A Home for Haley (5 page)

She walked past him and scooped up
Ryan. He followed them inside, watching the gentle sway of her hips and
breathing in her sweet scent.

Oh, yeah, ‘bird dog on point’ was a
nice way of saying what he was. He was in such trouble here. Big, big trouble.

Groaning, he forced his gaze away
from her backside, even as her scent filtered through every pore of his body.
Cursing himself for being fool enough—and too damn caring for his own good—to
hire Haley when he’d known from the beginning he found her attractive and she
was totally off limits, he headed for his bedroom to clean up and hopefully
force his mind away from naked images of his totally unavailable nanny.

Haley followed Ryan and Kayla into
the kitchen where Ethan was opening two big boxes of pizza. “Smells delicious,”
she said, pulling out a chair and picking Ryan up.

Ethan pointed to another chair. “I
put a stack of books in that one for Ryan, plus a belt to tie him in so he won’t
fall off.”

“Great idea.” Haley settled Ryan on
the books and wrapped the belt around him. Buckling it, she scooted the chair
up to the table, and then pulled glasses out of the cabinet.

Grinning, Ryan slapped both hands
on the green Formica top, chanting, “Pizza, pizza.”

Dottie came into the kitchen and
grabbed a stack of paper plates.

“Sit, Mom. I’ve got this covered.”

“Don’t mind if I do. These old
bones are tired tonight.”

“I thought you were going to take a
nap this afternoon,” Ethan said, as he helped his mom to a chair between Kayla
and Ryan, a look of worry on his face.

“I thought so, too. Tell Hank to
take that damn bird to the barn where it belongs.”

“Mouth, Mother. Besides, the snakes
would get the bird out there.”

Haley flinched, her stomach
bouncing. “What kind of snakes?”

“Big ones.” Ethan shrugged. “We’re
in the country.”

Haley swallowed hard and forced
herself not to scan the floor, just in case any were in the house.

 “I’m almost glad you didn’t catch
any fish,” Dottie said. “I might have had to clean the smelly things.” She shot
Haley a wink.

Haley smiled even as her stomach
took another dip. She filled Ryan’s Tippy cup with milk, and then poured
Kayla’s glass with milk. Ethan plopped ice into three glasses and filled them
with soda, then set those drinks on the table.

He handed her a slice of pepperoni
pizza and her mouth watered. She barely said a word as she finished off her
first two pieces. “That’s the best pizza I’ve ever had.” She reached for
another slice.

“I can see this crowd would have
needed about a hundred fish to get their stomachs full.” Ethan took another
slice of pizza, cut it in half and handed the kids a second helping. Haley was
amazed Ryan could eat more after the huge piece he’d just wolfed down. A few minutes
later his head drooped, even as he still chewed.

“I think we wore him out.” Ethan
smiled at her and she smiled back, a rush of warmth filling her. What was it
about this man’s friendship that could make her world feel safe, even with the
thought of snakes crawling around?

“I’ll carry him up to bed,” Ethan
said, standing and picking up Ryan.

“Wait.” Haley stood, wet a rag with
warm water, and wiped Ryan’s face and hands, barely rousing him. Ethan carried
him out of the kitchen.

“I want to watch a video,” Kayla
announced, wiping her chin off with a napkin.

“Good idea.” Dottie scooted back
from the table. “I’ll get you set up and then I’m going to bed. Right after I
put a towel over the darn owl. Hopefully that will shut him up.”

“It was a long day for me, too,”
Haley said, feeling a little sleepy herself. She began picking up the kitchen,
thinking how nice it was that Ethan had carried Ryan up to bed. Her son might
only be a toddler, but some days it felt like she was hauling a five-year old
around. He was growing way too fast. Sadness filled her at the thought of all
that Dale had already missed.

“Ryan’s out like a light and Mom’s
going to her room,” Ethan said, startling her out of her depressing thoughts.
“Guess it was a long day for everyone. You look beat, too.”

“I am. Thanks for putting Ryan
down.”

“My pleasure. Care for some
coffee?”

“Only if it’s decaf. I don’t want
anything to keep me awake tonight.”

“Go sit out on the porch. Relax.
I’ll bring the coffee out in a bit. How about I add some Baileys?”

“Sounds good but I might fall
asleep on the porch, and then you’d have to carry
me
up to bed.” The
minute she’d said it, Haley realized how her words sounded. Her face flushed
with heat.

