Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
REMINGTON
“ A re you lost?” I don’t know what it is about this woman, but my body fucking hums whenever I’m near her.
And I had no idea that this was the person Millie was sending my way to interview as a potential nanny.
Fuck me. How am I supposed to have her in my house all the time and keep my hands to myself?
“No,” she says with a grin. “Do you get many people who are lost out here? Because that’s a hell of a drive from town to find yourself lost.”
“No, not many strays make their way out here. Come on in,” I reply and step back, then close the door and catch her rubbing her hands together. “Are you cold?”
“A little,” she confesses with a shrug. “I feel like I’ve been cold since I got here in December. It’s okay, I’ll adjust to the climate eventually. You have a lovely home.”
I turn to look at the house I grew up in through her eyes. Aside from some new furniture here and there, and a coat of paint, not much has changed since I was a kid. The same chandelier hangs in the foyer over a worn rug. To the right is the kitchen and living room, and to the left is my office. I gesture that way and lead her inside, then close the doors behind us.
“Thanks for coming all this way.” Taking my seat behind the desk, I watch her wander slowly to the chair across from me, her eyes gazing over my shelves, the paintings and photos on the wall, and the window to my back. Her green sweater hugs every curve of her body perfectly, leaving nothing to the imagination. I’m relieved to be sitting. “Have a seat.”
“Okay. So, you’re Remington. And here I thought your name was simply Grumpy.”
“And you’re Erin. Not Doc at all.”
Those lips of hers tip up on one side. “Guilty. I’m Erin Montgomery, and I seriously love your sister.”
I sit back and steeple my hands in front of me. “Everyone loves my sister. I guess I’ll start by telling you what I need, and we’ll go from there.”
“Sounds great.”
“I have two kids, and they’re both in school. I’m finding it challenging to get away from the ranch to get them to and from school, take care of homework and meals, and still have fun with them, too.”
“I can see that,” she says, nodding slowly. “From what Millie tells me, your ranch is very busy.”
“Yeah, that’s an understatement. But I don’t know how you can help me if you’re not planning on quitting the coffee shop. You’re still working when school gets out.”
“I’ll switch with Millie,” she replies easily. “She already offered. I’ll take the early shift and be off about an hour before school gets out. It’ll be perfect timing for me to run home and change and get over to them. I don’t think I’ll be able to do mornings, though. So, if you need someone for both, it might not work for us.”
I take a breath, thinking it over. Just having someone do the afternoon pickup would be a huge help.
“I think I can continue to manage in the mornings, if we decide this is mutually beneficial.”
Erin watches me with happy green eyes as I outline the salary, what I expect, and what I absolutely won’t tolerate. When I come to the end of my speech, her smile grows.
“I think that all sounds perfectly reasonable.”
“Can you start on Monday? Of course, I’ll have my brother run a quick background check to make sure there are no warrants out for your arrest, but as long as that checks out, you’re hired.”
“Awesome, but before I officially accept the job, can I meet the kids?”
“Of course.” I stand, both happy and relieved that she asked to meet them before accepting. It shows me that this isn’t just an extra paycheck for her. “Follow me. My mom is in the kitchen with them right now.”
We walk through to the kitchen, where my mom is just starting the dishwasher.
“Grandma made us pancakes,” Holly says with delight as she chews and turns to Erin. “I’m Holly. What’s your name?”
“It’s nice to meet you, Holly. I’m Erin. Those look like delicious pancakes.”
“You can have some,” Johnny offers. “Grandma makes the best ones.”
“As tempting as that is, I’ll have to pass for today. You must be Johnny.” I like the way she smiles at the kids. She’s warm and isn’t fake about it.
You can always tell when people don’t like kids and are only being nice because it’s expected. And my kids know the difference, too.
“Hello, Erin,” Mom says with a smile. “I’m Joy, Remington’s mom. I’m about to get out of your hair, Rem. I’m off to the salon.”
