Can a bachelor auction gone wrong…

mean temptation for the rich rancher?

James Harris needs a nanny for his nephew—now! So when Lydia Walker’s sister reneges on an extravagant bachelor-auction bid, the Texas Cattleman’s Club president has an idea. He’ll cover the debt, and Lydia will care for the baby. Neither is prepared for the passion that blindsides them. But is a permanent personal arrangement more than they bargained for?

JOANNE ROCK credits her decision to write romance after a book she picked up during a flight delay engrossed her so thoroughly that she didn’t mind at all when her flight was delayed two more times. Giving her readers the chance to escape into another world has motivated her to write over eighty books for a variety of Mills & Boon series.

Also by Joanne Rock

The McNeill Magnates miniseries

The Magnate’s Mail-Order Bride

The Magnate’s Marriage Merger

His Accidental Heir

Little Secrets: His Pregnant Secretary

Claiming His Secret Heir

For the Sake of His Heir

The Forbidden Brother

Wild Wyoming Nights

One Night Scandal

Texas Cattleman’s Club: Bachelor Auction miniseries

The Rancher’s Bargain

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

The Rancher’s Bargain

Joanne Rock

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09197-8

THE RANCHER’S BARGAIN

© 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Epilogue

About the Publisher

One

It is okay to say no to unnecessary crazy.

Lydia Walker repeated it like a mantra while she read the digital headline from a story that had run in the Royal, Texas, newspaper earlier in the week while she’d been out of town.

Local woman boosts charity bachelor auction with $100K bid!

Seated at her tiny kitchen table with a cup of coffee grown cold, Lydia hovered her finger over the scroll button on her cell phone. She wished she could just swipe right and not worry about the “local woman” who happened to be her irresponsible sister Gail. The impulsive sibling who did not have $100,000 to her name. What had Gail been thinking?

In spite of herself, Lydia started reading the article again.

Gail Walker, a local entrepreneur, made the surprise bid on Lloyd Richardson, a local rancher. Ms. Walker could not be reached for comment while she is out of town on a romantic getaway with her chosen bachelor, but the Great Bachelor Auction master of ceremonies, James Harris, said he’s grateful for the generous donation that benefits the Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation. “This is what the event is all about…”

Closing her eyes, Lydia flipped the phone facedown on the table to stop herself from going over the story a third time.

Definitely unnecessary crazy.

She had just gotten back into town after a visit to her mother’s home in Arkansas for Thanksgiving, a trip she’d been guilted into since she hadn’t been home in almost two years. Her mom had used the time to corner Lydia about being in Fiona’s upcoming wedding to a fourth husband, making the holiday a total disaster. Lydia had wanted her sister to make the long drive with her, but Gail had insisted she needed to stay in Royal and personally oversee her fledgling grocery delivery service. An excuse Lydia had accepted, proud of Gail for doing something fiscally responsible for a change.

Ha! Apparently, Gail just wanted to stay in town to bid on a sexy bachelor during the event at the swanky Texas Cattleman’s Club. Had the word already gotten out around town that Gail didn’t have the money? Lydia scanned the Royal paper for more news but found only stories about the auction’s lone bachelorette, Tessa Noble, and her date with a local rancher. There was no follow-up article about Gail’s date or her outrageous bid.

Yet.

Lydia’s stomach knotted. How could Gail do something like that to a charity, for crying out loud? Furthermore, they shared the same last name. How did it look for the Walker women, both trying to start their own business, when they didn’t pay their debts?

Anger flaring, she flipped her phone screen toward her again and dialed her sister’s number. As the oldest of eight siblings, Lydia was used to high drama in the family. But for most of her life, the main perpetrator had been her mother, a woman who had parlayed her parenting experience into a successful homemaking blog, House Rules. Fiona Walker’s online followers loved her “whimsical” approach to childrearing that Lydia viewed as flighty at best and, at times, downright dangerous. Lydia had hoped Royal, Texas, would be a fresh start for her and Gail once the youngest of their siblings was old enough to fend for himself with their mom.

But now, with the mortifying news of Gail’s over-the-top bachelor auction bid, Lydia had to admit that her sister hadn’t fallen far from the maternal tree.

“Lydia!” Her sister squealed her name as she answered her phone. “You’ll never guess where I am!”

Frustration simmered.

“I certainly hope you’re at the Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation explaining how you’re going to magically make one hundred thousand dollars appear,” Lydia snapped, powerless to restrain herself. “Gail, what on earth are you doing?”

Anxious and irate, she paced around her half-finished kitchen in the house she’d been slowly renovating to one day open an in-home child care business. She nearly tripped on the flooring samples she’d carefully laid out by the sliding glass door leading to the backyard. The toe of her slipper sent Spanish cedar and mahogany samples flying over the ash and buckthorn pieces.

“I am having a romantic holiday with the man of my dreams,” her sister retorted, her tone shifting from excited to petulant. “Is it too much to ask for you to be happy for me? For once?”

Lydia covered her eyes with one hand, remembering her mother had said those same words to her—almost verbatim—just last week when Lydia refused to be in her wedding. Now, her head throbbed while the morning sunlight poured in through the back door. “I’m happy that you’re having a good time. But I’m very worried about how you’re going to cover the bid you placed at the bachelor auction. Have you spoken with the cancer foundation?”

“I’ll bet that’s why my credit card didn’t work yesterday at the spa,” Gail mused. In the background, music that sounded like it came from a mariachi band was growing louder. “I forgot about the payment to the bachelor auction.”

“What payment?” Lydia pressed, heading back to the kitchen table to clear her plate and cup. “You don’t have the kind of money you bid.”

She held the phone on her shoulder, pinning it to her cheek while she set the dishes in the sink.

“And I’ll figure it out after vacation, okay, Ms. Worrywart?” Her sister raised her voice to be heard over the music. “Oh, and just FYI, I’m ignoring calls from anyone I don’t know this week.”

“Who has been calling you?” Apprehension spiked. “The charity people?”

“No, the guy who was in charge that night. John? James?” Gail sighed. “Just forget it, okay? Right now, I’ve got to get back to my margarita before the ice melts!”

