“We survived an entire minute without crying,” Fox said, a lopsided grin on his face. “I think he’d give you an A+ for teaching skills.”
“As long as you’re more comfortable with him, that’s the real win.” She shoved her hands into her pockets and wrapped her fingers around the car keys before walking over and opening the back door of the truck.
“I’ll let you load him in.” Fox handed her the baby and pulled the cotton blanket from his shoulder, revealing evidence of a productive baby burp. “Just let me grab a clean shirt.”
She smiled to herself as he strode back inside the house.
Fox couldn’t help noticing how effortlessly Kelsey managed everything the baby needed. It was hard not to resent her efficiency, even though that was exactly why he’d hired her. “You make it all look so easy,” he said.
She glanced at him as he put the truck into gear and the flash of confusion in her hazel eyes quickly gave way to amusement. “Practice,” she informed him. “That’s all.”
He liked her calm composure and her gentle, warm approach with the baby. And the horses. He wasn’t looking for her to aim that generous spirit or those wide beautiful eyes at him personally. She was here to do a job. He couldn’t trust himself with a baby, despite the assistance of the internet. It was highly unlikely, if he scared off Kelsey, that another capable nanny would wander up to the house.
Making a decision on the fly was a rare thing for him. He prided himself on thinking things through, exploring all the angles. But last night, he’d gone with his gut and it seemed to be the right call. Only time would tell if she held up to the breeding work, as well.
“Have you done any breeding?” he asked.
She sputtered and her pretty mouth dropped open and snapped closed again as she stared at him. “Beg pardon?”
He replayed the last few seconds in his mind and smothered a curse. “Horse breeding,” he clarified, his face reddening. “Have you done any fieldwork with horse breeding?”
She toyed with the cuff of her jacket. “Only with the big animal veterinarians in college,” she replied. “Most of my recent experience is in the lab, analyzing data, writing up reports.”
“What about not-so-recent experience?”
She twisted in the seat to check on the baby, giving him a big, cheesy smile, but Fox sensed she was stalling. Then again, reading people wasn’t his strong suit.
“I grew up on a working farm in a remote area north of here,” she replied, facing forward again.
If only that narrowed it down. There were miles of remote areas north of the Crooked C ranch. He would’ve pressed, but it seemed rude, since clearly she wanted to drop the subject.
He followed her directions to her car and checked the odometer when they finally found it. “You walked nearly eight miles yesterday?” The Avalanche Killer was still out there doing heinous things.
“I caught a ride for most of the way,” she said with casual ease. “Worth it since I’m working with the famous Fox Colton.”
As a nanny. Which, having reviewed her background again this morning, was a position for which she was vastly overqualified. He’d make it up to her, starting with her car. He trailed behind her as she opened the trunk of a faded blue compact sedan that had seen better days. “We’ll load up your things and then I’ll—”
She slammed the trunk lid, frowned and leaned all her weight on it in a hard push until the latch caught. “Got it.” She smiled. “It’s finicky.”
“Where’s the rest?” He watched her sling a leather computer bag over her shoulder and roll a large wheeled hard-sided suitcase toward the back of his truck. He jumped into action, lowering the tailgate to load the suitcase into the truck bed. She wisely carried her computer to the cab and tucked it behind her seat.
“That’s...everything?” She was thirty years old. Shouldn’t there be boxes or books or gear of some kind?
“Yes. This is it.” Her mouth pulled to the side. “Don’t be so shocked. I’ve lived in dorms and guest quarters for several years now.”
“But—” He’d been in college, worked a few internships along the way. Having stuff was counterintuitive to being comfortable in tight quarters. Still, he’d never traveled this lightly and he was a man.
“You’d be surprised how much I can fit into that suitcase. Less stuff makes it easier to move when I have to.”
“Sure.” Her situation prior to her employment with him was none of his business. “You’re right.” He backed away from her, resisting the strange urge to right some unseen wrong. He took pictures of her car and license plate and called the garage in town.
Once he’d arranged for the tow truck, he gave his phone number and authorized the shop to charge the repairs to his account. He gave the car one more hard study before climbing back into the truck. Might be better to sell it for parts if Kelsey was willing. With what he intended to pay her, she could buy a vehicle better suited to the ranch and the rugged Colorado terrain.
He turned toward town, eager to put her car in the rearview until he remembered their next stop wasn’t the office, but the baby store. “You can use one of the ranch trucks while they fix your car,” he said.
“That’s really generous,” she replied. “I appreciate it.”
“I gave the garage my phone number.”
“Oh, I should have thought of that.”
“It’s not like you won’t be within reach when they call.” His palms itched at another poor choice of words. Admittedly, his new assistant and nanny had a sweet and wholesome beauty. Although they’d be working closely, she couldn’t be within his literal reach. The wayward thoughts only proved he’d gone too long without a date. Forget the sex—the lack of dating let him fall out of the practice of having a casual, appropriate conversation with a woman.
“Did you bring the nursery list?” he asked. “I still can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“It’s on my phone,” she replied. “I promise to make it as painless as possible. With the right things on hand, it will be so much easier to care for Baby John. Do you have a budget in mind? Some things on my list are handy, not necessities.”
“Whatever he needs,” Fox said. “Whatever you want. Don’t worry about the money.”
“That’s not the only factor.”
He rolled his shoulders, but the tight muscles wouldn’t loosen. Why would someone drop this kid at his door? “Like you said, I can pass on the gear to the real father when we find him.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“What does that mean?” he demanded as he pulled into a parking space in front of the store. “I’m not good at this.”
“Talking?” she queried.
“Yeah.” It was at the top of the list of things he handled poorly.
Her auburn eyebrows, several shades darker than her hair, scrunched up when she frowned. It was pretty cute instead of intimidating. He should not be noticing those details and he absolutely shouldn’t