“Thanks for coming over, Mom,” I reply and kiss her cheek before she bustles off.
“Where do you live?” Holly asks Erin.
“In town, in an apartment above a garage,” Erin replies and leans on the counter, settling in to talk to the kids. “And I work with your aunt Millie at the coffee shop.”
“I want to work at the coffee shop when I grow up,” Holly decides. “I also want to take ballet classes. I have friends at school who do it, and it looks so fun. See, I can even do some of the moves already.”
Holly, ever the performer when new people are around, jumps off of her stool and starts to twirl about, her little arms up and over her head, and I see her heading right for the corner of the countertop.
Erin must sense it, too, because she starts to move forward just as I do to avoid the knock on the head, but we’re both too late. Holly collides with the corner, and her nose starts to bleed.
“It’s okay,” Erin says, completely cool, as she grabs a towel and holds it to Holly’s nose. “Hey now, it’s okay. I know that hurts. I’m sorry. We’re going to stop the bleeding and make it feel better. Johnny, will you please grab me a couple of ice cubes from the freezer?”
I’m still poised to jump in, but I can see that Erin has this under control, so I hang back and watch how she handles it.
“Owie,” Holly cries.
“I know, sweetie.” Erin drags her hand down Holly’s hair as she keeps the pressure on Holly’s nose. Johnny fetches the ice and hurries over with a few cubes in his hands. Erin expertly wraps it in the towel and presses it against Holly’s nose once more. “It’s already stopped bleeding. Now, this ice is going to help it feel better.”
Holly’s not crying anymore and is watching Erin with big, wet brown eyes.
“How’d you know how to do that?” Johnny asks.
“Well, I have a really big family, and someone was always getting smacked in the face and getting a bloody nose when we were growing up. That’s what happens when you toss footballs and baseballs and all kinds of things around when you’re not supposed to. It hurts like crazy, but this helps.”
“I can hold it,” Holly says as she takes the towel in her little hands. “Like this?”
“Yep, just like that. Good job.” Erin nods and steps back, still smiling at the kids.
“She isn’t always a spaz,” Johnny says. “She was just showing off.”
“Huh.” Erin frowns and looks around the room. “I don’t see any spazzes here. I just see a little girl who loves to dance. My aunt is a professional ballerina. She has a dance school in Seattle. I think you’d love to learn to dance, Holly.”
That brings a huge smile to my daughter’s face, and I know without a doubt that Erin would be a great addition to my kids’ lives. I may have a hard time keeping my hands to myself because she’s fucking gorgeous and does things to me that I haven’t felt in a very long time.
Hell, maybe ever.
But for my kids, I can suffer through it.
Even Johnny is grinning as Erin reaches over and ruffles his hair.
“Well, guys, I’d better head out because I have to work this afternoon, but I might see you again soon, okay?”
“Okay,” they reply in unison, and I escort Erin to the door to gather her things and then out to her car, which I eye warily.
“Is this your car?”
Erin sighs. “No, it’s a loaner. My car is in the shop, and I don’t know when I’ll get it back. Brooks is trying to come up with some answers for me. In the meantime, Peter was nice enough to loan me this one.”
“I don’t want my kids riding in that pile of rust.”
Erin frowns. “It runs just fine.”
“That may be, but when you’re driving my kids around, I want them in a vehicle that I know is in perfect shape. You’ll take my Suburban.”
Her eyes fly to my big SUV and then to me. “But that’s your car. I can’t just take your car away from you.”
“I also have the Jeep, so it’s no big deal.”
“This is ridiculous. The car is fine. ”
“Not for my kids,” I counter, shaking my head. “I’ll drop the SUV off to you tomorrow. That’s if you’re taking the job.”
“I like your kids a lot,” she admits with a smile. “They’re cute, and they’re not little monsters. Their dad has some alpha vibes going on, but I can deal with that.”
I like her smart mouth. I want to bite it. But for now, I shove my hands into my pockets.
