The Nanny’s Temporary Triplets

Maggie let out a whoop and reached for Caroline’s hands. Somehow Caroline seemed to know that was her cue to dance the girl around the kitchen in a tight little circle. Ida sank into the nearest chair with pure relief. David opened his mouth to remind everyone that he was the man of the house with the final say on all of this and he hadn’t agreed to anything. Since doing so would likely accomplish nothing, he closed his mouth and let out a frustrated breath.

He ought to be happy. He had a nanny to help with the triplets—one Maggie had all but promised to mind. They could use Caroline’s help. There was no denying that. There was also no denying that he’d been thinking about her almost constantly since they’d first met. He’d ridden over to Matthew’s ranch earlier today hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Of course, he hadn’t realized that until not seeing her had resulted in major disappointment. He’d been determined to put her out of his mind. That had lasted for about as long as it had taken her runaway horse to gallop across his land. Now he was supposed to be happy about the fact that she’d be living in his house? Not likely.

Still, there was no getting around it. Caroline was here to stay for now. He’d just have to get over his ill-fated interest in her. And it was ill-fated. More than that, it was inappropriate. She was recovering from a broken heart. He’d never quite recovered from his. There was also the little matter of him already having sent off a letter of inquiry to a mail-order bride. Not that he was thinking about Caroline in the context of marriage.

He closed his eyes, shutting off that train of thought before it could go any further. Caroline staying here wouldn’t be a problem. He wouldn’t let it be.

Chapter Four (#u8f3ff10c-0215-5668-8f60-d56f37867ba8)

Agreeing to help David had been an easy decision for Caroline. Perhaps too easy, considering she didn’t have all that much experience caring for babies. It would be worth it to have access to the piano. Her fingers were already itching to touch those smooth ivory keys. She knew from experience that as the music flowed through her it would carry her stress and anxiety with it. She desperately needed that release, and she certainly wouldn’t get it at her brother’s ranch. He refused to allow a single instrument into his house.

Of course, she couldn’t tell him that was one of the reasons she’d agreed to move to the McKay ranch. She didn’t want him to think she was being anything like their parents by putting music above family. She wasn’t, but she couldn’t sit around twiddling her thumbs trying not to think about what had happened in Austin, either.

David answered the door the next morning looking a little bleary-eyed but otherwise ready to start the day. He offered a welcoming smile to Caroline and extended a hand to Matthew, who had accompanied her. “Good morning. There’s a fresh pot of coffee on the stove if either of you want some. Matthew, let me take that luggage from you.”

He was speaking in a slightly hushed tone, so Caroline did the same. “Are the babies still asleep?”

“They were just starting to stir when I saw you driving down the road. I let them be, hoping you’d get here before they really got going.”

She removed her hat and gloves. “And Maggie?”

“She was still sleeping last I checked. My ma’s getting ready for the day. She’ll probably be starting breakfast in a few minutes.” He nodded down the hall. “Follow me to the nursery. I’ll give y’all a quick tour on the way. I think y’all have both been in the parlor. The kitchen and dining room are on the left side of the house. On the right we have my study. Next door to that is my bedroom.” They climbed the stairs. “My mother and Maggie are on the second floor with the nursery.”

David set down the luggage to open the nursery door. One of the babies immediately grabbed on to the crib’s bars and stood to greet them with a happy exclamation. Caroline dropped her hat and gloves on the bed on her way to the crib. She cooed, “Good morning.”

He chortled and began bouncing up and down. Soon one of his brothers stood beside him, staring at her with big brown eyes. The last one seemed content to stay right where he sat, though he smiled shyly. They all blinked when light flooded the room. Caroline glanced at David as he tied back the curtains. “Do you know who is who?”

“The bouncing one is Jasper. Eli is the one standing beside him, staring at you all wide-eyed. The shy one is Theo.”

She searched the boys’ identical faces for some differences. “How do you tell them apart?”

“Mostly by their personalities. They’re each pretty distinctive. If you get confused, just call one of their names. They’re usually pretty good at responding to their own.”

“Well, aren’t you little fellas smart?” She listened intently as Eli started babbling to tell her how right she was. Once he finished, she nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I think, too.”

David walked over to the chest of clothes to show her where they kept the baby clothes, diapers and other supplies. “Everything you need should be right in here.”

