The Rancher Next Door

Ava continued with her awestruck gaze. “Do you really put fires out and everything?”

“Yes, and help people who are hurt.” She took the lid off a flat storage bin and grinned at Ava. “Hey, I found the silverware.”

Ava scooted over to her and rummaged through the box. “And your alarm clock.” She giggled.

“Next move, I’ll be better organized.” Definitely couldn’t be worse. She hefted the box onto her hip and moved into the open kitchen to begin loading the drawers. “Why don’t you go plug the clock into the outlet by the mattress?” She didn’t own an actual bed; it was too complicated since she moved so often. A mattress on the floor with a pile of her grandmother’s old-fashioned quilts worked just as well, and the early memories those blankets stirred up kept her warmer than any down comforter could.

“You should definitely get more organized, but I hope you don’t move again soon.” Ava hesitated in the doorway separating Caley’s bedroom from the living room. She ducked her head a little, the expression in her eyes cautious, yet sincere. “You’re really fun.” She offered a slight smile before disappearing around the corner with the clock.

Caley’s hands stilled on the pile of silverware she’d been separating into the divider. She didn’t know how long she’d have to stay in Broken Bend, but it wouldn’t do anyone any good to get attached. Still, something about Ava drew her like a magnet—or maybe more like a mama duck to a duckling. She’d read enough self-help books over the years, though, to know that butting into Ava’s life in some pathetic effort to make up for her own childhood wouldn’t accomplish anything.

And as for Ava’s dad—well, Caley couldn’t think about that particular connection. Mama duckling was one thing, but the attraction she’d felt at first sight for Brady McCollough was certainly nothing to pursue. She’d do everyone a favor if she kept to herself and stayed as invisible as possible while she did her time in Broken Bend. Soon enough she’d be somewhere else, a distant memory of a fun neighbor Ava once had. Maybe she could leave some good behind her before she went.

But she was definitely going.

“Look what I found! Kitchen towels!” Ava rushed into the kitchen with a box labeled dishes in bold marker and grinned.

“Good job, detective. They can go in here.” Caley laughed as she pulled open a drawer, and Ava began filling it with the assortment of mismatched rags.

The younger girl paused and squinted, lips twitched to one side. “So do you think the box marked dishes will have bathroom towels in it?”

“You know what?” Caley shut the silverware drawer with her hip and wrapped one arm around Ava, joy filling her heart despite her earlier reservations. She squeezed Ava tight and grinned, determined not to let the inevitable spoil the moment. “I think you’re catching on.”

* * *

Brady knocked on Caley’s front door, then stepped back while he waited. Scooter pranced at his feet, shamelessly begging for a treat. Caley must have left him outside while they unpacked. From the holes the dog had already dug in the poor excuse for a flowerbed by the porch, that had probably been a good idea.

Loud laughter suddenly rang from inside the house, followed by a blast of country music. Brady frowned and knocked again. Mary would have supper ready any minute, and after the afternoon he had spent on the phone, scrambling to find a temporary babysitter, he was ready to sit, eat—and pray for mercy.

The door swung open, offering a rush of boot-scootin’ lyrics and Ava’s wide white grin. But her face morphed into panic as their eyes locked. “Dad! I was going to come home on time, I promise.” She looked at her wrist, but must have forgotten her watch, because her arm was bare. She rubbed the spot it should have rested and turned pleading eyes to him.

The anxiety in her expression chafed Brady’s heart, and he cleared his throat. He knew they hadn’t been exactly close lately, but was she actually afraid of making him mad over little things now? He would have never given himself a Dad of the Year award, but this realization stung. When had he gotten so bad?

“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.” He plucked a dust bunny off Ava’s shirtsleeve and wiped it on his jeans. “Looks like you’ve been working hard.”

“We both have. It was fun—like a treasure hunt.” Ava’s face lit back up as though he’d plugged it in, and jealousy sparked in his stomach. His daughter had more fun with a near stranger in two hours’ time than she did with him. Though he couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent two hours in a row doing something with her other than chores—or fussing.

Ava slipped outside, half shutting the door to block the music from within. “And Caley has this really funny way of labeling boxes. You wouldn’t believe—”

Brady interrupted. “Miss Caley. She’s an adult.”

“Yes, sir.” Ava’s shoulders slumped, light extinguished. “I won’t forget again. Sorry.”

“It’s not—” Brady rubbed his fingers down his cheeks, frustration rising inside. He wanted to tell her not to apologize, not to think of him as an ogre, but he couldn’t find the words. So he dropped his hands to his sides and shrugged. “Listen, I’m sure you’ve done a great job for Miss Caley. I just wanted to walk you home, since it’s getting dark now. Supper’s ready.”

Ava nodded, though she still didn’t light up like she had before. Was the thought of going home that disappointing? His throat tightened into a knot. “Let me just tell Caley—I mean, Miss Caley—that I’m leaving.”

