Falling for the Boss

Concerned for his orphaned twin brothers, outdoor-gear shop owner Sawyer Banks urges new employee Tori Janner to apply for the nanny position their grandparents are advertising…and spy for him. With plans to start over in Hunter Ridge and dreams of reviving her quilting business, Tori takes the job—but refuses to report to Sawyer unless the boys’ welfare is in danger. But soon it’s her own heart that’s in jeopardy. Because after spending time with the committed bachelor, she starts to see the depth behind his easy charm—and begins to imagine herself as his wife.

“My little brothers think the world of you.”

“I don’t know when my heart has ever been won over to children so quickly. They’re so sweet. So loving.”

“A lot like you in that respect.” He looked down at her, his expression tender.

Sensing his intentions, her heartbeat quickened in anticipation. But she couldn’t let him kiss her, could she? Not until she discovered if Therese was wrong in her assumptions about his long-term level of devotion to the twins. To her.

As she well knew, the enticing feelings of “love” held little meaning if not built on a solid foundation of lasting commitment. But Sawyer had yet to speak of love. Shouldn’t that fact alone put her on her guard?

Reluctantly she pressed her hand firmly to his chest and attempted to step back.

But he held her fast, his gaze intent. “Tori, I think you need to know that—”

With a reverberating clang the cowbell above the main door startled them apart.

“You were starting to say?” Tori encouraged.

He shrugged, avoiding her gaze. “Maybe it will come to me later.”

GLYNNA KAYE treasures memories of growing up in small Midwestern towns—and vacations spent with the Texan side of the family. She traces her love of storytelling to the times a houseful of great-aunts and great-uncles gathered with her grandma to share candid, heartwarming, poignant and often humorous tales of their youth and young adulthood. Glynna now lives in Arizona, where she enjoys gardening, photography and the great outdoors.

The Nanny Bargain

Glynna Kaye

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience.

—Hebrews 10:22

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

—Deuteronomy 31:8

To Maridor Keck, who loves God with all

her heart. Thank you for your friendship,

encouragement and prayers

as I continue on this writing journey.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“That’s all there is to it,” concluded Sawyer Banks from where he sat behind a weathered oak desk. He looked quite at home in the decidedly masculine-flavored office of his outdoor-gear shop, Echo Ridge Outpost. Leather. Wood. Wildlife prints on the knotty pine walls. “Piece of cake.”

Easy for him to say. Victoria “Tori” Janner folded her hands primly in her lap, determined to hear him out. But if her best friend, Sunshine Carston, hadn’t vouched for the rugged, blue-eyed outdoorsman, she wouldn’t be sitting here one minute longer on this snowy February afternoon. What he’d outlined during this interview was troubling, at the very least.

“Apply for the childcare position,” he recapped, his steady gaze holding hers, “and if you get it, I’ll not only employ you here at the Outpost part-time, but behind the scenes I’ll throw in an additional dollar an hour on top of whatever wage you agree on with the Selbys. Does that sound fair?”

More than fair. Suspiciously so.

Tori lifted her chin slightly, determined he wouldn’t detect how uneasy his proposition made her feel. She needed the job—desperately—if she intended to remain in the mountain country community of Hunter Ridge, Arizona. Going “home” to life in Jerome was no longer an option if she could help it.

“If I’m understanding correctly, what your offer boils down to is if I get the childcare job, you want me to spy on the grandparents of your younger siblings and report back to you.”

“Spy?” He shook his head with a laugh, his longish sun-streaked blond hair brushing the collar of his gray plaid shirt. Fine lines creased at the corners of his eyes. “That term’s extreme for what I’m asking you to do—which is to provide a weekly update on activities and exercise, diet, moods and misbehaviors, and—”

“All that detail on the boys, or their grandparents, too?”

He stopped short, then laughed again. “I don’t much care what Ray has for breakfast. Unless, of course, it negatively impacts Landon and Cubby in some way.”

“Cubby?”

“Nickname for Jacob.”

He made his proposition sound so benign. She felt silly challenging him and suspecting hidden motives. But she couldn’t go into anything blindly, no matter how much she needed a job. “I’ll be quite honest, Mr. Banks, I—”

“Honesty is exactly what I want. And discretion. Common sense.” The corners of his mouth lifted. “And call me Sawyer.”

She ignored his coaxing smile, one he’d undoubtedly perfected to sway female hearts. But she was newly immunized against that well-practiced male maneuver. “I require honesty, as well. Is it your intention for me to gather evidence that will enable you to take those children away from their grandparents? I don’t want any part in that.”

Her mom’s mother had raised her, and she wouldn’t accept a role that undermined the twins’ relationship with their grandparents.

“Whoa.” Sawyer held up his hands in defense, and she realized her brows had been lowered, her tone too sharp. Not how she wanted to come across to a potential employer. “Rest assured, Tori, that’s not my intention. Far from it. I have no doubt Ray and Therese love the grandsons my dad fathered with their daughter. That’s not the issue. The deal is that they’ve suddenly had to take on two active children. That’s asking a lot of people who’ve reached the golden years of a retirement they’ve worked long and hard for. I’m just not convinced it isn’t more than they can handle on their own.”

He again sounded reasonable. Kind and caring. Why was she so distrustful? A residual effect of her ex-fiancé’s abrupt departure, no doubt.

“While we’re not close, I have a decent enough relationship with them and the boys.” He turned in his chair to snag a photo off the bookshelf behind him and handed it to her. Gazing down at the towheaded, freckle-faced twins, she suspected the adorable twosome were the spitting image of Sawyer in his childhood.

“So I want to do whatever I can,” he continued, “to ensure the welfare of kids and grandparents alike without it appearing that I’m meddling.”

“Which is why...”

“Why I suggested they hire someone at least part-time to give them a hand. After months of debating the pros and cons between them, they’re suddenly acting on it.”

He raised a brow, awaiting her response.

Once more she glanced down at the photo, then placed it on the desk. “How long, again, has it been since the fire?”

“Over a year. Fifteen months. The twins were almost three and a half years old at the time. Four and a half now. They’ll start kindergarten in the fall.”

“Heartbreaking.” How well she knew life could be sailing along fine one minute and upended the next. “I’m sorry, too, that you lost your father and your—”

“Dad’s wife. She was never my stepmother. They’d been married less than five years before...” A shadow seemed to pass over his features.

She nodded, again acknowledging the tragic event that had left the twins orphaned. Sawyer had told her his father—widowed? divorced?—had remarried and started a late-in-life family.

“How are the boys doing? Emotionally, I mean.” She didn’t want to get in over her head. “I’m not a psychologist or counselor, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“What I’m after is a competent pair of eyes and ears—and someone who’s good with kids. Your friend Sunshine assures me you took good care of her daughter while she was wrapped up in the town council campaign last fall. That you and Tessa have a good relationship.”

“I’ve known Tess since she was a baby, so that could account for that.”

“You’re being too modest. Sunshine mentioned you grew up babysitting neighbor kids, as well.”

“I did.” That had been the only means of earning money for her artistic endeavors until she was old enough to work in one of the tourist-frequented shops. Infant care had scared her, but by the time her charges reached the toddler stage she’d done fine. Okay, maybe better than fine.

“Sunshine says you’re bright, well-grounded, sensible and loyal to a fault,” he continued, making her sound like the next best thing to a golden retriever. “She says, too, that if you err, it’s on the side of caution. That’s what I need. Someone I can entrust with my little brothers.”

She looked at him doubtfully, uneasiness continuing to gnaw as he handed her a slip of paper with the Selbys’ phone number and email address. “You’re telling me, then, that you don’t know anyone else in town who fits the bill?”

* * *

The pretty blonde with gray eyes and a pixie haircut was sharp alright, homing in on that point. Truth was, in addition to her other job-suitable assets, Tori was relatively new to town. Having lived here off and on for under six months, it appeared she hadn’t yet formed deep attachments aside from the established one with Sunshine. She wouldn’t be attuned to the histories of those who lived here—like his—and wouldn’t be likely to make assumptions or confide in others. She was a churchgoer, too, which would win persuasive points with his siblings’ grandparents during an interview. A solid recommendation from a past and present pastor and any former employers would further strengthen her prospects.

“Truth of the matter is, Tori, I’ve known Sunshine for several years and the family she’s marrying into even longer, and she highly recommends you. I personally don’t know anyone else who appears to meet the needs of the situation I’ve found myself in. I’ve never before had to be a nanny recruiter.”

