The Nanny’s Temporary Triplets

Chapter Three

There was no way Maggie could have killed someone—leastwise, not on purpose. Even so, someone might need help. Right now that person was his daughter. As soon as he descended the stairs, Maggie launched herself into his arms. He caught her close. Over her shoulder, he exchanged a worried look with his mother, who stood at the kitchen door holding a scouring pad and a burned pot. David shifted Maggie in his arms so that he could see her face. She looked downright terrified. “What happened?”

“I spooked a lady’s horse. It ran off with her. She was barely hanging on. She probably fell off and died like Ma did.”

He glanced at his mother. They both knew this wasn’t anything like the way Maggie’s mother had died. Laura’s horse hadn’t bolted. It had tripped because Laura had been galloping through the night in a storm—running away with another man. Of course, David couldn’t tell Maggie that. He hoped she’d never find out, either. Better that she think Laura’s death had simply been a tragic accident than that her mother had been willing to abandon both of them.

Tears filled Maggie’s eyes. “Oh, Pa, I killed her.”

“Baby, you didn’t kill anyone. That lady is alive. I found her myself.”

She searched his face. “You did? She is?”

“Yes, and she’s fine. A little shaken and scratched, but fine. In fact, she’s upstairs right now.”

“Oh.” Maggie’s blue eyes widened. “Is she mad?”

Caroline hadn’t seemed angry when she’d mentioned the boy darting across her path, but she hadn’t known then that boy was actually his daughter. He’d had a vague suspicion it might be, since the incident had taken place near his property. The part about the dog had thrown him off because they didn’t have a dog for Maggie to be chasing after. He’d have to talk to her about staying clear of strays. First things first, he needed to deal with the task at hand. “I’m not sure, honey. I don’t think so, but—”

She began to wriggle. “Can you put me down now, Pa? I’ve got to apologize.”

“Of course.” He set her down and exchanged a look with Ma—one that was a mix of relief, concern and pride. Then he followed Maggie up the stairs. He really hoped Caroline’s reaction would be appropriate to the occasion. After all, this truly had been an accident. Maggie certainly should have been more careful, but there were rarely ever any riders in those woods for her to look out for.

Maggie tugged at his wrist. She placed a finger over her lips, then whispered, “Listen.”

The simple melody of “Hush, Little Baby” drifted down the hall. The soprano was bright and warm and pure. Yet its tone was so soft and soothing that he could feel the tension easing from his shoulders. Maggie moved stealthily toward the partially open nursery room door. She leaned against the doorjamb, her head cocked as she listened with a look of wonder.

He quietly stepped up behind her to peer inside. The yellow curtains infused the room with warm, muted light, outlining Caroline’s willowy figure as she swayed in time to the song with a babe in her arms. She gently laid the child in the crib, lingering until the boy settled onto his stomach. She stilled. Her lashes slowly lifted until her gaze met David. She’d felt his stare. That much was obvious. He ought to look away. He had every intention of doing so when a tendril from her mussed chignon broke free to swing near her lips. His hand landed on Maggie’s shoulder to ground himself in the reality of his life rather than the vision before him.

Caroline’s soulful gaze mercifully lowered to Maggie. With a single sweeping glance, she seemed to take in the chopped-off caramel curls beneath Maggie’s hat, her dirt-smudged cheeks and, most condemning of all, the collared shirt and worn pants Maggie had begged off her seemingly endless supply of boy cousins. Caroline’s eyes lit with realization. Her mouth fell open slightly, then curved into a smile. She winked, which prompted an answering bashful smile from Maggie before the girl ducked her head.

Caroline finished her song, then tiptoed toward them. They moved out of the doorway so she could exit. She closed the door behind them softly and tipped her head to prompt them farther down the hall. Once they were out of hearing range of the triplets, she knelt in front of Maggie and gently caught hold of the girl’s arm. “Are you all right?”

