Nanny for the Rancher Read online

  Chapter 3

  Keira was sitting in the living room of the large ranch house. It was clean, but wasn’t what she expected of a billionaire rancher. It looked like a regular house, with dated, lived in furniture, and family photos on the walls. The fireplace was dusty and looked like it hadn’t been used in years.

  “Keira, right?” A man entered, he had on jeans and cowboy boots. His white hat hid his tanned skin, and when he took it off he had dark brown hair with touches of sun bleached gold scattered throughout. He had the most intense light blue eyes she’d ever seen. Trying not to stare, she quickly stood up and offered her hand.

  “Keira Hanks, it’s a pleasure to meet you… uh, I didn’t catch your name.” She said, shaking his hand. She noticed that while his eyes glanced down at her chest for a split second, they immediately went back up to her eyes. He made a point to hold eye contact with her. The politeness of his reaction made him all that more attractive to her. She groaned inwardly, this was the last thing she needed, to be attracted to her potential employer.

  “Eddison McCormick, Jr. But everyone calls me Eddie.” He told her and then released her hand, motioning for her to sit down on the couch. He sat himself down in the armchair opposite it. “I’ve got a list of questions for you, but most importantly, can you start tomorrow?”

  “I can,” she said, smiling at him.

  “Can I ask what your last job was?” He asked her point blank.

  “I worked in a real estate office in a secretarial position; answering phones, filing paperwork, that kind of stuff.” She told him truthfully.

  “And why did you quit?”

  “I… didn’t quit exactly.” Blushing, she dipped her head down and tried to figure out how to explain the situation. “I was asked to leave. The owners were a husband and wife couple; the husband made a pass at me and his wife saw it. She asked me to leave, but I promise, I didn’t encourage him. Truly. I really need this job, I promise that I am not looking for a husband, or anything like that. I just want to do my job.”

  “I see,” he said, looking at her carefully. “Okay, let me give you a little background about what’s going on here. My sister died from cancer. I’ve got custody of her three children and it’s been hectic as all hell here on the ranch. I’ve just gone from a no child household, to a household with three kids. They are all emotionally damaged from the loss of their mother. They didn’t want to leave the big city, let alone move out to the middle of nowhere. I plan on hiring them a tutor in the fall, and homeschooling them until I can find a suitable boarding school. Although the youngest is probably too young to be shipped off for a few more years. He’s only six.”

  “Oh, those poor children,” Keira said, the story tugging at her heartstrings. She knew what it felt like to feel like your family had abandoned you. Her father had ditched her mother after the accident, divorcing her and running off with a woman younger than Keira. She still hadn’t forgiven her father for abandoning her mother when she’d needed help the most. She could imagine how those poor kids felt, having their world turned upside down.

  “They… are good kids. Just a bit of a handful and not used to being on a ranch. They have some issues with following safety rules and getting carried away ‘playing’ with the animals. They need supervision to keep them out of trouble. The oldest is starting to fall in with a rough crowd. I need to have someone available to shuttle him around to keep him busy with other good teenagers that aren’t into pot. The last thing I need is my sister rolling over in her grave knowing that I’m failing her children.” Eddie said and rubbed his chin. “I promised my sister I’d take good care of her kids, and while I’m not quite ready to be a father like this, I’m going to do the best I can. I need help. I can’t do this by myself and my staff here isn’t prepared to raise children.”

  “I understand completely. I can start tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting them,” Keira told him and stood up, planning to leave and show up bright and early the next morning.

  “There’s one more thing, this is a live-in position. I need you available at all times. I’ll pay you handsomely for your time, and you can have Sundays off, but I need someone here with them. You’re welcome to run errands, or see family and take the kids along as long as the environment is safe. I just need you here all the time with them. I can’t trust anyone else to keep them safe right now. People are busy and have other responsibilities.” Eddie told her, expecting this to scare her off. Everyone else he interviewed had been on board until they’d been told it was a live-in, twenty-four-hour position.