He offered what he hoped was a winning smile, but Tori made a face.

“Please don’t call the position nanny.” Color rose in her cheeks, almost matching the soft pink of her turtleneck sweater. “That word always makes me picture a goat herding—pardon the pun—kids.”

He managed not to laugh as his spirits lifted at the cute expression on her face. He’d have to watch himself if she’d be working here as well as with his brothers. He couldn’t afford to let himself get distracted right now, not with the Outpost needing his full attention. He couldn’t put his livelihood at further risk by not giving his best to keep it afloat. And he certainly couldn’t risk it for what would in all probability be another here-today-gone-tomorrow relationship. But she’d obviously taken exception to the nanny label. Might that mean she was seriously considering his offer?

“Then nanny is tossed out the door. Babysitter? Caregiver? Childcare worker?”

“Much better.”

After rising from his chair, he moved around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge of it. “What other questions do you have?”

If he wasn’t mistaken, he needed to come across as open and approachable, especially considering her reservations about the possibility of being involved in a custody battle. He honestly didn’t want to be part of anything like that any more than she did. No way. What would he do with two little kids underfoot? Children were time-consuming. Demanded attention. With him being next in line for legal guardianship, per the wishes of the boys’ parents, he hoped with all his heart that Therese and Ray were perfectly capable of raising his little brothers. If investing a few extra bucks in hired help increased that likelihood and kept him out of direct oversight of the twins, it would be money well spent. And if that hired help provided him an inside line to the household dynamics, all the better.

A crease formed between Tori’s brows as she looked around his office, then toward the door that led to the main room of the business he’d inherited from his grandfather right out of college. Hunting, fishing, camping and hiking paraphernalia packed the rustic interior of a building that faced the winding, pine-lined main road through town.

“This other part-time job you mentioned,” she said, focusing again on him. “The one here. What would that entail? I’m not sure I’m the right fit for clerking in a place like this. I don’t know anything about hunting or fishing and not much more about camping, although I’ve hiked.”

“There you go. And you’ve rung up a sale on a cash register before?”

“In shops that I worked at in Jerome, yes. But—”

“You wouldn’t have to advise someone on purchases. Les, Diego or I’ll be around to do that.” He hesitated, then brushed back the hair from his eyes and gave her an apologetic look. “It’s not glamorous, but in addition to stocking, inventory and general office work, I could use assistance with upkeep.”

“You mean housekeeping, right? Not toolbox types of stuff, but dusting and cleaning and that kind of thing?”

“Right.”

To his relief she merely shrugged, unfazed. Hopes mounting, he hurried on. “Depending on the schedule you arrange with the Selbys, you can work your hours in around here as you find most convenient.”

She tilted her head slightly. “That’s assuming, of course, that I get the childcare job. If I decide to apply, I mean.”

His rising spirits faltered. “Right.”

“How many hours a week are we talking about?”

“That depends on what you agree to with Ray and Therese. Assuming it’s at least twenty hours a week there, I could probably make up the difference on this end to bring it up to a total of thirty-five or forty.”

That sounded plenty generous to him and probably more than he could afford right now. But he caught uncertainty in her eyes. “Is there a problem?”

“Well, I do have a business of my own that I’d hoped to get off the ground after a too-long sabbatical.”

“I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Not that I’m not looking for a job,” she said quickly. “I am. But I’m also trying to use the months before summer to prepare a body of work for the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative.”

He knew from Sunshine that Tori hailed from Jerome, Arizona, an old mining town turned artists’ colony and tourist attraction. So last night he’d touched base with the mother of a friend who lived there. She’d mentioned—among other things—Tori’s involvement in the arts. Although one reported incident from Tori’s teen years might make the Selbys leery of hiring her, nothing about it alarmed him. She was still a top-notch candidate.

“I’m a quilter.” She met his gaze almost cautiously, as if watching for his reaction. “Not only bedspreads and comforters, but wall hangings and other home and office decorations. Pillows, purses and tote bags, too.”

That sounded practical enough. Unpretentious. “My mom always wanted to quilt. Never had time, though, with three rambunctious boys.”

He didn’t miss the curiosity that flickered through her eyes, but he wasn’t wading into the past today. Then he glanced down at the photo of the twins, a professional picture taken not too long before their parents died. Maybe it was his imagination, but the boys seemed increasingly subdued lately, not as lively and laughter-filled as they’d once been. Was that to be expected with the loss of their folks—or was it related to something in their current living environment?

He had his suspicions. And since they’d still be living happily with their parents if he’d have taken care of business, his mission now was to see to their welfare. But time was running out on this particular opportunity. He’d learned yesterday that Ray and Therese had placed a want ad in surrounding-area church newsletters two weeks ago and were embarking on a search for a part-time live-in helper.

He motioned to the photo. “So, are you interested in the childcare position? Interviews are under way, and although I don’t anticipate a quick decision on their part, timing is critical to get your application in. If filling in here also is too much to take on, we can figure something out.”

He’d intended it, though, to serve as a perfect means of discreetly keeping in touch concerning the boys.

She stood, then reached for her coat and a colorful quilted handbag—one she’d no doubt made. Expressive eyes met his, and he held his breath.

Come on, say yes.

“Thanks for your time—Sawyer.” She offered an apologetic smile. “But I’ll need to think about it. Give me twenty-four hours.”

* * *

“I guess tomorrow night is Sunshine and Grady’s big event.” Benton Mason, a bearded silversmith, held the door open for Tori to exit the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative, where he, like other members of the co-op, worked part-time.

Hopefully she’d be joining those artists in the not-too-distant future. As soon, that is, as she could pull together the best sampling of her work for submission to the co-op’s jury for evaluation and, if given the nod, complete a probationary period. Which made it all the more important that she focus on bringing her skills back up to speed so she wouldn’t miss out on the summer tourist-season shoppers.

“Theirs is a match made in Heaven, for sure,” she chimed in cheerfully enough. But if there was anything she could do without today, it was a reminder that her best friend would wed on Valentine’s Day in an intimate family-and-close-friends ceremony. And also the related reminder that she had barely two weeks before she had to be out of the apartment above the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative, where she’d resided with Sunshine and her daughter since early last autumn.

While Tori’s friend would be moving to Grady’s cabin at Hunter’s Hideaway, his family’s enterprise catering to outdoor enthusiasts, Sunshine had hoped to hang on to the apartment awhile longer so Tori would have a roof over her head until at least summer. But co-op members voted to lease the space starting next month and, unfortunately, a jobless Tori couldn’t afford the apartment.

“Any employment nibbles, Tori?” With sympathetic eyes, Benton stood in the open doorway.

“A few.” None, unfortunately, looked half as promising as what Sawyer Banks had proposed yesterday afternoon, which happened to include an apartment at the Selbys’ place.

But the thought of being Sawyer’s undercover operative still left a bad taste in her mouth. Although she’d prayed about it nonstop, she still didn’t have an answer. She’d told him, though, that she’d give him a response within twenty-four hours.

Two hours to go.

“Lizzie and I can let you stay at our place for a while.” Benton gave her a reassuring smile. “Things would be tight with five kids under our roof, but we could manage.”

“Thanks, but I have reason to hope things will come together soon.”

“I know you don’t want to go back to Jerome, even though it’s much more of a thriving arts community than Hunter Ridge.”

“No.” Not back to where Grandma had passed away two years ago and where Heath Davidson, her former fiancé, still resided. As the old saying went, the town wasn’t big enough for the both of them. After the breakup last fall, she’d given up the rental house she’d shared with her grandma Eriksen, ready to shake off the past.

“It will work out.” She feigned a confident smile. “But I’d better let you get back to work.”

Snugging her coat collar, she started past the cluster of businesses running along the snowplowed blacktopped road, flurries frolicking in the air around her. It hadn’t taken long to adapt to the cooler high-elevation town with its towering ponderosa pines and frequent winter snowfalls. Whenever feasible, she ran errands on foot, not bothering with negotiating snow-packed roads in her blue Kia compact.

The crisp, pine-scented mountain air energized her as she made her way down the street, but as she approached Bealer’s Ice Cream Emporium her steps slowed. She’d seen an ad in the weekly paper that Pete Bealer was looking for a Saturday manager starting in May. That came too late to boost her finances enough to swing the co-op apartment, but maybe if she could line up several part-time jobs, she could afford a room somewhere.