“Gail, wait—”

But her screen already read, “Call Ended.” And she knew her sister well. There wasn’t a chance Gail would answer if she phoned again.

It is okay to say no to unnecessary crazy.

The words had helped Lydia survive her teenage years. But right now, the mantra didn’t roll off the tongue so well when she thought about how the local folks who had worked hard to raise money for charity were being misled. The Texas Cattleman’s Club had hosted the event, and their members were a who’s who list of the town’s most influential people. Lydia wanted to put roots down in Royal. She’d already bought the fixer-upper property to start her child care business here. The last thing she needed was a mark against her family name because of Gail’s impulsiveness.

Maybe she could at least explain the situation to someone before the news surfaced about Gail’s lack of payment.

Scrolling back to the news piece, she found the name she was looking for. James Harris. The MC of the event must have been the one who’d tried contacting Gail. She’d missed seeing his photo in the margin of the story the first time, too dismayed by her sister’s behavior to see beyond the text of the story. But now, Lydia’s eyes lingered on the image of the man who was also the current president of the Texas Cattleman’s Club.

Handsome didn’t begin to describe him. The photo showed him in front of the organization’s historic clubhouse building, a fawn-colored Stetson shielding his face from the Texas sun. Tall and well built, he wore a fitted gray jacket that skimmed impressive muscles. Broad where a man should be. Lean in the hips. An angular jaw with a great smile. She couldn’t see his eyes clearly because they were shadowed by the brim of his hat, but his skin was a warm, inviting brown.

She blinked fast to banish the image from her brain since she could not afford to be sidelined by the man’s potent sex appeal. Lydia was not in the market for romance. Her mother’s active, dramatic love life had given Lydia a front-row seat for the way romance changed people. Fiona had metamorphosed into someone new for each guy she’d dated, heedless of how her whims affected the whole family. Lydia wasn’t looking for even mild flirtation, especially not with someone her sister had bilked out of a small fortune.

She knew better than to try to fix things that were out of her control, but she could at least extend Mr. Harris the common courtesy of explaining Gail’s situation. And, perhaps, learn possible options for compromise on the bill so she could speak sensibly to her sister upon her return. If she could still salvage some goodwill in the community in spite of Gail’s fake bid, it would be a minor miracle.

Lydia had an appointment to meet with the contractor who was supposed to work on her kitchen at noon. But right after that, she’d stop by the Texas Cattleman’s Club.

And hope with all her heart that James Harris was an understanding man.

“Lydia Walker is here to see you,” the disembodied voice announced through James Harris’s office intercom system.

He straightened from where he’d been practicing his golf swing in his office at the clubhouse. Although he’d never been much of a golfer, he had a golf tournament on his calendar and his competitive streak bristled at the idea of bringing down his foursome. Besides, focusing on a sport during his lunch break helped distract him from the knot of stress at the base of his spine. He’d never guessed the amount of work that came with his new position in the TCC, duties that ate into his time running his own ranch every day. But to complicate matters immeasurably, he now had a toddler nephew to raise.

When his brother, Parker, and Parker’s wife had died in a car accident three months ago, James had been devastated. But in addition to his own grief at losing a loved one he’d deeply respected, he had been struggling with the fact that Parker’s will entrusted James with the care of his son, Teddy. The weight of that responsibility threatened to take his knees out from under him if he allowed himself to dwell on it too long.

“Walker?” James repeated. The stress knot in his back tightened more at the mention of his visitor’s name. Setting aside the putter, he walked closer to the intercom. “As in the woman who ran off without paying her bachelor bid last week?”

How could someone publicly bid money they didn’t have? Or maybe she did have the money, but she just didn’t care to give the $100,000 she promised to the Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation. Unwilling to risk the bad publicity, especially for an event he’d supervised, he’d ended up covering the debt himself. Better to keep the club out of the papers.

That didn’t mean the matter was settled.

“That was Gail Walker.” The woman at the desk out front lowered her voice. “Maybe Lydia is a relative.”

“Send her in.” He kicked two golf balls under the couch near the window. Lately, he didn’t mind extending his hours on-site at the clubhouse since there was a child care facility in the building and it seemed the one place his nephew was content. At home, Teddy was a handful. And then some.

James strode toward his office door to greet his guest. He hoped she was carrying a big fat check. Because while James hadn’t begrudged spending his personal funds on a worthy cause, he couldn’t help but resent a woman who felt no obligation to uphold a social contract.

Pulling open the office door, he could see he’d startled the woman on the other side.

Tall and slim, she had light brown hair and honey-colored skin that set off wide hazel eyes. She was dressed in khakis and a neat white blouse with a long pink sweater belted at her waist. She had one hand raised as if to knock while she nibbled at her lush lower lip. Her gaze darted anxiously to his.

A wholly unexpected attraction blindsided him.

He stared at her a beat too long.

“Lydia Walker?” He offered his hand belatedly, irritated with himself for the wayward thoughts. “I’m James Harris.”

“Nice to meet you.” Her handshake was cool and firm. Businesslike. “Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Harris.”

“Please, call me James.” Standing back, he waved her into the office, leaving the door open to the clubhouse behind her. He glanced over toward the double doors leading into the child care facility, half expecting to see Teddy banging on the window. Or a child care worker running for the hills. But all was quiet. Thankfully. Returning his attention to his guest, he said, “Have a seat.”

James gestured to one of the leather chairs near the windows overlooking the garden and swimming pool. The TCC president’s office had been remodeled along with the rest of the historic building. Larger windows and higher ceilings now let in more light, and there were brighter colors in the decor. But the dark hardwood floors and oversize leather furnishings retained the feel of a men’s club from a bygone era. Historic photographs and artifacts from the club’s storied past filled the walls.

For a few hours here each week, he could pretend his life was normal again. That he wasn’t a stand-in father struggling to provide a home for an eighteen-month-old boy who surely felt the absence of his parents, yet was far too young to express himself. Dragging his fractured thoughts back to the appealing woman in his office, James focused on the here and now.