  “I… I have a dog. His name is Dimitri, I can’t leave him behind,” she told him bluntly. Hoping that her puppy wouldn’t be a deal breaker.

  “Is he house broken?” Eddie asked her.

  “Yes, and he isn’t destructive. He’s four. He’s well trained and he’s good with kids.” She told him.

  “That’s fine. As long as he doesn’t eat my animals, I don’t care if he’s here.” Eddie shrugged. He had five working dogs himself, so one more dog kicking around wouldn’t bother him. If worst came to worst, he had kennels, so if she needed to put the dog somewhere, he had just the place for it.

  “Then, this should work perfectly. Are we going to sign a contract, or…” Keira started to ask, when someone rushed into the sitting room, startling both of them.

  A teenage boy was carrying a younger child, who was wailing at the top of his lungs. A young girl followed behind them, wringing her hands, looking nervous.

  “What is going on?” Eddie said, standing suddenly.

  “Aiden wouldn’t listen,” the girl started to say, not noticing Keira yet.

  “What do you mean, Ellie?” Eddie asked the girl, and looked up at the teenage boy. “Justin?”

  “I think he broke his arm. He wanted to ride Brutus, we told him not to, especially without you, but he didn’t listen. Brutus threw him,” Ellie said, her voice almost a whisper.

  “Are you serious? Aiden, what the hell were you thinking?” Eddie said, groaning and looking at the arm. It appeared to be broken. “We need to get you to urgent care…”

  “You know what, go, I’ll stay with the older kids. I don’t mind. I can always pack later.” Keira told him, putting her hand on his arm. When he turned and their eyes met, she held her breath. She could literally feel the sparks flying between them and knew this job would not work if she couldn’t control her hormones around her new boss. “Go. I promise they’ll be alive when you get home.”

  “Are you sure?” Eddie said, glancing down at the boy in his brother’s arms.

  “Yes, go, get him treated. I’ll be here.” Keira reassured him. She watched Eddie take the boy from the teenager, then he gave her a curt nod before striding out of the room with the boy.

  “Who are you?” The girl asked, once Eddie had left.

  “I’m Keira, the new live-in, er…nanny. And you are… Ellie?” Keira asked her.

  “Yes, and this is Justin, he’s our oldest brother.” Ellie said, speaking bluntly. The little girl had piercing eyes just like her uncle’s, and the way she stared made Keira feel like she was trying to gaze into her soul.

  “You’re supposed to be our new babysitter?” Justin scoffed. “I’m too old for a babysitter.”

  “Yes, you are,” Keira agreed with him, “but, your uncle needs help, and it’s not just about you right now. So, instead of seeing me as your babysitter, why don’t you see me as your friend, and Ellie and Aiden’s babysitter?”

  “Ellie doesn’t need a babysitter either,” Justin said, crossing his arms and giving her a surly look.

  “But, your younger brother seems to need one, doesn’t he?” Keira asked him gently.

  Justin glanced away and then shrugged, “just stay out of my way, then.”

  Leaving the room in a huff, he stomped up a set of stairs and slammed a door so hard, it rattled the pictures on the wall downstairs.

  “Don’t take it personally,” Ellie told Keira, “he’s just mad
that Uncle Eddie won’t let him ride the ATV anymore. He was chasing the neighbor’s cows around with the boys next door and got in trouble.”

  “He’s angry right now,” Keira said, acknowledging that the boy’s behavior was probably due to being hurt and feeling abandoned. She wasn’t going to hold it against him. “I’m not going to be mean to him, I promise.”

  “Why are you really here?” Ellie asked, curiously. “The last few women Uncle Eddie interviewed were more interested in him, than us.”

  “Well, your uncle’s a rich man, and that probably brings out all the curious gold diggers. But I’m not here for your uncle, I promise. I’m here because I need this job.” Keira told her, and then decided to tell the girl the truth. “My mom needs my help. She got injured in an accident, and needs medical care that is really expensive. I need this job to pay for it. My mom is important to me.”