When Pastor Garrett McCrae married Jodi Thorpe, he’d be moving out of the space he rented in the home of church members. But that wouldn’t be available until the first weekend in May, assuming they’d be willing to rent to her, too. In two weeks she could be living out of her car unless she applied for and got the childcare position.

But despite Sunshine’s encouragement when they’d talked last night, wouldn’t she feel like a dirty rotten sneak prying into the relationship some unsuspecting couple had with their grandsons? Sawyer seemed sincere enough, though, when insisting he had no intention of snatching the kids from them. In fact, Sunshine laughed when Tori had confessed that suspicion to her.

Sawyer Banks? she’d said, her eyes wide with disbelief. You think he’d willingly take little kids into his freewheeling bachelor life? Get real.

If only she had more options.

It is what it is, sweetheart. She could almost hear Grandma Eriksen’s chuckle. How many times had Gran reminded her that half the turmoil she put herself through revolved around pushing against reality and resisting a situation in which she wished she hadn’t found herself? Wasting time bemoaning rather than buckling down and digging out? If only Grandma were still here to talk to...

Great. There she went again. Denying reality.

With rekindled determination, she stepped inside the old-fashioned ice cream parlor, where she was brought up short by an earsplitting wail.

“I want my mommy!” a child gasped in what she guessed to be the middle of a crying jag.

A slightly familiar-looking man seated in a high-backed booth glanced at her apologetically. Then with renewed resolve, he refocused on the youngster she couldn’t see seated across from him.

“If you want me to take you home without ice cream, I can do that.” The gray-haired man’s voice remained low. Kind, but firm.

The child wailed again, louder, reinforcing that he wanted his mommy.

“We both know that’s impossible. Now sit up and act like the big boy that you are.”

“Mommy!”

The man glanced uncomfortably in the direction of Emporium owner Pete Bealer, who looked on with a pained expression. The couple he was serving shook their heads in commiseration. That was all it took to bring the older man to his feet as he pulled on his coat. Then he held out his hand to the unseen child.

“Come along, then.”

“Nooooo!”

The man finally leaned in to gently drag the resisting child out of the booth and set him on his feet. The boy, still turned away from her, stared down at the floor, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Poor little guy.

“Now settle down,” the older man admonished. “You know big boys don’t cry.”

A knee-buckling chill raced through Tori.

Stop it. Stop it right now, Victoria. You know big girls don’t cry.

If a bolt of lightning had crashed at her feet, it couldn’t have startled her more than the intrusion of her father’s voice as she mentally hurtled back in time.

I’m very disappointed in you, young lady.

Prying her away from him, her father had concluded his condemning statement with a rough shake, displeasure written on his youthful face. He had been leaving them. Leaving Mommy. Leaving her. And he was angry because she’d clung to him and cried as he headed to the door.

“Now stop it, Cubby.” The man’s voice jerked her back to the present.

Cubby?

Stunned, she looked to where the man she assumed to be the boy’s grandfather had gotten the sobbing child into his coat and lifted the boy into his arms. Gave him a hug.

The blond boy met her gaze with a plaintive, tear-stained face and bluer-than-blue eyes.

Eyes like his twin’s?

Like those of his older half brother?

Shaken, she offered him an encouraging smile, then watched as grandfather and grandson exited the ice cream shop.

“Miss?” the shop’s owner called out. “Sit anywhere you’d like, and I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Um, no, thanks. I’ve changed my mind about...ice cream.”

She waved a distracted farewell, then stepped outside where snow now descended in earnest.

She had her answer.

It would only take a quick minute to phone the Selbys and express her interest in the caregiver position. Then if given the go-ahead to apply, tomorrow she’d submit a résumé and solicit letters of recommendation.

Pulling up her hood against the buffeting wind, Tori headed in the direction of her apartment, the broken-hearted sobs of a little boy—and a little girl—still echoing in her ears.

Chapter Two

“Welcome, Tori.” Ray Selby smiled as he opened the front door to the imposing two-story stone house at seven o’clock on a Thursday morning. Incredibly, it was only a week after she’d interviewed and been offered the job.

“You know, though,” he added drily as he motioned her inside the shadowed entryway, “you could use that key Therese gave you. You don’t have to ring the bell. You’re part of this household now.”

“I know, but I thought the first time I should at least announce myself. You know, before Grady and Luke Hunter come traipsing in behind me with furniture and the rest of my stuff.”

Ray glanced toward the street where her friend Sunshine’s new husband, Grady, and his older brother were waiting by Luke’s loaded crew-cab pickup. They and Sunshine had gone with her to Jerome yesterday to retrieve belongings stored in a friend’s garage. She’d enjoyed reliving highlights of last week’s wedding and hearing about the newlyweds’ stay at the Grand Canyon’s El Tovar Hotel, right on the rim. She’d appreciated, too, their support as she returned to the town she’d felt compelled to leave some months ago.

Thankfully, she hadn’t seen her ex-fiancé on the streets that were, by contrast to summer’s bustling tourist season, fairly deserted this time of year. How could she have been so mistaken as to have believed they’d be a good match?

Ray waved Luke and Grady forward and they leaped into action, lowering the tailgate and carefully unloading her grandmother’s blanket-swathed antique dresser.

The older man continued to smile at her as the others approached. “I can’t tell you how thankful Therese and I are that you said yes to our offer. Especially after the show Cubby and I treated you to at the Ice Cream Emporium. It was a relief that you didn’t scare easily.”

“It takes more than an unhappy little boy to run me off.”

On the contrary, it had won her over.

With Tori leading the way past a small library on one side of the spacious hallway and what she could only think of as a parlor on the other, she and the men skirted past a sweeping staircase and a darkened dining room. Another hall branched off, leading to a rear corner of the house and what had once been a cook-housekeeper’s apartment, and would now be her new home. At least for a few years anyway, if all went well.

“This is nice.” Luke sounded surprised as the brothers carefully lowered the dresser to the spot she indicated.

When given the grand tour following her interview she, too, had been pleasantly surprised to find the apartment featured a kitchenette, sleeping alcove, walk-in closet and its own bathroom. Lots of sunshine-filled windows, as well. Although the space was furnished, Ray had had the bed frame and dresser moved elsewhere so she could bring her grandmother’s antiques.

They’d barely finished hauling in the remainder of her belongings, reattaching the mirror to the dresser and getting the bed set up and mattress placed, when the chatter of children echoed down the hallway from the front of the house.

“Sounds like the troops are up and on the move.” Ray gave Tori a wary glance. “Brace yourself.”

Since tomorrow would be her actual first day on the job, she’d hoped for time to get settled in today. Oh, well.

“Hey, look what I found!”

They turned to see Sawyer Banks in the doorway, holding a grinning twin in each arm—no small feat, since they must weigh at least forty pounds each. Tori almost gasped at the resemblance between the threesome. The mussed blond hair. Blue eyes. Matching smiles.

But what was Sawyer doing here? Checking up on her? Reminding her that she had an obligation to him? If so, he wasn’t going to like what she’d be sharing as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

“Which one of you boys let this character in?” Ray teased his grandsons. Or maybe that gruffness and the sharp look in Sawyer’s direction wasn’t teasing? When she’d let the Selbys know she’d be working at the Outpost part-time, they’d raised no objections, and Sawyer had told her he had a “decent enough” relationship with his brothers and their grandparents. That was clearly evident in the case of the obviously excited boys, but was it her imagination that there was tension hanging in the air between the two men?

“He brought us a new game.” Cubby waved a small box in the air as if to legitimize opening the door to him.

Their big brother gave them a hug, then set their feet on the floor. The pair were dressed in tennies, jeans and sweatshirts, and side by side the resemblance between them was evident, although not identical. Cubby’s face was less rounded than Landon’s and devoid of the few freckles that scattered across his brother’s nose. Nor was his gaze as bold. And whereas Landon’s reddish-tinted bangs fell evenly across his forehead, Cubby’s hair had a definite side part.

Both thrust their hands into their back pockets, a mirror image of each other—and of Sawyer’s stance behind them.

“Say good-morning to Tori,” Ray prompted, apparently mindful that she’d soon be an instrumental player in the lives of his grandsons.