“Can I get you something to drink, Ms. Walker? Coffee or tea? A water?”

“No, thank you. And please call me Lydia.” She set her simple leather handbag on the floor by her feet while he lowered himself into the chair beside hers. “I won’t take up much of your time. I just came to see what I could to do in regard to my sister’s debt. I’ve been out of town, and I only just read the news this morning.”

“Ah.” He nodded, admiring her frank approach. “I appreciate that, Lydia, but I’m not sure how much I’m at liberty to divulge regarding your sister’s…finances.”

He was no expert in the law, but he felt sure that if Gail Walker hadn’t specifically asked her sister to intervene on her behalf, he shouldn’t discuss the woman’s bad debt with her sibling.

“I’m not asking for any information.” Lydia sat forward in her seat, her expression serious. “I already know that Gail couldn’t possibly pay what she promised the charity on the night of the auction. I’m sure she will contact you when she returns from her trip. But until then, I wondered about a potential compromise.”

So much for his hope that Lydia Walker came bearing a check.

“A compromise?” Impatience flared. He wasn’t interested in a nominal payment toward the balance. “This isn’t a credit card debt where you can take out a consolidation loan and suddenly pay less than you owe.”

Lips compressed in a flat line, she straightened in her seat. “And I’m aware of that. But she can’t produce funds she doesn’t have. So I had hoped to give Gail some ideas for what she could do instead. Perhaps donate her time volunteering for the charity in some way?”

Her hazel eyes turned greener as she bristled. The color intrigued him, even as he knew he shouldn’t take any pleasure from her frustration. She’d meant well.

“I see.” He nodded, thinking over her offer. She didn’t know that the charity had already been paid, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to share his own contribution. Instead, he found himself asking, “May I ask your interest in the matter? Why not just let your sister contact us when she returns home?”

She arched an eyebrow. “Do you have any siblings, James?”

The question cut straight through him, his grief still fresh. “Not as of three months ago.”

The terse sound of the words didn’t begin to convey the ache behind them.

Lydia paled. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea—”

“You couldn’t possibly know.” Stuffing down the rawness of the loss, James stood suddenly, needing to move. He headed toward the minifridge and retrieved two small bottles of water, more for something to do than anything else. Still, he brought one back to Lydia and then cracked open his own. “My brother and his wife died in a car crash this fall. Parker lived on the other side of the state, but we were still close.”

He had no living relatives now except for his nephew. His own mother had died of breast cancer when he was very young, and his father had passed after a heart attack two years ago. The Grim Reaper had been kicking him in the teeth lately, taking those he loved.

Except for Teddy. And James would move heaven and earth to keep that little hellion happy and safe. Even if it meant giving up the boy to his maternal grandparents—an option he was investigating since his schedule didn’t allow the time the boy needed.

“I can’t imagine how difficult that has been.” The concern in her voice, the empathy, was unmistakable. “Most of my brothers and sisters are still back home in Arkansas, but I check in with them often. Gail moved here with me to—start over. I can’t help but feel somewhat responsible for her.”

He wondered why. Lured by curiosity about this beautiful woman, he almost sat back down beside her to continue their conversation. But a noise outside the office—the cadence of urgent voices speaking in low tones—distracted him from replying. He glanced toward the door that opened onto the clubhouse and saw the building’s administrative assistant speaking with one of the women who worked in the child care facility.

A feeling of foreboding grew. He knew it couldn’t be the boy’s tree nut allergy acting up or they would have notified him. But what if Teddy had overstayed his welcome in the child care facility? James hadn’t been able to keep a nanny for more than two weeks with his nephew’s swings from shy and withdrawn to uncontrollable bouts of temper. James had no plan B if the TCC child care couldn’t take the toddler for at least part of the time. The boy’s only grandparents lived five hours away—too far for babysitting help.

“Lydia, you needn’t worry about the donation,” he told his guest, the stress at the base of his spine ratcheting higher up his back. As compelling as he found his unexpected guest, he needed to end this meeting so he could see what was going on with the boy. “I’ve already taken care of the matter with the charity, and I’ll speak to your sister about it when she returns to Royal.”

He remained standing, hoping his response would satisfy Lydia and send her on her way. Bad enough he’d felt an immediate attraction to the woman. But he was too strapped emotionally and mentally this week to figure out a creative solution to help her sister work off a debt that James had already paid.

“Taken care of?” Lydia sounded wary. “What does that mean?”

Tension throbbed in his temples. He would have never guessed that concerns about one tiny kid could consume a person day and night. But that’s exactly where he found himself right now, worrying about the boy around the clock, certain that his lack of consistent care was going to screw up the child Parker had been so proud of.

“I paid off the bid myself,” James clarified while he watched the child care worker edge around the administrative assistant and bustle toward his office door.

Damn it.

“You can’t go in there,” the front desk secretary called after her, while James waited, tension vibrating through him.

From behind him, Lydia Walker’s gasp was followed by the whispered words, “One hundred thousand dollars?”

Damn it again.

Pivoting toward Lydia, he already regretted his haste. But he needed to concentrate on whatever new crisis was developing.

“That information is confidential, and stays between the two of us. I only shared it so you won’t worry about the bid anymore.”

Standing, Lydia gaped at him. She shook her head, the warm streaks in her brown hair glinting in the sunlight streaming through the windows behind her. “I’ll worry twice as much now. How can we ever hope to repay you?”

He didn’t have time to answer before a childish cry filled the room.

His nephew, little Teddy Harris, came barreling toward him with big crocodile tears running down both cheeks, his wispy baby curls bouncing with each jarring step. The two women stepped out of the boy’s way as he ran straight into James’s leg. Crushing the wool gabardine in damp baby hands, the boy let out a wail that all of Royal must have heard.

With proof of his inadequacy as a stand-in parent clinging to his calf, James had never felt so powerless. Reaching down, he lifted his nephew in his arms to offer whatever comfort he could, knowing it wasn’t going to be enough. The toddler thrashed in his arms, his back arching, kicking with sock-clad feet.

James had all he could do to hang on to the squirming kid let alone soothe him.

