The Cowboy's Double Trouble

“Is there someplace you’d like me to put my things?” she asked.

Yes, his bedroom. But he vanquished the inappropriate thought as quickly as it came to mind. He’d been gifted with an abundance of common sense, as well as self-control. And as long as Elena and the kids were staying on the ranch, he was going to need to exercise every bit of both.

He led her upstairs and down the hall to the guest room, which was across from the room he’d given Bela and Beto—and the farthest from his own.

“The kids have been happy and chattering up a storm ever since we got home,” he said, “although I really can’t make out what they’re saying.”

“I told you that pets were good for them. If they’ve been shuffled around a lot, the bunnies might give them a better sense of permanence—or at least security.”

“Yes, you did say that, and I’m sure there’s some truth to it, but I still think you were trying to sell some rabbits and all the paraphernalia that went with them.”

“You do realize,” she said, her caramel-colored eyes sparkling, “that my father has a return policy.”

He laughed. “And don’t think I’m not tempted to take advantage of it. But I don’t want to disappoint those kids. Besides, I need my peace and quiet. I’ve also been putting off chores since they arrived on Sunday, so I have a ton of work to do. And now that you’re here, I plan to get after it.”

She smiled. “Go right ahead. I’ll settle in; then I’ll find the kids. What do you have planned for their dinner tonight?”

“I...uh...” He shrugged. “Nothing in particular. But don’t worry. There’s plenty to choose from. I stocked up on a bunch of easy-to-fix, kid-friendly stuff at the market yesterday. So you have the option of hot dogs, mac and cheese, chicken tenders, pizza or frozen burritos.”

“That’s not very healthy.”

“Okay, I admit I like junk food. My mom usually did all the cooking when she was living at home, so I got my share of healthy stuff. Now that I do it myself, I make the things I like to eat. Don’t get me wrong. I like home cooking, but I can get that at Caroline’s Diner or when my mom invites me over.”

“Where is your mom?”

“She married her old high school boyfriend a couple of weeks ago and moved in with him. Erik—or rather, Dr. Chandler—has a medical office in town, and she’s going to be his receptionist.” It had all happened so fast, but Erik had been such a kind and loving support to her during her father’s illness that it seemed like the most natural thing in the world for them to have gotten back together. Braden just wished she would have invited him to Vegas when they’d tied the knot during a weekend trip. But then again, they’d apologized and said it had been a spontaneous decision.

He glanced at Elena, whose brow was furrowed. He got the feeling that she was probably a health nut, and he didn’t want to concern her or scare her off the very first day. “I actually like cooking, but I’d be willing to share kitchen duties—if you want them.”

“I like cooking, too. So I’ll trade off with you.”

“Sounds good to me. Feel free to take charge of the household—that is, if you want to. You can even go to the market and purchase anything you think the kids might need.” He reached into his front pocket, pulled out a wad of cash and peeled off a couple of hundred-dollar bills, handing them to her. “I had a feeling their visit was going to cost me. But that doesn’t matter.”

“I suppose it doesn’t. A Rayburn can pretty much pay for anything he wants and hire anyone he needs.”

Braden felt a trickle of heat steal up his neck. It was an easy assumption that all the negative Rayburn traits were passed down to him, yet he spent his whole life striving to live up to the more admirable qualities of the Miller side of his family.

Yet hadn’t he done just that today—paid for what he wanted?

He wouldn’t fault himself for it, though. He’d only gotten what he needed. Elena not only spoke Spanish, but she was experienced with kids. She was also a business major who could prove to be helpful in the home office—if she ever found any free time.

Bad thing was, she was gorgeous, which meant he’d have to keep his mind and his eyes to himself.

Still, she was the perfect solution to at least one of his more recent problems. And before he knew it, Jason would be back to take the kids off his hands.

It was going to cost him plenty, but he had a slew of money tucked away in that trust fund he rarely had need of. Besides, whatever it cost to get by as peacefully as possible for the next three weeks would be well worth it.

