Tyler forced himself to smile at Nettie as she brought her clunking SUV to a halt at the back of the house.
He’d been making himself smile each morning he saw her, ever since he’d made the bargain with his dad about trying to find a woman to marry. But the smiling wasn’t getting any easier.
Beside him, Wyatt was whistling. The only time he stopped was when he was sleeping.
The early-morning sunshine streamed through the branches of the towering spruce trees that covered the hill behind the house. The warmer, summer-like weather had melted the last piles of snow that had lingered in the cold shadows of the hillside.
“Good morning!” Nettie smiled back as she rolled down her window.
Levi had already opened the back door, and Wyatt was bounding forward, eager to start his first day of horsemanship camp. Wyatt had talked about the camp all weekend. Even yesterday on Memorial Day, when Brock had surprised them with a visit to spend the day with Dad, Wyatt had still talked of little else.
Now decked out in cowboy gear—hats, boots, and even spurs on the heels of their boots—the boys started chattering about the two weeks ahead of them filled with everything from trick riding to roping to horse care.
“Thank you for taking Wyatt.” Tyler stepped up to the SUV and to Nettie.
She pushed her sunglasses up into her dark hair that was as smooth and sleek as a horse’s mane. Her nose was sprinkled with a layer of freckles, and her bright eyes were framed with dark lashes. “It’s no trouble, Ty. I’m happy to do it.”
“Mom said she’ll pick the boys up this afternoon when camp is done.”
“Are you sure?” Nettie scrunched up her nose. “I might be able to sneak away from the shop.”
“No, it’s fine. She said she could.” His mom had been a huge help over the years in caring for Wyatt. Actually, both his dad and mom had poured out their love and support for him and Wyatt. Even though Wyatt was getting older and didn’t need quite as much caretaking, the boy’s schedule was always full and busy.
“Could she drop Levi off at the store?” Nettie asked.
Before Tyler could answer, Wyatt poked his body out of the back window and waved both hands wildly at someone coming up the driveway. “Hey, Kinsey!”
Yes, indeed, Kinsey was out running. From the perspiration and flush on her face, she was obviously finishing up.
She halted at the sight of the SUV, took in Tyler’s position at the window beside Nettie, then shifted to look at Wyatt. “Hey there, kiddo.” She offered the boy a wide smile, one she never used around Tyler.
“I’m leaving for horsemanship camp!” Wyatt called.
Wyatt had told Kinsey he was going at least a dozen times over the past few days, and already once this morning when she’d finished Dad’s breakfast routine and had come out into the kitchen to deposit dishes in the sink. Wyatt had been in the middle of eating his breakfast and had been excited to see and talk to her as usual.
“Have fun!” she replied as she lifted her ball cap slightly and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
Tyler only glanced her way for a second. But that one glance was enough to turn up the temperature of his blood. She was just too blasted hot. Every day. But especially when she was in her running clothes. The loose Nike shorts showed off her long legs. Today she had on a tank top that revealed her toned arms and shoulders, and she wore her hair in a high ponytail that came out through the back of the hat.
She was just as stunning when she was out running as she was when she was taking care of Dad. Was there ever a time when she didn’t look beautiful? If so, he hadn’t seen it.
Of course, he was doing his bestnotto look at her. He didn’t want to be that kind of man. He’d seen the way the ranch hands had sized her up the first time she’d gone running.
She’d only just started over the weekend, probably because she’d acclimated to the altitude. She hadn’t run far or long, but she had taken the road past the barn, and he’d happened to be there checking on the newest foals when she’d gone by.
He’d been surprised at the anger that had flared inside him when the few young men in the corral with him had paused their work, leaned against the split rails, and stared at her. He’d barked at them to get back to work and warned them not to make any comments about his dad’s nurse.
But they had a short while later when they thought he wasn’t listening. They’d remarked how pretty she was and then dared each other to ask her out. He’d almost stepped back into the barn and told them he’d fire them if they talked to her. Fortunately, he’d stopped himself from the irrational urge.
After all, he’d basically fired her the day she’d arrived, and now, after working there one week, she was leaving tomorrow. He’d finally told Kade, who’d agreed to fly her to the Denver airport while picking up the new nurse.
Nettie, who had been studying Kinsey, shifted her attention back to Tyler. “How is your dad this morning?”
“He’s making good progress.” Thanks in no small part to Kinsey’s tireless efforts. She was always up late at night tending to Dad, and she was always up before anyone else to take care of him. She worked hard all day too, and she hadn’t taken a single day off since arriving a week ago.
Of course, Mom gave her breaks, like right now while she went for a run. And Tyler sat with his dad in the evening for a couple of hours to give her another break. Other than that, she worked around the clock, probably only getting five or six hours of sleep a night.
His gaze shot to her again, even though he didn’t want it to. She’d reached the back door and stopped again to stretch. With her back facing them, he had the perfect view of her endless legs and the shorts that were almost too short.