“Good morning, Tori,” all three Banks brothers responded. Landon confidently. Cubby, with his head ducked shyly. Sawyer with mischief dancing in his eyes.

Why did her heart pirouette when she met Sawyer’s gaze? Not good. “Good morning, boys.”

“Now that Banks is here—after the work’s done—looks like you’re finished with us.” Luke glanced around the room with satisfaction, then Tori walked the Hunter brothers to the door, reiterating her thanks. When she returned, Ray had vanished, but Sawyer and the boys were unabashedly exploring her new living quarters.

She’d assumed contact with Sawyer would be strictly during her work hours at the Outpost—although they hadn’t yet established those days or hours. If he popped in frequently to see Cubby and Landon, why was he in need of an “inside line” to the household?

“Sawyer, look.” Landon pointed at something inside the open door of a lower kitchenette cabinet. “That’s a mousetrap.”

Wonderful.

Sawyer squatted next to him. “Sure is, buddy. But there’s nothing in it, so that’s a good sign. Probably put there as a precaution since this apartment’s been empty for a while.”

Did he believe that, or was he throwing out that reassurance for her benefit?

“Let me see.” Cubby pushed his brother aside and squished in beside Sawyer to duck down and look, too. “Wouldn’t it be cool to see a mouse in it?”

Sawyer cast an amused look in her direction. “You’d rather not, right?”

“I could do without one.”

Landon looked up hopefully as he wandered away to peek in the walk-in closet. “But we could catch it and keep it as a pet. We don’t have any pets.”

“We don’t have pets because G’ma is ’lergic.” Cubby gave a solemn nod. “Maybe she’s ’lergic to mouses, too.”

His twin sneered. “Nobody’s allergic to mice, stupid.”

“Landon.” She caught the boy’s eye and shook her head. “Your brother isn’t stupid. Please don’t call him that.”

He shrugged. “It’s scientifically proven mice aren’t big enough and don’t have enough dander to cause an allergic reaction.”

Cubby frowned. “What’s dander?”

“Icky stuff that gets in your hair.” Eyes widening and brows elevated, Landon lifted his hands over his head as he stalked toward his brother. “Creepy crawly stuff with hairy legs and tiny teeth.”

Sawyer grabbed him and pulled him in close to noogie the top of his head. “And maybe you’re full of hot air.”

The giggling boy pulled away.

The teasing part she could live with, but the questionable “scientifically proven” bit, spoken with an air of authority, she’d have to be on the alert for.

“Landon? Cubby?” a feminine voice called from the open doorway. “Time for breakfast.”

“Good morning, Therese.” Tori smiled at the dark-haired, stylishly coifed woman dressed in wool slacks, a blue cashmere sweater and low pumps. From the information Sawyer had provided, she must be in her midseventies; Ray about that age, as well.

“Good morning, Victoria—Tori.” As Cubby snatched up their new game from the top of the bed and the boys dashed past her to the kitchen, she leveled her gaze on Sawyer. “Good morning to you, too. Ray mentioned you’d stopped by. We haven’t seen you in quite a while.”

“The Outpost keeps me hopping.”

“The Outpost. Yes, I imagine so.” She turned again to Tori. “I’ll do my best to keep the boys out of your hair today. I imagine you’ll want to unpack and find a home for your things.”

“That would be wonderful. Thanks.”

“Have you had breakfast?”

Tori noticed she didn’t include Sawyer in the query. “Before the crack of dawn, but thanks for asking.”

“Do plan to join us for lunch. Eleven thirty.”

“I’ll do that.”

Still standing in the doorway, Therese briefly touched her fingertips to the door’s polished wood, then raised a delicate brow at Tori. “You do recall our house rules?”

Ah, yes. The apartment door should remain open at all times when hosting male guests.

“I do. Thank you.”

While Tori hadn’t dated since Heath’s departure, she was in no hurry to again, so that wouldn’t be a problem. But although Sawyer’s unexpected presence wasn’t anything close to a date, she wasn’t convinced either Ray or Therese was particularly pleased with his putting in an appearance on her first day in their household.

Which didn’t exactly reflect the lay of the land that Sawyer had led her to believe.

* * *

Leave it to Therese to put him in his place in front of Tori. But what had he expected? He’d made himself scarce, then here he came barging back into their lives bearing gifts right smack on the day they’d acquired a new—and attractive—nanny.

No, not nanny. Childcare giver.

When the twins’ grandmother departed, he snagged a couple of paper towels from the dispenser above the counter. “Let me get that mousetrap out of here. You’ll want to clean the cabinet and put stuff in there.”

“But if there are mice...”

He reached into the back of the cabinet with a paper towel and pulled out the trap. Inspected it. Wrapped it up, then stood. “The cheese is hardened. It’s been there for quite a while with no takers. Ray probably forgot it was under there.”

She gave him a relieved smile. “That’s good.”

He glanced at the door still open to the hallway, amused at Therese’s unsubtle allusion to “house rules”—as if she thought he’d attempt to put the moves on Tori if left alone behind closed doors?

While Tori had called to let him know she’d applied for and then gotten the job, he hadn’t seen her since early last week, and she looked prettier this morning than he remembered. Pale blond hair framed her face, accentuating expressive eyes, and that smile she’d flashed in his direction a time or two made his breath catch. Was that why he’d shown up on her doorstep this morning with the excuse of dropping off a new game for the boys?

He looked down at the wrapped mousetrap in his hand, then back at Tori. “I don’t suppose you noticed that Landon can stretch the truth if it suits his purposes?”

Invented. Fabricated. Made-up. Nobody liked you to use the blunt word liar these days.

“I did notice. To my knowledge, science hasn’t proven anything of the sort as he claimed. I have no doubt there are people who are allergic to mice.”

“That’s something he’s gotten into since coming to live here. He cites studies or claims he saw it on some TV documentary. Makes it sound real legit. If you didn’t know better...well, you’d swallow it hook, line and sinker.”

“Why do you think he does it?” She looked at him earnestly, as if expecting him to have all the answers.

“I expect, for the most part, to buffalo his brother. There’s some competition there. Maybe he thinks he can win Therese’s and Ray’s approval, too.”

“Do they call him on that behavior?”

“I imagine they do when they catch him at it. I’m glad you picked up on it right away.”

He’d had the wool pulled over his own eyes more than a few times until Landon started in about some “fact” related to trapshooting that had absolutely no basis in reality. But he’d sounded so credible, knowledgeable, and someone who wasn’t a trapshooter would have let it slide by.

“I’ll make it a priority to work with Therese and Ray to get that habit nipped in the bud.” She frowned slightly, as if this issue was something he should have made her aware of in advance. “Is there anything I need to know about Cubby?”

“Nothing of that nature.” Or at least he didn’t think there was. But it wasn’t as if he’d seen the boys on a regular basis since their parents had died. Only enough to know that they weren’t fully the same kids they’d been a year ago. Which was why it would be good to have Tori here, an objective observer. “He can get emotional. Tends to play Therese with tears, which irritates Ray to no end.”

She nodded, but didn’t look surprised. Had she seen some of that during her interview and follow-up meetings with the Selbys?

“So,” he said, determined to broach the next subject. “Do you have a feel for when you might start at the Outpost?”

“Would you mind awfully much if I got through a week here before we make that decision? It may take a while to determine what schedule works best for the boys, the Selbys and me.”

While he needed her to start deep cleaning and organizing at the Outpost as soon as possible, readying the place for what he hoped would be a busy season, that would be one less week he’d have to pay her.

“Okay, then, we’ll talk a week from now.”

“Which brings up something else you need to know...” She lifted her chin slightly, as if expecting to be challenged on whatever she was about to say. With a glance to the open door, she lowered her voice. “I won’t be accepting your proposed dollar addition to the hourly wage the Selbys offered.”

He drew a quick breath. She was holding out for more? He hadn’t anticipated an underhanded maneuver like that.

“I’m not sure I understand,” he said carefully, “what you mean, Tori.”

She clasped her hands together, looking more sweetness and light than the hardheaded negotiator she apparently was. “It simply means that I won’t accept monetary compensation that obligates me to you. Not beyond, I mean, what you pay me as your employee at the Outpost.”

“Hold on a minute.” She wasn’t asking for more money, she was ditching her “obligation” to him altogether? “I thought when we last spoke that you understood—”

“That you were buying my services as a snitch?” Her smile was entirely too perky. “I understood that clearly, Mr. Banks. Which is why I almost walked away from this job opportunity you presented. That is, until I had time to rethink a few things.”