Maggie must have been holding her breath, because she let it out in a rush. “I’m fine. Are you? I thought I killed you.”

“I’m right as rain. Even if I had been hurt, you shouldn’t have blamed yourself. We scared each other. That’s all.”

“What about your horse?”

Caroline sent a questioning look to David over Maggie’s shoulder. The palomino had seemed fine to him when he’d sent his men after it. “She looked fine to me, but I’m sure my men are making sure of that as we speak.”

Caroline squeezed Maggie’s arm lightly. “And what about your dog?”

“We don’t have a dog,” David volunteered.

Maggie bit her lip and glanced down at the floor.

He narrowed his eyes. His voice turned half questioning, half warning. “Maggie, we don’t have a dog.”

“The Colemans’ dog had puppies. They came by this morning to see if we wanted one. I did. Grandma said I could.”

David pulled in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.

“I named him Duke. He’s really cute. I left him tied to the porch. He’s probably lonely now. I should go get him.” She paused to give Caroline a quick hug. “I’m sorry for scaring your horse, and I’m glad you’re not dead, Miss...”

The woman recovered from her surprise to return the hug. “Caroline.”

“Miss Caroline.” Maggie raced down the stairs and out the front door.

Caroline stood with a smile. “There’s never a dull moment around here, is there?”

“You have no idea.” He ran his fingers through his hair, then remembered why he’d brought Caroline home to begin with. “Let’s get those scratches cleaned up.”

He led the way to the kitchen, where his mother looked up from her second attempt at lunch. “I take it Maggie didn’t kill anyone?”

Caroline laughed. “No. Thankfully, everyone is fine.”

“Good.” Ida smiled at her. “You mentioned your name was Caroline Murray. Are you any relation to Matthew Murray?”

“I’m his sister.”

“How lovely! Matthew told me that one of his sisters was getting married. You must tell me about her wedding.”

“Oh.” Caroline’s gaze darted to David’s, then back to his mother. “Matthew and I have no other siblings. I was the one getting married—only, I didn’t get married, so...”

Seeing the curiosity on Ida’s face, David opened the nearest cabinet. “Ma, where’s that stuff you put on Maggie’s cuts? Caroline hit a fence when the horse threw her and has a few scrapes that need cleaning.”

“It’s two cabinet doors over.”

“Found it.” He grabbed the supplies he needed. “Have a seat, Caroline. I’ll help you out, since my ma is busy.”

If her grateful smile was any indication, Caroline knew he was trying to distract his mother. The searching look Ida sent him said she knew it, too. Caroline sat on the bench at the kitchen table, so David straddled a spot beside her. As soon as he touched her arm he realized he probably shouldn’t have taken this task upon himself. It wasn’t the same as doctoring up Maggie. Not at all.

Seeking a distraction, he cleared his throat and pinned his watchful mother with a look. “I don’t recall agreeing to let Maggie have a dog.”

“I don’t recall you saying she couldn’t have one.”

The skin around Caroline’s scrape turned red, which meant the cleanser was working and likely smarting. He blew on it gently. She tensed. He glanced up at her, but she was staring at the floor near his boot. “That’s probably because no one asked me.”

“She has no one near her own age to play with unless one of us takes her clear across town to see her cousins. I couldn’t say no.”

“I know, Ma, but you could have said, ‘Wait until I ask your father.’” He caught Caroline’s chin and guided it away from him so that he could dab some of the cleaner on her cheek. This scrape didn’t turn quite as red, and he didn’t want to blow on her face, so he let it be. “How am I supposed to tell her no now that she’s named the dog?”

Ida frowned. “So you really didn’t want her to have one?”

“I don’t want to have to take care of a dog. Especially since we’re already taking care of the triplets without a nanny to help. I don’t have time for that. Not with a ranch to run and a daughter to raise.” He hesitated as Caroline looked at him with compassion, then swiped a bit of healing ointment on her arm.

Maggie’s voice sounded from the entryway. “I’ll take care of him. I promise. You won’t have to do anything.”