“The kids get out of school at 3:00. You’ll want to get in the pickup line by about 2:30.”
“Got it.” She nods and walks to the driver’s door. “I’ll be there to get them Monday afternoon. Have a good weekend.”
She waves and takes off, the car making all kinds of noises as she drives down the driveway. I absolutely do not want my kids to ride in that thing. Hell, I don’t even like Erin riding in it.
Brady will follow me into town tomorrow to drop off the Suburban and bring me back to the ranch.
“Rem hired a nanny,” Millie announces to the family at dinner later that night. We’re all seated around my big dining room table, finishing up a dinner of fried chicken with all the fixings that my mom made from scratch. “My friend, Erin. She’s the best , and she already told me that she absolutely loved meeting the kids.”
“Erin?” Chase’s head comes up at that. “I like her a lot. She’s happy and nice. And she’s hot. ”
“Why don’t I take the kids outside to play with their new drones,” Dad suggests, standing from the table. “Let’s go find some cows and see if we can spot other animals, too.”
“Yay!”
Both kids run after my dad through the back door to the yard.
“Those drones were a cool gift,” Millie says to Ryan, who’s sitting right across from me. “They’re in heaven. It’ll be fun to fly them around the ranch.”
“I had to bring them something fun,” Ryan says with a shrug.
“Tell me more about the pretty Erin,” Brady says, waggling his eyebrows.
“No,” I reply curtly. “Keep your hands off my fucking nanny.”
“Well, I see that Rem is his old charming self,” Ryan says, earning a glare from me. “Last time I checked, it was still not against the law to date someone, even if they’re a nanny.”
“You’re such a fucking smart-ass,” I reply. “And how do you know if I’m charming or not? You haven’t been home in two fucking years. So, why now?”
“Just because I choose to have a job that isn’t here in Bitterroot Valley doesn’t mean that I don’t want to come see my family, you know.”
“Seems that way to me.” I’m just so fucking pissed off . I want to punch him in the face. “So what the fuck are you doing here?”
Ryan just stares at me, his face sober, and wipes his mouth with his napkin. “You know what? I think I’ll head home.”
“No.” Millie raps her fist on the table, getting all of our attention. “No. You’ll stay because, as Rem just pointed out in a really shitty way, we haven’t seen you in a long time, and we miss you. Rem, you need to chill the hell out.”
“My kids don’t even know you,” I say, my voice even now. “And they want to. They ask about you. They may enjoy your expensive gifts in the moment, but that’s not what they want from you, Ry. They just want you. So, the question stands. Why are you home now, and how long will it be before you leave, and I have to tell the kids that I don’t know when they’ll get to see you again?”
Ryan blows out a breath and digs his fingertips into his eyes. No one objects to the question this time, because I know that they’re all wondering the same thing.
“We like having you here,” Brady adds.
“I’m home indefinitely,” Ryan finally says with a weary sigh. “I can work from anywhere, and I’ve decided this needs to be my home base for a while. Why? Shit, I don’t know. It’s just my gut telling me that this is where I need to be because I miss all of you, and I want to be here. Jesus, I want to get on a horse and brand some calves.”
“That’s coming up in a couple of weeks,” Mom says, wiping a tear from her eye. “We could use your help.”
I don’t trust it. He won’t be here long.
He never is.
“I want to play with the drones,” Chase says, standing from the table. “Why should the kids have all the fun?”
“I’m with you,” Brady adds and joins Chase. Mom and Millie go out, too, leaving me here with Ryan.
For a long minute, we just watch each other over the table. Yeah, it’s good to see him. But I’m so mad at him that I want to kick his ass.
“I’ll earn it,” he says at last.
“What’s that?”
“The trust.” He blows out a breath and looks more emotional than I’ve seen him since we lost the state football championship my senior year. “I know it’ll take time, but I’ll earn it.”
“It’ll take time,” I echo with a nod. “Fuck, let’s go play with the drones.”
Ryan grins. “I have a couple more for the rest of us.”