Until, miraculously, the child stilled. The two women lingering at the threshold of his office door were both smiling as they watched. James had to crane his neck to see the boy’s expression since Teddy peered at something over his shoulder, tantrum forgotten.

For a split second, he wondered what on earth that could be. Until he remembered the enticing woman in the room with them.

He sensed her presence behind him in a hint of feminine fragrance and a soft footfall on the hardwood floor. It was James’s only warning, before her voice whispered, “peekaboo!” in a way that tickled against his left ear.

Teddy erupted in giggles.

It was, without question, the best magic trick James had ever witnessed. And he knew immediately that there was a way Ms. Lydia Walker could repay him.

Two

Once the child in James’s arms had settled down, the Texas Cattleman’s Club’s handsome president set the boy on his feet while he went to speak in low tones to the two women who hovered near the entrance of his office.

Lydia did her best not to eavesdrop even though she was wildly curious about the identity of the toddler. The brief bio she’d read of James online hadn’t mentioned a wife or family, and he didn’t wear a wedding ring. Not that it was any of her business. But clearly, the child was his based on the way the toddler had flung chubby arms around James’s leg like he was home base in a game of tag.

For that matter, they shared the same brown eyes flecked with gold, as well.

A gentle tug on the sleeve of her sweater made Lydia realize she’d gotten sidetracked during this round of “peekaboo.” She glanced back to the sober little boy in front of her, his damp hand clutching the ribbed cuff of her sweater to help him keep balance. He looked sleepy and out of sorts as he wobbled on unsteady legs, but the game was still entertaining him. Obediently, she covered her face to hide again, remembering how much her youngest brother had loved playing.

“Thank you,” James said to the woman from the front desk. “I’ll take care of it.”

Then he turned and walked back toward Lydia.

She watched him through her fingers as she hid her face from Teddy. Tall and lean, James Harris moved with the grace of an athlete even in jeans and boots. His button-down shirt looked custom fitted, the only giveaway to his position at the club. Without the Stetson he’d been wearing in the photo she’d seen of him online, she could now appreciate the golden color of his eyes. His dark hair was close cropped, the kind of cut that meant regular trips to the barber. Everything about him was neat. Well-groomed. Incredibly good-looking.

The sight of him was enough to make her throat dry right up in feminine appreciation. She might have forgotten all about the peekaboo game if Teddy hadn’t patted her knee. Belatedly, she slid her hands from her face and surprised the toddler again.

The boy giggled softly before resting his head on her knee, as though he was too tired to hold himself upright any longer. Poor little guy. She rubbed his back absently while the baby fidgeted with his feet.

“I think he’ll be down for the count in another minute,” she told James quietly. “He’s an adorable child.”

“He’s normally a handful,” James admitted, taking the seat across from her. “You’re very good with him.”

His charming smile made her breath hitch in her chest. James Harris’s photo online hadn’t fully prepared her for how devastatingly sexy he’d be in person, an attraction she had no business feeling for a man who had a family of his own. A man who’d bailed her sister out of a thorny financial mess that could have very well derailed both their careers. How could Lydia ever thank him?

“As the oldest of eight kids, I had a lot of firsthand experience,” she admitted, accustomed to glossing over the hurtful aspects of feeling more like hired help than her mother’s daughter. “I’ve worked as a nanny ever since and I hope to open my own child care business out of my home this year.” It couldn’t hurt to start spreading the word to people in the community with young families. “Do you have any other children?”

The question sounded benign enough, right? Not like she was fishing to find out more about whether or not this handsome man was married with a house full of adorable offspring waiting to greet him at the end of the day.

“No.” A shadowed expression crossed his face. “Teddy is my brother’s son. And up until Teddy’s parents died three months ago, I was a bachelor spending every waking hour running a ranch or performing my duties here. My life has been turned upside down.”

She couldn’t deny the momentary relief that James was single. But just as quickly, she thought of the sadness and weariness in his voice and what that meant for Teddy. Her heart ached for all the little boy had lost. She stared down at him, his soft cheek still resting on her knee while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his light-up sneakers flashing back and forth at odd intervals while he rocked.

“I’m so sorry.” She smoothed a palm across the back of the boy’s gray dinosaur T-shirt. “For you both. I can’t imagine how difficult that transition has been to deal with, especially when you’re grieving such a tragic loss.”

She glanced back at James to find him studying her.

His fixed attention rattled her, reminding her that he’d just admitted to being a single man. Warmth rose to her cheeks and she looked away, trying to remember the thread of the conversation.

“You could help us immeasurably.” James’s voice was pitched low in deference to the weary baby between them, but the tone made her think of pillow talk. Intimate conversations between two lovers who knew one another incredibly well.

Who would have guessed a whisper could be so seductive?

“I’m—um.” She tried to think beyond murmured confidences and came up blank, her brain already supplying images of tangled sheets and limbs. “And how would that be?”

“You arrived at my door looking for a compromise on your sister’s bid, and we’ve just found the perfect one.” He pointed to Teddy, who had stopped moving, his eyes closed. Breathing even. “If you’ll take the job of Teddy’s nanny, you can consider Gail’s debt paid in full.”

His suggestion staggered her. Called her from her sensual daydreams.

“She bid one hundred thousand dollars,” Lydia reminded him, wondering where she should lay Teddy down for a nap. “You’d be forgiving the cost of a home for the sake of child care. That’s far too generous of you.”

He shook his head, his jaw flexing. “I haven’t kept a nanny for more than two weeks because he’s such a handful, between the tantrums and days of being withdrawn. We could have a trial period to see how it worked out.” He seemed to warm to the idea quickly, laying out terms. “If you stayed for a trial period of two months, then I’d forgive half the debt. Stick around for a year, and we’ll call it even.”

“You can’t be serious.” She got distracted around him after a few minutes. How could she ever work in his home for a year?

“I’m running out of options and I can’t afford this much time away from my ranching business. You have no idea what it would be worth to me to know my brother’s boy is in good hands.”

