An Unexpected Arrangement Page 7

  “I wish he had talked to someone about his problems instead of running off to Vegas and getting some girl pregnant.”

  Skye’s eyes widened.

  Oh my. Had she said that out loud? So much for being discreet. And since when had she become so jealous and judgmental?

  “I’m sorry.” Laramie reached over and clasped Skye’s arm. “That was completely uncalled for. Please forgive me. I don’t know why I said that.”

  “Because it’s the truth. You don’t need to apologize. We’re all thinking the same thing. Jack hasn’t always had the best coping strategies. Remember what happened whenever his team lost a basketball game in high school?”

  “Yeah, he’d hurl baseballs at my grandfather’s barn until his arm was so sore he couldn’t lift it the next day.” Laramie shook her head. “So hardheaded.”

  Skye arched an eyebrow, then drained the last of her smoothie.

  “I’m nowhere near as stubborn as Jack,” Laramie protested.

  “It’s a toss-up.”

  Before she could argue, her phone chimed. She picked it up and glanced at the screen. A message from Jack. He’d sent a video of Charlotte crawling across his living room.

  Laramie gasped, then showed Skye. “Charlotte is crawling.”

  Skye offered a knowing smile. “That’s great.”

  “What?” Laramie played the video again, then reluctantly put her phone down. She could watch that all day. Instead, she shifted her focus to Skye. “What are you not saying?”

  Skye shrugged. “It’s interesting that Jack sent you the video of Charlotte’s milestone moment, that’s all.”

  “He was excited to tell someone.” Her fingers itched to send Jack a message. She reached for her drink instead, just to prove to Skye—and herself—that the video wasn’t a big deal.

  “And that someone is you.” Skye grinned triumphantly. “You’re allowed to have feelings about Jack, you know. Please don’t worry about what people will say or think, either.”

  Laramie sighed. “If I’m honest, my feelings for Jack have only grown stronger since I’ve started taking care of the girls.”

  Skye clapped her hands softly, eyes gleaming.

  “Wait. Don’t get too excited. The fact that he suddenly has two babies is hard for me to get used to. As much as I like taking care of the girls, I don’t want to move to Utah. Ever. Remember what happened when I followed Zeke to Montana? That was a disaster. I promised myself I’d never move for a guy again.”

  “This is different, though.”

  “Different how?” Laramie jammed her straw deeper into the ice inside her drink. “I’d have to start over in a new place, make new friends, find a new job. Not to mention leaving my family and my volleyball team without a coach right before the season starts. Why should I uproot and follow him if he isn’t interested in a relationship? What about what I need? I’m tired of putting everyone else’s needs before my own. And besides, he didn’t ask me.”

  “I totally get why you’re scared, but I also love my brother very much, and you’re my dearest friend. I want you both to be happy. Together.” Skye’s expression morphed from empathetic to all-business as she leaned closer. “You’d better tell each other how you feel before it’s too late.”

  “I’m not making the first move.” Except for falling apart in his arms yesterday. That wasn’t exactly a move. More like poor judgment. She didn’t have the energy to go there with Skye right now. Laramie linked her arms over her chest. “Call me stubborn, hardheaded, old-fashioned, whatever. I want to be pursued, and if he cared about me as anything more than his friend, wouldn’t he have taken me on a date instead of asking me to be his nanny?”

  “Maybe he thinks he isn’t good enough for you.”

  “Well, maybe he’s right. Maybe he isn’t.” Laramie shouldered her purse as she slid out of her chair. “I’ve got to go. I need to stop by the church and make the final arrangements for our car wash fundraiser this Saturday.”

  “Good to see you.” Skye waved. “We’ll talk soon.”

  Laramie made her way to the door, eager to get to the church and double-check the details for the volleyball team’s fundraiser before the administrative assistant went to lunch. Abandoning Skye’s words wasn’t quite so easy, though. Did Skye and her family really want to see Jack and Laramie in a relationship?

