How to Rope a Loyal Cowboy by Anya Summers
2
The job was hers!
Morgan kept herself from dancing in her seat in Noah’s office as she finished signing all the documents. By making her an employee, he was able to extend healthcare coverage to her through the ranch. As they had gone through all the paperwork, he had kept an eye on Wade and Zack.
And he had only had to leave the office twice to go reprimand them and order them to cut it out.
That wasn’t too bad, by her estimation. She could handle them, and this job. Plus, not only were her room and board covered, she also had full-cover health insurance, plus a six-hundred dollar a week stipend. That was twenty-four-hundred dollars a month before taxes. With her room and board paid, she could do things like overhaul her wardrobe to include items that weren’t threadbare. She could start a savings account, and begin to build a nest egg.
Noah provided her with a key to his house, a key to her room, a list of phone numbers at the stables and main ranch building, along with his private cell number. By the time she left to collect her belongings to move them into his beautiful house, Morgan’s head was spinning, but in a good way.
It made it so that by the time she pulled up in front of the only house she had ever known, to collect her things and say goodbye one last time, she barely felt the sting. Granted, it was there. But she had been mourning the loss since a week after she’d put her father in the ground and the creditors had begun hounding her.
Morgan parked in the small, single car driveway and headed inside. There was already a for sale sign in the miniscule front yard. The yellow paint on the house was faded and worn, but with care from the right person, it could be renewed. Inside, the barren panel walls devoid of any artifice, and shag carpeting held so many memories. There was the carpet stain in the living room where she’d almost set the house on fire when she and some of her girlfriends in high school had attempted a séance.
The paint had spots that weren’t as faded as the rest, from where pictures had hung on the walls. Morgan ambled from room to room, saying goodbye with each step, to the one that had once been her bedroom. Inside, all that was left was four boxes packed with her clothes and shoes, two suitcases that were packed to the gills, and the unrolled sleeping bag and pillow she had slept on last night.
Morgan didn’t waste any time collecting the last of her toiletry items from the bathroom and storing those in the small travel carry-on bag that was already mostly packed with her makeup, curling iron, and such. She stored her towel and washcloth inside it too, thinking that with the money she would make on this job, she could buy some new towels that weren’t threadbare. Perhaps she’d splurge on a few pairs of new jeans and winter boots. Especially if she was going to be racing after Wade and Zack, she would need those, and would consider them a work expense.
In no time, she had almost everything loaded into the bed of the truck.
But then she took one last stroll through the house, trailed her fingers over the walls as the memories assailed her, and grabbed the last box from the kitchen counter. It was the one full of pictures of Morgan with her dad—a lifetime of memories reduced to a single box. There were even a few snapshots of her mom in the albums.
Sad, really, how much of her life fit into a few boxes. The ghosts in this place, now stripped barren, were silent.
Removing the house key from her keyring, Morgan laid it on the counter, hefted the last box, and walked out, locking the door behind her as she left.
She set the last box in the truck bed then climbed into the cab. There were no tears. She had already cried them all out. The house no longer felt like home. It hadn’t for the last few months.
After her dad died of a sudden heart attack, there weren’t any instances where she felt him inside the house. He was just gone, and she was alone.
Oh, there were some distant relatives up in Idaho. But they were on her mother’s side, and Morgan hadn’t seen them since she was five or six, before her mom lit out for more exciting horizons. The last thing she wanted to do was appear on the doorstep of relatives she hadn’t spoken to in eighteen years.
It meant from here on out, she was on her own.
But perhaps, now that she had those boys to look out for, they would give her some purpose and direction, and might waylay the fear and loneliness of facing the holidays alone.
All her friends from high school had moved on. They’d gone away to college and not looked back, preferring to stay in Miami or Atlanta or Arizona, and were living full, exciting lives. While Morgan remained in the same place where she had been born, and where she would likely die, too.
Boy, was she getting too damn maudlin!
It was time to pull up her big girl panties and move forward. With that thought in mind, she drove back to the ranch, taking the auxiliary road past the main part of the ranch to Noah’s house.
She pulled the truck into the driveway, beside his. The boys and Noah were in the sprawling front yard. It looked like Noah was teaching them how to toss around the football. Morgan had no idea why, but watching the big, hunky man working with the two little boys with a smile on his face was hot as hell. Without a doubt, Noah was the sexiest single dad alive.
Everything inside her quivered at the thought of all the raw masculinity pressed up against her body. But Noah didn’t date—that she knew of—and it wasn’t like he would even look her way, given the age difference.
Besides, she couldn’t allow herself to have the hots for her boss, not when she needed this job in the worst way.
