Chapter One
Violet
I don’t hate kids, I just… don’t understand them. Sure, they’re cute and funny, but they’re also insanely dramatic and obsessively needy. That, and they love to be dirty.
I do not.
I, in fact, love cleanliness. Crisp, clean sheets, sparkling white countertops, spotless floors, and proper sanitation.
“Why did you take this job?” My friend Bella stares at me like I’ve lost my mind as we wait for our coffee order. We’re on a macchiato kick lately, and the bakery in town makes the best around. It’s even better than the chain places in the city, and cheaper too.
“Well,” I take a bite of my sugar donut, white powder spilling down onto my plate, “for starters, if my mom asks me to organize her spice cabinet one more time, I’m going to lose my mind. Second, there are clearly zero jobs for me in Rugged Mountain, and third,” I pause and take another bite of my donut, “Cash is my dad’s best friend. I guess that means I’m obligated to help him or something.” I shrug. “I don’t know. The pay is good, though.”
“That’s something, but if you miss your old job, why don’t you move to the Springs? I’m sure there are more opportunities for,” she narrows her brows inward as though she’s thinking extra hard, “what do you do again?”
Bella has known me for over ten years. She knows what I do, but like everyone else, she continuously forgets. I get it. It’s a weird profession, especially out this way where most folks are ranching, logging, or farming. “Risk analysis.”
“That’s right.” Her face brightens as milk froths behind the counter. “I’m sure there’s more opportunity for that in the city.”
I try to hold a straight face. “We’ll see. There are a few openings, but I need some money for the move. If I save my pay for a couple of months, I should have enough to get me back out there.”
Bella shakes her head as the barista calls our names. “Being a nanny is a huge responsibility. I mean, Cora is what… five? Kids that age pick up on everything. She can probably sense that you’re not there for good.”
“Then her sensing is spot on.” I grab my coffee off the counter and take a long, slow sip, letting the caramel drizzle coat my throat.Man, this stuff is good.“I love her. I really do. She’s adorable, but my internal wiring and my risk analyst brain goes haywire at Cash’s place. There are animals that weigh more than my car casually running around the field where the kids like to play. Oh, and Cash has fences up that look like they were built in the nineteen hundreds, a barn that creaks like it’s auditioning for a horror movie, and don’t even get me started on the tractors he likes to ride the kids around on.”
Bella snorts. “He sounds like a good dad who’s giving his kids a pretty classic, Rugged Mountain upbringing. I mean, I’d have killed for a dad who wanted to give me rides on his tractor.”
“Yeah, well, every time I step outside, my brain starts calculating the probability of someone getting kicked, bit, or trampled. Not to mention the part where Cora thinks mud puddles are portals to the fairy world. You wouldn’t believe how filthy she is by the end of the day.”
Bella grins. “You’re saying you don’t like the chaos, but for some reason, I’m getting the feeling that you love it.”
I exhale loudly because that’s the other part of the problem. “It doesn’t matter what I like.”
We push through the coffee shop doors, the bell chiming behind us as the summer heat hits us like a wall. My face lifts toward the sun like a lizard feeling the heat for the first time in months. Given our seasons up here range from winter, jr. winter, and early winter, a hot summer day feels like an answered prayer.
“Oh damn,” Bella groans and stares down the sidewalk. “Maybe you want to take care ofthat guy’skids.”
I follow her gaze toward the tall, broad-shouldered man coming toward us. His hat’s pushed back enough to show his gray hair, and he’s wearing a worn T-shirt that does nothing to hide the fact that he works with his hands for a living.
My chest tightens.Why does he always have to look so good?
“That’s Cash.” I swallow hard and watch him as the kids cling to his hips. Cora on one side, her tiny handwrapped around his belt loop, and Jake on the other holding a juice pouch like a live grenade.
“That’s Cash?”Bella glances toward me then back toward the giant again. “Holy crap! Why would you ever want to quit this job?”
“That’s part of the reason I want to quit,” I lie, knowing full well it’s the biggest reason of all. I can’t work for a man I can’t stop fantasizing about, and I can’t keep fantasizing about my dad’s best friend.
It’s weird.
It’s weird, and it’s messing with my head.
What kind of person locks themselves in the bathroom during naptime for a quick orgasm because their panties have been soaked all day from watching their dad’s best friend work?
It’s not right, especially considering I have to live with the man, take care of his children, make his dinner, and buy his groceries.
“Hey,” he says, his voice low and rough, “I thought you were going to sit in the sun all day?”
“Coffee first.” I smile and lift my enormous cup.
