from her throat before continuing. “Will your wife be joining you?”
For just an instant a spark of some emotion flickered in his eyes before the shutter dropped.
“Ollie’s mother and I were divorced.” His tone was matter-of-fact. “Well, Ms. Singleton?”
“Please call me Shannon.”
“Well, Shannon. Do we have a deal?” He extended his hand.
When her fingers closed over his and a hot, unfamiliar riff of sensation traveled up her spine, something told Shannon that this deal might be more than she bargained for.
* * *
To Oliver’s way of thinking, money smoothed most rough patches and made life extremely manageable. Unfortunately, in the past few days he hadn’t found that to be as true as in the past. There hadn’t been anyone to carry in his bags or help him unpack once he’d closed the deal on the ranch house.
Oliver glanced around the small living room, smiling at the sight of Ollie playing with his A-B-C bricks, the dog supervising from his position under the kitchen table. The place was so small he could see the kitchen from where he stood. Unbelievably, there was only one lavatory in the entire structure.
Since it was just him and Ollie, even when they added a nanny, it would be workable. Not ideal, but they would make do, much the way he had on those school camping trips when he’d been a boy. He decided to view the next two months as an adventure.
Both Ollie and Barnaby seemed to like the small space. Even Oliver had to admit he found his temporary residence comfortable, quiet and surprisingly homey. Still, after two days of settling in, he was ready to get to work. For that to happen, he needed a nanny.
He’d made inquiries, as had various family members. So far, none of the women he’d interviewed had been acceptable. Oliver would also consider a manny, but when he’d mentioned that to the woman at the agency in Lubbock, her eyebrows had shot up. She informed him mannies were scarcer in Texas than rain in August.
Man or woman, Oliver didn’t care. He simply needed someone he could trust to tend to his son while he worked. He ran a busy brokerage firm in London. While he trusted and valued his employees, he prided himself on being personally involved with many of the firm’s larger clients.
Dealing with time zone issues was frustrating enough, but then to have Ollie call to him or start crying over his bricks tumbling down was totally unacceptable. There had to be someone suitable in the area.
His hopes of finding someone from Horseback Hollow were rapidly fading. Amber had given him a couple of names, neither of whom was willing to live in. What good would they be to him living a half hour away? With the time differences an issue, if he needed to go out or simply make a phone call, he didn’t want to wait.
The head of the placement agency guaranteed she’d find the perfect person, but kept asking him to give her more time. Well, he’d given her over two days. Since she couldn’t make it happen, he would take the reins.
He pulled out his wallet and removed the card Miss Shannon Singleton had given him to use in case of emergencies.
Oliver paused, considered. As far as he was concerned, being without a nanny for forty-eight hours qualified as an emergency.
* * *
Shannon stared at the phone in her hand for a second before dropping it into her bag.
Rachel slanted a questioning glance at her as they exited the movie theater in Vicker’s Corners. “Who was that?”
“Oliver Fortune Hayes.”
Shannon had told her friend all about playing rental agent with Mr. Fortune Hayes. Rachel had only one question—was he married?
“Mr. Hottie from the Superette.” Rachel’s smile broadened. “Tell me he called to ask you out.”
“I’m not exactly sure what he did.”
Shannon slowed her steps as the two women strolled down the sidewalk of the quaint community with its cute little shops with canopied frontage and large pots of flowers. “He said he had a proposition for me.”
A mischievous gleam sparked in Rachel’s eyes. “What kind of proposition?”
Shannon swatted her friend’s arm and laughed. “Not that kind.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Rachel gave her an admiring glance. “You’re a hottie, too. He’d be a fool not to be interested. And that man didn’t look like anyone’s fool.”
“Thanks for that.” Still, Shannon held no such illusions. If guys thought of her at all, it was as a buddy. She was twenty-five and had only had two boyfriends. Hardly a guy-magnet. “But remember, his home is in England. I want a nice local guy. Is that too much to ask?”
To Shannon’s surprise, Rachel didn’t go for the flippant response. Instead Rachel’s dark brows pulled together in thought. Her friend was a strikingly pretty woman, tall with big blue eyes and long hair so dark it looked almost black.
Though they were good friends, so much of Rachel was still a mystery. Sometimes when she turned serious and got this faraway look in her eyes, Shannon could only wonder what she was thinking.
“I love it here, too,” Rachel admitted. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else. So when you find that nice local guy, make sure he has a friend.”
“Will do. Just don’t hold your breath.”
Shannon stopped short of telling Rachel if her friend was back in Austin, she’d have men beating her door down. She still didn’t fully understand what had caused Rachel to leave Austin and move to Horseback Hollow. But in the five years that Rachel had been in town, she’d become part of the community.
“I’m not giving up hope. And you shouldn’t either. Look at Quinn,” Rachel continued. “Amelia shows up in Horseback Hollow and—boom—she and Quinn fall in love.”
Amelia Fortune Chesterfield had come to Horseback Hollow last year for a wedding and had a romantic fling with cowboy Quinn Drummond. Now they were married with a baby girl. It was their baby shower that loomed on the horizon.
“That whole thing was like a made-for-TV movie,” Shannon admitted. “But really, how often does that kind of thing happen, especially in a town the size of Horseback Hollow?”
“The fact is, oh ye of little faith, almost anything is possible. Hey, Mr. Oliver Fortune Hayes could fall in love with you, give up his home in London and the two of you could live happily ever after right here.”
Shannon paused in front of a bakery, inhaling the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. “Have you seen a pig fly?”
“Pigs don’t fly,” Rachel said automatically.
“Exactly right,” Shannon agreed. “Until they do, your little scenario isn’t going to happen.”
* * *
Oliver glanced at the Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. His new living room was so small he could cross it
