Page 19 of Wounded Cowboy
Pancake Rebellion
The next day
The sun hadn’t yet risen above the mountains as Spring stood in his kitchen, bleary-eyed and clutching a steaming mug of coffee. He’d spent hours at his computer last night, writing out a detailed care plan for Abby and April.
“Three-quarters cup of raisin bran with one-third cup of milk for Abby,” he muttered under his breath as he scribbled a set of breakfast instructions on the printed sheet’s6:00 a.m. – Breakfastline item.“And one cup of Cinnamon Oat Bites with one cup of milk for April.”
He’d documented every bit of the girls’ daily routines, from their favorite television shows to the length of their naps. He didn’t want to leave any room for anything to go wrong.
As the time neared for his workday to begin, Spring went over to his living room window and stared out at the lightening sky.
There’d been a hell of a thunderstorm last night, complete with howling winds and the drumming of hailstones. He hoped to God nothing had been damaged. At least looked like it was going to be a beautiful, sunny day.
He groaned and stretched, then took a long swing of coffee. He had a lot of work to do today, even if the ranch had escaped the storm unscathed. He looked up at the clock. 5:15 a.m. The sky over the eastern ridge was silver now. The sun would be up shortly.
He’d told Kelsey to be here at sunrise. Was she going to be late on her first day of work? Was she actually a flake, despite Winnie and Nick’s glowing endorsement?
As much as Spring wanted to believe his grandmother and sisters’ assurances that he wasn’t failing as a dad by hiring a nanny, he couldn’t shake off the nagging guilt of handing over care of his daughters to a near-stranger.
He was their dad, and the girls were his responsibility. He couldn’t help feeling that Laura was looking down on him from heaven with disappointment.
His heart leaped in his chest when he spotted Kelsey striding up his long driveway at precisely 5:30 a.m. The first rays of sunlight gilded her hair and skin, and she looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite the early hour.
Spring felt relief. At least his new nanny was punctual.
Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.
“Good morning, Spring,” Kelsey chirped, a wide smile lighting up her face as he opened the front door for her.“Are the girls ready for our first day together?”
Spring’s breath caught as her eyes met his. Her long, black hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail today. It made her big, dark brown eyes seem even larger. She was wearing a red hoodie with theReviving Snowberry Springslogo printed across her chest. Winnie had probably given it to her.
He instantly wanted to loosen her hair and run his fingers through it until it fell to her shoulders in glossy waves. His fingertips actually itched with the sudden need to touch it.
Great. I must be more tired than I thought.
“Morning,” he mumbled, trying to ignore the strange sensation.
The last thing he wanted to do was behave like a creeper around the woman who’d be watching his girls while he was working.
But he couldn’t help wondering how nice it would feel if Kelsey hugged him. It had been far too long since he’d held anyone in his arms romantically.
She stuck out her hand.“Thank you for agreeing to hire me. I’m looking forward to getting to know your daughters.”
He took her hand. The moment their palms met, a jolt ran up his arm, almost like touching a live wire. The softness of Kelsey’s skin touch was at odds with the firmness of her grasp, a surprising paradox that sent an unbidden spark of attraction zipping through his veins.
Her eyes widened, as if she felt something, too. She practically yanked her hand out of his.
“Are you ready to go over the care plan?” Spring asked, trying to regain control of the situation by focusing on the task at hand.
“Sure thing,” Kelsey replied, stepping inside his house.
He gestured for Kelsey to follow him into the kitchen, where the pages lay spread across his dining table.
He pointed out the time slots and his list of“dos and don’ts,” explaining each item as he went down the list. He finished with,“I need you to stick to this plan, all right? The girls need their routine.”
Kelsey up at Spring. His heart sank as he noticed her grin.“You’re joking, right?” She waved her hand over the sheets he’d spent long hours writing out.“I don’t need all this. Just an emergency contact list and the answers to my questions yesterday.”
Spring couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d spent hours creating the perfect schedule, ensuring that every little detail was accounted for. And now she was just brushing it aside?