He frowned. He’d been snookered.

To his irritation, she laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll look out for the twins and it won’t cost you a dime. Think of me as a human smoke detector. If there’s anything that concerns me about the safety or welfare of Cubby and Landon, I’ll quietly sound the alarm.”

“But you won’t be—?”

“Reporting to you? Nope.” She shrugged, as if that settled it.

His gaze flickered to the open door to ensure they were still alone.

“But...” Despite his reluctance to make an issue of something he’d picked up from his friend’s mother, he couldn’t help countering her smile with one of his own. “I can make sure the Selbys won’t retain you for long.”

Wariness lit her eyes. “Why would you want to do that?”

“Could be I’m not entirely sure you’re trustworthy.” He folded his arms. “Surely you don’t think I’d recruit you to look after my brothers if I didn’t do my homework, do you?”

As realization dawned, her pretty mouth dropped open with a sound of protest. “I can explain. That was a long time ago. And I was only—”

“Seventeen. I’m confident nothing of that nature will ever happen again. But the Selbys are quite conservative, you know, and getting arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace might not sit well with them. A potentially bad influence on their grandsons.”

A multitude of emotions sparked in her eyes. Lips now pressed together, she looked momentarily down at the floor, most likely gathering her thoughts. Then back at him.

“Court records for a minor would have been sealed. So how did you...?”

“You’re not the only one who has friends in Jerome.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve known this all along but are going to use it now to throw a roadblock in my working here? I’m serious that I’ll involve you if I feel something jeopardizes the boys.”

“You need this job, though, don’t you?” he said softly, watching her closely. Apparently, from what he’d learned from his friend’s mother, a relationship breakup was what had sent her flying to Hunter Ridge in the first place, and he doubted she’d want to return to her hometown if she could make a go of it elsewhere. “You need the housing benefit, too, if you intend to stay here.”

“I—Yes, of course, I need both housing and a job. I’ve made no secret of that. But I don’t want to feel like an informer on people with whom I’m building a relationship. People I’ll be living with under the same roof.” She folded her arms, a reflection of his own stance. “And if you put in a bad word for me with the Selbys, in a small town like this whatever you tell them could get around. Make it difficult for me to find another job.”

He had her now. “It could.”

For a long moment, she dared to glare daggers at him. But when her expression abruptly softened, his gut tightened in uneasy anticipation of her next response.

“The other day you as good as said you didn’t have any viable alternate candidates,” she said smoothly, watching him like a kitten at a mouse hole. “I got the impression I was your last hope.”

She had him there—and had the nerve to smile at that insight. It was true he didn’t know anyone else in town who might be sympathetic enough—and discreet enough—to help him out. Or at least no one who’d be available for childcare duties.

“So where does this leave us?” Tori’s challenging stance eased as she unfolded her arms, apparently assured that she’d played the winning hand.

He had to hand it to her. She had pluck.

While he could be pigheaded here because she refused to cooperate with him across the board, that would be cutting off his nose to spite his face. He needed her in the kids’ household.

He squinted one eye. “A compromise?”

“We both have a horse in this race, don’t we?”

“Guess we do.”

“Bottom line, though, is that, outside of my work at the Outpost, I don’t want to take money from you or to otherwise be obligated to report to you.” She quirked an engaging smile. “So take it or leave it.”

Chapter Three

Even to her own ears, that didn’t sound like much of a compromise on her part.

And standing her ground was a risk—a foolhardy one perhaps—given that Sawyer had exercised due diligence before recruiting her. While she could explain the situation to any reasonable person—she and a group of high school friends had staged a protest when an out-of-town developer managed to circumvent local laws and was preparing to raze a historic building—Sawyer was right. The Selbys might not take an arrest lightly.

Nor did it sound as if he’d be interested in hearing her side of the story. Besides, didn’t Grandma always say wrong is wrong, and having a reason for doing it didn’t make it right?

Sawyer’s assessing gaze locked on hers as she held her breath, preparing for another reminder that with a few well-chosen words he could ensure she wouldn’t retain this job—or land any other job in town, for that matter.

But he didn’t respond. At all.

“So,” she said hesitantly as the silence stretched between them. “You’re good with that?”

“It looks as if I’ll have to be, doesn’t it? That is, as long as you alert me to anything significant that could negatively impact my brothers.”

“You have my word on it.”

“And you have mine to keep my mouth shut, as well. Assuming, of course...”

“I said you have my word.”

He nodded. But despite the grudging settlement between them, she held no illusions that he was pleased about this turn of events. Even though they’d only recently become acquainted, it was clear Sawyer Banks wasn’t a man who liked to have his plans thwarted.

Nevertheless, a prayer of thanks winged its way Heavenward. Sawyer didn’t seem to personally hold her teenage infractions against her and had agreed not to share them with the Selbys as long as she kept her part of the bargain.

She wanted this job. How often in the past week had she relived her encounter with the orphaned Cubby and his grandfather at the ice cream shop? Recalled how it had hit too close to home? She wanted to be here for the little guy and his brother. She needed to be here to hold them and hug them when tears flowed. But she had no intention of sharing with Sawyer her impressions of that chance—or divine?—meeting or what convinced her to change her mind about applying for the job.

He wouldn’t understand.

“What did Ray and Therese say—” Sawyer’s gaze probed “—when you told them you’d also be working part-time at the Outpost?”

He hadn’t initially been pleased last week when she insisted that she’d tell them before accepting any job offer. “They were good with it.”

He looked at her doubtfully.

She didn’t attempt to elaborate. Couldn’t, in fact, because there was nothing else to tell except that Therese and Ray had exchanged a look, the significance of which she didn’t understand. Then Ray nodded and thanked her for telling them.

That was it.

So why did Sawyer seem to think they might not be pleased?

“Is there something you’re not telling me about your relationship with the Selbys?”

“What makes you think that?”

“You weren’t thrilled when I told you I was going to be up front with them about plans to work for you, and now you’re doubting me when I told you they didn’t have any problems with it. Obviously, you anticipated they might.”

“What can I say? It’s awkward. You know, their daughter being married to my dad. Me being a half brother to the product of that union. Me being an age most would expect the twins’ father to be. I’m part of the family, yet not really. It’s hard to figure out how I’m supposed to fit into the boys’ lives. Into Therese’s and Ray’s.”

She could see how that connection would be a problematic one, for the Selbys and Sawyer alike. Definitely complex. Maybe that’s all there was to the tension she’d sensed this morning. Nothing more.

Ready to move away from unsettling topics, she nodded to the wad of paper towels in his hand, her nose wrinkling. “Thanks for disposing of that. I hope I won’t need it.”

He laughed. “Naw. I think you’ll be fine.”

“I’ll remind myself of your words if I hear any rustling in the kitchen during the deep dark hours of the night.”

He lifted his hand that held the trap. “Call me. Any hour. Day or night. I’ll be on your doorstep.”

Her cheeks warmed as their gazes met.

“I’d better get going.” He moved toward the door to the hallway. “I have errands to run before I open up shop this morning and I need to let you get to your unpacking.”

“Lots to do.” She motioned to the stacks of boxes. “I guess I’ll talk to you next week, then?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Yeah, it was a plan alright. That is, unless she needed the mousetrap reset after all...

* * *

Sawyer had barely climbed into his crew-cab pickup when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, then grimaced. Kyle Guthridge.

“Yo, Sawyer.” His friend’s west Texas drawl echoed in his ear despite the fact the man had lived in Arizona since he was twelve. “Got your phone message that you’ll be late on tomorrow’s payment.”

At least he had the generosity of spirit not to say “again.” Sawyer cringed inwardly, acutely aware of the risk his longtime friend had knowingly taken in extending the loan, probably one his wife had loudly protested.

“My apologies, Kyle. Temporary cash-flow problem. But I’ll be able to make a deposit by the end of next week and will drop off a check then.”

“I totally get the cash-flow issue and don’t mean to badger you.”

“It won’t happen again.” But this was the second time in four months. He prided himself on his integrity. His financial responsibility. But since early last summer he’d been hammered by one unbudgeted expense after another, most related to building maintenance. Plumbing. Electrical. And who’d have thought a new roof and replacing a furnace large enough for a retail space would cost that much?