  Not that it mattered what his family wanted. Jack never did let that influence his choices. He seemed to go the opposite direction. And dwelling on her feelings for him wouldn’t change anything. He planned to leave as soon as he could, while she couldn’t possibly abandon her family now.

  * * *

  A baby who’d learned to crawl was highly overrated.

  Jack huffed out a breath as he gently guided Charlotte out from under his coffee table for what seemed like the bazillionth time. Yesterday, he’d sent Laramie the video of Charlotte on her hands and knees, awkwardly crawling across the living room floor while Jack cheered her on. Today the little stinker had gained confidence quickly. Too quickly. While part of him was happy she’d achieved a milestone, most of him was already exhausted keeping up with her. All hope of getting any work done this morning had vanished.

  “You’re quite pleased with yourself, aren’t you?” Jack kissed her cheek, then set her back in the middle of the room.

  “Ba-ba-ba-ba!” She grinned up at him, then pushed onto all fours and crawled right back toward the table.

  Sweet mercy. Nap time couldn’t get here soon enough. Refusing to be ignored, Macey bounced up and down nearby in the saucer thing with all the toys rimming the edge. She alternated between chewing on a plastic teddy bear’s ear and screeching as loud as she could.

  Jack massaged his temple and checked the time on his phone. Where was Laramie, anyway? She’d gone to buy more sponges and buckets for her car wash fundraiser and said she’d be back around lunch. It was almost twelve thirty. Maybe she ran into a friend at the hardware store. He could feed the girls on his own, but that didn’t mean he wanted to. He’d have to get used to doing things on his own, though. Especially if he moved away.

  An ache settled in his gut. Could he handle starting over in Utah with two babies? He squelched the doubt as soon as it arrived and crossed the room to help Macey. Staying in Merritt’s Crossing wasn’t the answer, either. Not when he collided with people’s impossible expectations of him at every turn.

  “What’s the matter, sweet girl?” Maybe she was hungry. Or annoyed that he’d plopped her in the stationary toy. She hadn’t quite figured out how to crawl, and she seemed aggravated that Charlotte was on the move. Did sibling competition start this early? He’d have to ask Laramie. She was the expert on all that child development stuff.

  Charlotte grabbed a pink-and-purple rattle and thrust it into the air. The beads inside swirled around, capturing Macey’s attention. She shrieked, then stretched out both arms, her little face crumpling in frustration.

  Jack glanced at Charlotte, who shook the rattle again, almost as if she was taunting her sister, then shoved one end in her mouth. Macey burst into tears.

  “Charlotte.” He frowned at her. “Did you do that on purpose?”

  She stared up at him, wide-eyed, still gnawing on the rattle.

  While she wasn’t formulating words yet, she’d certainly figured out how to annoy her sister with her actions.

  Macey sobbed and bounced up and down in the saucer. Pitiful tears slid down her rosy cheeks.

  “Aww, come here.” He carefully lifted her up and snuggled her close.

  Facing the window, he gently patted Macey’s back and stared at the combine rolling across his neighbor’s field. The fruity scent of her baby shampoo enveloped him as she sucked her thumb and nestled her head against his shoulder. A wisp of her hair tickled his chin.

  Oh, brother. The hair. Thankfully he had a couple of years until he had to deal
with bows, clips and braids. What was he going to do when they wanted braids? The thought of trying to figure out how to twist hair into a decent style was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. And he couldn’t even think about sleepovers, boyfriends or teaching them both to drive.

  Macey heaved a sigh, then went limp in his arms. He glanced down as her eyelids fluttered closed. So much for feeding her lunch before her nap. Jack turned around and found Charlotte sitting beside the coffee table, ripping pages out of his latest outdoor adventure magazine.

  Oh, well. At least she was sitting still. He didn’t have time to read the thing, anyway.

  It was amazing how two tiny humans had ransacked his life in the best possible way. He wasn’t sleeping much, and he’d spent a small fortune on diapers and formula, but he’d also learned what it meant to love in a way he’d never understood or known before. Sure, the babies were exasperating, and he had no idea what he was doing half the time. Okay, more like eighty-five percent of the time. But he loved them no matter what.

