he asked Suzy. “I’m not quite sure of all the parameters yet.”
These two were quite the pair. There was some unspoken joke going on between them, but Suzy was in no mood to guess what it was. “I cook for myself and my daughters,” she said, getting out a box of oatmeal. “You two are on your own.”
She waited for Dane to move away from the sink so she could fill a pot with water. He looked at the pot a trifle regretfully before turning to his brother.
“We’re still working out the kinks in this housekeeping thing,” he said, and Pete nodded.
“I see that.” Pete slouched into his chair and put his feet up on another one, making himself right at home. Suzy’s irritation rose, because, after all, it was his home and she hadn’t factored being in a house with one man much less two. But no one had been on the ranch in six months—surely both of these men weren’t planning on staying long.
“Hope I won’t be any trouble,” Pete said.
Suzy whirled to look at him, ignoring how fast her heart had begun to beat as she’d stood next to Dane at the sink. “Trouble?”
“Living here.”
Dane grinned. “Come to sweat it out for your share?”
Pete shrugged. His gaze went to Suzy for just an instant. “Hadn’t planned on it, but you two need a chaperone. Pop clearly didn’t consider that in his scheming, but I might be persuaded.”
Suzy’s daughters stared up at the big man, completely perplexed by the presence of two males. They hadn’t been around many, and the Morgan men had deep voices and large, masculine presences. Suzy decided to skip the chaperone comment and went straight to the ominous word in Pete’s analysis. “Scheming?”
“You know. To get you two to fall in love with each other.”
Suzy froze. “Are you implying that my job is nothing more than a sham? A cover to induce me into playing house with your brother so that we’d somehow end up together?”
Dane winced. “That might be putting it a bit bluntly—”
“Actually, I think she nailed Pop’s plan,” Pete said. “That seems to be the gist of it.”
“Now that we’re all feeling very awkward, why don’t we eat some oatmeal? Matters will probably seem less complicated on full stomachs.” Dane glanced longingly at the pot Suzy still held in her hand.
Suzy frowned. “Let me be perfectly clear on something. I am not here for anyone’s amusement. Nor did your father seem like the type to be so underhanded. I’m shocked you would suggest it,” she said to Pete. “And I’m annoyed that you don’t refute it,” she told Dane.
Both brothers shrugged.
“I think you two are troublemakers,” Suzy said, “and if you’re trying to run me out of this house to spite your father, a man I know neither of you got along with, I suggest you take your problems up with Mr. Morgan.” She took a deep breath, set the pot on the stove. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to feed my children.”
Suzy felt her hands tremble ever so slightly. Nicole and Sandra clung to her legs, probably sensing the tension in the room. She had a good mind to call Mr. Morgan and directly ask him what his sons were up to—but decided against it just as quickly. A check had been included with the letter in which Mr. Morgan had hired her, with a very generous three months’ salary.
She’d deposited the check. For the first time, she was feeling more comfortable financially. Mr. Morgan had given each of her children what he called inheritances, money that was tucked away in savings accounts for their education. What business arrangements existed between Mr. Morgan and herself were none of his sons’ business. It was the brothers’ fault if they felt uncomfortable around her—they should be ashamed of the stories they’d concocted about their own father!
“Suzy, maybe we jumped to conclusions,” Dane said. She ignored that and went on stirring oatmeal into the pot. “You don’t know Pop like we do, though.”
“It doesn’t matter. Your story is implausible. There’s no way your father knew you’d be here, Dane. You didn’t even know Pete was coming to stay.” She glanced at him. “I don’t want to be dragged into your family issues, and from the way I see it, you have issues with your father. He doesn’t really have them with you.”
Dane and Pete stared at her, their jaws slightly slack. She could tell she had shocked them—but wasn’t that a good thing? These men were taking some childish anger out on an old man who cared for them deeply. “It’s none of my concern,” she said, putting brown sugar and butter into bowls. “Let’s just go on like none of this ever happened.” Even though it had already been said—and Dane had even kissed her! “As far as Pete’s idea of a chaperone, it’s a good one. I’ll take care of that.”
Dane didn’t look too happy, and Pete seemed to realize he’d caused his brother some type of predicament, but what he didn’t realize was that Suzy herself had been reminded of her own mother’s direct criticism of her “looseness.” Suzy was an embarrassment to her wealthy family. She glanced at the brothers—too handsome and too cocky for their own good!—as she seated her daughters at the table and put their bowls in front of them.
Without another glance at the men staring hungrily at the children’s breakfast, Suzy began humming under her breath.
PETE SIGHED AS HE AND HIS brother went out to one of the barns. “Sorry if I’m cramping your love nest. I assumed you’d be alone.”
Dane held in a groan. “I didn’t realize I had company, either, until yesterday. Needless to say, Pop’s probably laughing in the French countryside, enjoying the grapes and the excellent cuisine.”
“I bet. You know, I’ve never liked this place. It was never a home. We were too far from town to have friends, and Pop was too busy to be a father. I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for the money.”
“Got yourself in a bind?” Dane asked curiously, and Pete nodded.
“You, too?”
“Yeah,” Dane said, thinking about his partner. “You’d think with Pop as a role model, I wouldn’t have gotten sucked into a con game, but I did. Lost my savings.” Dane shook his head. “And now it seems we’re getting sucked into another.”
“Not me,” Pete said. “I never got a letter from Pop asking me to look out for a woman. I figure I’m in the clear by now.”
Dane shook his head. “If I were you, I’d be even more wary.”
Pete stopped in the motion of slinging a saddle across a wooden horse. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve always feared the unknown most with Pop.” Dane grinned at his brother, enjoying the chance to have the upper hand, if only for a moment. “I know what my full downside is—Suzy. The other shoe has yet to drop for you.”
“Maybe Suzy’s my dream girl,” Pete said, then laughed at Dane’s shocked expression. “Oh, come on, Pop’s not picky about who pairs up with whom, just as long as we pair up with some woman and provide him with grandchildren.”
