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“I need to know what you expect, what my duties will entail. I have never done this before.”
He looked exasperated. “That much was obvious when Violet first suggested the arrangement. Mainly watch Darcy—keep her safe and give her something to do.”
“And fix the meals.”
He quirked a brow. “That a problem?”
“No. Not at all. I like to cook. I imagine you like plain food.”
“As compared to what?” he asked, watching her warily.
“Cordon bleu.”
“Can you cook like that?”
She grinned and shook her head. “No, but I can make some fancy stuff.”
Darcy watched the exchange with wide eyes.
“Plain wholesome foods and plenty of it,” he said.
“Ummm. Do you ever cook out back?” She’d caught a glimpse of a grill when she’d passed the window over the sink a few minutes ago.
“Most of the summer that’s what I do if I don’t eat with the men—steaks, mostly.”
Figured, working on a cattle ranch.
Once the meal was finished, Ty surprised Maddie by clearing his dish and cup, putting them in the sink.
He lifted his cowboy hat off a peg and plopped it on. He walked toward the back door. “I have chores to do.” He opened the door and turned to look at her. “Tell Violet if you need anything. She knows how to reach me on the range.”
Maddie swallowed hard and nodded. He intimidated her. There were no two ways about it. But his daughter was adorable. Her straight brown hair framed a heart-shaped face. Her dark brown eyes watched Maddie with a somber expression. She looked confused and unhappy and sad. Her mother had just died. That was a hard thing to deal with at any age.
Hadn’t her own mother—the woman she’d always thought of as her mother—died suddenly when Maddie had been a few years younger than Darcy? It had been a solo car accident, the vehicle spinning out of control on a rain-slicked street.
For a moment, Maddie remembered her lost, confused and sad self at age five. If she hadn’t had her brothers she didn’t know what she would have done. Darcy had no one.
Ty looked at Darcy. “Mind Maddie, hear?”
She nodded solemnly.
The door closed and Maddie looked at Darcy. Memories of her own mother, of her loss so many years ago, had been at the forefront these last few weeks. Nothing anyone could say would bring her mother back, nor Darcy’s. It was up to them to move forward, as hard as that was. She smiled gently at the little girl.
“I’ll do the dishes while you get dressed, then we can head for the barn.”
“Okay.” Darcy dashed down the hall.
Running water in the sink, Maddie thought about Ty and how hard it must have been to suddenly discover he had a daughter.
“His wife should have told him,” Maddie murmured to herself. From what Violet had said, if Darcy’s grandparents hadn’t been out of touch it was doubtful the state would have even looked for Ty.
It was a big thing to have a parent one never knew about. Maddie gazed out the window, feeling the loss anew of her mother. To discover that Sharla Wallace hadn’t been her biological mother still stunned her. Closing her eyes, for a second she could almost feel her loving touch. Feel the love that always enveloped her when her mom hugged her or rocked her in that big rocking chair. It had been twenty years since she’d felt her loving hands, heard her laughter, listened to her stories of when she’d been a little girl.
Now she’d learned Belle Colby was her mother, her biological mother.
She still had difficulty absorbing that. Maybe it would be easier if Belle was at the ranch and could offer an explanation for so many of the questions she had. In a wry twist of fate, only a few days before Violet had shown up in Fort Worth and set the entire course of events in motion, Belle had been thrown from a horse and suffered a traumatic brain injury. She was still in a coma six weeks later.
“I’m ready,” Darcy said, coming back into the kitchen wearing pink shorts and a pink-and-white shirt. Tennis shoes on her feet.
Maddie turned to smile at her. “And faster than I got these dishes done.”
Thinking about things would have to wait. She had a little girl to take care of.
* * *
Ty finished giving the men their assignments for the day and went to saddle his own horse. For the first time since he’d heard about Darcy, he felt he could make it through the day. The stunned knowledge, the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy, was held at bay. He had Maddie now to watch her. Maybe she could relate to Darcy. He sure hadn’t been able to.
Once the horse was ready, he mounted and headed out of the barn and into the bright Texas sun. He was going to ride the fence line at the far boundary. One of the hands had spotted Colby cattle on the neighbor’s property and wondered if there was a breach in the fence. Instead of assigning that cowboy to find out, Ty decided to ride out himself. He needed the time away from the insurmountable problems in the homestead. Time to try to wrap his head around the fact that a week ago he hadn’t even known he had an eight-year-old daughter.
One week since the social services woman had called. A week to accept his ex-wife, Brittany, had deceived him in more ways than one. A week to get used to having a daughter—and having her show up to live with him.
As he rode, the routine of his job took hold. He loved being out on the range, loved the peace and serenity that came from being only him and his horse. Gradually some of the stress and tension began to ease. At least he could ride away today. The last five days he’d been so preoccupied with Darcy that his mind hadn’t been on the job.