“Good thing I’ve kept up with my
weight training. Wouldn’t want to hurt my back hauling you upstairs.” Grinning,
Ethan pulled out two mugs and started the coffee. “Go get settled. I’ll be out
in a minute.”

“You sure you don’t want some help?
After all, I’m the employee here.”

“As a nanny, not my servant.”

She smiled at him, glad she’d been
lucky enough to land this job. She went outside and sat on the wooden swing,
giving a push with her foot to get it started. The rhythm quickly lulled her
and she found herself relaxing so much her eyelids felt heavy.

She closed her eyes and listened to
the birds, enjoying the slight breeze that fanned her face. In spite of
half-eaten mice, bugs and spiders, and Lord knows what else she hadn’t discovered
yet, it was peaceful here. She could see why Ethan liked the country. Still,
she would be ready to get to town tomorrow where she was familiar with the
routine and didn’t have to worry about snakes and bears.

She drew in a deep breath, amazed at
how good she felt, even if she was in a strange environment. She hadn’t felt
this relaxed in a long time. Being with this family helped to ease the constant
ache she’d carried around since Dale disappeared. And having Ethan around was
good for Ryan.
And her
. The man made her feel safe in a way she hadn’t
since Dale left.

He also made her feel special, like
a friend instead of an employee. She let out a long sigh, thinking how good
that felt. She could use a friend in her life.

Without warning, another wave of
guilt crept through her like a storm rolling over barren hills at dusk. She’d
felt so empty these last two years, and on some level knew there was no reason
to feel guilty about her and Ethan’s friendship. This family had filled a void
in her that had been empty for too long, and she was grateful. Their
friendships would help her get through this time of waiting for Dale to come
home.

“Please God let him be alive and
send him home to me,” she said softly.

The screen door squeaked open and
startled her. Ethan walked over and handed her a cup of steaming coffee, then
sat beside her. She could feel his body heat next to her and wasn’t sure if she
was comforted by it or ill at ease with it.

She took a sip of coffee. “It’s delicious.
I’ll try and stay awake until I get myself upstairs,” she said with a smile.

He smiled back and let out a
contented sigh. “Baileys is a great way to top off a good day.”

“And an even better way to get to
sleep. Not that I’ll need any help tonight.”

“I’ve got a cattle prod in the barn
if you fall asleep, so drink up.”

She laughed. “Your mother is right.
You are definitely ornery.”

“It’s genetic.” He pulled in
another deep breath, blew it out on a sigh. “The fresh air out here is good for
the soul, don’t you think?”

She took another sip of coffee. “I
hadn’t thought about it like that. It’s very relaxing, that’s for sure. Of
course I walked forever this afternoon and wore myself out. Kayla showed me
around while Dottie stayed with Ryan when he napped. Your daughter’s energy
level makes me look like a slug.”

“She knows this place like the back
of her hand. Where did you hike?”

“Where
didn’t
we hike, is
more the question? How much land is here anyway?”

“Well over a thousand acres. Plenty
to ride horses in. You ever ridden?”

“Once.” She grimaced. “I fell off.”

“Everyone who’s ever been on a
horse has been thrown.”

“I wasn’t thrown. I
fell
off.”

He laughed. “I’ve got a couple of
pretty laid back geldings. If you ever want to try it again, let me know.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” The
silence of dusk filled the air, which was beginning to turn slightly cool.
Haley took another sip of coffee. “I guess there’s something to this country
thing. I’m relaxed in spite of the fishing fiasco and sore muscles from hiking.”

Ethan looked out across the land.
“This is my go-to place when I’m stressed.” She waited for him to continue,
sensing he had more to say. “Hank’s son -- my godson -- is buried out here. Up
on that knoll.” He nodded to his right. “He was like a son to me. Hank’s been
my best buddy since junior high school.”

Haley’s heart ached. “I can’t even
fathom surviving your child dying.” Ethan’s lips thinned and her heart went out
to him. This man had known the grief of losing people he loved, too. “How old
was he?” she asked softly.

“Four.”

She wrapped her suddenly cold
fingers tighter around the warm mug. “Was it a car accident?”

“No. He’d been sick all his life.
Cystic fibrosis.”

She laid a hand on his arm. “I’m so
sorry, Ethan.”

He covered her hand with his. A
bright red cardinal flitted from one bush to another at the side of the porch. Several
rabbits hopped around the front yard. “Hank and I bought this old ranch about
eight years ago. Tommy never seemed as sick when he was here. Of course that
wasn’t really the case, but this place definitely lifted his spirits.”