That series of events had led him to approach a few buddies for personal loans rather than the bank where he’d taken over Grandpa’s mortgage payments on the Outpost. But he’d sell his pop-up camper or his fishing boat before he’d allow a payment to be delayed a third time.

“You’re not badgering,” Sawyer continued, embarrassed for his friend at having to speak up as much as he was for himself. “We’re friends, but we’re also businessmen.”

“That we are.” Kyle paused. “I don’t suppose you’re going to the play at the church next Friday night, are you? Annie and I are taking the kids. Family friendly. You could bring the check with you. That would save you a trip to my place.”

Kyle lived a distance out of town, off a branching series of dirt roads that weren’t well maintained in the winter months. But a church play geared toward youngsters? Not exactly high on his couldn’t-wait-to-do list.

“I won’t be able to swing that, but you’ll have your check on Friday. Guaranteed.” He wouldn’t drop the check off in advance of making the deposit, though. Kyle had been known to get preoccupied—okay, absentminded, to be more accurate—and giving it to him early could risk premature cashing and bouncing of the check. “Thanks for the extension.”

“You’re welcome, buddy. Have a good rest of your week.”

Sawyer repocketed his cell phone and stared down the snowy street. Winter was still wreaking havoc with his bottom line, but by late spring he should see an uptick in demand for outdoor gear. Continuing to tighten the rein on everything but the most necessary expenses for the next six or seven months might allow him, by autumn, to get that personal loan paid off.

Was it a wise move, then, to employ Tori part-time right now? While she’d help out behind the scenes, by her own admission she didn’t know anything about hunting, fishing or camping. But with her hired to take care of his brothers, he needed to uphold his part of the bargain. Make sure it was monetarily worth her while to remain in Hunter Ridge.

He owed his dad and his dad’s wife that much. And the boys.

He’d come up with the money.

Somehow.

He started up the truck and headed in the direction of the Outpost. As Therese had mentioned, he hadn’t visited Cubby and Landon in a while. But he wasn’t sure how welcome he was. Like he’d told Tori, it was an awkward situation.

What he hadn’t shared, though, was that he couldn’t help fearing that Dad’s wife may have told her parents that Sawyer had promised her he’d take care of things while Dad was out of town. Feared they were silently watching, waiting for a confession that their daughter’s death was his fault. But they’d been on an Alaskan cruise the week of the fire and, gradually, he’d come to realize it was unlikely that Vanessa had contacted them about what at the time seemed a trivial matter. But that didn’t ease the guilt when he was around them.

Who’d ever heard of a hot water heater blowing up and catching a house on fire?

* * *

When she walked into church Friday night a week later, Tori couldn’t help but remember the first time she’d stepped through the doors with her friend Sunshine last autumn—Labor Day weekend. She marveled at how far she’d come since then.

Emotionally battered and bruised, still in shock at the unexpected turn of events with her fiancé, she’d been drawn in by the brown-brick edifice with its old-fashioned bell tower and stained glass windows. Now, greeting those around her and helping the twins into a pew near the front where they could best see the play, she felt right at home. Knowing, too, that she’d helped design and sew tonight’s costumes for the high school–aged actors gave her an even greater sense of belonging.

Amazingly she had an almost stranger, Sawyer Banks, to thank that she’d be able to remain in town after all.

“Why are you smiling, Tori?” Cubby stared up at her intently as she helped him out of his coat. “What’s funny?”

“Not funny,” she whispered, banishing the image of Sawyer that lingered in her mind. “I’m just happy.”

About things having nothing whatsoever to do with Sawyer, of course.

“I’m happy, too,” he whispered back.

“You are? Why is that?”

“Because I like church. Landon and I used to come here with our mommy and daddy when we were little. They’re in Heaven now.” His forehead creased as he gazed up at a stained glass window of Christ walking along a rocky road, a staff in one hand and a lamb cradled in His other arm. “Did you know my mommy and daddy?”

“No, I didn’t. I wish I had.”

He settled back into the pew. “I miss them.”

She patted his hand. “I know you do.”

“Hey, look!” Cubby’s twin cried out in a too-loud-for-church voice. But fortunately others were still finding seats and no one seemed to notice. “It’s Sawyer. See?”

Tori and Cubby both turned to look where Landon was pointing. Sure enough, Sawyer was standing inside the main door, visually searching the growing crowd and looking, if she weren’t mistaken, slightly desperate.

“I bet he’s trying to find us.” Landon scooted out of the pew and Tori made a grab for him, but he escaped by mere inches and headed up the middle aisle toward the rear of the sanctuary. At least she managed to detain Cubby, who’d also slid out of the wooden seat. He was attempting to squeeze past her knees, which she’d pressed against the pew in front of them.

“Stay here, Cubby.” But how could she retrieve Landon and keep his brother corralled at the same time?

“We gotta get Sawyer, Tori. With all these people, he can’t see us.”

She wasn’t convinced Sawyer was there to find the boys. He looked more like a man on a mission who wanted nothing more than to get in and back out as quickly as possible.

Then an unexpected apprehension stabbed. Had something happened to Therese and Ray and he was here to find her and his brothers? She’d offered to take the boys to the church play so the couple could gather with friends in Canyon Springs, a town about thirty minutes away. It would be, Therese had confided before they departed several hours ago, one of a few out-of-town evenings without the children that they’d managed since taking the boys into their lives full-time.

Queasiness roiled her stomach as she stood, hoping Sawyer would spot her. Unfortunately, Cubby used the opportunity to squirt past her and into the aisle. She caught his arm. “Hold on a minute.”

She glanced back at their coats and her purse on the pew. Surely no one here would bother them, would they? Then Cubby grasped her hand and tugged. “Okay, I’m coming.”

Like fish swimming upstream, they wove between the arriving playgoers, and up ahead she could see Landon in earnest discussion with his big brother and pointing toward the front of the church. Sawyer, on the other hand, was shaking his head and looking around him, apparently still in search of an elusive someone. Spying her and Cubby making their way toward him, he cast her a resigned smile.

Cubby’s hand slipped out of hers and he barreled himself toward Sawyer. Fortunately, his big brother saw him coming and caught him before he plowed right into him. Lifted the boy into his arms.

“We found you!” Cubby grinned in triumph.

“That you did, bud.”

Landon punched Cubby’s foot. “I found him first.”

“Yeah, you did,” Sawyer soothed, with a reassuring pat to Landon’s shoulder.

“He can sit with us now, can’t he, Tori?” Landon turned hope-filled eyes on her. “We have lots of room.”

“Of course he’s welcome to sit with us, but your brother may not be here to see the play.” Her heart still hammering an anxious beat, she gave him a pointed look, hoping he understood her unspoken words. Is everything okay?

“Tori’s right. I’m here long enough to drop off a check with someone who said he’d be here tonight.”

The tension eased. The Selbys were fine. But both boys stared at him, their disappointment evident.

“You’re not staying?” Cubby’s lower lip protruded, his expression darkening to thundercloud proportions, and she caught alarm flashing through Sawyer’s eyes. He no doubt recognized the makings of a public meltdown.

He gave the boy a hug, then set him down on his feet. “This is a little kid’s play, buddy. I’m a big kid.”

“Tori’s a big kid and she made the costumes, too.” Landon looked around the now-crowded space, noting mothers, fathers and grandparents in abundance. “There are lots of big kids. Don’t you want to sit with us?”

Sawyer glanced uncertainly at Cubby, whose lower lip was trembling. The overhead lights dimmed, then brightened again, signaling that audience members should be seated.

“Sawyer can’t stay tonight.” She reached for Landon’s hand, then stretched out her other one to Cubby. “Let’s find our seats. The play is going to start. It’ll be fun.”

But Cubby shook his head and turned away from her.

Standoff.

She sent a pleading look in Sawyer’s direction. Surely he could suffer through a single hour with his brothers, couldn’t he? Having spent but a week under the same roof with them, she hardly knew the boys, nor they her. She had no “street cred” with them. Hadn’t yet gained their respect or established her own authority beyond Ray’s warning, as he and Therese departed, to “do what Tori tells you to do.”

The lights abruptly dimmed and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she looked anxiously toward the stage, where Pastor Garrett McCrae stepped out in front of the curtain to welcome everyone.