Brady stepped over the threshold, following Ava inside the house, and turned the corner of the short entranceway in time to see Caley standing on a dining room chair, dusting the ceiling fan with a feathery contraption on a stick. She swung her hips in time to the music still blaring from what had to be the world’s oldest stereo, perched on the dining table by the kitchen door. Brady couldn’t help the grin sliding across his face, and he leaned against the door frame, content to watch. Maybe supper could wait for some things.

“Miss Caley?” Ava cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled louder. “Miss Caley!”

Caley turned around with a jerk, balancing herself by catching a fan blade in one hand. Her eyes landed on Brady, and she flushed. “Oh, hey.” She grinned, cheeks flaming as Ava ran to turn down the music. “Um, I found the duster.” She wielded it as proof, whatever that thing was. Good thing Mary took care of the cleaning around the ranch house, though Brady had certainly never seen her do that.

He ambled upright and crossed his arms over his chest. “I see you’ve both been busy.” And had probably accomplished a lot more than he had, running into dead end after dead end in the babysitting department. The teens that his church secretary recommended were too young for his comfort level, and the older ladies had too many stipulations and couldn’t conform to his needed schedule. Looked as though he’d be calling an agency next—but what were the odds that residents of a small town like Broken Bend signed up for those organized programs? Would a nanny be willing to commute to town almost every day?

Caley hopped down from the chair, breaking his stressful chain of thought, and Brady mentally kicked himself for not having offered his hand to help her. Everything about Caley seemed so confident and capable, though, that it took him off guard. His wife had definitely been the opposite.

“We’ve gotten a lot done, though it still looks like a wreck.” She grinned. “I’m used to it, though. It always takes making a bigger mess before you get it clean.”

No doubt about that. His life could be a prime example. But he wasn’t interested in sorting through the rubble. He’d done that for years without seeing results—positive ones, anyway. He sat through church these days for Ava’s sake, and Ava’s sake alone. She needed the foundation, but his had long since crumbled.

Brady cleared his throat. “Ava and I need to get home for supper. It’s going to be the last decent one we have for a while.” Oops. He hadn’t meant to let that slip. He must be more tired than he thought.

Ava’s eyes narrowed with suspicion—probably because she knew he couldn’t boil a pot of water to save anyone’s life. “No luck finding me a sitter?”

“Not yet.” He ran a hand over his jaw, the stubble whisking across his palm. “I’m going to have to—”

“What about Caley?” The sparkle in Ava’s eyes burst into a roaring flame of hope as she brought both hands up to her chin in a pleading position. “I mean, Miss Caley.”

“Me?” Caley pulled slightly away from Ava to look at her more directly, overly dramatized shock radiating from her eyes. “Babysit? You?”

Ava’s face fell. “Is it that bad of an idea?”

Yes. Brady opened his mouth to speak the truth, to tell Ava that there was no way Caley needed to come over to their house—his domain—and take care of them. Feed them. Clean up after them.

Invade his territory with her cinnamon scent and uncanny ability to stir feelings long dormant.

“I’m kidding!” Caley laughed and hip-bumped Ava, who bounced off her side, giggling. “I think it’s a perfect idea!” Then she sobered. “As long as your dad thinks so, of course.” As if on cue, both of them linked arms and turned doe eyes on him.

Perfect idea? More like the worst. He needed a kind older woman who was in agreement with his firm rules for Ava—not a hip young woman who acted more like Ava’s older sister than an adult. Ava didn’t need fun right now. She needed structure. Security.

Safety.

So did he. One look at the playful pout turning down Caley’s full lips, and safe was the last thing Brady felt. Something about Caley seemed way too dangerous. Not in an ax-murderer-next-door kind of way, but in a she’s-gonna-weasel-into-your-heart kind of way. He hadn’t thought much about romance since Jessica’s death—who had the time between the frequent guilt trips and running a ranch?—but Caley’s teasing eyes and trim figure coaxed to life embers he’d thought long dead. Being around her any more than necessary seemed incredibly risky.

And he didn’t take risks.

“It’s not just babysitting, Ava. It’s cooking and housekeeping, too.”

Caley shrugged. “I’m still in.”

He started shaking his head, mind racing through the implications of letting Caley that close, until Ava piped up once again. “Dad, who else is there to hire at the last minute? Miss Caley just said today that she needed to find a job soon. This works for everyone!”

It did, didn’t it? How did one argue against such youthful logic? Brady began to wish he’d just stayed outside with Scooter instead of being ganged up on by two insistent females. But maybe the idea was a decent one. He’d be outside most of the time, anyway, and Ava and Caley already had an evident bond. He’d just been thinking that it’d be good for Ava to have a womanly influence. Just because Caley wasn’t blue-haired and bifocaled didn’t mean she couldn’t be a positive role model. She was here to take care of her sick grandma, after all. And she was obviously capable.

“I do need the work, and with it being temporary, it seems ideal.” Caley’s curved eyebrows rose with prompting. “I have nanny experience from college, and I’m a licensed EMT.”

Well, he wouldn’t find better credentials than that through the church.