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“Nope.”
“Oh, yeah. She told me she’s afraid of horses.”
“Did you tell her she had to water and feed the horses sometimes?” Claire wanted to know.
“Yes, but she didn’t say anything. Oh, and you know that one with the long black ponytail?”
Vic nodded. Claire thought she looked very exotic.
“She kept asking me how many girlfriends you had. I showed her my picture album, but all she did was stare at your pictures.”
By now Vic was looking frustrated.
“The one in those high heels stumbled in my room.”
“Oh, no—” Claire exclaimed, trying to hold back a laugh.
“She fell on the bed. When I asked her if she was okay, she got mad and told me it was nothing. I didn’t like her ’cause she wasn’t nice. Oh yeah, and she’s never heard of Wolverine, but she asked me a lot of questions about Mom.”
“Dare I ask about the last applicant?” came the voice of ice. Claire couldn’t look at Vic or she’d burst her seams.
“Well, she asked if I had an extra picture of you in your Ranger uniform she could have.”
“What?”
“I told her the Rangers don’t wear uniforms, but when you have to be in a parade you put on your white hat.”
There was no holding back now. Claire burst into laughter that reverberated throughout the family room. Vic was clearly upset, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying this moment.
“Jeremy Malone. You made all of that up.”
“No, I didn’t. Honest. They all asked me something else, too, but I’m not going to tell you what.”
“How come? Why stop now?”
“It’s a secret. Now that they’re gone, can I go out to the barn and make sure Daken is all right?”
“Go on,” Vic muttered. He was clearly in a foul mood.
Claire studied the face of the man she loved. “Honest, he wasn’t lying, Vic. You are attractive and your picture has been in the paper and on TV several times in the past year. You’re a Texas Ranger, a phenomenon, to these young women who’d love to take care of your son. They aren’t shallow, they were just awestruck.”
He took a deep breath. “You didn’t act like that.”
“You had no idea what I was thinking. I wanted to ask Jeremy dozens of questions about you, but I knew he’d tell you everything I said so I kept my mouth shut.”
Amusement lurked in the depths of his gorgeous black eyes. “That’s because you’re too smart for your own good.”
“I know a good thing when it comes along, and I wanted that job. My sisters were older and I always wished I’d had a brother, but it didn’t happen. The minute I met Jeremy I thought he was exactly the kind of little brother I would have wanted. The perfect age. He’s funny and creative and kind. After meeting you I thought, throw in the father, too, since his son is a chip off the old block.”
He moved toward her. “So you thought of me as an old block?”
“Well, there are all kinds of blocks in all kinds of sizes and shapes, some more interesting than others. When Jeremy told me you could eat a whol
e box of Lucky Charms and a quart of milk out of the mixing bowl without stopping, I knew I wanted to be your son’s nanny.”
A heartbreaking smile broke out on his Vic’s face. “You mean that’s what it took to get you to come to work for me?”
“That and the way the two of you walk. It’s amazing, really. The way you hold yourselves, the set of your bodies, they’re identical. It’s fun to watch you when you’re together side by side.”