Then there was Wade and Zack. In their tee shirts sporting superheroes, and shorts, they were utterly adorable as they concentrated on following their dad’s instructions and looked at him with hero worship in their bright blue gazes.
Morgan cut the engine and alighted from the cab, then went around to the bed of the truck and grabbed a box. She turned, and almost ran smack dab into Noah.
“Whoa there, sweetheart! Why don’t you let me and the boys help you get your boxes in?” Noah had put on a gray tee shirt and pair of sneakers in the time she had been gone. He steadied the box in her hands like he was handling a spooked mare.
One would think that adding clothes to his amazing physique would detract from it. But if anything, the way the shirt clung to his chest and moved with him, muscles rippling beneath, made him panty-dropping gorgeous. Now that she knew what the clothing hid, it only added to his sex appeal.
“Okay. I would appreciate that.”
“How many loads do you have today? If you need some help, we can pitch in and follow you over for the next one.”
“This is all there is,” she replied, realizing what that must look like to a man who had this big, beautiful house.
Pity and surprise filled his features. Noah’s brows rose at her response. “Well, if you need anything…”
“I appreciate it.” She held back her retort of not needing help. It was a knee-jerk response she had adopted over the last few months since her pops died, and she had been forced to scramble for funds. Especially because, deep down, she wished she could hand everything over to someone else, and just not have to deal with it. Not after the last eight months, in which all her father’s burdens had been placed on her shoulders.
“Wade, Zack, why don’t you each take one of these, since they roll,” Noah delegated, getting the two suitcases out of the back before hefting a box himself.
The four of them made their way inside with Morgan’s things. She unlocked her bedroom door and pushed it open. It was bizarre knowing this was where she would be sleeping each night for the foreseeable future.
She set the box down, and the guys rolled her suitcases in beside it, with Noah setting the box in his strong arms down. Hello, gorgeous forearms that were solid muscle from his days spent working with horses. They were muscles made from hard labor and not in a gym, and were that much sexier because of it.
“Why don’t the three of you stay here, and I will get the rest of the boxes for you?” he said.
“Oh, you don’t—”
“I insist. It will give the three of you time to get to know each other more. Boys, I’m leaving Morgan in charge. If she tells you to do something, you need to follow her directions. Understand?”
“Uh-huh,” they said almost in unison, nodding their heads.
Noah shot her a wink. Her body responded in kind, flutters erupting deep in her abdomen. She couldn’t lust after her new, much older boss. It would be wrong, right? She needed to strike the image of sex and Noah from her brain.
Noah headed out of the room, and left her alone with Wade and Zack.
The two boys stared at her with suspicion in their blue gazes, even though they knew her from the gas station. She plastered a friendly smile on her face, the one she normally used for irate customers, piling on the charm in her voice. “So tell me, what are some of the things you guys like to do? Because I think we’re going to have loads of fun together.”
“Can you ride a horse?” Zack asked, his expression rather serious for a four-year-old. At least, she thought it was Zack. They were identical twins, and it was tricky telling them apart. It didn’t help that they liked to dress alike from head to toe.
She’d have to do something like color code their outfits each day, until she became familiar enough with them to tell which one was which.
“I have, a few times. I’m not that good at it though.” Not to mention, she hadn’t done it in years.
She reckoned she’d lost a few brownie points for that answer as the brothers looked at one another. They were still too young for the eye roll. Except, she could tell they figured they had her number, and were already cooking up trouble.
“But, I do know how to make a clay volcano that spews lava,” she went on. “We could make that one of our projects to build this summer.”
That got their attention. Two pairs of bright blue eyes turned in her direction, with their brows raised and excited glee in their eyes.
“Really? Will it burn everything to the ground?” Wade asked in awe. Like he would be okay if it scorched everything around them, including the house.
“No. It won’t burn you. But it will make a bubbling mess.”
“Can we do it today?” Zack asked, his hands clasped together.
“No. I will need to pick up supplies at the craft store this week. But, we can plan to do it if it’s something you’re both interested in.” She figured the more hands-on activities she could work out for them to do, the better off they would be. Hopefully it would keep the naughty hijinks to a minimum.
Noah returned with two boxes stacked in his strong grip. He had the sexiest arms—strong and sinewy, flexing and bulging as he lowered the boxes to the floor.
“Dad, we’re going to build a volcano,” Wade stated with glee.
“Is that right?” Noah shot her an inquisitive look.
“It’s a modeling clay deal with baking soda, like we did in science class in high school.”
“Ah, it’s been a while for me. I’ll get the last one, and then we will get out of your hair.” Noah turned on his heel, and wow, just wow. His backside was a butt she could bounce a quarter off. Looking at that and his sexy muscular back, she refrained from fanning her face—but just barely.
