They were always fed by the time he got into the kitchen, and she always had coffee waiting for him.
“You don’t sleep a lot?” he asked.
She waved a hand in the air. “Not really. I’ve always found sleeping to be a little boring. I know it’s lame, right? The moment I wake up though, I’m up, and I don’t like to go back to sleep. It’s made it perfect to be a nanny though.”
“Why are you a nanny? Don’t you want to have kids of your own one day?”
“I want to have kids of my own. I love kids. They’re amazing people. Your daughter is a lot of fun. I’ve always found grownups to be way too boring and serious all the time.” She looked toward him with a frown. “Haven’t you noticed that most adults have that very stern frown on their face?” She rubbed the area between her brows, and he simply smiled.
“Yeah, most adults have that.”
“Being a nanny, it got me away from my parents and their judgment.”
He thought about what his mother had said with her being jilted at the altar. “I’m sorry about what happened to you on your wedding day. The guy was crazy for leaving you behind.”
She chuckled. “You’ve not seen my sister yet. You wouldn’t be surprised that he left me. I’m not exactly the cute one.” She shook her head. “If you’ve heard then you know it’s because I’m the fat, ugly one.”
He saw her pain, the humiliation she tried to hide.
“I’ve been around beautiful women. Paige’s mother should have been a model. I know some of them are nice, but I’ve seen the damage they can do. You’re a beautiful woman, Maddie. Inside and out, and that is a rare thing these days.”
He wanted to say more, but Paige came and dropped into Maddie’s arms. They all laughed as she yawned, and seemed to fall asleep.
“Come on, time to get you ready for bed.” She excused herself, and he was surprised to see that Maddie could lift his daughter.
His brother and family also made their excuses, so there was only his mother and himself sitting in the garden looking up at the stars.
“She’s a keeper,” his mother said.
“Mom, she’s my nanny, and I’m not going to ruin that for Paige. You can see she adores her.”
“Are you going to try and tell me that you don’t like Maddie?”
“Of course not.”
“I’m old, son, but not blind. I also know a thing or two about sex. I’m not a virgin, and I had to do the dirty at least twice to get you and Mike.”
Caleb covered his ears. “I do not need to hear this. I’m scarred for life.”
His mother laughed. “Don’t waste an opportunity because of Ivory. Not all women are like that. You need to move on. Find a woman to love and to call your own.”
“You’re asking me to try and chase the nanny?”
“I’m telling you not to fight your feelings.” His mother got to her feet. “I’m going to use the spare bedroom tonight.”
He watched her enter the house, and minutes later Maddie came out. She wore a pair of jeans and a shirt that clung to every single curve. His cock hardened at the sight of her. He wanted to touch her, but he also didn’t want to frighten her off.
Maddie had gotten under his skin, and she didn’t even realize it.
****
Routine was something Maddie loved. Being on the ranch, she got her dream job. Each day there were jobs waiting for everyone, and she got to build her life around each job. On the weekends, she cleaned the animals, brushed the dogs, and made sure they were all well-kept. During the week, she cleaned the house, doing the upstairs twice and the downstairs three times to keep everything looking clean.
Every single day, she cooked.
Five days a week, she drove Paige to and from school. Grocery shopping was once a week, and then of course fantasies that starred Caleb Pole happened all the freaking time. She had no control over her body or her needs.
She’d never had to deal with real attraction before. Chad, her previous boyfriend, hadn’t fired her blood or made her want to throw caution to the wind and just get down and dirty. Her fantasies with Caleb though took on an entirely different life. When she woke in a sweat after dreaming of him tying her up in the barn and having his wicked way with her, she knew something had to stop.
Caleb wouldn’t look at her the way she hoped he would, so she vowed to go on the first date that a guy asked her on. Not only that, she also gathered up her reading material ready to take to one of the bookstores in town. She’d boxed them all up and was about to carry them downstairs as Caleb left his room, bumping into her. She dropped the box and all the books came tumbling out, showcasing her love of romance.