Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
REMINGTON
“ H ey, Mom.” I smile at her as she holds her front door open for me, inviting me inside. Do I have time for a chat with my mom today? Not really, but she requested that I come see her, and I learned very early in life to stay on my mother’s good side. “What’s up?”
“Does something have to be up for me to see my son?” she asks as she leads me to her kitchen, where she’s already poured me a mug of black coffee and has a fresh huckleberry muffin waiting for me.
“Usually,” I reply with a nod and sip the coffee, watching as she smiles over at me. “You look nervous. Whose ass do I have to kick?”
“You’re so much like your father,” she says with a sigh. “It’s one of the things I love about you. Rem, I quit.”
I feel my eyebrows climb in surprise. “I’m sorry?”
“I quit,” she repeats, and then sighs again, louder this time. “I know that we’ve tried to find a new bookkeeper several times and that no one has worked out, but I’m serious when I tell you that you have thirty days to find someone and get them trained. This is business. Sure, it’s a family business, but it’s business all the same. I’m done working. I’ve done this job for almost forty years, and I am burned out. I want to enjoy my grandchildren, take trips with my husband, and maybe watch some Netflix without worrying about the financial side of this ranch.”
“I know, Mom.” I let out a sigh of my own and sip more coffee. “And you deserve to do all of that. I’ll make it happen. There are offices in town that I can hire to take it over. Thanks for being patient.”
“I love you, and I can see that you’re already overburdened. More so than what your dad and I had to deal with, now that the ranch has expanded and is more profitable than ever, and on one hand, I’m sorry for that.”
“Sorry that we’re successful?”
“Sorry that it’s not as simple as it used to be. That you’re pulled away from your kids more and more. However, I will say that I really like Erin. She’s smart and funny, and the kids adore her. She’s been a lovely addition to the ranch.”
I nod and can’t help but smile a little at the thought of my beautiful nanny. “They do love her. Things are going smoothly there, especially over the past couple of weeks since she moved in. She’s a huge help.”
“And she’s beautiful.”
I narrow my eyes, watching my mother. “Are you trying to play matchmaker?”
“I don’t have to,” she replies with a big laugh. “Honey, I can see how you look at her.”
“And how is that?”
“Like you’ve waited for her all your life. And that’s something else that I love about her. She’s awoken something in you that’s been sleeping for a very long time.”
“I think it’s weird to be sitting in your kitchen, discussing whether or not I’m hot for my kids’ nanny.”
“Oh, please. I may be your mom, but I’m not dead when it comes to these things. I see it, and I like it very much. Erin’s good for you.”
I frown over at her. “How is that?”
“You’ve smiled more in the past month than you have since Holly was born. That tells me everything I need to know.”
“Mom—”
“All right, I’ll stop.” She holds both hands up in surrender as my phone rings.
I frown down at my dad’s name.
“Are you and Dad in cahoots? Now he’s calling me.”
“I have no idea what he’s calling for,” she assures me as I accept the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, son, there’s a vehicle I don’t recognize on the property, making its way to your house. Thought I’d let you know.”
“Thanks, I’ll head there right now.” I click off and turn back to my mom. “I have to go check something out. I’ll look for that bookkeeper right away.”
“Thanks, honey.” She boosts herself up and kisses my cheek before I head back out to the Jeep and to the farmhouse.
Sure enough, there’s a rental SUV sitting in front of the house and a man walking up to my front door.
“Can I help you?” I step out of the Jeep and toward the porch, and the man turns to me, pinning me with sharp blue eyes.
I know that face.
“I’m looking for Erin Montgomery,” he says, his voice all business. “I’m told she moved out here.”
“That’s right.” Where do I know this guy from? “Can I tell her who’s calling?”
“Her father,” he replies easily and offers me a hand to shake. “Will.”
“Will Montgomery ,” I reply slowly as I shake his hand and realize exactly who he is. “Erin didn’t mention that her father is a football legend.”
“Yeah, well, that doesn’t surprise me. Is she here?”
“I believe so.” I open the door, gesture for Will to follow me, and call out, “Erin? Are you here?”
The house stays quiet, and I can tell that no one is here.
“She took the kids to school this morning, but she usually comes back out to the ranch afterward.” I frown and turn back to Will. “I’ll call her.”
“Please do. She won’t answer me.” His voice is full of frustration.
Erin answers on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, where are you? Are you at the ranch?”
“Yeah, I’m out at the barn. Do you need me?”
“I’ll come to you,” I reply and end the call as I turn back to Will. “I’ll take you out to the barn.”
“What exactly does my daughter do here, and why is she living with you?”
I stop at the sharpness in his voice and narrow my eyes at the older man. Sure, I’m starstruck, but he’s on my property. “Erin took a live-in position as a nanny for my two young children. I can show you her room if you’d like.”
“Yeah, I want to see it.”
I lead him to the back of the house and open her door. “I won’t go in there because it’s an invasion of privacy, but this is her room.”
