Page 29 of Stay Wild Darlin’

“We went shopping this weekend,” she said, waving a hand at Cora’s perfectly fitting pants.

I stared, a lump forming in my throat. It hit me how much I hadn’t gotten around to on my own. Who knows how long Cora would’ve been stuck with too-short pants if Poppy hadn’t stepped in?

“You’re hired,” I murmured without thinking.

She furrowed her brow. “I thought I already was?”

I mentally kicked myself, remembering I’d told Beau about the “trial weekend,” not her. “You are,” I managed, forcing a laugh. “I meant—I want you here.”

She smiled, stroking a careful hand over Cora’s cheek. My daughter, meanwhile, was busy contemplating whether to eat a tall blade of grass. “Thanks. It was easy. Honestly, we had fun. I hope I wasn’t overstepping.”

“Nah,” I said softly, looking between Poppy and my baby girl. “You’re right where you should be.”

The air between us shifted, thick, like molasses and heat. I wasn’t even sure what we were talking about anymore. Poppy sat in the grass like she was carved from the sun itself, her hair glinting gold and cheeks flushed.

My gaze drifted over her, and I hated how little control I had over it. Two days ago, I was in the shower, fist tight around myself, trying to clear my head before the weekend. All I saw was her. I’d come hard, jaw clenched and water scalding my skin, thinking about her mouth, about how she’d sound if she said my name like she meant it.

After a long weekend, she was right in front of me again, sitting in the grass like a dream I hadn’t earned. That dress clung to her in all the right places, the neckline dipping enough to make my throat go dry.

Was she wearing a bra under that?

Would her nipples pebble in the breeze if she wasn’t? Would she moan if I—Jesus.

She’d look so good tied up in one of my ropes with her hands behind her back. The thought punched the air from my lungs. I hadn’t gotten laid all weekend. Couldn’t even try. No buckle bunny stood a damn chance when she was the only thing in my head.

My nanny.

Out of nowhere, she lurched to her feet, nearly spooking Cora in the process. “Um,” she began, voice a little higher than normal, “I guess I’m clocking out now? You don’t need me tonight, right?”

Still half stuck in my thoughts, I shook my head, tongue feeling thick. “N-no, I’m good.”

“Perfect,” she said with a forced brightness in her tone. “I’ll leave you to it . . . boss.”

Without waiting for an answer, she bolted toward the house, leaving me with a squirming Cora, who looked as startled as I felt. I let out a ragged breath, pressing a kiss to the top of her little sun hat.

“Yeah,” I murmured. “This ‘temporary nanny’ thing is definitely gonna land me in trouble if I’m not careful, kid.”

14

Poppy

“You guys didn’t have to meet me here.” I grabbed a beer from the bar as Harleigh and Fable slid onto the stools beside me.

There was too much . . . something . . . at the house, so I needed to get out. I’d quickly grabbed my phone and purse, trying to find the nearest bar. Well, I learned that Lindley only had one bar—The Dive. I needed out of the house and a cold drink.

“How’d y’all even know I was here?”

Harleigh tilted her head toward the bartender. “Ben keeps us in the loop.”

“He called you?”

“It’s a small town, honey,” she said with a shrug. “He recognized you as Dalton’s new nanny, said you looked like you were drinking alone and a little down, so we figured you could use some company.”

“Plus,” Fable chimed in, grinning, “I owe you a girls’ night.”

“Y’all must be exhausted after your weekend,” I said, taking a sip and looking at Ben, wondering how he knew I was Dalton’s new nanny. Was that how small towns worked? Everyone knew everyone?

Harleigh gave me a playful pat on the back. “Luckily, our boss gave us the day off tomorrow. So tonight? We’re all yours.”