“I guess I could stay,” Sawyer whispered. “Sure won’t be able to find my friend now, even if he’s here.”

Landon squeezed her hand in excitement and, in the dim light, she felt Cubby searching for her other hand. Meltdown avoided. Thank You, Lord.

It took a bit of doing, but they found their pew near the front. Landon slipped in first, she followed, then Cubby and Sawyer. But they’d barely gotten situated when Cubby stood again and maneuvered his way to the other side of Sawyer. They all shifted in their limited space, leaving her sitting next to the rugged outdoorsman.

Like she’d be able to pay attention to the play with his rock-solid arm brushing against hers.

Chapter Four

Sawyer wasn’t quite sure how he’d gotten himself roped into this, but despite the twins’ manipulative tactics and the silently persuasive appeal by the woman now seated next to him, he had a sneaking feeling he was at fault. If he’d paid Kyle what was due him last week or had at least gotten out to his friend’s place before dark today, he wouldn’t have been lurking in the church doorway, where the boys could spy him.

He glanced at Tori from the corner of his eye, noting her attention was as rapt on the unfolding scenes before them as was that of his brothers. In his own defense, he had no idea she’d be taking the boys out tonight. Where were Therese and Ray anyway? Wasn’t it too soon to be leaving Cubby and Landon solely in the care of newly hired help? Sure, she was the help he’d recruited. But still...

Even though it lasted only an hour and he hadn’t minded in the least sitting by the sweet-smelling young woman next to him, he was restless by the time the youthful actors joined hands across the stage for the final applause. It hadn’t been a half-bad production. You know, if you were into that sort of thing. He’d been impressed, too, by the costumes Tori apparently had a hand in designing. Especially the shiny-scaled dragon that had the kids roaring each time he muffed well-known Bible verses. At first Sawyer had worried the actor had forgotten his lines, but as the play progressed that fear was put to rest.

“You are, aren’t you, Sawyer?” Landon tugged on his sleeve as they stepped into the wide aisle, but Sawyer’s eyes were scanning the packed sanctuary for his friend. It had been a long, trying day and he’d rather not have to attempt finding Kyle’s place on those unlit back roads.

“Are you?” Cubby echoed.

“What’s that?”

“Cookies.” Landon clarified. “Are you staying for cookies?”

“Cookies? No, afraid not.”

“But—”

“Boys.” Tori’s soft voice sounded firm as she drew their attention. “Your brother did as you asked and stayed for the play. But he can’t stay for cookies, too.”

“But we can, can’t we?” Cubby’s eyes searched hers.

“Yes. You each can have one cookie.”

“One?” Landon’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me? Sawyer, can’t we have more than one?”

He glanced down at Landon, then met the look Tori leveled at him. “Uh, no. Only one.”

She smiled and his heart beat a jerky rhythm. He’d personally give up sweets altogether if she’d keep smiling at him like that. He again scanned the crowd. If he could find Kyle, he might give in and join the twins for postproduction refreshments. Ah, there he was.

Pulling the check from his wallet, he quickly made his way to his friend’s side and handed it over.

“Here you go, pal. Sorry again about the delay.”

“No problem.” Kyle’s expression clouded over. “Everything’s okay? I mean—”

“Cash flow. Scout’s honor.” He and Kyle had been friends since they were teenagers working at Hunter’s Hideaway for several summers. Then buddies in college. Neither had been Boy Scouts, but he’d get the drift.

Kyle nodded, satisfied, then cocked his head in the direction from which Sawyer had come. “Who’s the chick?”

“Chick?”

“The blonde you and the boys were sitting with. I’ve seen her here before. Seems to be a sweet gal, so I never associated her with the likes of you.” He elbowed Sawyer. “Getting back in the game, are you?”

“Don’t get any ideas.” Would no one who knew him in his college days ever believe he’d turned over a new leaf? “She’s a part-time nan—caregiver Therese and Ray Selby hired for my little brothers. Tonight’s her first solo evening event with them. Since I was here to see you, I stepped in to help keep the peace.”

Now might not be the best time to admit to hiring her to help at the Outpost.

Kyle tucked the check in his shirtfront pocket, then reached for his jacket. “Whatever you say.”

But when Sawyer turned back to where he’d left his brothers, they and Tori were gone. Probably off to get their one cookie.

Tori was tougher than she looked.

Much to his own surprise he found himself in the fellowship hall searching her out. The boys were in the refreshment line, Tori farther away, off to one side of those milling about.

“Not into cookies?” he said as he slipped in to stand next to her. “Not even one?”

She laughed. “You think I’m a meanie, don’t you?”

“I’m not the boss here. That’s what you were hired for.”

“Well, if you must know, Ray keeps a box of Girl Scout cookies on the kitchen counter and occasionally helps himself to one throughout the day.”

“And the boys discovered it and are regularly making off with more than a few themselves.”

“Bingo. I had to call them on it. Pointed out that those belong to their grandpa and they hadn’t been invited to partake.”

He nodded approval. “Even something as minor as that needs to be reined in for the boys’ own good. Not only putting a halt to absconding with Ray’s personal treats, but limiting the sugar consumption. This is the kind of thing I appreciate you being on top of.”

“You still understand, though, don’t you, that I’m not your spy in the Selby household?”

“You made that loud and clear.”

“I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding.”

“Not a chance.” But was she, by making a point of this again tonight, alluding to the fact that perhaps she’d seen things that concerned her? Things more serious than a potential sugar overload or “grand theft cookie”?

She glanced at her watch. “As soon as the boys finish their punch—and cookie—we’d better start for home. If Ray and Therese are back, they’ll wonder what happened to us.”

“They’re out for the evening?” How many other times that he wasn’t aware of had they left the kids with a babysitter and gone out on the town?

“There’s a visitation at the funeral home in Canyon Springs,” Tori continued, “then out to dinner with friends whose family member passed away.”

Okay, maybe that was legit.

As they waited for the boys, they chatted about nothing of particular importance—a welcome break in the winter weather, her settling into the apartment and no signs of a mouse.

“Ready to go?” Tori smiled as the boys approached, downing the last bites of what he didn’t quite trust had been a single cookie each. “Bundle up and we’ll head out. Full moon tonight, so it should be a pretty walk.”

Sawyer frowned. “You walked? On a bitterly cold night like this?” Hunter Ridge wasn’t that well lit either. Not once you got away from the business district along the main road through town.

She nodded almost guiltily. “I didn’t feel comfortable at night driving or trying to park the big SUV that Therese and Ray left for my use. It has car seats for the boys, but they look complicated and by the time I realized that, I knew I’d never figure out how to get them moved to my car in time for the play.”

He helped her into her coat. “Let me give you a lift home, then.”

Her expression brightened. “You have booster seats?”

“No, but—”

“Then we’ll walk.”

Stubborn little thing. Yeah, he knew the state laws, but it wasn’t that far of a drive and it wasn’t like he’d be hot-rodding. “Well, then, you won’t be walking alone. Come on, boys, get those coats and mittens on.”

She lightly touched his arm. “You don’t have to do this, Sawyer. We’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will be, but there’s no harm in keeping things on the safe side, is there?”

She gave what he took to be a resigned sigh. Too bad. As he held open an exit door to the fellowship hall for Tori and the boys, his friend Kyle caught his eye and gave him a thumbs-up.

Sawyer let the door slam shut behind him.

Outside, the kids scampered across the dimly lit parking lot, pausing only long enough to skim across frozen puddle patches as Tori attempted unsuccessfully to keep up, her warnings to slow down unheard by squealing four-and-a-half-year-olds.

He shook his head, then let out a piercing whistle that stopped all three in their tracks.

“Put the brakes on it, boys. Slow it down.”

Although the twins grumbled, they obeyed, waiting for Tori to catch up and for Sawyer to join them. Then the foursome headed off again, the boys leading the way.

“You’ll have to teach me how to whistle like that.” Tori’s tone held a note of admiration. “I think it may come in handy in this job.”

“Easier to buy you a whistle, I imagine.”

“Probably.”

As they left the parking lot, overhead light diminished considerably despite the rising round-faced moon, and Tori switched on a pocket flashlight.

“You’ve come prepared.”

“I gave ones to the boys, too, if they’d remember to pull them out.”

“What’s the fun of that when you can run blindly into the dark and fall into a snowbank?”

“True.”

