Guarded Heart: A Single Dad Small Town Romance (Maple Creek Series Book 2)
1. Chapter One
Whoever said the teenage stage was a bitch wasn’t lying.
I run a hand through my hair and roll my eyes at the sound of Bethany’s quick steps following behind me into my office. She huffs in annoyance and crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not a little girl anymore, Dad. I don’t need a nanny. Can’t I just go stay with grandma and grandpa?”
“Bethany, they’ve been through a lot recently and they deserve their space. That’s why we moved out. Which means you’ll have a nanny. Are we clear?” Just as I ask the question the doorbell sounds from the entryway and I give my daughter a small smile. “Go up to your room for a bit, okay?”
There’s nothing about fatherhood I’ve regretted since the moment Bethany was born, even if it happened at a younger age than I had ever planned for, but I wish the role came with a damn handbook. I’d love nothing more than to turn to whatever page tells you how to handle a hormonal pre-teen.
I’m sure if Elena were here she’d be able to handle this situation like a breeze. The sting of Bethany’s mother not being here causes me to wince and rub at my chest. I was never in love with Elena, but she always did her best for Bethany when she was alive and I loved her for it. Life was never going to go the way I wanted it to. I had visions of the white picket fence, kids running around everywhere, and a happy family, but Elena getting into a car accident only made it that much more impossible.
Ever since the accident I’ve steered clear of developing any feelings for a woman. Hell, I barely even look at them anymore for fear that I’ll fall too quickly. The doorbell sounds again and I blow out a rough breath before pulling the door open with a polite smile. My smile doesn’t last long when I see who’s standing on my front porch, looking as beautiful as ever under the morning sun.
I shake my head and frown. My thoughts definitely shouldn’t be heading in this direction. “Autumn, what are you doing here?” My sister’s best friend and I have never had the easiest relationship, always butting heads any chance we get, so it’s odd to see her standing here.
“Uh, the nanny position?”
As much as I’d love to send her away, I’d be stupid not to at least invite her in and ask her questions. There’s only a few people here in Maple Creek that I’ve had sit with Bethany and almost all of them wanted one thing – to get closer to me through my daughter, which is never going to happen. Anyone who thinks my daughter is the gateway to getting into my bed is immediately sent packing. Bethany isn’t a toy to be messed with.
“Oh, uh, yeah,” I say before clearing my throat and stepping aside. “Well, come inside.”
She steps in slowly, her red waves cascading down her back in a way that makes me itch to thread my fingers through the strands so I can feel how soft they are. “She didn’t tell you, did she?”
I glance at her briefly while leading the way into my freshly painted living room. Bethany insisted that I change the walls from white to the current olive green as she said it looked more like a hospital than a home. “Who?”
“Sav,” she mumbles while shaking her head. “I should’ve known she wouldn’t say anything.”
My sister has always been known to get in the middle of things and there’s no doubt in my mind she knew I wouldn’t want Autumn coming here to work for me which is why she never mentioned her arrival. All I knew was that Savanna had found someone for me to interview and, since I’m so desperate, I didn’t think to question her on who that person was.
“That’s my sister for you,” I mutter before waving a hand gesturing for her to sit on the brown leather couch. “Have a seat and we’ll get started.” I’m not counting on Autumn being the best candidate as her work history is sketchy at best, so it’s a relief that I likely won’t have to worry about her being here.
“Where’s Bethany?” Autumn asks, her gaze darting around the room in search of my daughter.
I have to admit, I’ve always admired how much attention Autumn gave Bethany when she came around. It’s not often when women actually pay attention to the girl who has every ounce of my love. “Probably not the best conversation to have right now. She’s up in her room.” The last thing I need is for a cranky Bethany to come down here and start running her mouth about the interview I’m conducting. “Let’s start with the basics. Any special qualifications you have for this type of job?”
Autumn sighs and shakes her head. “The only qualification I have is that I used to be a hormonal teenage girl myself. I’ve watched younger kids, but never got into the older age group. Bethany would be my first.”
What the hell was Savanna thinking? If there’s anything I pride myself on the most it’s how fiercely I’ll protect Bethany to make sure she’s always safe. I may be a little overprotective when it comes to her, but what do people expect after the way Elena died?
I’ll never forget the night when police lights lit up my bedroom window after I had just gotten Bethany down for bed. My mother was standing at the door, her spine straighter than I’ve ever seen it before, and it only got straighter when I cleared my throat. She shook her head at me as I took a step next to her, knowing I was about to ask what was going on, and I didn’t take the hint. Part of me wishes I had.
