Page 8 of Wounded Cowboy
Now that Nick’s son Kegan was old enough to attend summer camp, Kelsey had been looking for a short-term nannying gig between now and when she planned to leave for Los Angeles in September.
She’d been advertising daycare and babysitting services for the ranch’s B&B guests, but only a few people had taken her up on it. It was summer vacation time, after all, and families wanted to spend their days together touring Yellowstone.
Abigail’s offered pay rate would help pad Kelsey’s savings for her fresh start in Southern California. Maybe she’d even be able to afford surfing lessons when she got there.
On the other hand, the reason Abigail was offering such a generous sum was because both of them knew Spring would to be difficult to work with.
Lord only knows how he’ll react to his grandmother foisting a nanny on him over his objections.
Kelsey had never seen him lose his temper, not even that time last summer when Daisy the goat escaped from the petting zoo during the Railroad Days festival downtown and raided all the food booths along Main Street.
Well, there’s always a first time.
But Kelsey also knew that Spring really needed help, even if he denied it. He’d looked awful yesterday, with dark shadows under his bright blue eyes and his handsome face gray with fatigue under his tan. She’d recognized the signs of too much stress and not enough sleep.
And, let’s face it, his two little girls are total charmers.
She reached out and extended her hand over the table.“You have a deal, Mrs. Snowberry,” Kelsey said.“I’ll do my best to convince Spring to let me watch Abby and April this summer. But I have to warn you, I don’t think he’s going to agree.”
“Leave that to me, dear,” Abigail said, sounding confident as she squeezed Kelsey’s fingers in a cool, dry grip.“Promise me you’ll report back about how things are going with Abby and April.”
Kelsey nodded, despite her misgivings.It wouldn’t exactly be spying, would it?After all, Abigail seemed genuinely concerned for her great-granddaughters’ well-being.
“But like I said, I’m not sure Spring will accept my help. He’s… well, he’s grumpy as heck.”
“Spring is a good man at heart,” Abigail assured her.“He’s just been through a lot. Give him time, dear. He’ll come around.”
Kelsey wasn’t so sure of that. But she’d give it her best shot.
∞∞∞
Snowberry Springs Ranch
Later that day
Spring was in the middle of pulling a bubbling cheese pizza out of the oven when he heard a firm knock on his front door.
Aw, hell.It was probably Rory or one of the ranch’s guests, informing him that Daisy had escapedagain.
That damned goat.
Spring gritted his teeth. He was beat and starving, and all he wanted to do was sit down and have dinner with his girls. It had been a long-ass day that had started with a couple of brain-dead tourists climbing the west pasture fence and trying to take selfies with some of the ranch’s bison.
Luckily, no one had gotten themselves gored, though it had been a close call. The ranch’s bison weren’t as mean as the wild ones living in the national park down the road. But that didn’t mean the huge, shaggy beasts suffered fools—and their God-damned selfie sticks—gladly.
Then the doorbell rang. Fuck, he’d forgotten he evenhada doorbell. No one on the ranch ever used it. The same way no one (other than the guests, of course) here ever locked their doors.
Now he was ninety percent sure it was a ranch guest standing on his porch with a problem.
Irritated, he yanked the oven tray forward. He realized his mistake almost instantly. And had to dodge to one side as the pizza launched itself straight at him.
Fuck me!He couldn’t believe his bad luckas the pizza flipped over in mid-air and flopped on the linoleum with a wet slap. Cheese side down, of course.
He stared down at it in disbelief.I hope to God I have another one in the freezer.He didn’t want to see April and Abby’s disappointment if he had to swap out the promised pizza with dinosaur nuggets and fries.
And carrot sticks, he reminded himself.The kids need at least one fresh vegetable for dinner.
The doorbell rang again. Spring growled and glared down at the fallen pizza before he spun on his heel and marched to the front door.