As Braden led Elena to the guest room, he couldn’t help but smile. The good old Rayburn business ingenuity had saved the day once again. Braden’s father would be proud of him.

Yet that realization raked over him like fingernails on a blackboard, causing his gut to twist and his conscience to rumble. Very early on, Braden had learned a simple truth that his father apparently never had. Money could buy just about anything but love.

* * *

Elena stood beside the guest bed and watched Braden head out the door and turn down the hall. It was difficult to imagine him as one of three heirs to a billion-dollar corporation, especially when he was clearly a rancher and dressed as a cowboy.

He was handsome, to be sure. Intriguing, too. A man to be studied, especially if she wanted to know what made him and his family tick. Not that she really needed to know anything about him or his siblings. Yet there seemed to be something vulnerable about him. She wasn’t quite sure where that suspicion had come from. Still, it niggled at her just the same.

As she unpacked her clothes, a task that wouldn’t take long, she thought about what her father had told her before she’d driven out to the Bar M.

Braden had grown up on his maternal grandfather’s ranch. Gerald Miller, a former rodeo cowboy who raised horses on the Bar M, had been well thought of in the community, just as Granny Rayburn, Braden’s paternal great-grandmother, had been.

On the other hand, his father hadn’t been able to escape country life soon enough and had rarely returned, even for a visit. From what Papa had said, Charles had gone to a private college in California and had quickly adapted to the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Elena couldn’t help wondering about the family dynamics, especially since Papa had claimed Charles Rayburn had been a world-class womanizer—and had only been married to two of the four women who’d born his children. But she wasn’t being paid to figure out their dysfunction. She had a job to do, and she’d better get started.

After putting away the last of her lingerie in the top bureau drawer, she closed her suitcase and placed it in the closet. Then she made her way to the kitchen and out the mudroom to the back porch, where Bela and Beto were playing with their new pets.

Braden had been right. The kiddos appeared to be happy with their bunnies.

“Como se llaman los conejos?” she asked the kids.

Maribel grinned proudly and held up her brown bunny. “Oso.”

Elena smiled. Bear seemed like a funny name for a sweet, gentle rabbit. But the little girl obviously didn’t think so.

“El blanco es de mío,” Beto said, “se llama Cowboy.”

Hmm. He’d named his white bunny Cowboy, not Vaquero? Apparently, Braden had been teaching them English. She’d have to work on that, too. It would make things easier for the kids, especially if they were going to start school in the fall. What was the plan with these children anyway? Where would they go when their three-week stay was over?

But that was a question for their guardian, not the poor kids.

After they chatted for a while, she left them on the porch to take inventory in the kitchen. She checked the items Braden had stocked in the pantry, as well as the refrigerator and freezer.

In spite of nearly a case of macaroni and cheese, she found brown rice, pasta and canned vegetables. She even spotted spaghetti sauce.

There were two gallons of milk in the fridge, which she’d feared Braden might have neglected to stock up on. She saw juice, too. There were even a few fresh veggies in the crisper, although the green pepper and tomatoes looked as though they’d been there for a while.

Next, she swung open the freezer door and gasped when she saw all he’d crammed in there—personal size pizzas, frozen burritos, ice cream, Popsicles...

As she shuffled the boxes around, she found some ground beef. She might be able to pull off fixing a spaghetti dinner tonight, rather than a feast of junk food.

For a moment, a wave of rebellion washed over her. She hadn’t studied her butt off in both high school and college to become a babysitter or a short-order cook.

But then again, she’d accepted the nanny job. And if there was one thing to be said about her, when she made a commitment, she followed through with it.

She blew out a sigh. She wasn’t about to go shopping this late in the day, so it looked as though she’d have to make do with what she could find. And fortunately there was a well-stocked spice rack and quite a few canned goods.

Braden had said he didn’t know anything about kids, but by the stuff in his pantry, she suspected that, deep down, he might still be a kid at heart. That was good because it meant that he’d soon adapt to the change in his life and get used to having his little brother and sister around.