Not that he regretted a moment of that time. She was a wonder. Although she resembled her mother in many ways, she had inherited his brown hair and dark eyes. He couldn’t help wondering if they shared other traits as well. He didn’t know if she was naturally shy, or only around him, but he was doing his best to make her feel at ease.
And doing a bad job, he knew.
But he wasn’t used to children. He hadn’t a clue what made them tick. And especially not a girl raised in the city, used to the lifestyle his ex-wife had embraced with fervor once their marriage ended.
Anger at Brittany boiled over again. He looked up at the sky, silently asking how she could have hated him so much to keep all knowledge of his only daughter from him.
An only, spoiled child, Brittany had been impossible to live with when she didn’t get her way. Things went from bad to worse when he broke his leg in the rodeo and he was out. She balked when he told her that his rodeo days were over and he wanted to settle on a ranch. Brittany had tried to convince him to take a cushy job in Houston working for his father, but he told her he wasn’t cut out for the corporate world. He’d known she was angry, but he had no clue how much she resented him—or how far-reaching the emotional fallout would be.
Brittany stayed with him while he recovered, but made her position clear—ranch life wasn’t for her. Two months later, he was served with divorce papers. Judging by Darcy’s birthday, Brittany had to have known she was pregnant. Once he was fit enough to ride, he kept his head held high and found a spot at the Colby ranch. He moved forward with his plans, but never in his wildest dreams would he have fathomed that he had a daughter out there somewhere.
Ty gripped the reins tighter in the futility of trying to understand how a woman he’d once loved, who had declared she loved him, could have behaved so underhandedly and cruelly.
“Lord, if You’re listening, I could use some help here. I don’t know what the future’s going to hold, but I’m hoping Darcy and I can build a bond that nothing will break. That I’ll be a better father to her than mine was to me. Don’t let me mess this up, please, Lord.”
He had to believe there was some hope on the horizon. Two years ago he was promoted to foreman at the Colby ranch. It was the closest thing he had to owning his own ranch until he could make that dream a reality.
Ty had been as surprised as Jack Colby when Violet returned from Fort Worth with an identical twin. He hadn’t heard much about the situation. That was a Colby family matter and deserved privacy. But once or twice Jack had said something. Apparently, he had a twin out there somewhere as well.
When Violet had suggested yesterday that Maddie watch Darcy for a few weeks, he’d been dumfounded. And against the idea entirely.
Maddie Wallace was from Fort Worth. Bright lights, a thriving nightlife and lots of cultural stimulation for a sophisticated career woman. Maddie wouldn’t last a month as nanny to his daughter. She’d be like Brittany, feeling constrained on the ranch, bored, anxious for the excitement cities offered and were definitely missing from a working ranch.
He only needed a month. In September, Darcy started school. He’d see if he could find a mom in town who would babysit after school until he could pick her up. Until next summer. Who knew what would happen by then? Maybe Josh, one of the ranch cowboys, would get married to that gal he was courting and Ty would have someone on the ranch to watch Darcy. That part he’d trust to the Lord.
He reached the fence and began patrolling. Until he found a break, there was nothing keeping his thoughts from straying to his new nanny. He envisioned her plain as day. She looked like Violet, yet didn’t. They were identical, yet her features were a tiny bit sharper. Her auburn hair brushed her shoulders, looking soft in the sunlight, with gold strands gleaming in the sun. Her brown eyes, which she often covered with sunglasses, looked like melted chocolate. The lashes were dark and thick.
Ty scowled. He had no business comparing any woman’s eyes with chocolate. He had to figure if he should be looking for a local woman who could watch Darcy. Someone used to ranch life, instead of someone city bred and as out of place on the ranch as the Queen of England.
Maybe that was the reason Violet suggested Maddie. She lived the same kind of life Darcy had. They’d relate. And both were like fish out of water. Maddie had been here almost a month and still wore silk blouses and open-toed shoes. Even Brittany had known better.
Maddie reminded him of Brittany. He knew it was unfair to judge a person on outward appearances, but he couldn’t help it. She was gloss and glamour, and he needed someone practical and down to earth. He didn’t believe it was going to work.
Of course the next one to watch Darcy wouldn’t be as pretty, he knew. Probably wouldn’t have that constant cheerful smile that had him taking a second look. And a third. He wasn’t sure what she had to smile about. She’d lost her job, found out she’d been lied to her entire life and was now temporarily hired to be a nanny. And apparently, she was alone in the world except for the Colbys as her own brothers were away and her father was not responding to her calls.
Note to the future—he’d be there for his daughter when she needed him.
* * *
Once the kitchen was spotless, Maddie and Darcy went to the barn. The horses fascinated the little girl, and Maddie was trying to get used to them. She envied Violet’s lack of trepidation when around the large animals. Together, Maddie and Darcy walked through the wide center portion, looking at the empty stalls, studying the hay stacked in the loft high overhead, wondering how the bales had made it up there. Most of the horses were either being ridden by the cowboys or were in the corral at the side of the barn.
