Pining For You: Jasper Falls Read online

  “Ah. Good. Erin will need that.”

  Right. Erin.

  Maybe dealing with Erin would be less awkward than dealing with him. Maybe it was this house. The charismatic mayor she glimpsed on the streets of Jasper Falls didn’t seem the same as the man standing in front of her now.

  He held himself so stiff, he appeared almost brittle. And the gaping voids of conversation filled with long silent seconds passed like a handful of sand down a windpipe. She desperately wished Addison would wake up. Children were easier to read than adults.

  Following him downstairs, she studied the layout of the house and asked questions pertinent to the job. He went over a few of Addison’s preferences as far as food choices and cartoons.

  Skylar got the impression that they ate a lot of takeout and TV dinners. Aside from the occasional meal at her grandfather’s restaurant, which was technically homemade, her family never ordered out or ate anything out of a box. Her grandmother and great-aunts wouldn’t allow it.

  A collection of freshly laundered dry cleaning hung on a hook in the foyer, beside her coat. He flipped through the many suits and located a collection of ties, selecting a winter green one that matched his eyes.

  She hadn’t meant to stare, but coming from a family that mostly wore flannel or cotton, she found his wardrobe fascinating. Sometimes her Uncle Braydon wore suits when he worked in the city, but those didn’t seem to have the same effect Mr. Buchanan’s suits were having on her now.

  He knotted his tie with practiced ease. “You can call me or Erin with any questions throughout the day.”

  The air of the house still carried a chill, but her skin felt overheated. “I should be fine.”

  He slipped his arms into a pressed jacket and hitched it up his broad shoulders. “I try to wrap up at five every day, but I usually don’t get home until sometime between six and eight. Is that okay?”

  “Sure.” Her throat dried and tightened. She assumed the job would be demanding, which was why she was eager to move her personal belongings into the house. “I haven’t had time to pack, but I thought I could fully move my stuff in this weekend.”

  “Of course. The sooner the better.” A collection of personal effects sat on a table by the door. A watch. A wallet. A few business cards.

  She watched as he sorted and tucked each item into its place. His brisk movements seemed so methodical and practiced, thoughtless, but also extremely thought out. She couldn’t help drawing comparisons between him and the men in her family, men who burped and kicked off their dusty boots and scratched themselves and grew beards out of sheer laziness and primitive habits.

  There was nothing primitive about Rhett Buchanan. Primal seemed a much more fitting label. He was all man, but the most practiced, polished man she’d ever seen up close. She found him extremely intimidating and longed for the return of the humble, frazzled father she met yesterday.

  Once he closed the clasp of his watch he turned to her, and his attention felt so hot and acute—almost accusing—her face burned and her gaze dropped to the floor. He totally caught her staring at him.

  He cleared his throat. “You have everything you need?”

  The pit of her belly hollowed with a sense of emptiness longing to be filled. She had all the information she needed to properly care for his child, but as far as having what she needed? She definitely felt like she did not. Her stomach muscles coiled around her core like hunger grabs hold of emptiness and squeezes. But she wasn’t hungry, not in any way she’d suffered hunger before.

  “Skylar?”

  Her name traced his lips with gentle inquisitiveness but tightened her body like a reprimand. What the hell was wrong with her? “Um…” What had he asked? Her needs… “Yes. I’m good.”

  His stare latched onto hers, and his gaze softened and intensified at the same time as if he could see through her and read all the chaos racing through her mind. “Good.”

  Such a simple word, and she’d never enjoyed it more than when he said it to her.

  Just then, Addison came downstairs, delivering a world of relief. Her presence was like a window opening, shooting a breath of fresh air into Skylar’s constricting lungs. There was definitely something weird about this house.

  Wearing the same mismatched outfit, she had on yesterday, Addison rocked a case of bedhead so bad there might have been a small animal living in her hair.

  “Morning, sweetheart.”

  “Morning, Daddy.” She climbed up his body like a monkey climbs a tree, and he hoisted her onto his hip.

  The transformation in him fascinated Skylar as his unapproachable power suit conformed into nothing but thread. Seeing him through his daughter’s eyes, he was just a daddy—safe, dependable, a rock of a pillow and a shoulder to lean on.

  Skylar smiled.

  “Addy, you remember Skylar, right?”

  “Hi,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder and pressing her little palm to his neatly shaved jaw.

  Skylar wondered what it might be like to press her nose there and breathe deep. Did he smell like other men? She had a feeling he’d smell different. Better.

  “I’m super excited to hang out with you today!” She needed to get control of her thoughts.

  Addison nestled closer to her father, wreathing her arms around his neck. “I don’t want you to go.”

  Skylar held her breath, waiting to see if he would brush her off or indulge her with some extra time. He did neither, and somehow delivered the best possible response.

  He set her down and kissed her head. “Have to. I have an important meeting with the big guy at the North Pole today. It takes a lot of convincing to get him to come to our town’s holiday party when he has the rest of the world begging for his presence.”

