Page 3 of Cowboy Daddies

Seeing his hand flex, it took all she could do not to cover her bottom. When he didn’t spank her or shake her hand, she lowered hers and faked brushing off her dress. “Look how dusty it is out here.”

Finally, her temper showed up. About time.

If he thought she was some meek little thing who’d be put off by his rudeness, he had another think coming. What kind of women was he used to? Because if he thought he could intimidate her with that tall, dark, and brooding cowboy act, he was in for a surprise.

But when he dragged his tongue across his teeth, Sage could practically hear the silent, disappointed tsk he was holding back. Her cheeks burned bright red, and much to her mortification, her bottom gave a warm tingle that had no right to be happening over a man she’d just met.

Why was he looking at her like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar? It wasn’t like she wasn’t supposed to be there. She certainly didn’t deserve to be standing here, not even on the front porch, shifting nervously from foot to foot, feeling suddenly very Little under that stern, disapproving stare.

When he at last deigned to speak, his tone was just as stern and growly as she’d been warned. Her lady bits noticed, too.

“Yes, I’m Grady Kane, but don’t bother coming in because you’re not staying.”

Oh, no, he did not just say that.

Client or not, just who the heck did he think he was? She planted her hands on her hips and stared him directly in the face. “Hold on just a minute. I didn’t spend hours finding this godforsaken place just so you could blow me off without even giving me a chance. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m good with kids, and I’m good at what I do. Really good, and I don’t give up.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not easy to scare away either.”

Grady stared at her for a long moment, then, without a word, turned on his heel and stalked inside. When the door didn’t slam in her face, she took that as an invitation.

As far as first contacts with a client went, she’d seen train wrecks that had gone better. If she was going to keep this job, she would have to prove herself, and fast.

Chapter Two

Grady turned on a dime, not bothering to slow his stride. Even without looking, he could hear the willowy woman with the fire-red curls following behind him, doing her best to keep up. What the hell had the Haven Agency been thinking, sending this woman to him?

When he’d reached out to them for someone to help prepare his daughter for school and help her recover from the trauma of losing her mother, he hadn’t thought they’d send someone... so... so… damn young, so damn—he had to admit—appealing. The Haven hadn’t sent him a nanny. They had sent him a partner in crime for his daughter.

Stopping in the foyer, he picked up a notepad from a small table and took his phone out of his pocket. This had been a horrible idea and a complete waste of time. What had he been thinking, inviting a woman to stay in his house and help take care of his child? He wasn’t ready. For that matter, Rose probably wasn’t ready either.

It was all he could do to keep himself from grabbing Sage by the scruff of the neck and shoving her back out the door. God, his heart was racing, and his skin was on fire. That hadn’t happened in a long time. Hold on, just a minute.

It’s not her fault, his conscience tried to tell him. No way in hell was he reacting to her. Luckily, he’d gotten quite good at ignoring his conscience over the past two years.

Thumbing through the notepad, he stopped and laid it open on the table, punched in the number, and listened for the ring.

“You didn’t give me a chance to show you what I can do,” the girl with the wildfire hair said.

What in the world was she doing? Didn’t she know better than to follow a strange man twice her size into his home? She would be at his mercy if he were the kind of man to take advantage of the situation.

This would be a lot simpler if she got back in her car and hightailed it back to Wilder. Instead, she stood just inside his foyer with her arms wrapped around her middle and her foot tapping impatiently on the floor as if demanding an answer. He had to give it to her, she had guts.

“Who are you calling?”

She was putting forward a tough front. It might have worked, too, if her stomach hadn’t rumbled softly. For some strange reason, he found himself wanting to forget about the Haven Agency and order her to follow him into the kitchen so he could make her a sandwich.

Grunting at her noncommittally, he turned back to the table and listened to the other end ringing. They were taking forever to answer. He vaguely wondered if his very direct dismissal of the other nannies was making them reluctant to pick up the phone. When footsteps clicked across his wooden floor, he turned to see her advancing toward his family room.

Her fiery curls bounced with each step. The swing of her hips was distracting, and for a moment, he stared before blinking himself back to reality. No way did she need to stay.

Grinning at him over her shoulder, she asked, “Should I take my suitcases to my room now?” just as someone at Haven answered his call.

“You won’t need a room,” he told her.

“I’m sorry?” came a tinny voice from over the phone. “You’ve reached the Haven Agency. Were you trying to reach a hotel?”

“No, this is Grady Kane. The nanny you sent to help my daughter just arrived, and I need to speak to someone.”