Page 17 of Wounded Cowboy
“Of course,” Jenna agreed, her eyes twinkling with a mix of affection and amusement.“But don’t say I didn’t warn you about the traffic in L.A. It’s wild—people don’t tell you how far away something is located. Instead, they tell you how long it’ll take to drive there.”
“If I can drive in blizzard conditions, a little traffic doesn’t intimidate me,” Kelsey dismissed with a laugh.“Besides, what’s life without an adventure?”
Something dinged behind the counter. Jenna turned to get the now-warm croissant from the toaster oven.
Vince stepped up to the counter and slid a tall glass filled with a jade-colored iced matcha latte over to Kelsey.
“One iced latte for Ms. Los Angeles,” he teased.“And don’t forget to try the fusion Korean-Mexican food when you’re in SoCal. I’ll text you the name of a few food trucks to follow in Instagram.”
“And let’s grab dinner this weekend,” Jenna said. “I can tell you all what neighborhoods to avoid when you’re apartment hunting.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” The warmth of their friendship wrapped around Kelsey like a cozy blanket.
She realized she was going to miss the people in Snowberry Springs when she left.
∞∞∞
After leaving Jenna’s Java and running a few errands in town, Kelsey returned to her cottage on Snowberry Springs Ranch.
As she parked, she was surprised to find Spring standing on her roofed porch, his tall frame leaning against one of the pillars.
Her heart skipped a beat, remembering how upset he had been when she told him about Abigail’s job offer the night before.
“Spring,” Kelsey said warily as she climbed out of her old Subaru wagon.“What brings you here?”
His blue eyes locked onto hers, and her heart skipped a beat. But, for a change, he wasn’t glowering.“I wanted to talk to you about yesterday.”
“Really? I thought you made your feelings pretty clear,” she responded, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her tone.
She saw him wince. Good. He’d been pretty damned rude yesterday afternoon.
“Look, I’ve been thinking,” Spring began, looking uncomfortable. He ran a sinewy hand through his short auburn hair.“And I had a long talk with Grandma Abigail. She, uh, convinced me I need help around here.”
“Oh?” She fought to keep her tone cool despite a spurt of hopefulness.
He paused for a moment, as though searching for the right words.“So, what I’m saying is… I’m willing to give this nanny thing a try. Just for the summer, mind you.”
Kelsey blinked in surprise. She studied his face, trying to gauge whether he had underlying reluctance or resentment.
But all she saw was a man who looked worn to the bone and—could it be?—hopeful.
“All right,” she said warily.“I’d be happy to work as your nanny.”
“Great.” The tension in his broad shoulders eased ever so slightly.“Be at my house at sunrise tomorrow morning. We’ll see how this goes.”
He turned to leave, clearly thinking the conversation was over.
Kelsey took a step forward and stopped him with a raised hand.“Wait. Before you go, Mr. Snowberry, I need to know a few things,” she said firmly.
Spring hesitated, then turned back to face her.“Sure. And call me Spring. Everyone does. Or Zack. That’s my real name.” His firm mouth clamped shut, as if he’d said more than he intended.
Interesting, thought Kelsey. She’d never heardanyonecall him Zack. Not even his parents. She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, then unlocked it and brought up a notepad app.
“First of all, how old are your girls?” she asked. She had a pretty good idea, but needed to be certain.
“April is eight, and Abby is six,” Spring replied.
“What specific duties do you expect beyond childcare? Will I need to cook, clean, or do laundry?”