Matthew walked over to peer into the crib. “So these are the three cowboys causing such a fuss in town. They’re pretty cute.”

Caroline bumped him with her shoulder. “It won’t be long before you have a little one just like this causing a fuss in your house, too.”

“I can’t wait.” Matthew grinned. “Listen, I’d better head back to the ranch. Have fun with the kids, Caroline. I’ll see you soon.” Matthew turned to David. “David, would you walk me out?”

There was a questioning little lift to David’s brow, but he nodded. “Of course.”

Left alone with her three charges, Caroline clasped her hands behind her back and paced in front of the crib. “All right, boys, listen close. The four of us are going to make a deal. I promise to feed you, keep you clean, sing you to sleep and whatever else is necessary for your comfort. I have two conditions, though.”

The shyest one finally stood up next to his brothers.

She stopped pacing to grin at him. “Well, hello, Theo! Thank you for joining the discussion.”

He gave a little heart-melting grin and babbled something to his brothers.

“I do appreciate the stamp of approval, but it’s a bit early. You haven’t heard my conditions yet. The first one should be very simple. In return for my services, you must each continue to be adorable. Do you think y’all can do that?”

Eli yelled something unintelligible.

“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have questioned your talents. I just want to make sure the terms of our agreement are clear. The last and final condition is not so simple.”

Jasper reached out for her.

She lifted him into her arms and hugged him close. “I’m only going to be here a short time, so you little honeybees better not make me fall in love with you. My poor heart’s been through enough, and it can’t take any more breaking. Is that understood?”

David cleared his throat. She spun around to find him watching her from the doorway. A blush rushed over her cheeks as she met his amused gaze.

“It was a nice speech, but I don’t think they have any intention of obeying.”

“You can’t blame a girl for trying.”

“No, I guess not.” He sobered as sincerity filled his voice. “Caroline, I wanted to thank you for being so kind to Maggie after finding out she was involved in spooking your horse.”

“You’re welcome, but there’s really no need to thank me. Maggie is easy to be kind to. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that I was a lot like her when I was younger.” She laughed at his surprised look. “I didn’t go quite so far as wearing pants, but I was forever chasing after Matthew. Anything he did, I had to do or at least attempt.”

“I never would have guessed that.” She followed his gaze as it swept over her bottle green skirt, black shirtwaist and cream blouse. From the lace on her collar to the puff sleeves and the slender, tulip-shaped skirt that smoothed over her hips, everything about her clothing was as feminine as it was fashionable.

“What changed?” he asked with more than a hint of desperation. “I mean, what made you want to be ladylike?”

She shrugged. “I made friends with several little girls my age and wanted to be more like them.”

His mouth settled into a discouraged frown. “Maggie’s been around girls her age, but that hasn’t changed anything.”

“That’s because you’re more important to her than they are.”

He tilted his head to stare at her. “What do you mean?”

“She could be trying to emulate you just like I was trying to emulate Matthew.” She could see him thinking about it, but she didn’t have time for him to reach a conclusion. Dampness was beginning to seep through Jasper’s diaper. She turned toward the changing table. “Uh-oh. Someone needs a little changing.”

“They probably all do.” He strode closer. “Would you like some help getting started?”

“No, I’m sure I can handle it. Why don’t you head on down for breakfast? I’ll bring the boys as soon as they’re ready.”

He hesitated. Eventually, the confidence in her smile must have convinced him she could handle this, because he nodded and left the room. That was a good thing because it took all her concentration to remember the lessons Emma had given her last night about changing diapers. She probably should have accepted David’s help, but she wanted to start out being a help to the McKays, not a hindrance.

She finished changing Jasper and set him on the floor to crawl. He found her luggage intriguing. Since everything was still closed up, she let him fiddle with it to his heart’s content. She opened the window that was far out of reach of the triplets to let in some fresh air before taking on the other boys. With them all clean and smelling good, she took a few moments to freshen up herself. She was just pondering how she was going to carry the triplets down the stairs to the kitchen when a tentative knock sounded too far down on the door to be anyone other than Maggie.

“Is that Maggie McKay I hear?” She opened the door to find the little girl looking at her with a mix of sheepishness and surprise.

“How’d you know it was me?”