They walked in silence for some distance, the voices of the boys, not far ahead, chattering about the nighttime adventure.

“So, how’s your first week on duty been?”

“Pretty good. Not a whole lot of time to myself right now—the boys seem to find their way to my apartment quite frequently.”

“I can see how that might be a problem.”

“I think once they get used to me being there, I’ll be less of a fascination.”

He doubted that, but he’d let her think what she wanted to. “If you can find the time next week, you should practice driving the Selbys’ bruiser of an SUV in the daylight. You may need it the next time a winter storm system moves through. Depending on where you have to go, that compact of yours might not be able to handle it.”

Her chin lifted as if she didn’t like to be told what to do.

“At any rate,” he continued, not giving her a chance to argue, “you need to tell the Selbys to invest in an extra set of booster seats that you can keep in your car. The boys are big enough that the backless kind should suffice now. Ray and Therese’s can probably be converted, too.”

They’d run out of sidewalk, had shifted to walk along the edge of the road, and Tori called out a reminder to go single file. At least the snow had melted enough that they didn’t have to walk in the roadway itself. The boys had pulled out their flashlights, too, sparring as though with lightsabers.

“Does it seem funny, Sawyer, to have brothers—half brothers—so much younger than you?”

He figured it wasn’t anyone’s business what he thought of it, since Dad had never asked his opinion on the subject. But he sensed Tori’s question was sincere interest, not prying.

“I have two other brothers not too many years older than me. But yeah, it does feel funny at times. I’ve had people think Cubby and Landon are my kids.”

“I can see why. They resemble you. Your dad, he was divorced? Widowed?”

“Widower. When he moved to town to work with me at the Outpost, he met Vanessa Selby—Therese and Ray’s youngest daughter—who was fifteen years his junior. She’d spent most of her adult life on a mission field in South America. Never married. No children, but still young enough to have them and—” he chuckled, still marveling at how excited Dad had been when Vanessa announced she was pregnant “—lo and behold, that’s exactly what Anderson and Vanessa Banks did.”

“How old was your dad when the twins were born?”

“Fifty-three.”

“Brave man.”

“That’s my dad, alright. But after he’d lived alone for so many years, I could hardly begrudge him a little happiness.”

“It’s a shame it was short-lived.”

“Yeah. It is.” More than anyone knew.

“There are so many things I can’t pretend to understand,” she said softly, “and this is one of them.”

He didn’t understand it either. Oh, he understood the free-will part, that he’d used his to mess up and there had been deadly consequences. But just as when his mother died from a series of strokes when he was eleven, where was God when Dad arrived home to find the house on fire? Where was He when Dad got the boys out, but couldn’t save Vanessa, too?

A muscle tightened in his throat. No, he didn’t understand it at all.

“I’m sorry if I’ve stirred sad memories.”

She’d picked up on that, had she?

As they approached the Selbys’ place and the boys raced ahead, the porch light softly illuminated Tori’s face, her compassion-filled eyes. She halted at the edge of the yard. “You lost your father like your little brothers did.”

“But I had him for a lot of years,” he reminded her quietly. “I have real memories of the greatest mom and dad in the world. Memories my younger brothers will never have.”

“No, but you can make your memories of him come alive for them, can’t you? Teach them about the man their daddy was? You can show them by example the way he lived and how he’d want them to live, too.”

That sounded nice, but he hadn’t lived the way his father had. Not by a long shot.

Before he could respond, an approaching car slowed and turned into the driveway, headlights briefly flashing over them. The Selbys were back, and they probably weren’t overjoyed to see him standing in the shadows with Tori.

“Thank you for walking us home, Sawyer.”

“Anytime.”

As their grandparents exited the vehicle, the boys dashed off the porch and into their open arms.

Sawyer caught Ray’s pointed stare in his direction. No doubt the boys’ grandfather would be having a heart-to-heart with Tori tonight.

Warning her to keep her distance.

Chapter Five

“The way you talk, you kids must think your mom and dad are ready to be put out to pasture.”

At the sound of Therese’s brittle laughter, Tori paused in the doorway to the kitchen Thursday morning. She was on the phone, pacing the floor, but motioned Tori to come in. In the two weeks since Tori started the job, she and the boys’ grandmother had fallen into taking turns preparing lunch on weekdays. Never anything elaborate or time-consuming. Healthy and light. But it was an enjoyable family time for the five of them. Today was Tori’s day as chef.

“Well, stop with the worrying, Curtis,” Therese continued as Tori opened a cabinet and pulled out the boys’ favorite drinking glasses. Superman for Landon. Snoopy for Cubby. “We’re doing fine. Maybe slowing down. But I’ve read that seventies are the new sixties, you know. We don’t need any of you hovering over us...Yes, we now have help with the boys. A nice young woman who attends our church...Yes. Yes. Experienced with kids. She’s working out beautifully.”

She rolled her eyes at Tori and used her shoulder to tuck the phone by her ear, then opened the fridge to pull out a gallon of milk and set it on the counter. “If something comes up and we need help, trust that we still know how to pick up the phone...What? That’s not putting a whole lot of confidence in your dear old mom, now, is it?...Yes. Yes. I love you, too. Talk to you later.”

Therese hung up the landline phone. “Kids!”

Tori looked up from where she was setting the table. “Giving you a hard time?”

“Curtis. He’s our oldest. All our kids live in Los Angeles now and have been at us to move there, too, ever since we retired from teaching. But we want no part of that.” She shook her head. “Curtis has it in his head that Ray and I are on our last legs and don’t have the combined sense of a goose. Now he thinks the boys are too much for us. You know, at our advanced age.”

“Little boys can be a handful.”

“We’re doing fine with a housekeeper coming in twice a week, and with you here, everything is more than fine.” She gave Tori a thankful smile. “So what’s for lunch? Is there anything I can do to help, besides pour the milk?”

“I thought we’d have turkey tacos, French green beans, orange slices and ants-on-a-log.”

Therese’s eyes widened. “Dear me, what’s that? Or maybe I don’t want to know.”

Tori reached into the refrigerator’s vegetable bin and pulled out a celery bunch. “Sliced celery ribs filled with crunchy peanut butter and topped with raisin ‘ants’ arranged like they’re crawling on it.”

Therese laughed. “Cubby and Landon will love it. Now Ray, that may be a different story.”

As it turned out, the ants-on-a-log were a hit with Ray as well as with the twins. Then shortly after lunch Tori headed off to the Outpost, where she’d started the day before yesterday. For the time being, it looked like Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons would be her designated time in the outdoor-gear shop. The boys usually attended a preschool program two of those afternoons each week, and Outpost hours would be added as she further settled into the boys’ routines. Sawyer, fortunately, was open to her need for flexibility.

She still hadn’t quite pinpointed the underlying feeling that she’d picked up on between the Selbys and Sawyer. But the night Sawyer walked her and the boys home, she’d almost sensed him tensing when the Selbys drove up. And maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed Ray was more concerned about their walking home instead of driving than the situation warranted. In particular, he’d quizzed her as to how Sawyer had gotten involved.

“Hey, Tori!” Diego Santiago called out when she walked in the door of the Echo Ridge Outpost. “Great timing.”

“Yeah? What’s up?” Slipping off her coat and drinking in the aromas of leather, WD-40 and what she’d come to know as Hoppe’s gun cleaner, she approached the dark-haired young man who was straightening items around the cash register. He was probably about her age, maybe a few years younger, an energetic guy whose love for the outdoors made him a perfect match—unlike her—for working at the outdoor-gear store.

“I got a call that my girlfriend locked herself out of her car. I need to dash by her mom’s place and pick up the spare key.”

“Nasty day to have that happen. You’d better get going.”

“Thanks.” He headed toward the door, then paused. “You’ll be okay, right? I know you don’t know anything about fishing and hunting stuff, but it’s been a slow day. I won’t be gone long. If someone comes in who’s looking for something more serious than a pair of gloves, stall him.” He flashed a grin. “Or her.”

“I’ll be fine. Is Sawyer here?”

He looked at his watch and frowned. “Still at lunch, I guess.”

“Okay. Get going.”

When she’d hung up her coat and stowed her purse in Sawyer’s office, she immediately got to work. He’d left her a sketched diagram of where he wanted merchandise moved or displays rearranged. He agreed with her that the store could use some changing up, that certain items had sat too long in the same place year after year, causing customers to overlook them.

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