Hunter declared after he ate half of his burger and all of his corn, plus more fries than a boy his size should’ve been able to put away. “So full.”

I laughed. “Another good thing about vegetables: they’re very filling. If you get too big, Peanut Butter might not be able to carry you.”

The sound of his laughter never failed to put a smile on my face. “Molly,” he whined.

“I know, but someone had to say it.” I paid the bill, left a tip for our friendly waitress, and somehow we both managed to walk out on our own two feet. “That was the best barbecue chicken and bacon sandwich I ever had.” Usually, a meal like that would trigger the guilt and worry about my body, but between wandering the ranch with Hunter and burning sex calories all night with Colton, I just felt good. And satisfied.

And happy.

Really happy for the first time in a long time. Not just happy, but happy and free. I wasn’t worried that I would have to fight off Colton’s advances or that he would be mad if I wasn’t in the mood, and that lack of fear was freeing. I felt lighter and happier, and I refused to think about the huge space in my heart that now belonged to Colton. He hadn’t said anything about making this—us—more than what we are: sex buddies, and I wasn’t ready to ask.

I was content—for now—to just be happy and riding a sex high.

“What happened to the tires?”

Hunter’s question brought my focus back to the present, and I followed his finger to my car. “Weird,” I mumbled to myself and knelt down at the sight of my passenger side tires. Both were flat, and I only had one spare tire. “Come on, Hunter.” I took his hand and rushed back into the diner. “Excuse me, is there a mechanic in town?”

Our waitress smiled. “Yeah, Buck’s shop is a few blocks west of here, but he’s up in Austin. His daughter-in-law just had twins, so he’ll be back in about a week.”

Dammit.“Okay, thank you.” I didn’t want to call the ranch and pull one of the guys from their work, but Google said the next mechanic was fifty miles away, so I sucked it up and called Wyatt.

“How are we gonna get home?”

“Wyatt is going to send someone to pick us up,” I answered with a smile and a light tone to ease the worried frown on Hunter’s face. “Let’s put these packages in the car while we wait.” I walked around to the driver’s side to pop the trunk and froze. My eyes were wide, and there was a hitch in my gut that told me this was wrong. Just plain wrong.

“What’s wrong, Molly?”

“Nothing,” I said a little too brightly because I didn’t want to worry him, but I was worried. This was too coincidental to be anything but deliberate.

That was exactly what Colton said when he arrived in his oversized pickup truck and got Hunter settled inside. “You have two flats?”

I shook my head. “Turns out I have four.”

His brows furrowed, and he bent in front of each tire, examining them closely with a growing frown. “This isn’t just bad timing.”

I shrugged. “Maybe my tire pressure was lower than I thought before I made the drive to the ranch.” It was a slim possibility but unlikely since my dad had made sure I knew the basics of auto maintenance, which included checking tire pressure before any long trip.

“Yeah, and maybe the tires slashed themselves in an act of rebellion,” he growled, glaring at me with his arms folded over his chest.

“Slashed?” The knot in my stomach grew and twisted until I felt like my delicious chicken and bacon sandwich might make a reappearance. All the color drained from my face, and I turned away from Colton as guilt pulsed through me. It couldn’t be, could it?

Colton wrapped a quick arm around me and guided me towards his truck, helping me inside before he closed the door.

I watched him carefully as he moved gracefully around the car, checking each tire and snapping a photo with his phone before he placed a call. He was so big and strong; every move was purposeful, nothing wasted. His brows furrowed as he barked into the phone and then turned to me. His gaze softened for a moment, and my heart stuttered and slowed before it started galloping wildly in my chest.

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