He glanced at his daughter’s earnest face. It was a sweet offer, but Maggie had never had a dog before. She wouldn’t know what to do. “Puppies need to be fed three to four times a day. You’d have to bathe him when he gets dirty. You’d have to train him if you want him to behave, which we do. Then there are small things like clipping his nails and cleaning his ears. You’d have to clean up after him if he has an accident and teach him to go outside.”

“I’ll do it. I promise.” There was a determined glint in her eyes. She’d gotten that from him, so he knew she’d argue up and down that she was fully capable of tending to her pup. She probably had every intention of doing so, but when it came down to it, David knew he’d be the one to bear the most responsibility for the dog’s care. Unfortunately, the dog would have to go back, but he’d save that bit of news for when they no longer had an audience.

Caroline touched his arm. “I’m sorry, but my cheek...”

One look at the redness told him it was probably stinging up a storm. Propriety aside, he caught her chin and turned her face aside to blow cool air on it. Her tension eased a bit. He put the healing ointment on it. “Sorry about that. Almost done.”

“Son, what about the lady you contacted about being the new nanny?”

David tore a strip of cotton gauze loose from the roll. He hadn’t told his mother that he’d contacted a nanny. He’d simply said that he’d contacted someone about helping them out. That was all he planned to tell her until he heard back from the Boston mail-order bride. His mother wouldn’t approve of it, since she wanted him to find another love match. He wanted to wait to break the truth to her until he was certain the lady was coming. “It’s only been two days. There is no way she’s even received my letter yet.”

Maggie stepped farther into the kitchen to watch him bandage the scratch on Caroline’s arm. “Why can’t Miss Caroline be our nanny?”

All of the grown-ups froze. David’s eyebrow lifted. Had his darling daughter just said “our nanny,” as in she’d consider herself one of Caroline’s charges?

Caroline recovered from her surprise. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I couldn’t.”

Maggie’s eyes clouded. “Why not?”

“Well, I’m not going to be here very long for one thing. For another, I’ve never been a nanny before.”

“Maybe not,” Ida interjected. “But you certainly seemed to have a way with the triplets. I can tell from the quiet in this house that you finally got them to nap. Besides, we wouldn’t need you for long. Only until this nanny David’s trying to hire can get here.”

“Ma, Miss Murray is here to visit her family, not work for ours.” He tied off the bandage. “It wouldn’t be right for us to impose on that.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t want to impose, Caroline, but your family would be welcome to visit here as often as they want.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Caroline touched a hand to her throat as she glanced around the kitchen. Her gaze landed on his, soft as a butterfly, filled with questions.

Did he want her to help them? The answer was an irrevocable no. Did he need her help? Ida’s meaningful glare said yes. When he remained silent, Ida prompted, “We sure could use your help, Caroline. Couldn’t we, David?”

He swallowed hard. “There’s no denying that.”

Caroline bit her lip. “Well, I’m sure my brother and sister-in-law could spare me now and then.”

“We’d need you more than now and then.” David offered up the potential difficulties with a little too much enthusiasm. “You’d have to stay here at the ranch. The triplets need to be fed once during the night.”

“Yes,” Ida interjected, “but there is a stipend that would help compensate.”

Caroline bit her lip. “What about the piano?”

David frowned. “What about it?”

“Would y’all mind ever so much if I played it now and then?”

Ida grinned. “Honey, you can play it as often as you want.”

“In that case...” A smile slowly tilted Caroline’s mouth. “Yes! I’d be happy to help out.”

Maggie let out a whoop and reached for Caroline’s hands. Somehow Caroline seemed to know that was her cue to dance the girl around the kitchen in a tight little circle. Ida sank into the nearest chair with pure relief. David opened his mouth to remind everyone that he was the man of the house with the final say on all of this and he hadn’t agreed to anything. Since doing so would likely accomplish nothing, he closed his mouth and let out a frustrated breath.