Morgan had no idea why he had such an effect on her. He just did. She hadn’t been here a full ten minutes, and she was already wondering how long she would last before needing to rip the man’s clothes off.
Would he shove her away? Fire her?
Maybe she needed to start dating; find some guys her age to hang out with, and get her needs met. That way, she could stop thinking about Noah and sex in the same sentence. Hell, she was going to be seeing him without his shirt on quite a bit.
Oh god, she might even see him in his underwear from time to time, since they lived together.
Morgan tore her gaze from the empty spot that Noah had just vacated. Both boys had been studying her while she ogled their daddy’s behind. She flushed at being caught spying.
“What are some of your favorite cartoons?”
“Paw Patrol,” Wade exclaimed.
“SpongeBob Squarepants,” Zack replied, and began singing the theme song.
“Those are both good ones. What about books?” She figured the more she asked about them and learned what they liked, the better off she would be. That way, she could start to prepare different activities tailored to their likes.
Perhaps she’d expand on some of the learning activities from their school. They could have an art hour. And a reading hour. But since they were active boys, they could also have scavenger hunts in the woods, and all types of things.
Noah returned with the last box and set it down with the others. “We’ll get out of your hair. I’m sure you’re wanting to unpack.”
“Yes. I will do that. I was actually hoping to get started in the kitchen, and get dinner going. Or at least, see what you have, and then go from there.”
“You don’t have to cook for us tonight.”
She shrugged. “This way, you can spend time with your boys on your day off. I’ll figure out my way around the place.”
Noah rubbed the scruff on his jaw. “Well, they were wanting to do a trail ride this afternoon. If you’re sure you are okay by yourself.”
She waved at him and rose. “I’ll be fine. It will give me a chance to get prepped for the week ahead.”
“All right. Boys, why don’t we let Morgan unpack, and we’ll go for a ride?”
“Yay!” Zack and Wade jumped up and down in excitement, screaming at piercing decibels that could wake the dead.
The group headed out of Morgan’s new bedroom. Noah nodded at her and shut the door behind them, leaving her alone with her thoughts. If someone had told her six months ago she would be living in Noah Reed’s home, in the most luxurious bedroom she had ever been in, she would have laughed at them and told them they were crazy.
Morgan stared at the lovely room that was now hers. It felt surreal, but in a good way. Given that her life had been nothing but heartache and strife for the past eight months, this was a positive direction for her. No more ringing up groceries for ten bucks an hour, and wondering how she was going to cover all the bills on the house with the extra mortgages her pops had taken out.
At least his life insurance had covered the funeral expenses, and a small portion of one of the mortgages. He’d taken out business loans that she hadn’t been able to pay off, and just totally run himself into the ground financially.
But that was done. There was nothing she could do to fix how events had unfolded since he’d died. It had all been stuff set into motion while he was alive. She’d just been the clean-up crew.
She rubbed a hand over the comforter. The silky cotton was smooth beneath her fingertips. She promised herself right then and there, that she was going to be the best nanny Noah and his sons had had ever had. The comfort and security offered by this job were too good to screw up.
That meant getting her lust for her new boss under control. A lot of good it would do her if she acted like a cat in heat around him.
Never one to dawdle, she rose and began to unpack. She started with all her toiletry items and the bathroom. She hadn’t noticed when she had looked in it earlier, but there was a vanity stool and mirror in the corner, with drawers to store her makeup, curling iron, and straightener. She could imagine sitting there and getting herself ready for a night in Winter Park.
With what she was earning at this job, she could head to the Bucking Bronco and meet someone for grown up fun of the naked variety. Although it was her new boss who came to mind when she considered having wild, crazy sex.
It was ridiculous of her, and she knew it. There was no way Noah Reed would ever turn his eyes in her direction with anything but friendly intent. She pressed a palm to her chest. But if he ever did, she doubted she would be able to resist.
For Morgan, Noah was like the list of five celebrities who, if you ever met them while in a relationship, you got to sleep with them, no harm and no foul. Only he was all five celebrities combined, and she would likely embarrass herself if he ever did look at her with lust in his eyes.
Once she had her toiletry items put away, she made a list of the supplies she was running low on. With her first paycheck that she would receive on Monday, she would restock items like tampons, shampoo, and get her birth control script refilled at the pharmacy.
With the desire to make a good impression at the forefront of her mind, she left the boxes of clothes to put away later. Leaving the bedroom, feeling rather awkward in Noah’s home—which she would have to get over quickly—she headed into the kitchen, not bothering with closing the door to her room for now.
