The Nanny And The Reluctant Rancher

Two

She wasn’t going home.

Suitcases at her feet, Kat sat on a wooden bench in front of the Harmony Hay and Feed and Hardware Store. A few of the townspeople had passed by and given her odd looks, several had even asked if she needed help. She’d wanted to tell them it wasn’t she who needed help, it was a pigheaded rancher named Logan Kincaid.

Damn the man! He needed someone for Anna, that was obvious. With a ranch and house his size, how could he possibly manage? A part-time housekeeper wasn’t enough, he wouldn’t have advertised for a nanny if it were.

If she hadn’t met Anna, Kat might not have taken Logan’s rejection so hard. But in the few minutes she’d spoken with the child, Kat had felt a connection she couldn’t explain, and wasn’t sure she understood. It was something in Anna’s soft gray eyes, a need, or a loneliness. Maybe Kat even saw herself. Whatever it was, she’d nearly cried when Logan had told her he didn’t want her.

But she hadn’t cried, and even if Mr. Logan Kincaid had drastically altered her plans, she was determined to go through with her stay in Harmony. Everything was just as she’d imagined it. Wide, open spaces, deep blue sky. The people were friendly and no one seemed to be in much of a hurry—except Punch Wilkins. The man drove like a New York City cabdriver. Her fingers were still clenched from holding on to the truck door.

In spite of Logan Kincaid, Kat was glad she’d come here. So it was impetuous, and maybe even a little reckless. For once in her life, just once, she wanted to be unpredictable, have a little excitement. No schedules, no meetings, no practices. No one had a piece of her here. She answered only to herself, made her own choices, good or bad.

She wouldn’t go home! She couldn’t! How could she face her parents, or Max or Oliver, if she gave up now? She had to take charge of her own life, make her own decisions, even if they were bad ones.

Sighing, Kat sat back on the hard wooden bench and looked around. Punch had dropped her off here, next to the bus depot because Logan had told him to. Obviously the man hadn’t believed she really would stay. But he was wrong. She could be just as stubborn as he was. She noticed a small motel at the end of the street, the Harmony Motel. Right next door was the Harmony Cafе. A large sign in the window of the cafе caught her attention: Waitress Wanted.

Smiling, Kat picked up her bags and crossed the street.

Anna wouldn’t eat. She hadn’t said a word in two days, and for that matter, she hadn’t even looked at him. She’d stayed in her room, even refusing his offer to take her with him to town today for ice cream. Logan had been tempted to make her come with him; he knew she wouldn’t have argued if he’d insisted. But he hadn’t wanted to force her, so he’d driven into Harmony for a load of grain by himself, trying his damnedest to think of a way to cheer his daughter up, other than to give her what he knew she really wanted, which was Kat Delaney.

He’d been surprised when he’d seen Anna talking to the woman two days ago. Anna rarely spoke to people she didn’t know, and for that matter, hardly spoke to people she did know. He’d seen the disappointment in her eyes when he’d told her that Miss Delaney wouldn’t be staying. When Anna had asked if it was something she’d said that had made Miss Delaney leave, or if the woman hadn’t liked her, Logan had spent the next hour trying to explain that of course it wasn’t anything she’d said, and of course Miss Delaney liked her. He’d then tried to explain, though awkwardly, that he’d decided the woman just wasn’t the right nanny, right for her. He’d told her that he called another nanny and she’d be coming in a few days, but from that moment on, Anna had retreated to her room, and she’d only picked at the food he’d insisted she eat.

He flipped on the truck radio to a country and western station, then tipped his hat back with a sigh. As hard as it was to admit it, he felt like a heel sending the Delaney woman away, in spite of her being too young. He’d seen the disappointment in her eyes and her forced attempt at bravado when he’d fired her. She’d come a long way, and she’d certainly seemed eager. He could have kept her on, at least given her a chance. But his initial response to her had been so strong he hadn’t thought logically. His firing her had been more like a knee-jerk reaction than a rational decision.

No, he’d made the right decision, dammit. He was only human, for God’s sake. A woman who looked like Kat Delaney under his roof would be too big a distraction. Since he could hardly explain that to Anna, she was just going to have to accept his decision.

Logan swung off the main road and headed into town. It was ridiculous, but as he drove past the bus depot he found himself looking for a slender brunette with a big gray hat, as if she’d still be sitting on the bench there. He shook his head at his foolishness. She might have told him that she’d be staying in Harmony, but he hadn’t believed her. Once she realized there were no jobs for her, and she didn’t fit in here, that bus ride back to the Dallas airport would be looking mighty good. He figured she’d come to that decision about fifteen minutes after Punch had dropped her off.