He ought to be happy. He had a nanny to help with the triplets—one Maggie had all but promised to mind. They could use Caroline’s help. There was no denying that. There was also no denying that he’d been thinking about her almost constantly since they’d first met. He’d ridden over to Matthew’s ranch earlier today hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Of course, he hadn’t realized that until not seeing her had resulted in major disappointment. He’d been determined to put her out of his mind. That had lasted for about as long as it had taken her runaway horse to gallop across his land. Now he was supposed to be happy about the fact that she’d be living in his house? Not likely.

Still, there was no getting around it. Caroline was here to stay for now. He’d just have to get over his ill-fated interest in her. And it was ill-fated. More than that, it was inappropriate. She was recovering from a broken heart. He’d never quite recovered from his. There was also the little matter of him already having sent off a letter of inquiry to a mail-order bride. Not that he was thinking about Caroline in the context of marriage.

He closed his eyes, shutting off that train of thought before it could go any further. Caroline staying here wouldn’t be a problem. He wouldn’t let it be.

Chapter Four

Agreeing to help David had been an easy decision for Caroline. Perhaps too easy, considering she didn’t have all that much experience caring for babies. It would be worth it to have access to the piano. Her fingers were already itching to touch those smooth ivory keys. She knew from experience that as the music flowed through her it would carry her stress and anxiety with it. She desperately needed that release, and she certainly wouldn’t get it at her brother’s ranch. He refused to allow a single instrument into his house.

Of course, she couldn’t tell him that was one of the reasons she’d agreed to move to the McKay ranch. She didn’t want him to think she was being anything like their parents by putting music above family. She wasn’t, but she couldn’t sit around twiddling her thumbs trying not to think about what had happened in Austin, either.

David answered the door the next morning looking a little bleary-eyed but otherwise ready to start the day. He offered a welcoming smile to Caroline and extended a hand to Matthew, who had accompanied her. “Good morning. There’s a fresh pot of coffee on the stove if either of you want some. Matthew, let me take that luggage from you.”

He was speaking in a slightly hushed tone, so Caroline did the same. “Are the babies still asleep?”

“They were just starting to stir when I saw you driving down the road. I let them be, hoping you’d get here before they really got going.”

She removed her hat and gloves. “And Maggie?”

“She was still sleeping last I checked. My ma’s getting ready for the day. She’ll probably be starting breakfast in a few minutes.” He nodded down the hall. “Follow me to the nursery. I’ll give y’all a quick tour on the way. I think y’all have both been in the parlor. The kitchen and dining room are on the left side of the house. On the right we have my study. Next door to that is my bedroom.” They climbed the stairs. “My mother and Maggie are on the second floor with the nursery.”

David set down the luggage to open the nursery door. One of the babies immediately grabbed on to the crib’s bars and stood to greet them with a happy exclamation. Caroline dropped her hat and gloves on the bed on her way to the crib. She cooed, “Good morning.”

He chortled and began bouncing up and down. Soon one of his brothers stood beside him, staring at her with big brown eyes. The last one seemed content to stay right where he sat, though he smiled shyly. They all blinked when light flooded the room. Caroline glanced at David as he tied back the curtains. “Do you know who is who?”

“The bouncing one is Jasper. Eli is the one standing beside him, staring at you all wide-eyed. The shy one is Theo.”

She searched the boys’ identical faces for some differences. “How do you tell them apart?”

“Mostly by their personalities. They’re each pretty distinctive. If you get confused, just call one of their names. They’re usually pretty good at responding to their own.”

“Well, aren’t you little fellas smart?” She listened intently as Eli started babbling to tell her how right she was. Once he finished, she nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I think, too.”

David walked over to the chest of clothes to show her where they kept the baby clothes, diapers and other supplies. “Everything you need should be right in here.”

Matthew walked over to peer into the crib. “So these are the three cowboys causing such a fuss in town. They’re pretty cute.”

