added, as if his distancing himself from her was obvious.
“Of course. Have a seat.” The invitation was automatic because he didn’t want her to get comfortable enough to stick around.
“Thanks.” She sat in one of the club chairs in front of his desk.
“Is there a problem?” He was studying her and saw the color that rose into her cheeks. What was that about?
“No.” The response was quick and a little sharp. “Your daughter is wonderful.”
“She’s the best.” And deserved someone without his shortcomings as a father. Unfortunately, he was what she got.
“I just need to know what you expect of me.”
He expected that her skin was even softer than it looked, and if he touched his mouth to hers... There it was. His shortcomings as a man were scratching to get out. He shook his head to clear it. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“When I interviewed we talked mostly about my qualifications and obviously my job is to watch over Cassie and keep her safe.”
“Did Tracy explain that she thought it best to bring you in before her wedding so Cass can get used to the arrangement? Also, she has a million things to do to get ready for her day. And by the time she leaves on the honeymoon, she’ll feel comfortable that everything with our daughter is going smoothly?”
“Yes. She said she’ll be gone six weeks.”
“Right. So, we’re good—”
“Wait. I know you work long hours and won’t be around to ask, so it would be good to go over the questions I’ve thought of, like... How do you want her time structured? Tracy said my application for this job stood out because I teach kindergarten and Cassie will be starting in September. Do you want activities channeled for learning? Or strictly fun?”
Logan had no idea. This was Tracy’s deal. She was Cassie’s mom and made all the decisions. Since he only ever had his daughter on weekends, Logan deferred to her mother’s maternal instincts and judgment. He always had. His upbringing was so screwed up that he had no business deciding anything for his daughter.
He looked at Grace and hoped the panic didn’t show. “You’re the expert in that department. Do you think she needs learning activities all summer?”
“She’s really bright, so probably not. But I can plan some things to do that are fun, and she won’t even know she’s learning.”
“That sounds good.”
“For what it’s worth, I think kids should be carefree while they can be. Responsibility comes soon enough.”
It had come too soon for him. Logan was just a kid himself when his mom took her four children and left his wealthy, cheating father. They ended up homeless, even though she waitressed and cleaned houses, doing her best to take care of them. Logan took on being head of the family to protect her and his siblings. He’d been twelve then and didn’t recommend it for any kid.
“Okay,” he finally said. “Fun first. No dedicated learning during the summer. Good talk. I’m glad—”
“Wait. Something else I need to ask.”
“Shoot.” He held in a sigh.
“As far as structuring time... Do you need me to do housekeeping? Cooking? Anything like that?”
“I have someone who comes in once a week, so probably not. But cooking for Cassie and you is something you’ll need to handle.”
“No problem. I’m happy to plan meals and make a plate for you, if you’d like.”
There was a sweetness in her voice, an expression in her eyes, a softness that any man could get used to. And it pierced the hollow emptiness inside him. He was normally dead tired when he finished work at night, and that obviously lowered his resistance. It was his only excuse for saying, “That would be nice.”
“Great. Pleased to do it.” And she smiled as if that was the truth.
“So, if there’s nothing else...”
“Just one more thing.”
There always was. “Okay. What is it?”
“Why don’t you want to teach Cassie to ride a horse?”
“What makes you think I don’t?” He didn’t, but that was beside the point.
“I read between the lines,” Grace said. “The fact that you always say you’ll talk about it later coupled with her protest that she’s not a baby. Apparently she feels treated like one.”
Logan was pretty sure that at this point in a conversation a mother would fall back on “because I’m the mom and know best.” He couldn’t do the dad version because he had no idea what the blueprint of a good one looked like. All he could think to say was, “What’s your point?”
“Just that I live in a ranching community and teach kindergarten. Lots of children learn to ride even younger than Cassie. So what are you afraid of?”
That he’d be outed as a fraud? The bad that he grew up with was carved into him and would somehow come out and hurt his daughter? “I’m not afraid of anything. But I gave my word to Tracy that our child will be in one cute, adorable piece when she comes back from her honeymoon. You’ve been hired to help me do that.”
“Right.” Her tone said she’d noticed he hadn’t actually answered her question about teaching Cassie to ride. “That’s it, then. Good night, Logan.”
He watched the sway of her hips as she left his office, then let out a long breath. Cassie would be fine when this was all over because he’d walk through fire to make sure of it, but he wasn’t so sure about himself.
Grace Flynn was unexpected, and nine times out of ten that was not a good thing.
The next morning after a late breakfast, Cassie wanted to have a tea party outside on the front porch. It was a spectacular late June day and Grace didn’t see any reason to say no.
“Let’s get our supplies together,” she said.
In the spacious family room a very large flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall above the rock fireplace and oak mantel. There was also a very large area in a corner beside it where the little girl’s toys were stored. The two of them stood side by side looking at it and taking stock of what they would need.
“Do you want to sit on a blanket and spread out? Or use the outside furniture or your play table? And before you answer, keep in mind that whatever we take outside with us has to be brought back in.”
The little girl thought for a moment. “There are only two chairs on the porch, and my table is too little for Daddy. So maybe a blanket, just in case he has time to play there will be enough room for him.”
“Does