She couldn’t miss the desperation in his eyes. In his voice. But as much as she felt called to help him, it wasn’t her debt to pay. Gail was the one who should be providing free nanny services, not her. Still, another thought trickled through, making her realize things weren’t quite so simple. No matter how strongly she felt that Gail needed to clean up her own messes, Lydia recognized that without James’s clearing the debt with the charity, the Walker name might have become the kiss of death for a new business in a close-knit community like Royal. While she wrestled with what to do, she turned her attention to the sleeping baby between them.

“First things first, we should find a comfortable place for Teddy.” She reached to lift him, but James moved closer.

“I can get him.” He slipped his hands around the boy’s waist to pick him up, his hand briefly brushing against her calf and causing a whole riot of sensations in her before he shifted the child to rest on his shoulder. “And you don’t need to make a decision about my offer right now. If you’re okay with continuing our meeting another time, I should be leaving for the day anyhow. I think he’ll stay asleep if I put him in his car seat.”

Lydia tried to ignore the residual tingling in her skin. She appreciated the opportunity he was giving her to think about his proposal. And distance from his striking good looks would give her the chance to think with a clearer head.

“You have someone to watch him today?” Lydia didn’t mean to sound like she was questioning his arrangements for the child. She was just trying to keep the focus on Teddy and not the heady jolt of attraction she was feeling.

She stood to follow James toward the door.

“My foreman’s daughter is home from college for the holidays, and she agreed to give me afternoon help two days a week for the next month. That’s as much child care as I’ve got covered when I’m not here. Provided she doesn’t give up on Teddy, too, when he has his next atomic meltdown.” He sounded frustrated and she understood why.

James shouldered the leather diaper bag that the child care worker had set near the door to his office, then lifted his Stetson from the coat rack and dropped it into place. When she stepped out of the room, he locked the door behind them. She couldn’t miss the way his large hands cradled the child so gently against his broad chest. The gesture called to her, reminding her of dreams she had for her own children one day.

Not that she was thinking of James in that way. She must be overtired and stressed to let her imagination wander like that. The sooner she made tracks out of here and away from James’s tempting presence, the better.

As they left the clubhouse and strode out into the December sunlight, James tugged a blanket from an exterior pocket of the diaper bag and laid it over the sleeping boy. The day was mild, but with the holidays approaching, the temperatures had been dropping. Lydia tipped her face into the breeze, grateful for the cooler air on her too-warm skin.

“I researched the child care facilities in town when I got the idea to open a full-service business here, and I know there’s a definite need.” Royal was thriving, and the demographics for young families were a particular area of growth. “I’ve heard there are waiting lists at the most coveted places.”

James nodded in response. “You’ve got that right. When I called one day care they said families reserve space when they’re pregnant, even knowing they might not put a child into the system for a full year.” He sighed wearily. “The last few months have been an education—from learning how to change a diaper to educating myself on how to avoid tree nuts for his allergy.”

“He has allergies?” Lydia was accustomed to the dietary needs for children with the most common allergies. Her brother broke out in hives if he even got in the same room as a peanut.

“Just tree nuts. But I live in fear I’ll leave the house without the EpiPen.” He huffed out a long breath, clearly feeling the same stress that many new parents went through. “I hope you’ll consider my offer, Lydia. Maybe you can work for me, and your sister can do something to repay you.”

“I’d need to figure out a way to pay my bills in the meantime.” It was true she was between nanny jobs right now, but she had hoped to devote the extra time toward working on her house, doing some of the simpler labor she didn’t want to pay a contractor for.

James tucked the blanket more securely around the baby’s feet, a gesture that touched her all the more now that she knew he wasn’t the baby’s father. He was simply a man trying to do his best taking care of a child he hadn’t been ready for.

“And I can’t put a price on what it would mean to me to have qualified help with Teddy.” He nodded at a gray-haired cowboy walking into the club. Then, once the man had passed, James turned to Lydia again. “Forget about Gail and the charity money. The universe is smiling on me by having a nanny walk into my office at a time in my life when I’m hanging on by my fingernails. Consider this a job offer for whatever you usually charge. I would have sought you out before this if I’d known about you.”

“I couldn’t possibly—”

“Please.” He cut her off, his tone laced with an urgency—a need—she hadn’t anticipated. “Just think about it. Start with the trial period and sign on for two months. See how it goes. If things don’t work out, I’ll understand.”

Swallowing her protests, she nodded. “It’s a very generous offer and I will consider it.”

He seemed to relax then, a tension sliding away from him as he exhaled. “Thank you. I’ll be working from the main house at the Double H tomorrow. If you’d like to stop by, I can show you around. You could see what the job would entail and take a look at the nanny’s quarters before you decide.”

“The Double H is your ranch?” She knew the property. It was close to the Clayton family ranch, the Silver C. The portions of the Double H she could see from the main road were all beautifully manicured. The stables and ranch house were both painted crisp white with dark gray trim, and the window boxes were refreshed year-round with red flowers.

“It is.” His smile was warm. “I never knew how easy ranch work was until I tried my hand at child care. I’m very ready to return to my cattle full-time.”

The idea troubled her, given that his responsibility to his nephew wasn’t going to end when he filled the nanny position. But she couldn’t afford to feel any more empathy for this man than she already did. She had some tough decisions ahead of her where he was concerned.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow. Does after lunch work for you?”

“That’s perfect.” He laid a protective hand on Teddy’s back. “You can repeat the trick you did today of getting him to fall asleep for his nap.”

She’d been given similar compliments many times from happy clients. She was good with children. Period. And yet, somehow the thought of putting the child to sleep with James Harris looking on filled her with a whole host of fluttery sensations.

“I’ll see you then.” Nodding, she backed away fast, needing refuge from the strong pull of desire. Retreating to her car, she forced her gaze away from James and shut the door behind her.

She locked the door for good measure. And then felt like an idiot if he’d heard her flick the locks. She wasn’t trying to keep anyone out as much as she was trying to keep herself in check around the too-handsome rancher with golden-brown eyes.

Switching on the ignition, she pulled out of the parking lot fast, hating herself for thinking that if it wasn’t for James’s blatant sex appeal, she probably already would have accepted the job he’d offered.

