had vowed she would never again depend on any man to fulfill her dreams or to create her happily-ever-after. Instead she was going to focus on making her dreams come true on her own.
Well, with God’s help.
Romance? Well, if it came along sometime in the future, she’d consider it. But she wasn’t going to look for love. Love was something for the future. Maybe. Not now. Not even if Rick Granger made her heart pitter-patter and her stomach beat in time to a Sousa march.
Penny had survived the worst. Now she was looking for the best God had to offer. Getting dumped when her world was falling apart had taught her self-reliance.
Despite this hunky uncle and his adorable twins, she wasn’t going to risk heartache again.
* * *
“Does teaching help you know so much about kids?” Rick asked, glancing at Penny’s bare ring finger. “Because you said you don’t have your own kids.”
“I guess.” She pinched her lips together but when he raised an eyebrow she explained in a tight, strained voice. “I’m neither married nor a mom.”
“Seems like a mistake on some man’s part.” He shrugged at her surprised look. “You’re beautiful and smart and educated.”
“Well, thank you. I think.” The perky smile Penny usually wore disappeared, leaving her looking like a wounded bird, ducking her head against her chest as if she was uncomfortable.
Funny. Rick barely knew her and yet he couldn’t imagine Penny without children around her. She’d been so good with Katie that night at the store.
“You don’t want a family?”
“It’s impossible.” Clearly she did not want to talk about it. “To get back to babysitting the twins. As you know, I’m helping Sophie organize Wranglers Ranch Day Care. That means that when it’s up and running you’ll be able to bring Katie and Kyle here while you’re working on-site building the cabins, right?”
“That’s what she said. But what about until then? And when I finish the job here, what do I do? The twins will still need someone to care for them on the days they don’t attend school.” Stymied and eager for her advice, Rick was pretty sure getting to know this lady would be very interesting.
“I can help you out occasionally,” Penny offered. “And I might know an older lady who could alternate with me, if needed.” Her eyes were once more that desert-sky blue, rich and fathomless. Penny Stern might look frail and delicate with those silvery-blond wisps framing her gamine face, but Rick had a hunch that this woman had the courageous heart of a lioness. “Would that work?”
“Yes, but what about you?” Rick studied her. “Summer is your vacation. Don’t you have plans?”
“Not really. I was going to go water-skiing with my friend and her husband. That’s my most favorite thing to do. But they’re using their summer break to tour Australia.” Penny shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “I’ll probably head to the beach for a weekend here and there, do some painting at my house, volunteer for Vacation Bible School at church in August. Stuff like that.” She grinned. “And watch Katie and Kyle.”
It sounded boring and the very last thing Rick would have thought about Penny Stern was that she lived a boring life.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” When she nodded, he told her as much as he could about his schedule, emphasizing that he often had to change the times when he picked up the twins. “I need to keep all my men working so I’m back and forth between sites a lot, troubleshooting and fixing issues that come up, sometimes at odd hours.”
“Must be demanding.” She studied him then glanced at the clock on the wall. “What about now? Do you have today off?”
“I wish.” He barked a laugh. “I’ve got to be on-site to pour a foundation in half an hour. The agency couldn’t find a sitter on such short notice so I guess the twins will just have to come along.”
Rick hated doing that because it would be so dull for them. Construction job sites were just about the worst place for kids, but after yesterday afternoon’s fiasco when the temporary sitter had lost Katie at the park for over two hours before calling him, he had no choice. He wouldn’t leave them with her again.
“Um, can I ask what happened to Katie’s pigtails?” Penny murmured, studying the back of the little girl’s head with a frown.
So much for being a capable parent.
“She cut them off.” Rick squirmed, knowing Penny would bawl him out for his carelessness.
“She got hold of scissors?” There was nothing in Penny’s voice that accused him but Rick felt guilty all the same.
“My electric razor. Last night.” He heaved a sigh. “I thought they were asleep. I should have been doing books but I conked out. Something woke me up. Katie was in the bathroom, half-shorn, and most of her hair was in the sink. Kyle had dared her and Katie never refuses a dare.” He raked a frustrated hand through his hair when his phone made a noise. “Excuse me.” He scanned the text then quickly rose. “I need to go. When would you be able to care for the kids?”
“I could start now.” Penny also rose and smiled at him. “Are you sure you trust me, Rick?”
“You come highly recommended by Tanner and Sophie. I trust them implicitly.” He made a face. “Anyway, I doubt you can do worse at childcare than me.”
“Given the state of Katie’s hair that’s not exactly a vote of confidence,” she teased then shrugged. “Don’t beat yourself up, Rick. She didn’t get hurt and hair grows back. Kids do things that are utterly unpredictable.”
“Not to you, I’ll wager.” He watched her face, saw distaste in the way she wrinkled her pert nose.
“You think?” Penny gave a half laugh and shook her head. “A student once brought a snake to school in his backpack. He hadn’t told his parents he’d found it. A python. He put it in my desk.” She nodded at his disbelief. “True story.”
Rick liked the way her eyes sparkled with amusement. Penny didn’t take her world too seriously it seemed. “What did you do?”
“I prayed. Really, really hard. Then closed the drawer and called the janitor.” She smiled. “So you fell asleep last night. You were tired and who wouldn’t be? Caring for one child is taxing. You have two to watch over and you’re not used to doing it.”
He opened his mouth to protest but Penny held up a hand.
“It will get easier, I promise. Why don’t you take today off as a caregiver, focus on work and leave the kids with me? I’ll take Katie to get a haircut, if that’s okay with you?” Penny waited until he nodded.
Rick was happy to turn that task over to her. He figured she’d know more than he did about little girls’ hairstyles.
“After a trim we’ll think of something fun we can do for the rest of the day.” She did not seem fazed by the prospect. “Do they have allergies to anything?”
“No.” Rick wanted so badly to accept but something inside him hesitated. What if—
