Now at fourteen months, Ciara Renee Higgins was ruling the Higgins household, and Pete was glad Bonnie had been there to help out as a full-time nanny. Her husband had passed away a couple of years ago and with her only son living on the East Coast, Bonnie had welcomed the opportunity to take care of others again. As far as Pete was concerned, she’d been a godsend. He honestly didn’t know what he’d have done without her and wondered what he would do now that she would be leaving.
“May I make a suggestion, Pete?”
For a minute he’d been so deep in thought he’d forgotten Bonnie was standing there, waiting for him to say something. “Yes.”
Bonnie smiled as she placed a serving tray on the table with soup and a sandwich. His lunch. He made a habit of swinging by the ranch at noon each day to spend time with Ciara. Although Bonnie’s job was to take care of Ciara, she always prepared lunch and dinner for him, as well. Where did she find the time to do such things? On the days when Bonnie returned to her own home, Pete took care of his niece by himself. Ciara required his full attention and would let him know when she felt she wasn’t getting enough of it. It was only during her nap time was he able to grab a nap of his own.
“Hopefully, I won’t be gone any more than two months, and I know of someone who could replace me.”
He doubted anyone would be able to replace Bonnie. “Who?”
“A woman I met a couple of months ago at church. She recently moved to the area and she and I have become good friends.”
He nodded as he walked over to the table to sit down and eat. “Where is she from?”
“Charleston.”
He chuckled. “Good grief. Don’t tell me we have another Southerner invading these parts. Bella is enough.”
Bella was married to his friend Jason Westmoreland. Everyone thought of her as a real Southern belle. From the time she’d arrived in Denver it had been obvious that she was a woman of refinement. It didn’t take long for word to spread that she was the daughter of a wealthy business tycoon in Savannah, Georgia. Although Bella had adjusted well, at times she still looked out of place amidst the bunch of roughnecks in these parts.
Bonnie placed a small salad near his sandwich. “Yes, another Southerner.” She then poured iced tea into his glass.
He looked up. “Thanks. And what makes you think she will be good with Ciara?”
“Because she taught prekindergarten for a few years and before that, she worked with younger babies in a nursery at a hospital in Charleston. She’s had us over for tea several times. I always take Ciara with me and the two of them hit it off. You of all people know how Ciara can be.”
Yes, he knew. If his niece liked you, then she liked you. If she didn’t, she didn’t. And she normally didn’t take well to strangers. “What makes you think she would be interested in keeping Ciara until you return?”
“Because I asked her,” Bonnie said with excitement in her voice. “I didn’t want to leave you with no one at all, and then not with just anyone.”
He appreciated that. “When can I meet her, to see if she’ll be a good fit?”
“I invited her to lunch.”
Pete paused from biting into his sandwich. “Today?”
Bonnie smiled. “Yes, today. The sooner you can meet her, the better. I would worry sick the entire time I’m in Dallas if you and Ciara weren’t taken care of properly.”
At that moment the doorbell sounded. “That’s probably her,” Bonnie said, smiling, as she swiftly left the kitchen.
Pete began eating his sandwich, curious about the woman Bonnie was recommending. He figured she would be around Bonnie’s age, which meant she could probably cook. Having home-cooked Southern dishes once in a while was a nice thought.
“Pete, I’d like you to meet Myra Hollister. Myra, this is Sheriff Peterson Higgins.”
Placing his glass down on the table, Pete stood and turned to offer his hand to the woman, then froze. Standing in the middle of his kitchen beside Bonnie was the most gorgeous woman he’d seen in a while. A long while. And she was young, probably no more than twenty-two or twenty-three. She had a petite figure and was no more than five-three. She appeared even shorter than that when standing across from his six-three height.
She had skin the color of rich mocha and features so striking he felt like he’d been struck in all parts of his body. Perfect hazel eyes stared back at him and a smile curved a pair of delectable lips. Fluffy dark brown bangs swept across her forehead and a mass of curly hair fell past her shoulders. When he finally moved his gaze from her face it was to check out the legs beneath her dress. They were as gorgeous as the rest of her.
He couldn’t ignore the spike of heat that caught him low in the gut. The power of her femininity surrounded him, actually made his heart skip a couple of beats. He wanted to groan in protest.
“It’s nice meeting you, Sheriff Higgins. I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about you,” the woman said, offering him her hand. Her Southern accent was just as perceptible as Bella’s.
“Thanks,” Pete replied, fighting back a curse. The moment their hands had touched, a hard hum of lust had rushed through his veins.
Bonnie wanted him to hire this woman as a live-in nanny? She had to be kidding. There was no way he could do that, even on a temporary basis. This was the first woman he’d been attracted to since Ellen.
That placed him in one hell of a dilemma.
Myra Hollister tried hiding her excitement at possibly being hired as Ciara’s nanny. She adored the precious little girl she’d gotten to know. And when Bonnie mentioned her need for a replacement, Myra had been glad to help. It would certainly solve some of her own problems for a while.
First off, she would get a salary, which meant she wouldn’t have to touch her savings. And since her lease ended next month, moving in here was great, too. Hopefully without her own address, her brother wouldn’t be able to find her. The latter was the most important thing and would definitely buy her the time she needed before returning to Charleston for a face-off with Baron.
“How old are you?”
Sheriff Higgins’s question reeled her concentration back in. “I’m twenty-four but will be turning twenty-five on Christmas Day.”
Myra studied his very handsome features, which she’d noticed the moment she’d walked in. She figured he was either thirty-five or thirty-six, which would put him at Baron’s age. She’d encountered good-looking older men before. Her brother’s friends were all eye candy and, like him, they were all womanizers who thought women were good for only one thing. Long ago she figured it must be an age thing. Even Baron thought that way and he’d been married to Cleo almost four years. She loved her sister-in-law and regretted how Baron and his mother, Charlene, were treating her. Myra was convinced Cleo would have left Baron long ago, but he swore he would fight her for custody of the kids if she left him.
Pushing thoughts of Baron from her mind, Myra placed her concentration back on the man standing in front of her. He had chestnut-colored skin, broad shoulders and long legs that looked good in his pants.
He also had a gorgeous pair of dark brown eyes that seemed to be staring at her in disapproval. Why? Although this was what she considered an informal interview, she had dressed appropriately. She was wearing one of her church dresses with heels.
And why had he asked about her age? Hadn’t Miss Bonnie given him a rundown of her credentials and experience? What was the issue? She could tell by the frown on his face that there was one.
Automatically,