Irritation flashed in his eyes again but this time it was directed at her. “I have five brothers. Four of them are married. One has a baby. They’ve offered to help keep an eye on Wren and have the best of intentions, but all of them have distractions. The bottom line is that she’s my responsibility. My daughter is at that stage where she’s curious and likes to explore, and while I like to think I can keep up with her, sometimes one person isn’t enough.”
Merry had taken his daughter under her wing on her first day of school. Wren had been new to town and frightened and Merry understood how that felt because growing up she’d been the new kid a lot. Her father had moved around for work and she’d changed schools often. So it had become her mission to make Wren Crawford comfortable, introduce her to the other kids and facilitate friendships. The little girl had made passing comments about her life. Her mother was dead and her father was sad sometimes.
She folded her hands and set them on the file folder in her lap. “Wild guess here. You don’t want to go to the wedding.”
He grinned wryly. “And I thought I was being subtle. To be honest, I’d rather not. But I can’t let my daughter miss out on the chance to be a flower girl, which she wants more than another princess doll. Also I’m a groomsman, so...”
“You don’t feel you have much choice.”
“Yes. And—” His gaze narrowed.
Merry had the fleeting thought that his intensity brought out a dark, brooding and slightly dangerous side that made her insides quiver. And that reaction needed to stay inside if she was going to land this gig. “Is something wrong?”
“You’re judging,” he accused.
“I’m not,” she lied. “Just clarifying. Trying to determine your expectations for the child-care professional you’re looking to hire.”
He nodded. “Because of the commitments I have at the event, it will be impossible for me to keep an eye on Wren one hundred percent of the time, and while of course I want someone to watch her when I can’t, it would be great if that person could really relate to her.” His mouth pulled tight for a moment. “I want someone who is nurturing, caring and warm with my daughter.” Another slight grin ghosted across his face. “No self-defense training is required.”
“Your little girl is an angel. I think I can handle the above qualifications without breaking a sweat.”
“Wren really seems to like you. But she’s a kid. How do I know you’re the best person for this position?”
“I brought references.” Based on the few things his daughter had said, she’d had a feeling she might need more than just her sincere and friendly smile to get this job. She handed him the folder.
He opened it and glanced through the papers there. “What’s this?”
“My résumé. Also I’ve included business, personal and educational references.” They were all glowing declarations of her interaction with people in general and children in particular.
One by one he examined each testimonial. “You’re an aide at the school, taking early childhood education classes. And you work for your father’s electrical business.”
“Not anymore. He passed away recently.”
His gaze met hers and there was sincere sympathy in his eyes. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.” The words were quiet and polite, completely at odds with the pain and panic of insecurity trickling through her.
He nodded, then continued his inspection of her paperwork. “This all looks to be in order. Do you have anything else?”
Really? Apparently he was looking to hire Mother Teresa. She reached for her purse and pulled out her wallet. “Did you miss the part in the principal’s letter of recommendation where she mentioned my wings, halo and uncanny ability to walk on water? Here’s my current Montana driver’s license. Feel free to run a background check.”
Merry had kept her tone courteous and professional, though she wanted to be huffy and annoyed. Still, she prepared herself to be shown out of his house. Her recommendations were glowing. That wasn’t blowing her own horn, just a fact. If that wasn’t good enough for him, then maybe the extra money wasn’t worth the trouble. And good luck to him finding a weekend nanny in this town.
The man stared at her for several moments before the corners of his mouth curved up a little. He was fighting a smile. Hallelujah. The cowboy had a sense of humor.
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Matthews. The most important qualification for this job isn’t on here.”
“And that is?”
“Wren likes you. If you still want it, the position is yours.”
She looked at him for a moment, not sure she’d heard right. “You’re sure? As you probably guessed from what I said, I can sometimes be headstrong and a little outspoken.”
“I noticed. And you may have guessed that I am protective of my daughter. Maybe too much, but with her I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“You love her,” Merry said simply. And it was quite possibly his most attractive quality.
“I do. Very much. Her mother died so she only has me.”
“She told me.” Merry remembered the conversation. She’d told Wren her own mom was gone, too, and that made them members of a club that no little girl wanted to join.
“Okay. That means you understand the situation.” He handed back her folder. “So, will you take the job?”
“Yes. I’d love to,” she said. “And I really wanted it. A chance to earn some extra money and the chance to get away for a couple of days at the same time. It’s been a rough year for me. So, yes. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Crawford.”
“If you call me that, I’ll be looking around for my father. It’s Hunter.”
“Okay.”
“May I call you Merry?” he asked.
“Wren already does so that works for me.”
“All right, then. I’ll give you the details.”
Hunter explained that his father’s private jet would take them to Rustler’s Notch, where they’d stay in a three-bedroom suite at the hotel. He told her the salary and the amount was exceptionally generous. Now it was her turn to fight a smile. She would be expected to keep Wren in sight at all times, which meant attending the rehearsal dinner and wedding festivities the next day.
“Oh, this is probably relevant information for you since my daughter is over the moon about the fancy flower girl dress she will wear. The ceremony is formal.”
The scenario he described was like a fantasy, until he dropped that bombshell. She didn’t have anything to wear to a formal wedding and there was no money in her extremely limited budget for a new dress.
“Is something wrong?” He was frowning at her.
“No. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. Just a funny expression on your face. Are you okay?”
“Fine.” She gave him a bright smile. And without missing a beat said, “That won’t be a problem at all.”
Nowhere in her personal references had anyone said she was a habitual liar but that was the second whopper she’d told him. The first being that she wasn’t judging him. How she wished this was a fairy tale. Then she could count on her fairy godmother spinning her a gorgeous dress out of unicorn sighs.
How in the world was she going to pull this off?