That wasn’t fair to him. And it definitely wasn’t fair to the innocent boy who’d just lost both his parents.

She could help Teddy and James. And no matter what she told herself about not getting involved in her sister’s mayhem, Lydia felt a responsibility to repay James in whatever way she could. By covering Gail’s debt, he’d ensured both Walker women would be able to run their small businesses in Royal without censure from locals knowing that Gail had cheated the Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation.

Lydia would just have to find a way to do the job while avoiding the hot rancher as much as possible.

Shouldering the pole pruner he’d been using to trim an apple tree, James squinted in the afternoon sunlight to check his watch at half-past noon.

Based on the number of times he’d glanced at the vintage Omega Seamaster timepiece that had belonged to his grandfather, James couldn’t deny that he looked forward to a visit from Lydia Walker today. And as much as he wanted to credit his anticipation to the possibility he’d found a solution to his nanny problem, he knew that accounted for only part of it.

He wanted to see her again.

Taking his time to wipe down the blade on the pruner—an important step to prevent spreading disease—James needed to be sure Lydia agreed to his bargain. And frankly, that need was at odds with how fiercely he was attracted to her. She’d invaded his thoughts constantly since their last meeting. During the daytime, he shut down the visions as fast as possible. But during the night? His dreams about her had been wildly inappropriate and hot as hell.

Securing a nanny was his number one goal right now, and had been for the past three months. He couldn’t afford to let an undeniable hunger for her confuse the issue that should be a simple business arrangement. Her sister’s overbid aside, James needed Lydia. He’d spent time the night before researching her credentials and had been thoroughly impressed. Not only had she served as a nanny for two TCC members who spoke highly of her—he’d messaged them both to check—but Lydia also had an intriguing connection to the popular childrearing blog House Rules.

The blog was written by her mother, Fiona, but had often featured Lydia even as a teenager. There was a whole video library of Lydia, showing her mother’s followers how to do everything from making organic baby food to refreshing vintage nursery furniture to meeting modern health codes. Simply put, she was incredibly qualified. But the most convincing fact for him was that he’d seen how quickly she could turn Teddy’s stormy tantrums into full-fledged smiles.

That alone made her services necessary. And he’d be damned if he allowed his unbidden desire for the woman to get in the way. Besides, if his divorce had taught him anything, it was that chemistry between people could fade fast, and made shaky ground for any relationship.

Heading toward the potting shed to stow the garden tools, James heard the crunch of car tires on gravel. Turning, he recognized Lydia’s vehicle from the day before. He made quick work of putting away the tools and washed his hands at the shed’s utility sink before stepping outside again.

He had almost reached her car when she stepped from it. Her long legs were clad in tall boots and dark leggings. A gray sweater dress and long herringbone-patterned coat were simple, efficient pieces. Definitely nothing overtly sexy. And yet, he found his gaze wandering over the way the sweater dress hugged her curves. But it was her smile that drew him more than anything. From her light brown hair streaked with honey to the sun-warmed shade of her skin, she seemed to glow from within. Today, like yesterday, she wore little makeup that he could see. A long golden necklace glinted as she straightened, the charms jingling gently as they settled.

“Welcome to the Double H,” he greeted her, arms spread wide. “Home of the Harris family since nineteen fifty-three.”

He and his brother had been born here and he took immense pride in the place, the same as his father had before his death. His brother had planned to move back to Royal one day and help expand the ranching operation. A plan that would never happen now. Strange how many ways grief could find to stab him when he least expected it.

Still, James continued to think about expanding on his own, to give Teddy the future that his father had dreamed for him.

“Thank you.” She let him close the car door behind her while she spun in a slow circle to view the closest buildings. “I’ve always thought this was a pretty property when I’ve driven past here.”

He couldn’t help the rueful grin. “I don’t know how thrilled my grandfather would be to hear that I’ve turned the place ‘pretty.’ But I’ve toyed with the idea of expanding the horse sales side of the business after we’ve had some success with recent yearlings. And traditionally, horse farms have more curb appeal since potential clients often come through the barns.”

“You’ve done a great job.” Lydia walked toward the small grove where he’d been working. “Are these fruit trees?”

He nodded, pleased she’d noticed. “I’ve got a dozen apple trees, a few peaches and pears. Just enough to make the ranch hands grumble about the extra work at harvest time.” Although no one complained about taking fresh fruit home at the end of the day. “I was pruning these before you arrived.”

“I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.” She stopped her trek through the grove and peered back at him. “I know I’m a little early, but I wasn’t sure how long the drive would take.”

“I had just quit when you pulled in. Your timing is perfect.” He waved her toward a side entrance to the main house. “Come on in. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No. Thank you.” She waited while he opened the door, then stepped inside the mudroom. “Where’s Teddy? I brought him a gift.” She tugged at the sleeve of her coat and he moved behind her to help.

Her hair brushed the backs of his knuckles, the silk lining of her coat warm from her body. He tried to move quickly—to keep himself from lingering too long—but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid a hint of her fragrance. Something vanilla with a trace of floral.

With effort, he turned away from her to hang the coat on one of the metal hooks from the rack.

“That’s very kind of you. My housekeeper took Teddy for a couple of hours while he naps so I could get the trees sprayed and pruned. I’ve been falling behind on every conceivable chore.” He led her deeper into the house, pausing outside the kitchen. “Besides, I wanted to give my sales pitch for the nanny gig without any distraction.”

Shaking her head, she gave him a half smile. “But he is the job, James. Your best selling point.”

Skeptical, he figured he’d hedge his bets on showing off the house first. “Your three predecessors didn’t seem quite as charmed by their charge.”

Lydia crossed her arms as she studied him. “They don’t sound worthy of the task, then.”

Her defensiveness on Teddy’s behalf was a credit to her character, yes. But she’d been with the boy for only a few minutes. She hadn’t seen the long crying jags or the stormy rages that had caught the other nannies off guard.

“That makes me all the more eager to sign you on,” he told her honestly.