  Macey and Charlotte were his.

  While he’d made a huge mistake when he chose to spend the weekend in Vegas with their mother, maybe the babies arriving on his doorstep meant God was giving him an opportunity to redeem his reckless, impulsive choices. A fierce determination to protect his daughters crested inside. He’d do everything possible to make sure his babies had what they needed to grow and thrive.

  * * *

  The morning sun showed no mercy as Laramie gathered her volleyball team in the church parking lot for a car wash. She was taking the whole team to camp at the university in Fort Collins next month, and this was their last fundraiser. Sweat slicked her skin and the heat radiating off the asphalt made her feel like she’d stepped inside an oven. Note to self—plan ahead next time and sell Christmas wreaths when the weather was cooler.

  At least the girls had positive attitudes. Hers could use a serious adjustment, preferably in the form of a large iced coffee from Common Grounds. Ever since Jack broke the news that his first interview had gone well and he was scheduled for a second, she hadn’t been sleeping much.

  Would it be wrong to leave Hope, the team’s starting setter, in charge while she walked down the street to the coffee shop? Guilt pricked at her. One of the freshmen shrieked and hid behind her teammate as a senior playfully aimed a water hose at her. Yeah, probably better if she didn’t leave them unsupervised.

  “Girls. Focus, please.” She gestured toward a minivan pulling into the parking lot. “Your first customer is here.”

  Two more cars trailed the minivan. Then a familiar pickup truck circled through the parking lot and joined the end of the line. She refused to look directly at the driver. There were other trucks like Jack’s in town. Her palms instantly grew clammy and her insides did backflips like a cheerleader at a Friday night football game.

  Laramie pretended to look after the girls while they splashed soapy sponges across the side of the minivan. Unfortunately for her, they didn’t need a lot of instruction. She longed to steal a glance at Jack’s truck. What was he doing here? She checked the time on her phone. The twins usually slept until ten thirty or so. Did he wake them from their naps to come to her team’s car wash?

  A few minutes later, the girls finished with the minivan and Hope collected the donation from the driver. Laramie smiled and waved at the man behind the wheel.

  “Thank you for supporting our volleyball team,” she said.

  “Sure thing.” He tipped his ball cap her direction, then drove away.

  The next car—a teacher from the elementary school—pulled up. Laramie was so glad when she rolled down the window to chat for a minute. She needed a distraction.

  “Good morning.” Emily waggled her fingers. “How’s it going?”

  “Not bad.” Trying not to stare at the handsome single dad in the back of the line. Laramie kept that thought to herself. “Thanks for coming by.”

  “Are you kidding?” Emily grinned. “I’m always glad to have my former students wash the dust off my car.”

  “I hear you.” Laramie stepped back so the girls could get started, but Emily wasn’t so easily deterred. “What’s this I hear about you working as a nanny now? Are you still coaching volleyball or is this a permanent change?”

  A dozen pair of eyes slid her way. Laramie was paralyzed. Was it temporary? She’d only planned to nanny for Jack for a few weeks. Until he’d pulled her into his arms. Again. She was still thinking about the warmth of his touch and the strength he’d—

  “Coach?” Hope stared at her, holding the hose suspended over a bucket. The panic flashing in her eyes yanked Laramie back to reality.

  “Completely temporary.” Laramie held up her palm to confirm the validity of her words. “I’m helping Jack for a few weeks. It’s an emergency. He’ll find someone permanent when he...as soon as he can.”

  Oh boy. She was babbling. And she’d almost announced Jack’s plans to move. Not that he wasn’t moving—he’d made his intentions crystal clear. But it wasn’t her place to announce his news here, especially to one of the chattiest women in all of Merritt’s Crossing.

  “He has twins, right?” Emily smirked. “I’d like to say I’m surprised, but he’s always been quite the ladies’ man.”