He forced the woman from his mind and turned his thoughts back to his daughter. As soon as he loaded the truck, he’d make a trip over to Johnson’s Department Store and pick something out for her, maybe a new game for her computer, or that jewelry-making kit she had her eye on last trip into town. Hell, he’d buy them both. He’d do anything to bring a smile to her face.

As he pulled into town, Logan passed Marge Baker, Harmony’s librarian, and waved at her. She stopped in the middle of her sweeping, put a fist on her ample hip and frowned at him.

“What’s her problem?” Logan wondered aloud, but knowing how crabby the woman was anyway, paid no attention. He had some books at the house, maybe they were overdue. He’d better check when he got home, or she might send the sheriff after him.

At the hay and feed, though, Mike Carson hardly said a word to him, and his son, Jessie, had ignored him when he’d helped load the truck. Maybe it was just his own bad mood reflecting off everyone else, he decided.

The smell of hamburgers drifted to him from the cafе across the street and his stomach growled in response. After Sophia’s cooking, one of Stubbs Parson’s big juicy burgers was like a gourmet meal. He’d grab a little lunch for himself, order something for Anna, then make a quick stop at the department store before heading home. Between the food and presents, he’d have his daughter smiling before the sun went down.

The bell tinkled overhead as Logan entered the cafе. The lunch crowd had filled most of the tables, but Logan found a spot at the counter and slid onto a stool. He turned the coffee cup already sitting in front of him right side up, then picked up a menu and studied it, trying to figure out what Anna would like.

Coffee magically appeared in his cup, and a soft, silky voice asked, “What can I get for you, Mr. Kincaid?”

Logan went still, then slowly lowered the menu and stared into eyes the color of spring sage.

Well, I’ll be damned.

Kat Delaney.

She wore a blue waitress uniform, much shorter than he thought appropriate, though he never recalled having that thought with Ellen, the usual waitress. But, of course, he’d never interviewed Ellen to be Anna’s nanny, either.

He couldn’t believe she was still here.

She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail, emphasizing her large green eyes and thick lashes. The color rising on her cheeks matched the pink of her lips. He had to make a conscious effort not to stare at those lips.

He tipped his hat to her and forced his voice to be even. “Miss Delaney.”

“Oh, you can call me Kat,” she said cheerfully, pointing to her name tag. “Everyone else here does.”

His eyes went to the name tag pinned neatly to her snug-fitting uniform, directly over her full breasts. He ground his back teeth together.

“Hey, Katie, darlin’, my cup’s empty,” Rusty Burke called from a booth. “How ’bout a refill?”

“Be right back.” She grinned at Logan and with her coffeepot in hand, sauntered over to the obnoxious man.

He watched her smile at Rusty and felt the heat rise under his collar. What the hell was a woman like her doing here, talking to guys like that? Was she too damn innocent to know what men like Rusty wanted? It sure wasn’t a cup of coffee.

His hand closed tightly around his own coffee cup. Who knew better than him? he thought angrily. He’d certainly wanted a hell of a lot more than coffee himself. But at least he knew he wouldn’t do anything about it. The same was not true of Rusty, or a dozen other local cowboys. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, waiting on these men and smiling at them the way she was.

She came back and pulled a pencil and pad from her pocket. “What can I get for you?”

Logan nearly groaned. If she asked that question all day long to this group, she was in for trouble.

“Hey, Katie,” another man called from a table. “You got any honey?”

Logan turned on the man and growled. “Get it yourself. She’s helping me.”

Kat raised one eyebrow, but said nothing, waiting with her pencil poised.

“I’ll have a hamburger,” he said sourly.

“Would you like it cooked?” she asked sweetly, “or shall I just toss it through the bars?”

He frowned at her, but when she turned away, he reached across the counter for her arm and gently pulled her back. She was right, he was being surly. She didn’t deserve it now any more than she’d deserved being fired two days ago.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” He wished they were anywhere but the middle of a crowded cafе.

She smiled slowly, and the soft upward curve of her lips made his pulse jump. “I admit, I’m a little surprised myself. If it wasn’t for Mr. Parson, I might have given up. He’s been wonderful to me.”

And I haven’t, Logan thought with a frown. Her skin was soft and smooth where he held her arm. He knew he should let go, but he couldn’t seem to break the contact between them.

“Look, Miss Delaney—Kat,” he said as quietly as he could over the clatter of dishes and people talking. “About the other day. I didn’t mean to be rude or unreasonable. I just...well, you weren’t what I was expecting.”

She looked at him for a long moment, then sighed softly and relaxed her shoulders. “How’s Anna?”

“Logan Kincaid, get your hands off my waitress!”

Stubbs Parson came around from behind the grill waving a spatula, his bulldog face scowling.