“Break them out.”
“I should have just gone to get them myself.” I brace my foot on the bottom rung of a fence as Brady and I watch Ryan work with a mare in the ring. “It was a slower day today, and I could have gotten away to pick them up.”
“Most days won’t be this laid-back, you know that,” Brady replies. “Let them all get used to each other. Erin has your car, and from what I hear, she’s a competent girl. Stop worrying so much.”
I smirk and check my phone. She should be in the pickup line by now.
“You obviously don’t have kids. Life is all about worry, my friend.”
“Stop looking at your phone. Jesus, did you put a location tracker on hers or something?”
“Wait, I can do that?”
Brady rolls his eyes. “No, stalker, you can’t. It’s an invasion of privacy.”
“I’m just going to text her and ask her where she is.”
Me: Did you make it to the pickup line?
“That’s it, annoy the fuck out of her on the first day,” Brady says as my phone pings with a reply.
It’s a selfie of her in my car.
Erin: I’m here!
“Hey, she is hot,” Brady says, looking over my shoulder. “Are her eyes…green?”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Green eyes, brown hair.”
The sexiest damn lips I’ve ever seen in my life.
Not that I’ll say that out loud.
After a few minutes, my phone pings with another text. This time, it’s a selfie of Erin with the kids in the back seat.
Erin: Proof of life! All is well.
I smirk.
Me: Drive safe. Text me when you get to the house.
“You’d think he was on a horse yesterday,” Brady says as we continue to watch Ryan, who’s murmuring to the horse. “He always was a natural.”
“We all are,” I counter. “We grew up on horses.”
“Yeah, but it’s as if Ryan speaks their language. I was always jealous of that.” Brady shrugs. “When are we doing the branding?”
“Next weekend. We have one more storm coming through the middle of the week, and then the weather clears up. We’ll be good to go for the weekend.”
“Cool. It’ll be good to have the extra hands.”
“I think I want to buy a few of my own horses,” Ryan says as he joins us at the fence. “I have stables at my property that I’ve never used.”
“You can always come out here and ride,” I remind him. “You don’t even have to let one of us know. Just come ride.”
“I know, and I appreciate that,” Ryan replies. “But there’s something to be said for being able to walk out your back door to your own stable, saddle up a horse, and just go. I miss it.”
“There are always horses for sale in the area,” Brady says. “You won’t have a problem finding a couple.”
“That’s what I figured,” Ryan agrees. “I might need to hire someone to come out now and then to help me, especially if I have to travel.”
“You can find that easy enough, too,” Brady says. “I know some guys who would appreciate the work and are trustworthy.”
“Appreciate it,” Ryan says with a nod and then turns to me. “You’re doing a good job out here, Rem. The ranch is thriving, and that’s thanks to you.”
I nod, looking around at our family’s legacy. “I had a good foundation to work from. I’m just building on what was given to me.”
“It wasn’t given,” Ryan replies. “It was earned.”
“Damn right,” Brady says.
“Yeah, well.” The phone in my hand rings, and my heart stutters when I see it’s Erin. She shouldn’t be here yet. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Jesus, nothing’s wrong, nervous Nellie. I brought the kids to the coffee shop to see Millie and to get them a treat, and I’m wondering if you want something. They have the huckleberry muffins again.”
Ryan and Brady are laughing at the nervous Nellie comment, which makes me regret the speakerphone, but my heart has settled down now that I know they’re safe.
“Yeah, I’ll take one. Hell, buy whatever they have left, and I’ll pay you back.”
“Okay, will do. See you soon.”
She hangs up, and I turn to my brothers. “Shut up.”
“We didn’t say anything,” Ryan says with a laugh.
“I’m gonna start calling you Nellie,” Brady says. “It just fits you so well.”
“Fuck you.” But I can’t help but laugh. “You’re a couple of jerks.”
“Ah, come on, Nellie. Let’s go meet her at the house for some muffins.”