After taking her on a tour of the kitchen and great room, he took the main staircase up to the nursery where his housekeeper, Mrs. Davis, all but bolted from the room when she spotted them. Her greeting was brusque at best.

“Thank you, Mrs. Davis.” James knew the housekeeper wasn’t happy with the added babysitting responsibilities, but he’d shown his gratitude in her paycheck over the last two weeks. “This is Lydia Walker. She’s here to discuss the possibility of taking over child care duties full-time.”

“In that case, I won’t keep you.” She gave an abrupt nod and hurried on her way, her white tennis shoes squeaking on the hardwood in the hall as she stalked off.

“The household staff is overburdened,” he explained, hoping Lydia wouldn’t be put off by the woman’s cool reception. “Mrs. Davis has helped me out more than once, and I’ve also got temporary help from my foreman’s daughter. But the extra work is taking a toll.”

“Understandable,” Lydia murmured softly while she peered down into the crib at the sleeping baby. “Caring for a child is a huge life adjustment. Expectant parents have nine months to prepare themselves, and most of them are still overwhelmed by the transition.” She smiled up at him. “You’re doing well.”

No doubt she intended the words to be reassuring, but the effect on him was anything but.

“You can’t possibly know that,” he told her flatly, refusing to accept a comfort he didn’t deserve. “I can’t help but think that my brother would have been far more involved with his son’s upbringing than I can afford to be right now. I’ve reached out to Teddy’s maternal grandparents to try to involve them more.” He’d written to them twice, in fact, and hadn’t heard back. “Maybe their home will be a better place for my nephew.”

Lydia chewed her lush lower lip, looking thoughtful. The gesture distracted him from the dark cloud of his own failed responsibilities, making him wish his relationship with this woman could be a whole lot less complicated.

“You’re thinking about asking his grandparents to raise him?” She stepped away from the crib, her boots soundless on the thick carpeting as she moved.

His gaze tracked her movements, lingering on the way her sweater dress hugged her curves. But then, thinking about Lydia was a whole lot more enticing than remembering all the ways he’d fallen short in his sudden parental role.

He’d had the nursery assembled in a hurry. The room contained all the necessary furniture but hadn’t been decorated with much that would appeal to a child.

“Definitely. I can’t even keep a nanny for him, let alone be a meaningful part of his life right now.” He wasn’t sure any of this was helping his cause to convince her to take the job. But something about Lydia made it easy for him to talk to her.

A sensation he rarely experienced with anyone.

“But that doesn’t mean you’ll always be too busy for him.” Her hazel eyes took on a bluish cast in the baby’s room with azure-colored walls. “And your brother and his wife must have trusted you a great deal if they named you as his guardian.”

Frustration and guilt fired through him.

“I’m sure they never believed it would come to that.” He couldn’t bear the weight of failing Teddy. Failing his brother. Unwilling to argue the point, James gestured toward the door. “Come this way and I’ll show you the nanny’s quarters. Because no matter what happens with Teddy’s future, I can’t escape the fact that I need a solution for his care right now.”

And that meant not letting his guard down around this beautiful, desirable woman.

Three

“I can’t accept these terms.” Back in the ranch’s great room, Lydia stared down at the neatly typed offer James had passed her inside a crisp manila folder.

After a tour of the Double H Ranch main house, with special attention to the nursery, nanny’s quarters and a potential playroom she could equip as she saw fit, James had briefly outlined very generous compensation for retaining her services. Not only was room and board included—useful for her while her contractor outfitted her home for a child care facility—but James also offered a salary, health care benefits and a recommendation if she stayed in his employ for six months. Gail’s debt would be partially forgiven after the two-month trial period, and fully after one whole year.

Furthermore, there were additional pages that spelled out potential budgets for renovating the playroom and nursery, as well as a spending allowance for toys, books, equipment, outings and anything else that she thought Teddy required.

“What do you mean?” James frowned, stepping closer to glance over her shoulder at the formalized offer he’d given her. “Are there things I’m overlooking? It’s all up for negotiation.”

Closing the folder, she passed it back to him as they stood in front of the huge stone hearth where a fire crackled. “You haven’t overlooked a thing. This is far too generous.”

She’d never heard of such a well-paid nanny. And it made her heart hurt to think he was so eager to give over the boy’s care that he would pay someone such an inflated fee. Especially when he was debating relinquishing the child to Teddy’s maternal grandparents.

“Honoring my brother’s wishes means everything to me.” His jaw flexed as raw emotion flashed in his eyes, but he folded his arms, as if defying her to argue that statement.

“I understand that.” Truly, she did. “But the whole reason I came to see you yesterday was to discuss options for repaying your generosity toward my sister. I can’t let you give us anything else.”

He was shaking his head before she even finished speaking. “You can’t sacrifice your own income for the sake of your sibling. I won’t hear of it.” Before she could argue, he continued, “I read about you online, Lydia. You’re extremely qualified.”

His words pleased her. Or maybe it was the knowledge that he’d spent time thinking of her, if only in a professional capacity. Warmth crawled over her that didn’t have a thing to do with the fire.

“Thank you. I already have a health care plan, so I don’t need that. But if you cut the salary in half, I would be amenable.”

“Half?” He shook his head. “I couldn’t look myself in the mirror if you took a nickel under three-quarters of that.”

“Half,” she insisted. “And I’ll find a way to put my sister to work for me so she’s making up the difference.”

Gail needed to learn that there were consequences to her impulsive actions.

He scrubbed a hand through his close-cropped dark hair. “I don’t know.”

She suspected he would have continued to argue the figure if a wail from the nursery hadn’t sounded at that precise moment. James’s gaze went to the staircase.

“I could start immediately,” she offered, sensing his weakening on the salary issue.

He extended his hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Lydia slipped her small palm into his much larger one, seized with the memory of their brief contact the day before when he’d taken Teddy from her arms. Just like then, an electric current seemed to jump between them, hot to the point of melting. Her gaze met his, and she would swear he was aware of it, too.

She was grateful for the baby’s next cry, since it gave her the perfect excuse to retract her fingers. She darted from the room to escape the temptation of her new boss—and the fear that she’d just made a huge mistake.