Apparently Elena was on her way home from work when she fell asleep at the wheel and ended up crashing into a ditch. It was the worst night of my life, knowing that I had to wake our little girl up the next morning and explain that her mother wouldn’t be coming back. How do you tell a seven year-old something like that?
“Easton?” Autumn says loudly while waving a hand in front of my face, forcing me to blink from the memory that’s starting to take over.
I shake my head. “Uh, what makes you the right candidate for this position?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m not sure I am the right candidate, but it’s the only thing I could find that would give me the money I need.”
What would she need money for?
That’s not important, Easton.
I narrow my eyes at her. “You want to watch my daughter while I’m out of town, when you have no qualifications to do so?”
“I mean, how hard can it be?” She asks.
“How hard?” Is this really happening right now? As soon as she leaves my house I’m going to call Savanna and give her a piece of my mind. There’s no way my sister actually thinks Autumn is the right person for the job, but I told her I’d interview whoever she sent and I’m not one to back out on my word. “I’m going to hurt Sav for this.”
Autumn scoffs. “Same.”
Not only is Autumn completely unqualified for the position, but she’s acting like she couldn’t care less about it. “I’ll give you a call when I have a decision for you. Let me show you out.”
Her mouth drops open and she blinks at me in surprise. “You’ll call me?” She shakes her head and frowns. “I don’t have time to wait for that.”
Has she ever gone through a proper interview in her life? I’m starting to think not because there’s no way she’d be able to talk to real employers like this and get away with it. I rub a hand over my face, the hair on my chin scratching at my palm, and groan. “Looks like you’ll have to.”
“Come on, Easton, give me a damn chance,” she snaps.
It’s hard to focus when her face is red with anger and her chest lifts rapidly with her ragged breaths. There’s nothing prettier than that red color on her, but there’s no way I’d ever admit that aloud. I shake my head at her. “I’m not sure what you thought was going to happen, but this is my daughter we are talking about, Autumn. She’s important to me.”
“What, you think I’m going to fucking neglect her or something?” When I’m silent, she flinches away from me like I’ve slapped her and lifts quickly from the couch. “I told Savanna you’d never accept me. Looks like she’s getting me that new bag after all.” She sighs and shakes her head. “Thanks for talking to me at least.”
“I need her to be safe,” I snap. “As of right now, it’s not looking like that will be with you. Tell my sister the next time she wants to send someone over here for an interview she needs to speak to me first.”
Autumn groans. “God, Easton, you need to learn to trust other people aside from yourself.”
“There are people I trust; you just aren’t one of them.”
She nods and smirks at me. “Oh, is that right? So, tell me Easton, why are you not letting Bethany go to your parents’ house?”
My eyes turn into thin slits, wishing looks could kill right about now, and I say, “They need a break.” It’s what I’ll keep telling myself over and over again until I believe it, but everyone knows that’s not why.
A couple months ago, while I was working, there was an incident in the kitchen – it caught on fire for a brief moment before my mother contained the flames – and immediately after that I was researching homes for sale. It was about time I got out from under my mother’s roof, but that’s not the main reason I got out of there. I don’t mean to be this way and I’m trying to change. Should I start now by trusting someone I normally wouldn’t?
“Easton, have I ever given you the impression that I’d do anything to harm her?” There’s hurt shining in Autumn’s eyes and it makes my chest ache.
“It’s not that simple, Autumn.”
There’s nothing simple about how hard it is to keep my gaze from looking into her bright blue eyes, or the freckles scattered along her nose. At one point years ago Autumn went from looking like my sister’s friend to this drop-dead gorgeous woman I couldn’t control myself around, which is why I bickered with her more than anything else as a way to keep my attraction under control.
It also didn’t help that I was with Elena for a while, so it didn’t feel right to be attracted to someone else even if the relationship Elena and I had wasn’t as romantic as everyone would like to believe.
It doesn’t change the hurt I feel on a daily basis when I wake up and realize she’ll never walk through the front door to greet Bethany again.
Autumn narrows her eyes at me and shakes her head. “Are you kidding me?” She pops her hip out, placing her hand over it, and I can’t stop my eyes from trailing down her long legs. The mint green dress she’s wearing stops mid-thigh, giving me the best view of her smooth skin, and I have to avert my eyes before she realizes I’m staring. “This is ridiculous. I’m done with this.”
“Wait,” I choke out.
This is either going to be the best or worst decision I’ve ever made, but the thought of not only making Savanna upset, but Autumn as well, doesn’t sit right with me.