  Ellie nodded, and the put her hand on Keira’s arm, surprising her. “My mom needed medical care at the end too. It was sad, but she’s not in pain and suffering anymore. I hope your mom isn’t suffering.”

  Keira felt her heart bursting for the girl in front of her. She was so wise for her age. The girl had a lot of compassion for others, even though she was currently dealing with her own heartache.

  “My mom doesn’t know who I am half the time, but she’s not suffering at least. It hurts me more than it hurts her, probably.” Keira told her truthfully. “Enough about that, what do you do in the evenings before bed?” Keira asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

  “I like to play go fish, but Justin won’t play with me anymore. He says the game is stupid.”

  “Well, what do you know, I happen to love card games,” Keira told her. “Why don’t you go get the deck of cards, and we will play.”

  Chapter 4

  Eddie sighed, and dusted his hat off on his pant leg. It had been two weeks since Aiden had broken his arm, and the boy was in a cast. He was so proud of it and had made everyone on the ranch sign the damn thing. He’d been careful since the doctor lectured him on being a dare devil, but Eddie knew it was only a matter of time before Aiden found himself in more trouble.

  He’d been avoiding the house as much as possible, not because of the kids, but because of her.

  Keira.

  She was so beautiful. She had glowing youthful chocolate skin, rich brown eyes, and natural curly black hair. Her large breasts would more than fill his hand, and he had a hard time being a gentleman when those tits were in the room with him. He felt like a teenage boy, trying to hide the erections that strained at the front of his Wranglers when she stood too close to him. Out of respect for her, he’d been trying to avoid being alone with her, but it was hard. He liked her. She was demure and quiet around him. She treated the kids sternly, but fairly, and he had seen subtle changes in Justin and Ellie. Ellie laughed more, and Justin had stopped looking quite so surly. Aiden was slowly warming up to Keira, too.

  It made him wonder what it would be like to have his own child, instead of just raising his sister’s kids. He had been having thoughts about babies since Keira had been hired. He’d even daydreamed about what she would look like pregnant. He realized that these thoughts were likely way out in left field, as they hadn’t had more than a casual conversation over dinner. He needed to stop how he was thinking. She was his nanny, caring for the kids, and he couldn’t put her in an uncomfortable situation. He’d heard rumors about why she’d been fired from the brokerage, and didn’t want to remind her of that situation. He wondered if she was dressing down around him because of it. She rarely wore makeup, and she wore jeans and baggy t-shirts with cute cartoons on them.

  Later that night, he found himself sitting on the porch swing after the kids had gone to bed. Keira came out with a glass of wine in her hand, and her dog Dimitri at her side.

  “Oh, sorry, I was planning on coming out here to watch for the meteor showers, I wasn’t expecting you. I’ll go.” She turned to go inside, when he made an impulsive decision.

  “No, stay, I don’t mind the company.” He told her, smiling, and patted the bench seat next to him.

  “Are you doing okay?” Keira asked him quietly, as she sat down next to him. The swing creaked as she sat down and he watched her adjust herself, crossing her legs away from him.

  “I’m doing okay. It’s been a hard adjustment for all of us. You being here has helped a lot.” He told her and reached out to touch her hand in thanks.

  Or, that was his intention.

  When their skin touched, he felt a shiver go up his spine. He saw her mouth part, just slightly, and he watched her lick her lower lip. He didn’t mean to kiss her, it just happened. He lowered his head and when she didn’t pull away, he put his mouth over hers. Her soft lips melded against his and he teased at her lips with his tongue. When she opened her mouth wider, he thrust his tongue between her teeth, his hand coming up to support the nape of her neck.

  He could feel the rise and fall of her breasts as they brushed against his own chest. He felt himself grow hard, aroused by her soft lips. He knew that he needed to let her go and walk away, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away from her. Even if they had chemistry, even if he liked her, he couldn’t seduce her. He needed to let her be and do her job.

  Pulling his head back, Eddie looked down at her, and gave her a half smile, “I’m sorry, that was rather forward of me. I like you Keira, I’d like to get to know you better.”