Will sighs and steps just inside the door, looks around, then comes back out again. “Okay, let’s go to the barn.”
With a curt nod, I lead him back through the house.
“We’ll take the Jeep,” I say simply and wait for him to get in with me before setting off to the barn. “I want to make it clear that I’m not holding her captive here or anything. My kids love her.”
“Of course, they do. She’s the best there is,” he says before rubbing his eyes. “She hasn’t been returning my calls, and I decided to come out here to make sure she’s safe.”
“As a dad, I get that. I promise you, she’s safe. You’ll see for yourself.”
I can’t blame him for being worried. If Holly stopped taking my calls, I’d do the same thing.
As soon as we reach the barn, Will hops out of the Jeep, and we walk into the barn, where we find Erin mucking out a stall.
“You have my daughter shoveling shit?” Will demands, and Erin’s head whips up, her eyes huge as she stares at her father.
“Dad? What are you doing here?” she demands as she leans her shovel against the wall.
“I have the same question,” Will replies.
I hang back, cross my arms over my chest, and watch the show unfold.
“I work out here,” Erin says with a scowl. “I mean, not here , in the barn. I was bored and came out to ask if there was anything I could do to help. But I work at the house as the nanny for Holly and Johnny. I already told Mom all of this.”
“But you haven’t told me ,” Will replies with frustration. “And you won’t return my goddamn calls.”
Erin bites her lower lip and winces.
“So, I chartered the jet and came out here, only to find that you’re shacked up with him ,” he points his thumb at me, “and are out in a barn, shoveling shit. What in the actual hell, Erin?”
“First of all,” Erin retorts, anger rising in her cheeks, “I’m a grown woman. If I want to shovel shit for a living, I will. Besides, I’m mucking out a stall, not simply shoveling shit. Second of all, I like it out here. I’m grateful that Remington gave me the job because I needed it.”
That makes her shut up, and her eyes widen as if she didn’t mean to say that.
“What do you mean, you need it ?” Will asks, his voice suddenly very quiet.
“My car broke down.” She tries to keep her voice nonchalant, but it only aggravates Will more. “It’s no big deal. I just needed a little extra income to pay for the repairs, that’s all.”
Without any regard for the fact that I’m standing here, along with Lucky and Bruiser across the barn, Will steps closer to his daughter and shoves his hands into his pockets.
“You have a trust fund with millions of dollars in it that’s available to you with the click of a fucking button,” he says, anger radiating through him. “You’ve made it clear how you feel about my money, but I will not have my daughter driving an unsafe car in a town where we have zero contacts, all because of your goddamn pride. Buy a new car, Erin.”
Her chin lifts in defiance. “Remington lent me his vehicle until mine is fixed. I figured it out, Dad. Everything’s fine.”
“Everything’s fine,” he echoes and backs away from her. I can see the hurt in his eyes, and Erin must see it, too, because she rushes to him and wraps her arms tightly around him. He does the same, holding on to his little girl. “It’s not fine, baby. You don’t have to shovel shit to make ends meet.”
“I’m not,” she assures him, not letting go. “I’m honestly not. I really did come out here because I was bored. The kids are at school, and the house is too quiet. I really love the ranch, Dad. Let me show you around a little. I’m so happy to see you. I’ve missed you like crazy.”
“Missed me so much that you won’t talk to me?”
Erin offers her dad a watery smile. “I knew you’d react this way, and I didn’t want to have the argument. I didn’t expect you to just show up. Wait, where’s Mom? Are you guys staying at London and Drew’s condo?”
Who are London and Drew? The family has a condo in Bitterroot Valley? Obviously, I don’t know anything about this woman, and that unnerves me. Will may have questions, but I have a shitload of my own, and I intend to get them answered today.
“No, I came alone, and I’m headed back before dinner.”
“You didn’t even tell Mom you were coming, did you?” Erin gasps. “Dad, you’ll be in so much trouble.”
“No, I won’t.” He shakes his head, sweeps her hair off her cheek, and takes another deep breath. “Let’s go outside and talk.”
“Okay.” As they walk past me, Erin mouths, I’m sorry.
When they’re out of earshot, Lucky joins me. “Is that Will Montgomery? The greatest quarterback Seattle ever had? The Hall of Famer?”
“Looks like it.”
“Did you know he was Erin’s daddy?”
“Nope.”
Lucky nods thoughtfully. “Okay, then.”
He wanders away to get back to work, and I see Will and Erin walking slowly toward the house, in deep conversation. Deciding to stay out of their way, I get back into the Jeep and drive home, giving them a wide berth. Once inside, I go directly to my office.
So, Erin doesn’t really need the job. Mine or the one at the coffee shop. She’s, what, out here playing the part of the broke girl?
I don’t like games, especially when it comes to people who have access to my kids. Particularly when it’s women that I want in my bed.
I feel like a fool.
An hour later, the front door opens, and I hear Erin call out, “Rem? Do you have a minute?”
