The peppermint lodge, p.3
The Peppermint Lodge, page 3
“Ry needs a yard. A place to play and get dirty, you know? I was thinking maybe the suburbs. Get a dog and all that. But maybe I could swing a place out here. It’s not crazy-far from the city.”
Cass blinked, waiting for him to let on that he was joking. Because a man who wanted the white-picket-fence family dream? If he was for real, he had to have a long line-up of women begging to be his girlfriend—assuming he didn’t have two or three already.
“I want Ry to have a normal childhood.”
Cass laughed. Normal. Sure. With a famous dad? Good luck. Although, if they lived out here it might actually become somewhat doable.
“Looks like you already found a fixer-upper.” She brushed a clump of cobwebs and dust from Landon’s shoulder.
He self-consciously ruffled his hair. “Sorry, I’ve been crawling around under Maverick’s sink all morning.”
She picked a bit of something out of his mussed-up locks. “Ah. You’re over at the money pit, huh?”
“You know, fresh air, dirt and a taste of real life... Can’t beat it.” He gave her a sheepish grin that made her heart flip-flop in her chest.
She glanced toward Rylnn, who was at the back of the diner, climbing onto a tall red stool so she could peer through the cookie platter’s glass cover. There were several stacks of cookies and Cass wondered if they’d be leaving with at least one of each kind.
“And you’re taking Rylnn over there?”
“Quality father-daughter time.”
Was he kidding? Sure, he’d seemed new to fatherhood in May, but letting a four-year-old loose in Maverick’s demo zone felt a tad reckless.
“We have to balance out Princess Barbie—the nanny,” he said with a long sigh. Landon shifted his weight, and she could tell he felt judged for his parenting choices.
“Is the nanny really that bad?”
His shoulders sagged. “She’s the best the agency had.”
“I’m sure there are plenty of suitable women out there who’d be happy to work for you.”
He visibly shuddered.
Right. She’d momentarily forgotten he was famous. He probably had to be extra stringent about the recruitment process in order to weed out those who wished to be a nanny for the wrong reasons.
“Why do you call her Princess Barbie?”
“Not to her face,” he said quickly. “But, uh, because she strengthens the tendency for Ry to act helpless and adore all things girlie.”
“And so you’re balancing it out by taking her to a construction zone?” Cass struggled to hide her amusement. Men had such a refreshingly simple take on parenting.
“I want her to feel strong, and to know how to fix things on her own. You know? I’m trying to raise her the right way.”
“There’s a right way?” Cass nearly laughed. The way he was trying so hard was adorable. He was also so unlike Dusty’s father.
“I guess there isn’t. But I don’t want to screw her up. When she wakes up in the mornings, I want to be there. Her family. Not some paid stranger who encourages the fans waiting on the sidewalk out front. Which is another strike against the suburbs. Less security and protection.”
“You do need to move out here. Stuff like that never happens.”
Landon ran a hand down his face as though he could rub away the doubts of parenthood, and Cass wanted to give him a hug. She might struggle in her own way, but if she failed, it would at least be relatively private, unlike for Landon. If Rylnn turned into a rebellious, trouble-seeking teen it would be in the papers, with all blame pointed solely at him.
“I want her to grow up competent and capable. Confident,” Landon said quietly. “Like that woman who just left.”
“Carly.”
“Yeah.” His eyes met hers. “Or you.”
Cass blinked at Landon. “You want her to be like me?”
She was so serious, so disbelieving, Landon wanted to chuckle. “You made an impression on her.”
Him, too, if he was being honest with himself.
“I did?”
“After the Mother’s Day dance, one of her Barbies became a cowgirl. You don’t know how big that is.”
Cass laughed, her face brightening with delight. “I love it.”
“Me, too.” He wanted to infuse small-town caring and that sense of community and strength into his little girl’s heart, teach her she could be her own superhero, or fairy godmother. Whatever she needed, she could take care of it herself. Save the day or make her own wishes come true.
“I doubt that was my influence, though. There were about a hundred cowgirls present at the dance.” Cass’s hand rested above her bosom, her wild, wavy hair barely tamed by a wide cloth headband. Her flannel shirt hung open over a fitted tee and jeans that were worn in all the right places. She was one hot rancher mama, that was for sure. He’d thought of her many times over the past several months, but she was even more amazing in reality than in his dreams. A little more tired maybe, but just as stunning with that casual, healthy-outdoor-chick look she had going on.
For a moment, he got lost in her gaze, wondering what it would be like to take her out on a date. There was something about her that was so…familiar and easy. Like meeting up with an old friend he’d been missing for decades.
“Where’s Rylnn’s mom?” she asked.
“I have a nanny.”
Cass quirked her head, but didn’t press. He didn’t want to get into the story of how he’d been a sperm donor for his best friend after her cancer went into remission. Zofia had wanted to be a mom more than anything and things were looking good. However, her journey had ended a lot sooner than anyone had ever expected, and he knew Rylnn missed her terribly. So did he.
“Princess Barbie,” Cass confirmed. “But it sounds like she’s not the right fit for your family?”
“Exactly!” It felt surprisingly reassuring hearing someone else say it. “But maybe I’m too fussy,” he murmured, testing his mom’s theory on Cass.