  Keira blinked at him for a moment, before opening her mouth to give him an answer. “I… think that’s okay with me.”

  “Dinner? Sunday? I can arrange to have John watch the kids for a few hours. He won’t like it, but it’s already your day off. We can make it work. Let me take you out to dinner.” Eddie asked her, knowing that John would want to punch him, but would do it to help him. John always had his back, even if he got frustrated sometimes. They’d been best friends since middle school. Even after his family had gotten rich from discovering oil on the ranch, Eddie made a point to never act, or live like he was a billionaire.

  He just wanted to be seen as Eddie, and that’s how Keira treated him. She never treated him like he was rich and famous, or tried to get money out of him, or get him to buy her stuff. She just did her job, focused on the kids; and spent most of her spare time visiting her mother, or playing with her dog.

  He found her fascinating and he wanted to pick her brain apart and see if she was as intelligent as she seemed. Her physical attractiveness was only part of the package. Although it had been the spark for his flame of interest, it was her smile and personality that had flamed his attraction into a roaring fire.

  “We can do dinner,” she replied, and then she slipped off the bench, after finishing her glass of wine. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take Dimitri for a walk and then go to bed, Aiden likes to get up before your roosters even start crowing in the morning.”

  “I’ll take the glass in for you,” he told her, reaching out to take the wine glass. Keira nodded, and handed it to him with a smile and a nod of thanks.

  Eddie watched her walk down the front porch steps, the jeans she wore hugged every curve of her voluptuous coke bottle frame. Her ass made him want to grind up against her, her breasts made him want to bury his face against her chest and breathe her scent in. She smelled like warm vanilla, it made him think of sugar cookies and he just wanted to eat her up. Shaking his head, he tried to rid the mental image of stripping her naked and making love to her in the barn, out of his mind.

  He knew she was special, different. She inspired feelings in him he wanted to explore. It wasn’t just watching her with his niece and nephews, and seeing how good she was with them. It was more than that: it was when their eyes would catch across the room and it would feel like time stopped for a moment; the sparkle in her eye when she caught him staring at her; the slight blush that rose on her cheeks, drove him crazy. The way she’d play with her dog out in the yard after going for a run. That Doberman was strong and he liked t
o play tug, and she doted on him. He wondered what it would be like to have her dote on him the way she loved her dog. He knew it was silly, to compare himself to a dog, but with the way she loved that dog, he knew that when she chose to love a man, it would be intense, passionate, would rock his world. He hoped it would be him.

  Eddie could feel the attraction growing between them, it was getting stronger each day. His desire was getting harder to ignore, the more time he spent in the same room with her, the more he itched to run his arms around her waist and kiss her until he took her breath away.

  Chapter 5

  Keira stared at herself in the mirror. She’d pinned her dark curls up, and applied red lipstick that made her white teeth look even whiter. She was wearing mascara and eyeliner, and that was it for makeup. Her philosophy was that less is more when it came to makeup.

  Wearing a black mini skirt with red heels, she pulled on a v neck tank top that showed off far more skin that she typically had shown around Eddie. She chided herself and grabbed for a plain black t-shirt, but realized she was out of time to change. She was determined to tell Eddie that any romantic involvement between them was a very bad idea. When he honked the horn, she tossed the t-shirt onto the bed. No time to change it up now, she thought to herself.

  “You look amazing,” he told her, his voice sounded awed, and it made Keira blush. His eyes dropped to her breasts for a moment, and she saw him swallow hard before he yanked his eyes back to her face. Her respect for him went up a lot in that moment.

  “Are you ready to go?” He asked her, giving her a smile as she climbed in and buckled the seatbelt.

  “Absolutely,” she told him.

  “I was going to take you to this super fancy steak place, but honestly, I feel like a beer and a burger. I was out fixing fences all day, my hands are tired, and I just want to unwind. Do you care if we go to a more relaxed place?”

  “Whatever you want is fine. I can always eat a burger,” she told him, shrugging. She cared less about what they ate, and more about being able to have a conversation with him.