“And yours,” she added.

Ethan nodded. “And Hank’s.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Hank and I bought this land when
his ex was pregnant. Tommy always loved to come here. Hank’s wife couldn’t
handle the day-to day caring of Tommy and vamoosed.  She also wasn’t too keen
on living out here full-time at some point. That lady was a piece of work. She
came to see her son from time to time but that was it.”

“How could a mother do that? How
could anyone do that to a child they loved?”

Ethan seemed to close in on himself
for a minute. When he spoke, his voice was laced with anger. “Kayla’s mom left
to become a movie star. Hank and I joke about our lady-pickers being broken. We
both chose total losers for wives.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He blew out a long breath. “We’ve
both gotten past it. This place has been good for all of us. Even Mom likes it,
but of course with Tommy buried out here, it gets her down sometimes. She
adored that kid.”

Haley’s heart ached for Ethan and
Dottie’s loss. They’d lost a dad and husband, and then a little boy they both
loved. She’d never dreamed they’d had so much tragedy in their lives. No wonder
Ethan hired her. He’d had a lot of grief in his life and totally got what she’d
been through.

“Now I understand why you’re such a
good father to Kayla. You learned early how to nurture. She’s a lucky little
girl to have you.”

He stole a quick look at her.
“Thanks. She might be lucky to have me, but she’s sure as hell unlucky to have Elisa
for a mom.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I ever married her.”

“Why did you?” Haley slapped a hand
over her mouth. “Sorry. That popped out unexpectedly. You don’t have to answer.
It’s really none of my business.”

He shrugged. “I was young. She was
hot. I thought I was in love.”

“Maybe you were, but you changed.
Or she did.”

“She definitely changed. Got all
crazy on me from the day she found out she was pregnant. She couldn’t stand the
thought of slowing down the partying and being a mom.”

“I can’t even wrap my mind around a
woman not wanting to be a good mother.”

“God, you’re so innocent.” Haley
puffed up, feeling somehow put down.

He frowned. “No offense meant,
Haley. You’re a good woman. I’m glad you’re on board, and I’m glad you will
have an influence on Kayla.”

Haley’s heart softened. For the
first time since Dale disappeared, she didn’t feel totally alone. She fought
back a flood of emotions. “Thank you,” she said around a thick throat. “That
means a lot to me. She’s a precious little girl.”

“She thinks you hung the moon.”

“She thinks I’m a total wuss. She
laughed at me all day.”

“You
are
a wuss, but we’re
going to change that.”

“Ah, I’m not sure I’m on board with
much changing,” she said, trepidation seeping through her.

He pushed the porch with a foot,
starting the swing again. “Then I guess you can stay in town next time we come
out here.”

She shook her head. “I’m the nanny.
I can’t do that.”

“I’ll dock your pay. Make you feel
better about it.” She wasn’t sure if he was teasing or not. “But you’d miss out
on a lot of fun and so would Ryan,” he added.

“Not seeing half-eaten, bloody mice
is not what I’d term fun let alone deprivation.”

“How about not seeing freshly
hatched quail? Or newborn lambs?”

“You have sheep out here?”

“No, but my neighbor does. And you
never know what Hank will bring in that needs fixing.”

“I have to admit the owl is
beautiful. Loud but beautiful.”

Ethan stretched out his long legs,
crossing his booted feet at his ankles. “Had a bobcat kitten last summer. Kayla
cried for a week when we took it to the zoo.”

Haley gazed out over the land,
wondering what creatures it held hidden in the brush. “Guess I’ll have to learn
how to be a part-time country girl.” She set her empty coffee mug on a side
table. A high yipping filled the air and Haley froze, adrenalin rushing through
her like a broken water line.

“Relax, it’s just a coyote. They’re
everywhere out here, but they won’t hurt you. Too much game in these parts.
They rarely even bother the quail pens.” He leaned closer to her and pointed to
a bunch of trees by the pond. “See the eyes, just to the right of that big
evergreen?” She nodded, her heart racing. “He’s watching us.”

“Why?” she whispered.

“Just being cautious.”

“It’s kind of eerie, don’t you
think?”

“It’s nature. I love it.” He held
up a finger. “Listen.”

Haley heard a strange muffled
sound. “What’s that?”

“The coyotes are huffing. It’s the
sound they make to call their pups.”

Haley’s eyes widened. She leaned
forward, straining to hear better. “Why don’t they just bark?”