“No such thing when it’s your kid,” she said immediately. She shifted forward, squeezing his arm with a look of sympathy. She smelled like peppermint, making him think of Christmas and cold winter nights in the foothills, snow falling peacefully outside the window.
“Yeah?”
She nodded, her conviction reassuring. “If you’re ever in a bind…” She laughed and backed away, taking the scented memories with her. “Oh, you hardly even know me. See where flattery gets you?” She waved a hand, looking almost embarrassed. “You end up with strangers offering to babysit for you.”
“Would you? Babysit?” He felt himself leaning in, waiting for an answer. To him, she didn’t feel like a stranger. She felt familiar, almost as if she’d always been in his circle and was someone he could rely on. Someone who understood his values because they were hers, too.
That made no sense. But his gut was telling him this was it, and long ago he’d learned to listen when it spoke about something important.
Cass shrugged, her cheeks pink, her gaze everywhere but on him. Then, slowly, she allowed her eyes to drift his way, to crawl up his torso and meet his gaze. “I mean, sure. Yes. If you’re comfortable with that. I live at least an hour away from you, though.”
He nodded quickly, understanding it was a long shot, but even so, a weight lifted off his shoulders.
“Yeah, no. Of course,” he said, running a hand through his hair and dislodging more dust. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“It’s nice to know—as a parent, and a single parent especially—that there’s a backup plan, even though you’ll probably never use it.”
“Exactly.” Their eyes met again, and a shot of warmth wove its way through his core. “I should get your number in case.” Landon raised his brows in what he hoped was an innocent and charming way.
Cass laughed, her hand coming up to the neck of her tee. She toyed with the thin chain of her necklace, then reached out to put her number in his phone.
He texted her a smiley face. “Now you have mine, too.”
She pulled out her phone to check her the messages. “I’m going to sell that to some swooning fans for big bucks, you know.”
Please, no. He’d already had to change his number twice in the last year.
“I’m kidding! Don’t look so stricken.” She laughed, apparently amused by his distress.
“Well, just so you know,” he said, trying for humor as he cleared his throat, “when they’re out front of my condominium screaming for The Blockade, that’s me.” His smile felt pained.
“What?” Her amusement faded.
“My nickname on the ice. I’m the goalie.” She stared blankly at him and he felt like a fool. She wasn’t the type to swoon. At least not for a hockey star, and here he was throwing his fame around like it somehow made him more worthy of her attention.
“You’re serious? They really do go that far?”
He gave a quick nod, and noted how her worried glance darted toward Rylnn, making him feel as though his own anxieties about his daughter and her sense of normalcy and safety weren’t completely unfounded.
He cleared his throat again. “Cool. Well, you know, if you need someone to talk trucks with Dusty…” He glanced around in case he’d missed spotting the boy earlier.
“Oh, don’t tempt me!” Cass smiled, the worried expression gone. She bit her lower lip in a very encouraging way. It made him want to nibble on it himself. “He never stops talking about them.”
“We can get together and make a trade—princess talk for truck talk.”
He gestured toward Rylnn, who was asking Mrs. Fisher to package up cookies. The waitress gave him a questioning look as she held up tongs and an empty bag. He nodded.
“Not so up-to-date on my princesses,” Cass admitted.
“Do you like tea parties?” he asked, aware he was actually flirting.
No women during the season.
Like he’d have time for a woman right now, anyway.
“Love ’em.”
He wasn’t sure if she was serious or not.
“Uh. Hey, can I ask what do you do for child care?” Landon rested a hand against the diner’s doorframe. “It’s just you, right?”
She nodded. “Dusty’s in the library program at the moment, but I call on my sister—she lives next door—to babysit sometimes.”
“You moved here from Montana, right? Recently?”
“Yeah.”
“Rancher?”
“I was, but Alexa and I sold it all last spring.”
“And now you have…what was it? A hunting lodge?” Landon eyed her boots, then her tanned nose dotted with freckles. She looked like a cowgirl through and through, not a hunter. She also looked pleased that he had remembered bits about her. Like he could have forgotten. Rylnn wasn’t the only one she’d made an impression on at the dance.
“Yeah. It’s on a few dozen acres. I’m going to turn it into an event center. But I need to make some more money so I can afford to fix it up all the way.” He could see the weariness of single-parenthood and entrepreneurship weighing on her, no doubt responsible for the smudges of fatigue under her eyes.
“Basically, I need a job where I can get paid to work on the lodge while being a stay-at-home mom.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh, I gotta run before Karen—the librarian—thinks I’ve abandoned Dusty. Great to see you.” She flashed him a smile that hit him in the solar plexus, radiating warmth through his core.
As Cass headed onto the street, she left Landon with a brilliant idea he wasn’t so sure she’d go for.
Chapter 3
“Hello?” Cass held her phone closer to her ear and frowned. Surely her eyes had deceived her when she’d read the caller ID. Landon Jackson was phoning her already? They’d been together at the Longhorn only an hour and a half ago.
She could hear road noise through the line and wondered if he’d accidentally dialed her.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Cass. Long time no see,” Landon said easily, his deep voice warm and wonderful.