After a brief supper shared with her new charge in the nursery, Lydia debated the wisdom of starting her new job so quickly.

She’d jumped into the baby’s routine with both feet, comfortable with knowing where most things were located since her new employer had given her a quick tour. She knew the protocol for Teddy’s food allergies and where the EpiPens were kept. But she hadn’t clarified how or when she would go about moving her things into her suite at the Double H, thinking she’d see her new boss at dinnertime.

But James still hadn’t come in from his chores at eight o’clock after she put Teddy into his crib for the night. Lydia knew because she’d peered down the stairs a few times, and twice had checked in with the housekeeper.

On both occasions, Mrs. Davis had looked at her as though she might steal the house silver at any moment. And between the woman’s terse answers and general lack of hospitality, Lydia had the distinct impression that her presence was not welcomed by the older housekeeper.

Not that she was too worried. Usually, her work spoke for itself. Maybe Mrs. Davis was simply tired from the strain of caring for a little one. Lydia was more concerned to think that James might not be accessible in the coming weeks. As Teddy’s parental figure, James had an important role in the boy’s life even if he hadn’t fully committed himself to it yet.

Then again, maybe James’s disappearing act had nothing to do with his nephew and everything to do with the blossoming attraction between them.

Figuring she’d never improve things around here if she stayed hidden in her room, Lydia stepped out of the sprawling nanny suite and hurried down the hall to the staircase. The natural wood banister was polished to a high sheen, and the house’s log cabin elements mingled seamlessly with more contemporary touches, like the walls painted in shades of taupe and tan. Downstairs, the stone hearth rose to a high ceiling right through the upstairs gallery walkway. A rough wood mantel and steer horns decorated the fireplace, but the leather couches and cream-colored slipper chairs were sleekly styled and inviting. Agriculture books filled the shelves in the far corner of the room, the leather spines freshly dusted.

She peered around for any signs of Mrs. Davis but didn’t see the housekeeper. Before Lydia could debate her next move, the side door opened and James stepped inside.

She stood far enough away that he didn’t notice her at first. He took his time hanging his Stetson and shrugging out of a weatherproof duster. Belatedly, she felt a hint of cool air that must have entered the house with him. The temperature had dropped, and she knew a storm was predicted tonight. In the shadows of the mudroom, his features looked all the more sculpted. He had high cheekbones. A strong jaw. Well-muscled shoulders that would turn any woman’s head.

And yes, she acknowledged, she liked looking at him.

“Do you always work so late?” she asked as a way to reveal her presence, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

He glanced up quickly, his expression more pleased than surprised.

“Hello, Lydia. I didn’t expect to see you so late.”

She glanced at the antique clock on the opposite wall. “It’s not even nine.”

“Right. And when I’ve been on duty with my nephew, I’m ready for bed before he is.” He toed off his boots and lined them up on the far side of the welcome mat.

There was something oddly intimate about seeing him take off his shoes. Being in his home at this hour.

Which was a silly thing to think given that she’d been a nanny before. She’d seen parents moving around their living space while she helped out with children. Maybe it felt different with James because he was single.

And…smoking hot. Her gaze tracked him as he strode into the kitchen in sock feet. In a long-sleeved gray tee and dark jeans, he looked less like the polished Texas Cattleman’s Club president and more like a ruggedly handsome rancher. He scrubbed his hands at the kitchen sink.

“Teddy went to bed fairly well for me.” So far, she couldn’t see any evidence of the toddler being more difficult than most children his age. “Beginner’s luck, maybe.”

“Or maybe you’re just that good.” He grinned at her while he dried off, her thoughts scrambling at the mild flirtation in the words. “Would you like to join me for dinner? I’m starving, but I’d appreciate hearing more about your day.”

He moved toward the stainless steel refrigerator and tugged it open.

“No, thank you. Teddy and I ate dinner earlier.” She couldn’t risk spending too much time in her employer’s presence based on her over-the-top physical reaction to just a handshake, for crying out loud. If she was going to reach at least the two-month mark on this trial period, she really shouldn’t have late meals alone with him. “I just thought maybe now would be a good time for me to return to my house and pick up a few items to get me through the next week.”

“I forgot you didn’t move your things in today.” He backed out of the refrigerator with a sandwich on a crusty French roll and proceeded to remove the clear plastic wrap. “There’s a storm brewing that could turn nasty if the temperature drops any more.”

“I’ll be careful.” She stepped closer to the kitchen but didn’t enter it, remaining outside the granite-topped breakfast bar as she watched him retrieve a plate and glass. “I can be back in two hours.”

He parted the curtain on the window over the kitchen sink, peering out into the night. “The roads are going to be dangerous if we get ice.”

“As the oldest of eight in my family, I have to say it’s a unique experience to have someone worry about my safety for a change.” She couldn’t help a rueful smile, since she was usually the one doing the worrying.

“What about your mom?” he asked, letting go of the sheer curtain to fill a water glass. “She didn’t ever tell you not to go out into an ice storm?”

Even with the barrier of the counter between them, she felt the draw of his curiosity about her. She’d never experienced the pinprick of awareness all over her skin with anyone else and wondered why, of all the people Gail could have indebted herself to, it had to be a man whom Lydia found so potently sexy.

“My mother doesn’t take much notice of potential dangers in the environment.” To put it mildly. Lydia had saved her youngest sister from drowning in a neighbor’s backyard pool while her mom led a workshop on fostering a love of Mother Earth in children. She’d been totally oblivious. “Fiona Walker truly believes that if you see hearts and flowers wherever you go, then the world must be a happy, safe place.”

James’s eyebrows lifted as he slid his sandwich into the microwave. “Sounds like you got to see a different side of the House Rules parenting approach.”

She wasn’t surprised he knew about the blog. Her mother’s PR machine regularly spit out stats about how many lives the parenting website actively changed for the better—which was their highly embroidered way of reporting social media reach.

Choosing her words carefully, she replied, “Let’s just say that I hope you didn’t hire me because you thought I’d be giving Teddy lessons in the power of positive thinking.”

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