As Maddie watched the little girl dart here and there, she wondered if she would be up to the task. A local woman would have been a better choice, someone who already knew about the ranches, about cattle, horses and cowboys. This child would soon find out all she needed as she grew up on the ranch from someone like that.
Maddie, on the other hand, believed she’d always feel awkward and out of step. It seemed to be a lifestyle one needed to be raised in to fully understand. She’d never even visited a dude ranch, much less a working ranch. And much as she loved being with her sister, learning more about her life and coming face-to-face with identical likes and dislikes, she also felt in the way.
Especially since Violet and Landon had fallen in love.
Talk about a curveball! Only two months ago Landon had been pressuring her for a wedding date. Now he was head over heels in love with her twin. Not that Maddie wanted to marry him, as she’d explained when she’d broken their engagement. He hadn’t taken no for an answer at first, claiming she was having premarital jitters. But their relationship had never felt totally right. He’d been a friend whom she’d dated for months. When he proposed, she accepted, hoping her feelings would strengthen to be what she thought a wife should feel for a husband.
What did she know? Her mother had died when she’d been five. Her father had never remarried. So she only saw married couples from a distance. Their widowed housekeeper, Rachel, had raised her and her brothers. Still, she was never able to envision herself living with Landon. She’d somehow known from the beginning the two of them wouldn’t make it.
He was a great guy, and she was delighted he’d found his true love with Violet.
Maddie once again pushed away the thought of Belle Colby. She had had weeks to get used to the idea that the woman was her mother. Yet the only interaction they’d had was when Maddie went to visit her with Violet. Despite Belle’s grim prognosis, Violet remained hopeful for recovery. Maddie spoke to her, prayed with her sister for her healing, but still she felt nothing of Belle to connect her as her mother.
She’d seen photographs of Belle with Violet and Jack from when they’d been little. There was no doubt they were her children, which had to mean she and Grayson were also her children. But the instant rapport she’d yearned for wasn’t there. Not as it had been with Violet.
“Can we ride a horse?” Darcy asked, interrupting her ruminations.
“We can ask your dad. I’m sure he’ll want you to learn to ride.”
“Then I could ride everywhere,” Darcy said, coming to stand beside Maddie. “Can you ride?”
“Not very well.”
“Maybe he can teach you, too,” she said, heading out of the barn.
Maddie smiled at that suggestion. She doubted Ty wanted to spend a minute more with her than he had to. But she had enough questions to ask him when he got home.
She smiled in anticipation. It would give her another reason to spend a bit more time with Ty—and the confusing feelings she had for him. She could hardly wait.
Chapter Two
By lunchtime, Maddie was glad to leave the barn area and return to Ty’s air-conditioned house.
“Thank You, Lord, for this,” she murmured as she and Darcy entered.
“What?” Darcy asked, looking up at her.
“I’m giving a thanks prayer to the Lord for the coolness,” she said.
“Oh.” Darcy was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Can you ask God why my mommy died?”
“Honey, it was a terrible accident.” Maddie gave her a quick hug.
From what she’d learned from Violet, the drunk driver had come from a side street and T-boned the driver’s side of Brittany Parker’s car, killing her instantly. Maddie was thankful Darcy had not been in the car.
She released Darcy with a pat on her shoulder. “You’re with your dad now, he’ll take good care of you.”
“Mommy said my dad was dead.”
“He wasn’t. He’s been here all along, waiting for you to come live with him,” Maddie said, wondering how to explain things to the child when she herself didn’t understand his ex-wife’s behavior.
“Why didn’t he ever come visit me? Especially at Christmas. My grandmama and grandpa always come to visit at Christmas. It’s time for family.”
“He didn’t know where you lived.”
Darcy considered that for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t like it here. When can I go home?”
“This is your home now,” Maddie said as they headed for the kitchen.
“No, it’s not. I live at 2733 Aspen Street, Houston, Texas.”
“That’s the home you had with your mom. Now you live here with your dad.” Maddie switched gears to try to lift the girl’s mood. “Let’s eat lunch and we can talk about what you want to do this afternoon.”
“Are you going to spend the afternoon with me?”
“I am. In fact, I’m going to be watching you during the day while your dad’s working. How’s that?”
Darcy shrugged, pulling her mouth down. “Okay, I guess.”
What a ringing endorsement, Maddie thought, but tried not to feel discouraged.
She glanced through the wide window over the sink when she stepped into the kitchen. She loved the beautiful view.
“What would you like for lunch?” Maddie asked, rummaging around, looking for bread and dishes.
“Peanut butter and grape jam. He bought some grape jam for me ’cause I like it.”
“He?” Maddie asked.
“You know, my dad,” Darcy said in a quiet voice.
Maddie wondered what Darcy was thinking. So far she hadn’t heard the child refer to Ty as anything but “he.”