  Anger flared. She did not care for Emily’s tone or her thinly veiled insult aimed at Jack.

  “He’s handling fatherhood quite well, actually.” She forced her mouth into a polite smile. With all the girls still watching and listening to their conversation, she couldn’t afford to say what was really on her mind. Firing back with a snide comment would do more harm than good.

  “Hope, why don’t you and the girls get started?” Laramie gestured to the line forming behind Emily. “We don’t want to keep all these nice people waiting too long.”

  Emily waved and took another sip of her coffee, then rolled up her window. Laramie turned away, her skin heated. She’d jumped to Jack’s defense rather quickly. Too quickly. Was Emily going to repeat their conversation to all her friends? And why did she even care?

  Flustered, Laramie grabbed the vacuum and took out her frustrations on the next customer’s interior. A few minutes later, she straightened and turned off the vacuum as Jack’s truck eased in behind her.

  Sweat trickled down her spine, making her T-shirt stick to her skin. She swiped the back of her hand across her forehead and met his gaze through the windshield. He waved, then motioned for her to come closer.

  Laramie’s heart hammered as she skirted the front of his truck and met him on the driver’s side. Jack lowered his window.

  “Hey.” He handed her a large iced coffee. “I brought this for you. The ladies at Common Grounds said this was your usual.”

  The familiar scent of his spicy aftershave greeted her, and his slow grin only made her heart rate skitter further out of control. What in the world? It’s just Jack in his stupid truck.

  “Thanks.” Her voice was barely more than a squeak as she took the coffee.

  “How’s the car wash going?”

  She lifted one shoulder, then popped the straw into the iced drink. Maybe caffeine would clear the fog from her muddled brain. “Good so far.”

  Minus the part where Emily grilled me and I defended you.

  Jack’s gaze flitted from her head to her toes and back. “I like your shirt. You look good in green.”

  The frozen mocha cooled her parched mouth and she almost choked as his words registered. Was he flirting with her?

  Laramie coughed and Jack’s brow furrowed.

  “Is something wrong with your drink?”

  “No, not at all. It’s, um, good. Thank you.” She cleared her throat, then peeked over his shoulder at the car seats behind him. “Are the girls with you?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Did you wake them up early from their naps just to bring me cof
fee?”

  Hurt flashed in Jack’s eyes. “It’s almost ninety-five degrees. I thought you’d appreciate a cold drink.”

  “I do. I said thank-you, right?” She blew out a breath. “Can we at least wash your truck? I feel bad that they’re missing their naps.”

  Jack’s smile was tight this time. “Nope, we only came by to see you and bring coffee. I’ll make a donation, though. Have a great day, Laramie.”

  He passed her a twenty-dollar bill then rolled up his window and slowly eased his car toward the exit.

  As she watched him drive away, Hope elbowed her in the ribs. “Real smooth, Coach. Real smooth.”

  The other girls standing nearby didn’t bother to stifle their laughter. Laramie cringed inwardly. She hadn’t meant to be rude or sound ungrateful. He’d blindsided her with the coffee delivery and the not-so-subtle compliment. So not fair.

  She kept staring long after his truck disappeared. What are you up to, Jack? If he was determined to move to Utah, why did he have to show up looking so good and flirting like he was interested in anything more than friendship?

  Chapter Seven

  Late Monday morning, Jack sat at his desk in his home office, staring at the email update from the recruiter for the job in Utah. The details regarding his second interview scheduled for next week filled the screen. Exactly what he’d hoped for. The position offered great benefits, there would be no traveling and the location was very family-friendly. So why was he hesitating?

  An incoming call saved him from responding. He glanced at his phone sitting on the desk. His brother-in-law’s name and number lit up the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey. Have you got a minute?” Gage’s voice was tight. “I need a favor.”

  “What’s up?” Jack spun around in his chair, relieved he didn’t have to think about why he wasn’t more interested in the interview.

  “Skye scheduled a delivery for today and I forgot all about it. I have an appointment I can’t reschedule.”