Not an accidental dial. He’d called her on purpose.
She closed the fridge and looked for a place to sit down.
Wait. Was he calling her to babysit for him? Already? Had she walked into a trap laid by a charmer who used his fame to pave the way to get what he wanted?
That didn’t seem like him, but her instincts had failed her in the past.
Cass put Landon on Speaker and set her phone on the kitchen counter, furiously summoning up reasonable-sounding excuses to say no. Because seriously. Did he have no planning skills? What had she been thinking, making that offer? She’d been dazzled by the way he looked at her, as though he actually saw her—and liked what he saw even though she’d been wearing grubby old jeans and layered shirts that probably smelled of dust and desperation.
In ranching country, a woman didn’t have to put in a ton of effort for a man to notice her. Simply back up a pickup truck with a trailer in one quick move and you’d earn enough respect that he’d take you in like a long drink of ice-cold sweet tea on a hot Texas day.
She knew that. She shouldn’t be swayed so easily by a sweet smile and a little attention. Especially since Landon carried himself like a man raised on a ranch. He knew the rules.
And yet the way he made her feel was different. It was as if he’d sucked out all the water from her internal well and left her wanting the quenching refill that only he seemed able to provide.
“What’s up?” she asked, opening the fridge again so she could transfer leftovers onto the counter. Would this mishmash make a casserole if she added a can of mushroom soup?
“Just heading back to the city,” Landon said. “Ry’s asleep and so I got to thinking.”
“Okay.” She was getting curious now. Had she missed the memo where they called and chatted like they were old friends?
She might not actually mind that, but currently she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Why was he phoning her?
“I was thinking about our conversation in the Longhorn.”
She sighed. Yep. Babysitting.
“It seems like we both have problems,” he continued.
That was putting it mildly.
“I think you have more than I do,” she said.
That wasn’t true, but the last thing she needed was to complain about her growing issues, from Dusty’s health to her dwindling bank account, with an NHL player. When she’d sold the family ranch in Montana, half had gone to Alexa and half to her. She now owned the Peppermint Lodge free and clear, and had a lump sum for them to live off of, as well as do enough renovations to get the place running as a wedding venue. Sort of.
She hadn’t counted on the possibility of looming, massive medical bills as Dusty’s doctors’ appointments mounted, along with more and more tests as they tried to dig their way to the bottom of what was going on.
She also hadn’t counted on crashing her truck. Thank goodness for the loan of Alexa’s old one, because here she was.
“Child care and money,” Landon said confidently, like he was pitching a business to investors. “We both need child care so we can make money, right?”
She closed the fridge and took him off Speaker, putting the phone to her ear again. She glanced out the kitchen window to make sure Dusty was still outside playing with the kittens that had been born under the back porch.
“Geography is a bit of an issue, but what about this?” Landon proposed.
“Are you still there?” she asked, when he didn’t continue. She checked her phone. Still connected.
“I’m probably putting my nose where it absolutely doesn’t belong.” His tone was apologetic and Cass froze, not daring to breathe. Living in a small town, she was used to people knowing her problems, but Landon Jackson? She wanted him to think of her as that capable and amazing woman who made his daughter want to play with a cowgirl Barbie. She wanted him to keep looking at her as though she were someone whole and incredible.
Not a struggling someone with problems she might not be able to handle.
And his tone hinted that he knew the truth about her. She had problems she possibly couldn’t handle.
“Tell me,” she demanded.
“Mav says you’ve got medical bills accumulating, and that something’s up with Dusty.”
She shook her head. Small towns. Absolutely nothing was private. Nothing.
“Yup.” She blinked and inhaled, trying to quell the panic inside. Her basic medical insurance plan was soon to be outpaced by Dusty’s needs. And if the doctor’s hunch was right and Dusty had something going on with his heart…
She blinked back tears, pressing her lips together.
“What if…” Landon hesitated.
“Spit it out. Rip off the Band-Aid.”
“What if I paid those bills and moved to Sweetheart Creek with Rylnn?”
“What!”
She didn’t know where the man was coming from. Whatever he was proposing, he had balls, that was for certain.
“I’d keep my condo in the city, but we’d make Sweetheart Creek our home, and you’d help me care for Rylnn.”
“Like a nanny?”
Because that’s what she needed to solve her problems—another kid in her care. Dusty had just started kindergarten and now she had six hours of free time most weekdays to take care of business. Taking on Rylnn would eat up those free hours.
“Yeah.” The hope in his voice had her shaking her head.
“You can find one in San Antonio,” she said firmly. “Qualified, vetted, experienced ones who, when they sing in a forest, have birds come and perch on their outstretched hand.”
She heard something that sounded like Landon holding in a laugh. Darn it, but that made her almost forgive his boldness.
“Not really what I’m looking for,” he said, amusement in his tone. “I’m hoping for someone real. Kind but tough. Like you.”
She sucked in a deep breath and held it for several seconds so she wouldn’t cave to his flattery. It had been a long time since a man had thought her personality was worth praising.
A woman like her.
His earlier words still felt good when they surfaced in her memory. And that was surely dangerous.
