her hair, and she raked her fingers through it extra hard. There was no telling how she looked, but how he looked? Wow, was he easy on the eyes. Not to even mention how heart-stoppingly handsome he was minus the hat and the bandana. Dark hair, cropped extra short, and that face, and that smile. Ugh. It just wasn’t fair.
She rolled her eyes so she was looking up at the ceiling in desperation. “God, listen to me. I do not need to fall for this guy. I don’t need him to keep showing up like this. Please. Please. I’m asking You…”
“ Good morning,” Keith said brightly the very next morning as he strode into the kitchen, bandana on, and hat in hand. Apparently her prayers all night long had had no effect.
Maggie sighed in consternation and planted a patient smile on her face. “Morning. There’s Cheerios.”
“ Cool.” He sat down between the two kids and grabbed the box and a bowl from the middle of the table. Maggie had been wondering why Inez had set an extra one out. Now she knew.
“ Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“ Good. You?”
“ I’m going to have to go get my own pillow from my place. These extra fluffy things are about to do me in.” He leaned his head first one way then the other.
“ Ike’s heading out this morning?” she asked, pulling her shoulders up to her ears as wrists to elbows she straightened on the little window seat.
“ Ten. I’ve got to get over there as soon as I can. They’re gonna be wondering where I am.” He ate a bite and then looked over at her, which did nothing to calm her stomach. “You don’t eat breakfast?”
“ Oh. I had a muffin earlier.”
“ A muffin.” He lifted his chin skeptically. “Well, that’s one plus in your favor. Helga got canned because she ate too much.”
Maggie swallowed at the implication. “Helga?”
“ She was the nanny… what? A year. Year and a half ago. Something like that.”
If he was trying to make her feel better, it wasn’t working. “So, they go through a lot of nannies. Huh?”
Keith shrugged as he finished off his Cheerios. “About one every couple months or so.”
“ Oh.” It was all she could get out.
“ Well, I’m off to the races.” He stood and grabbed his hat from the table. When it was on his head, Maggie had to force herself to think. Then he smiled and all the remaining thoughts scattered along with their counterparts. “Or to get ‘em ready for the races anyway. Y’all have a good day.”
“’ Bye, Keef,” Isabella said through her mouthful of food.
“” Bye, baby doll.” Keith bent and kissed her forehead. “See ya, slugger.” He waved at Peter, and with that he strode out of the kitchen.
The air she hadn’t realized she wasn’t breathing escaped in a rush. He had to quit doing that. He was going to kill her before they had a chance to fire her.
Keith felt bad about mentioning the nanny situation, but it was only fair to warn her. More to the point, every time he saw her, he had to remind himself that this couldn’t last. She would be gone by the end of the month if she lasted that long. He had a life. His own life. And it did not include Maggie Montgomery.
“ So, you decided to grace us with your presence this morning?” Ike asked when Keith stalked into the barn.
“ I’m early.”
“ And happy about it, I see.” Ike was busy loading the horse equipment into the trailer. When he hopped from the trailer’s running board, his cowboy boots kicked up a puff of dust. “You see Maggie this morning?”
He didn’t want to answer that question. It did funny things to his heart. “Yeah. She was at breakfast.”
The trainer’s motion slowed to a stop, and he exhaled hard. “Listen, Keith. This is none of my business.”
Keith looked up at him and steeled himself. There was a challenge in his eyes and his voice. “But…?”
Ike shook his head slowly. “Look, I don’t have to tell you the score. You know it better than I do. But a spring fling with
She rolled her eyes so she was looking up at the ceiling in desperation. “God, listen to me. I do not need to fall for this guy. I don’t need him to keep showing up like this. Please. Please. I’m asking You…”
“ Good morning,” Keith said brightly the very next morning as he strode into the kitchen, bandana on, and hat in hand. Apparently her prayers all night long had had no effect.
Maggie sighed in consternation and planted a patient smile on her face. “Morning. There’s Cheerios.”
“ Cool.” He sat down between the two kids and grabbed the box and a bowl from the middle of the table. Maggie had been wondering why Inez had set an extra one out. Now she knew.
“ Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“ Good. You?”
“ I’m going to have to go get my own pillow from my place. These extra fluffy things are about to do me in.” He leaned his head first one way then the other.
“ Ike’s heading out this morning?” she asked, pulling her shoulders up to her ears as wrists to elbows she straightened on the little window seat.
“ Ten. I’ve got to get over there as soon as I can. They’re gonna be wondering where I am.” He ate a bite and then looked over at her, which did nothing to calm her stomach. “You don’t eat breakfast?”
“ Oh. I had a muffin earlier.”
“ A muffin.” He lifted his chin skeptically. “Well, that’s one plus in your favor. Helga got canned because she ate too much.”
Maggie swallowed at the implication. “Helga?”
“ She was the nanny… what? A year. Year and a half ago. Something like that.”
If he was trying to make her feel better, it wasn’t working. “So, they go through a lot of nannies. Huh?”
Keith shrugged as he finished off his Cheerios. “About one every couple months or so.”
“ Oh.” It was all she could get out.
“ Well, I’m off to the races.” He stood and grabbed his hat from the table. When it was on his head, Maggie had to force herself to think. Then he smiled and all the remaining thoughts scattered along with their counterparts. “Or to get ‘em ready for the races anyway. Y’all have a good day.”
“’ Bye, Keef,” Isabella said through her mouthful of food.
“” Bye, baby doll.” Keith bent and kissed her forehead. “See ya, slugger.” He waved at Peter, and with that he strode out of the kitchen.
The air she hadn’t realized she wasn’t breathing escaped in a rush. He had to quit doing that. He was going to kill her before they had a chance to fire her.
Keith felt bad about mentioning the nanny situation, but it was only fair to warn her. More to the point, every time he saw her, he had to remind himself that this couldn’t last. She would be gone by the end of the month if she lasted that long. He had a life. His own life. And it did not include Maggie Montgomery.
“ So, you decided to grace us with your presence this morning?” Ike asked when Keith stalked into the barn.
“ I’m early.”
“ And happy about it, I see.” Ike was busy loading the horse equipment into the trailer. When he hopped from the trailer’s running board, his cowboy boots kicked up a puff of dust. “You see Maggie this morning?”
He didn’t want to answer that question. It did funny things to his heart. “Yeah. She was at breakfast.”
The trainer’s motion slowed to a stop, and he exhaled hard. “Listen, Keith. This is none of my business.”
Keith looked up at him and steeled himself. There was a challenge in his eyes and his voice. “But…?”
Ike shook his head slowly. “Look, I don’t have to tell you the score. You know it better than I do. But a spring fling with
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