I walk out and take her in. She looks…contrite.
“What do you need?” I ask.
“My dad would like a minute.”
I nod and walk past her, not touching her, and join her father on the porch. I lean against the railing.
“What can I do for you?”
Will shakes his head and looks out over my pasture, to the mountains beyond. “What kind of security do you have out here? It doesn’t look like there’s much.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re in the middle of nowhere. What kind of security would you like me to have?”
“Cameras, alarms, a gate to start.”
“I have cameras,” I reply. “I don’t need a gate. We don’t have the kind of crime you’re used to in the city.”
“You have children,” Will says, turning to me. “You understand what it is to worry about their safety.”
“Of course, I do. And I know that they’re safe here. They’re safe in town. I’m not ever going to put anyone or anything that I love at risk. The most dangerous thing out here is the wildlife, not the people.”
“She was once almost taken,” he says quietly, his blue eyes full of regret as he levels them at me. “Because of me. Because of who I am.”
“Are you saying that my children aren’t safe because she’s here with them?” My stomach clenches at the thought.
“No.” He shakes his head. “Not at all. I’m saying that I worry, and I’ll always worry. She’s twenty-five now, and I’ll worry when she’s sixty-five.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because she lives out here, and because I see the way you look at my daughter. I don’t exactly love it, but”—he shrugs—“not much I can do about that.”
And that’s twice today that someone has mentioned to me that I look at Erin in a certain way. Jesus, do I have lovesick written across my forehead?
“She’s safe here,” I say firmly. “I give you my word, Mr. Montgomery. I have questions for her because I didn’t realize that you are her dad, but she’s safe here.”
“You didn’t know,” he says as realization dawns. “About her family, about her money.”
“No.” The answer is curt because hell, my feelings are a little bruised. “I didn’t. Look, I don’t give a rat’s ass about money, but I do care about honesty.”
He nods at that. “I’m headed back to Seattle. I’m going to leave my number with you.” He sets a card on the railing. “If you or Erin ever need anything , all you have to do is call.”
“Mr. Montgomery?—”
“My daughter lives in your house,” he interrupts. “You can call me Will.”
“Will. I don’t need anything. This ranch is successful beyond my father’s wildest dreams. If anything, my parents might have wondered if Erin was here because of our money, not the other way around.”
That makes him laugh. “Well, that’s something, I guess. It’s frustrating when your kids no longer want or need your help. When they pull away. I love her.”
“I know you do. You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
He pats me on the shoulder. “I think you do understand. I have to get back to Seattle before my wife divorces me.”
“You said you wouldn’t be in trouble.”
“Oh, that was a bald-faced lie. Megan’s been champing at the bit to get out here to visit Erin. But it was a spur-of-the-moment decision when Erin sent me to voicemail again this morning.”
“Bring your wife out here anytime. I hear there’s a condo you can use.”
“And you didn’t know about that either,” he says with a laugh and pats me on the shoulder again. “Good luck with that one. She’ll keep you on your toes. But fuck with her, and they’ll never find your body.”
And with that, he walks down the steps to his rental. Erin walks out and joins me at the railing as her father waves at us and pulls away.
“I have so many questions,” I murmur as Erin and I watch Will drive down the driveway and around the bend, disappearing from sight.
“I know,” she says with a sigh. “First of all, I never meant to keep who my family is a secret.”
“Didn’t you?” I turn to her, wanting to see her face. God, I want to touch her so badly that my fingers ache, but I can’t. I need answers first.
“No. I didn’t. They just didn’t come up.”
“That’s not true. You made that cake in Seattle colors, and when I asked why, you simply said because you like that team.”
“I do like the team.”
“But you had the perfect opportunity to tell me why you like the team. You didn’t do that. You never expand on your cousins or your immediate family. Who are London and Drew, and why do they own a condo here?”
“Drew is my cousin, and London is his fiancée. Drew is the quarterback coach for Seattle, and London owns the team.”
“London Ambrose, ” I repeat with a slow nod, putting the puzzle together. “One of the wealthiest women in the country. Your cousin is engaged to a billionaire.”
“Yes. He is. And you don’t have to sound so fucking judgmental about it.”
“I’m not judging?—”
“Yes, you are. And I’ve had to deal with shit like this my entire life. I have very famous people in my family, but to me, they’re just people I love. I love them, Remington. I get tired of meeting new people, and when they find out who my family is, all they want to talk about is the celebrity piece of it. They don’t care about who they are as individuals. Do you know that the last person I dated didn’t really give a flying fuck about me? He just kept asking when he could meet my dad.”
“He was an asshole.”
“Yeah. He was. That happens more often than not. So no, I’m not embarrassed or ashamed of where I came from, but for just once in my life, who they are wasn’t a factor for me. No one knew or cared here. I was just Erin, the new girl, living a pretty normal life that I really liked. And now, here we are. You’re asking questions and looking at me like I’m a fucking science experiment.”
“Stop that shit.”