Maverick Holiday Magic

Because she couldn’t afford the monthly payments and that was humiliating to admit. Merry had faced a lot of speed bumps on the road to establishing her career, which meant that her bank account had suffered, too. She was torn about telling him the truth, then decided keeping it to herself might have him thinking it was something worse.

“My mother died when I was about Wren’s age. My brother is ten years older than me and he joined the military.” She was the one dealing with memories now and they were sad. It had been a lonely time for her. There’d been no motherly hugs after school, no homemade cookies with a glass of cold milk. Her father had withdrawn into his own grief and she’d felt all alone. “Dad didn’t quite know what to do with me so he took me to work with him a lot.”

“What kind of work?”

“Electrician. Ed Matthews knew his way around wires and light switches. Not so much about what to do with a motherless little girl.”

“I can relate to that.”

“And we moved around a lot, going where the work was. Following the jobs. Changing schools all the time.”

“That’s why you knew how Wren felt, why you looked out for her when she was new to the school.”

“Yes.” She smiled up at him, then zeroed in on the pink jacket again. For some reason she wanted him to know she was working on her life even though that wasn’t what he’d asked. “You’re wondering what all this has to do with selling the house. I promise I’ll get there.”

“Okay.”

“My education was choppy, which put me behind. Plus, I helped my dad with the business. Answering phones and making appointments. Keeping the books.” It had helped bring them closer and she treasured that time more than ever now that he was gone. “I could only manage college classes part-time. And then in 2013, after the flood in Rust Creek Falls, Dad decided to move there. The damage was widespread and there was a real need for construction workers, plumbers and electricians. It’s a friendly, close-knit community and we decided to stay. We bought a house and fixed it up.”

“But?”

“How do you know there’s a ‘but’?” she asked.

“Because your house is for sale.”

“Right. I mentioned when we met that my dad died recently. Cancer.” She took a deep breath and met his gaze. “On top of missing him very much, without him there is no business or income. I don’t make enough at my school job to keep up with the mortgage payments.”

“I see.” He was frowning. “What will you do when the house is sold?”

“Right now I’m more nervous about the selling process. I have a real estate agent but never handled a real estate transaction on my own, without my dad.”

“The agent should explain everything but if you still have questions, my brother Logan has sold all kinds of property. He could probably help you out.”

“Thanks. That’s good to know.”

“And you’re still in school.” Obviously he’d read and retained the information she’d given him during the employment interview.

“Not at the moment. I had to care for my dad and was barely able to finish the spring semester online. I didn’t register for fall because he wasn’t doing well. But I’m going back to it right after the holidays.”

“And your major is early childhood education. Seems like a good fit.” He stuck his hands into the pockets of his sheepskin jacket. “You’re really tuned in to my daughter. She doesn’t even seem to notice she’s being handled.”

“Diversion. Distraction. Let them think the idea is theirs. A hard no isn’t easy to reverse.”

“Tell me about it.” The tone in his voice and the look on his face indicated he’d had some experience with that and it didn’t go well.

And then she felt bad. “I’m sorry, Hunter. For dumping on you like that. For bending your ear and making it all about me. That was unprofessional.”

“Well, I asked,” he said gently. “And maybe you needed to talk about it. The grief, I mean.”

Hmm. This “getting to know you” felt something like a first date. It wasn’t, but that didn’t stop her curiosity about him. When had Wren lost her mother? And how? The thing was, it didn’t feel right to just come out and ask.

“Do you miss Texas?” she said instead.

“No.” That was emphatic and he must have sensed it because he continued. “Rust Creek Falls is small and things move slower than they do in Dallas. This environment is better for my daughter.”

And speaking of Wren... The little girl reversed direction and came running back to them.

“Daddy, I’m hungry.”

And just like that the spell was broken. Getting to know her employer wasn’t part of her job but she’d enjoyed it anyway. Hunter was so much nicer and friendlier than he’d been at first. And easy to talk to, she thought wryly. It was a little embarrassing how much she’d bared her soul, but this was a job, not a weekend getaway, and she better not forget that.

“Daddy, doesn’t Merry look pretty?”

So pretty Hunter nearly swallowed his tongue. Wren and her nanny had just come out of the bedroom where they’d dressed for the wedding. Merry’s dress was light purple—no, Wren would tell him that was wrong. It was lavender and left one shoulder bare, a very soft and sexy shoulder. There was an equally sexy slit in the long skirt, simple and seductive at the same time. Silky material caressed her body and made his fingers ache to touch her bare skin. He was pretty sure it made her the sexiest nanny in Rustler’s Notch.

“Daddy, you look weird. Are you sick?”

“No, honey. I’m fine.” He glanced at Merry with her thick wild blond hair semi-tamed, pulled back into a messy side bun. “You do look really nice.”

“Thank you.” Her cheeks flushed pink.

“How do I look, Daddy?” Wren spun in a circle and the full skirt of her cream-colored dress flared out.

“Like a princess.”

“Do you like my dress? Merry says the style makes me look very grown-up.”

“I did say that.” She smiled at the little girl. “I just hope I did justice to tying that bow in the back.”

“It looks good to me,” he said.

“The crown of flowers in your hair is so natural and pretty, better than a tiara,” Merry said.

He listened as they debated the merits of tiara versus flowers then chattered about dresses, veils, princesses and fairy tales. He loved his daughter more than anything in the world but girly stuff was way out of his comfort zone. Right up there with someday having to explain to Wren about the birds and bees.

That was a long way off, but for some reason he’d been thinking a lot about sex recently. Mostly that he hadn’t had it for a long time. That was the safest reason he could come up with for last night’s dreams about holding Merry in his arms. Naked.

“You look really handsome in your tuxedo, Daddy. Don’t you think so, Merry?”

“Yes, he does.” A becoming blush crept into her cheeks.

“Thank you, ladies. I’m glad I passed inspection. But you’re the star, Wren. If you’re ready, we really need to get a move on or the wedding is going to be missing a flower girl.”

Fortunately they had only to go downstairs. Hunter escorted them to the bride’s room, where the wedding planner was calling the shots. Merry was going to stay with Wren until just before this shindig got rolling. He proceeded to the event venue, where chairs were set up in two sections to create an aisle and there were so many flowers it looked and smelled like a garden.

Hunter had received his instructions—family and friends of the bride on the left. Groom’s on the right. Logistics like this he could handle. It kept him too busy to think about Wren and whether or not she was okay. Before long most of the seats were filled, except those reserved for family in the first two rows.

Then he saw Merry walk in and his heart skipped a beat. She looked so beautiful that for a moment it was difficult to get air into his lungs. When he could breathe again, he moved toward her before any of the other ushers could.