The first order of business was discovering what was in the fridge and pantry. Then she could put a meal together with what she found. Given that this house was a supreme bachelor pad with three guys, she wasn’t holding out much hope for healthy, nutritious offerings.
That was why she wasn’t surprised by the leftover pizza boxes, bottles of juice, or beer bottles in the fridge. There were leftover containers she peeked inside, and nearly gagged at the mold growth. Whatever those meals had been had died a long time ago, and were first on her list of items to toss. If she was going to be cooking for the lot of them, she needed an orderly and clean kitchen.
But she struck gold when she found a pound of frozen ground beef, boxed macaroni and cheese in a blue box, and a package of frozen peas. It wasn’t the most nutritious food in the world, but it would do for the first meal she cooked for them. She put the ground beef on top of the stove to defrost while she cleaned.
Morgan spent the next hour scrubbing the kitchen until it gleamed. She tossed everything that sported mold on it from the fridge, did an inventory of what was left in both the fridge and the pantry, then made lists of cleaning supplies that were needed, as well as various pantry staple items that were missing, including spices, and had a few ideas for meals for the upcoming week.
That was when she discovered the box of brownie mix. She smiled—what boy didn’t have a sweet tooth? Not only making a hearty dinner they were sure to like, this might be an additional way to put her best foot forward.
Morgan baked the brownies. By the time those were done, the house smelled amazing and the beef had fully thawed. She constructed her meatloaf, adding garlic, ricotta, and bread crumbs to the beef as she formed the loaf. Checking the time, she got it into the oven.
While the meatloaf cooked, she prepped the side dishes, set the table, and was pleased with her progress when she heard the load motor of Noah’s truck pull into the driveway.
Morgan heard them enter through the garage, with Noah’s deep voice instructing the boys to remove their hats and boots in the mudroom, which was right next to the kitchen. After the thudding of boots being removed stopped, the boys entered the kitchen, all dusty from their afternoon ride with the horses.
“Something smells amazing,” Noah stated, glancing around his kitchen as if it was a place he didn’t recognize.
“I’m starving,” Wade complained loudly.
“Me too,” Zack joined in.
“Well, dinner is ready.” She held up a hand before any of them sat at the table. “First things first, you boys need to go wash those hands before we eat.”
She was going to be a stickler for things like no dirty hands at the dinner table. Wade and Zack eyed her like she was a ghostly aberration that must be destroyed.
But Noah agreed with her, thank goodness. “Morgan’s right, you two. Come with me, and we will go wash up.”
While they were in the bathroom, she set drinks on the table—beer for Noah, and milk for the boys. Then she started dishing up dinner onto plates.
She had just finishing cutting up the meatloaf on Wade and Zack’s plates when they returned.
“Whoa,” Zack said, his eyes huge as he settled into his seat.
“Whoa is right. This looks amazing, Morgan,” Noah said.
“I hope you guys like meatloaf,” she said, and began to make her own plate.
The boys were shoveling it in. In between bites, they told her about their ride. They had seen eagles, and mule deer, and got to play in a creek.
“Ah, so that’s why you guys look like you rolled in the mud.” And it was why she had plans to make sure these two got a bath tonight. Maybe a joint bath where they could make it like a game.
“They love nothing more,” Noah said, rising with his plate. Morgan was about to tell him just to put it in the sink and she would get it, when he surprised her and went for second helpings.
There was no finer compliment for a cook than watching someone go for seconds.
“You might want to save some room for dessert, Noah,” she said when he returned with another plateful.
Wade and Zack’s eyes got huge.
She grinned. “I made brownies.”
The boys were over the moon. Noah eyed her. “You do realize that the sugar will go right through them?”
“That’s why we’re going to have a walk after dinner. That way, they can run it out. And while they are at school in the morning, I was going to do some grocery shopping. You’re out of most everything. I just need to know preferences, and if there are any food allergies I need to consider.”
Noah winced. “I’ll get you some cash for this week, then write down what they will and won’t eat.”
“I would appreciate that. Now, who’s ready for brownies?” She shot a grin at Wade and Zack with their empty dinner plates.
Small hands shot up in the air as she brought over the plate with the sweet treat. The enjoyment of the meal was etched on the boys’ faces—all of them. Witnessing Noah at ease and laughing, the way the corners of his eyes crinkled, was a sight to behold. His joy did strange, melty things to her insides that she staunchly tried to ignore. If she had to make it a daily affirmation, she would, and would repeat it as many times as needed until the message sank in. No lusting after Noah, no matter how much her body wanted to argue otherwise.
But all in all, her first night with Noah, Wade, and Zack, she marked in the win column.