Caroline bumped him with her shoulder. “It won’t be long before you have a little one just like this causing a fuss in your house, too.”

“I can’t wait.” Matthew grinned. “Listen, I’d better head back to the ranch. Have fun with the kids, Caroline. I’ll see you soon.” Matthew turned to David. “David, would you walk me out?”

There was a questioning little lift to David’s brow, but he nodded. “Of course.”

Left alone with her three charges, Caroline clasped her hands behind her back and paced in front of the crib. “All right, boys, listen close. The four of us are going to make a deal. I promise to feed you, keep you clean, sing you to sleep and whatever else is necessary for your comfort. I have two conditions, though.”

The shyest one finally stood up next to his brothers.

She stopped pacing to grin at him. “Well, hello, Theo! Thank you for joining the discussion.”

He gave a little heart-melting grin and babbled something to his brothers.

“I do appreciate the stamp of approval, but it’s a bit early. You haven’t heard my conditions yet. The first one should be very simple. In return for my services, you must each continue to be adorable. Do you think y’all can do that?”

Eli yelled something unintelligible.

“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have questioned your talents. I just want to make sure the terms of our agreement are clear. The last and final condition is not so simple.”

Jasper reached out for her.

She lifted him into her arms and hugged him close. “I’m only going to be here a short time, so you little honeybees better not make me fall in love with you. My poor heart’s been through enough, and it can’t take any more breaking. Is that understood?”

David cleared his throat. She spun around to find him watching her from the doorway. A blush rushed over her cheeks as she met his amused gaze.

“It was a nice speech, but I don’t think they have any intention of obeying.”

“You can’t blame a girl for trying.”

“No, I guess not.” He sobered as sincerity filled his voice. “Caroline, I wanted to thank you for being so kind to Maggie after finding out she was involved in spooking your horse.”

“You’re welcome, but there’s really no need to thank me. Maggie is easy to be kind to. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that I was a lot like her when I was younger.” She laughed at his surprised look. “I didn’t go quite so far as wearing pants, but I was forever chasing after Matthew. Anything he did, I had to do or at least attempt.”

“I never would have guessed that.” She followed his gaze as it swept over her bottle green skirt, black shirtwaist and cream blouse. From the lace on her collar to the puff sleeves and the slender, tulip-shaped skirt that smoothed over her hips, everything about her clothing was as feminine as it was fashionable.

“What changed?” he asked with more than a hint of desperation. “I mean, what made you want to be ladylike?”

She shrugged. “I made friends with several little girls my age and wanted to be more like them.”

His mouth settled into a discouraged frown. “Maggie’s been around girls her age, but that hasn’t changed anything.”

“That’s because you’re more important to her than they are.”

He tilted his head to stare at her. “What do you mean?”

“She could be trying to emulate you just like I was trying to emulate Matthew.” She could see him thinking about it, but she didn’t have time for him to reach a conclusion. Dampness was beginning to seep through Jasper’s diaper. She turned toward the changing table. “Uh-oh. Someone needs a little changing.”

“They probably all do.” He strode closer. “Would you like some help getting started?”

“No, I’m sure I can handle it. Why don’t you head on down for breakfast? I’ll bring the boys as soon as they’re ready.”

He hesitated. Eventually, the confidence in her smile must have convinced him she could handle this, because he nodded and left the room. That was a good thing because it took all her concentration to remember the lessons Emma had given her last night about changing diapers. She probably should have accepted David’s help, but she wanted to start out being a help to the McKays, not a hindrance.

She finished changing Jasper and set him on the floor to crawl. He found her luggage intriguing. Since everything was still closed up, she let him fiddle with it to his heart’s content. She opened the window that was far out of reach of the triplets to let in some fresh air before taking on the other boys. With them all clean and smelling good, she took a few moments to freshen up herself. She was just pondering how she was going to carry the triplets down the stairs to the kitchen when a tentative knock sounded too far down on the door to be anyone other than Maggie.