Luke’s first thought was to tell his brother that he couldn’t leave right now. Not until arrangements were made for Brayden’s day care. For years, Luke had tried to talk to Dylan about his annual disappearance, but because Luke suspected those weeks had to do with the anniversary of their parents’ death, he hadn’t pushed it. Getting away always seemed to help Dylan, so maybe it would be a good idea to keep quiet.
“Okay,” Luke finally answered. “If that’s what you need. When are you leaving?”
“As soon as I finish loading up my truck.”
“That soon?” Luke tried to conceal his surprise. “When will you be back?”
“A week. Maybe two. It depends.”
Luke did a quick mental check of what would need to be done during his brother’s absence. “I can cover it,” he promised.
They ended the conversation and, as he slowly put his phone back in his pocket, Luke realized there was only one way he could make good on his promise. Without Dylan around, he’d have to have someone to care for Brayden. There was no way around it.
He shook his head. He’d let his brother put him somewhere between a rock and a hard place, and it was damned uncomfortable.
* * *
HAYLEY TRIED HER BEST to ignore the one-sided phone conversation going on across the room and concentrated on getting to know the little boy playing on the floor beside her.
Getting down to his level, she knelt next to him and watched him gather the small plastic cows. “Do you help your daddy with chores, Brayden?”
His hands stilled and he looked up at her. “Cows.”
She picked one of the animals from the pile and held it up. “Yes, a cow. Do you have cows?”
He continued to stare at her for a moment and then returned to his play.
“Miss Brooks?”
Hayley looked up to see Luke Walker towering over her. “I was just getting to know Brayden,” she explained. Taking the hand he offered to help her stand, she wished she hadn’t. Unlike when they’d met at the door, only minutes before, this time she felt the male strength it held—along with a totally unwanted flash of...something. She’d make sure not to let it happen again.
He released her, raking his other hand through his light brown hair. She recognized the sign of distress and noticed that his eyes mirrored it. “The phone call was bad news?”
“No. Yes.” He shook his head. “A minor setback is all. Short-term.”
She waited patiently for him to continue. She wasn’t comfortable about being hired out of what she was fairly sure was desperation. It certainly didn’t say much for her skills. But she did need the job, and she would be a fool not to accept the position.
When he didn’t elaborate, she realized she would have to ask for the information she needed. “When would you like me to start?”
“Start?”
She nodded, wondering if Luke Walker was stable and if she wouldn’t be better off looking for a job somewhere else. But she’d promised her Aunt Rita that she would do what she could for her friend’s brother. She couldn’t back out now.
“Start the job,” she clarified, adding a smile she didn’t particularly feel at the moment.
He lowered himself to the chair and shook his head, looking like a man who didn’t have a clue what was going on. “As soon as possible, I guess,” he answered.
Hayley tried her best to be patient. The interview wasn’t going nearly as well as she’d hoped. “Possible for you or me?”
“For you, of course,” he replied, as if she should know it.
“All right.” She took her seat on the sofa again. “We’ve determined that your day begins early,” she said, hoping to move things along. “That isn’t a problem for me. I have some things to attend to later today, so if I arrive at, say, six-thirty tomorrow, will that work for you?”
“Six-thirty?”
“In the morning.” It was clear that his mind wasn’t on their conversation, and she started to rise. “If you would rather we discuss this at another time—”
“No!” he said, startling her. She regained her composure and waited while he ran his hand through his hair a second time. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said, his distress evident in his deep blue eyes. “Please, don’t leave. Please. It’s just that I— Damn, this is a mess,” he finished as a mutter.
Hayley let her guard down and her heart ached for him. She didn’t know what, in particular, the problem was, but she had some sort of idea. From her aunt Rita, she’d learned that Luke Walker was a single dad, struggling to raise his young son after his wife had walked out on them a year and a half before, apparently without a backward glance. He and his brother ran this ranch near Desperation, Oklahoma, where they’d grown up and, according to her aunt, didn’t lack for money, thanks to excellent business practices and several active oil wells the family owned. To Hayley, that meant she wouldn’t have to worry about being paid. She quickly reminded herself that he hadn’t actually made the offer yet, but she was determined to be positive about it.
“You know ranching, right?” he asked.
She nodded. “As I said, I grew up on a small farm, although my brothers do most of the work, now that my dad has retired.”
“Yeah, I know how that can be.” His eyes darkened with sadness. “We’ve had our own struggles in the past.”
“I understand that you and your brother operate the ranch,” she said, hoping to draw him out enough to discover what was bothering him. If she was going to work for him, she needed to know if this problem would affect her employment—or his son—in any way.
“Yes, the two of us,” he said, nodding. “This house is on the southern edge of the property. Dylan, my older brother, lives in the same house were we grew up, but north of here. I built this house when—” He stopped for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, then squared his shoulders. “A few years ago.” Leaning forward, he caught her gaze and held it. “If you can start tomorrow, I’d really appreciate it. Dylan will be gone for a week or two, meaning I’ll have more chores to do. That means I’ll have less time to watch after Brayden.” He looked at his son, quietly playing with his toys, and then back at her. “He seems to like you, which is something, considering he’s never had much to do with anybody since— Well, for a long time.”
She guessed that the “long time” he mentioned must have been since Brayden’s mother left. “I can be here at six-thirty or whenever is best tomorrow,” she said. “But you need to know that I have classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, and will have to leave here by six.”
“That’s not a problem,” he said, getting to his feet and walking toward her. “I guess you already know what the salary is?”
“Yes,” she answered. “Your sister sent the details in a letter.” Gathering her things, she stood and offered her hand. “Then I’ll see you in the morning, Mr. Walker.”
He hesitated before taking it. When he did, the contact made her warm all over, and she couldn’t seem to pull away. His eyes held a surprised but quizzical gleam, and she wasn’t sure what to think of it or of her own reaction.
“Wouldn’t a first name basis be better?” he asked.
His voice seemed lower and his gaze held her. Gently removing her hand from his, she tried for a smile. “Yes, it—it probably would be. Luke.”
“Good,” he said, in a more businesslike manner, while