  Her mouth opened in awe. “Is he coming to the office?”

  “No, he’s too busy. We’re having a phone meeting, but I don’t want to be late.”

  “Will you tell him I’ve been extra good?”

  “Of course, I will. And don’t forget that he’s watching, so be a good girl for Skylar, too.”

  “I will.”

  Skylar appreciated the help and took Addison’s hand as they walked him to the door. Another shift happened as he gathered his coat. First, was the dramatic reminder that it had started to snow. By the sound of his wincing groan when he opened the door and saw the world dusted in white, he really didn’t care for winter weather. But then, as he turned back and smiled at his daughter, and hesitated, Skylar saw the moment he wished he didn’t have to go.

  She wondered if he ever took the time to actually play in the snow with his little girl. Maybe he forgot how much fun a winter storm could be.

  She wasn’t sure if he was the type to take an afternoon off for a snow day or if he just didn’t care, but she suspected he loved his daughter very much and, like most parents, found it difficult to leave her each day.

  He suddenly seemed more nervous than Skylar about the arrangement. She took pity on him. “You have my number if you want to check in and see how we’re making out.”

  “Right. And you have mine—and Erin’s.”

  “Yes.” She’d added the contacts into her phone during their tour.

  Hesitating, he held the door cracked and let a few flurries drift in. Addison gasped at the sight of the snow. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”

  “Daddy, go! Santa’s waiting!” Addison practically pushed him out the door, and once that invisible line of connection was broken, he was off and on his way.

  “So,” Skylar said, shutting the door and leaving the drafty weather outside. “What do you want for breakfast?”

  “Cotton candy!”

  “Try again.”

  “I guess cereal.”

  “Good choice.”

  5

  The pantry was pretty picked over and there wasn’t any produce in the house. Ketchup was the closest thing Skylar found to a vegetable. “Have you ever been to the farmer’s market in town?”
r />   “Do they sell pigs and horses?”

  Skylar laughed. “No, but they have all kinds of homegrown veggies from my aunt’s farm. We can go shopping and maybe make a fruit salad later.”

  “Okay!”

  Addison put up a little fuss when Skylar told her she had to eat breakfast at the table. But she stood her ground and kept control of the situation.

  When she brushed the knots out of her hair, however, their relationship took a turn for the worse. Skylar feared she might need scissors to cut out the center of the knot, and she really didn’t want to go there on her first day.

  “Doesn’t Daddy ever do your hair?” she asked as she carefully separated the baby-fine strands from the rat’s nest they formed.

  “No.” Her eyes still glistened where big, fat tears had fallen. “He doesn’t know how.”

  She supposed that might be true. She didn’t know if her brothers knew how to braid. “Well, don’t you want to show him how pretty your hair can be?”

  “No!”

  She had hardly pulled, but some delicate hairs at her neck had been snagged and the fear of pain seemed more powerful than the actual act. She suspected Mr. Buchanan had done his fair share of untangling her hair and men weren’t always the gentlest touch.

  “I’ll have to tell your dad to pick up some detangler.”

  “What’s that?” Addison sniffled.

  “You know what, we can probably make our own.”

  In the kitchen, Skylar found a jar. She brought it to the upstairs bathroom and poured a dollop of conditioner on the bottom and then diluted it with some water. It didn’t work as well as a squirt bottle, but it did the trick.

  Dipping a comb into the liquid, she gently worked through Addison’s tangles. Soon, the strands tapered down her narrow back in loosely coiled order.

  Skylar carefully worked the hair into a thin French braid and tied a ribbon on the tip then set it over her shoulder. “Take a look.”

  Addison peeked in the mirror and tilted her head. “I guess it’s nice.”

  “You guess?”

  Her smile grew the longer she admired her reflection. “Can we show Daddy?”

  “Tonight, when he comes home. And, if you sleep with your hair in a braid, it won’t be so knotty each morning.”

  Addison’s closet was full of beautiful clothing, several items still pinned with retail tags. “You have so many new outfits.”

  “They don’t fit.” She pointed to the majority of dresses slung to the back of the closet. “These are too small.”

  “You mean big?”

  “No, small.”

  Skylar frowned and checked a few tags. Sure enough, they were toddler sized. “How come you never wore these?”

  “Daddy works too much. He’s always busy. And my other nannies didn’t want to ruin them.” She pointed to the large dresser. “Play clothes are in there.”

  Skylar flipped through the hangers. “Oh, honey, life’s too short. You have to wear the dress, eat the cake, and take the risk.”

  “Huh?”

  Pulling a red corduroy dress from a plush hanger, she grabbed an adorable pair of fur boots off the floor. “You’ve just been upgraded to the most fashionable four-year-old in all of Jasper Falls.”

  Bonding over clothing proved a bonding ritual between females of all ages, and Addison was no exception. The child—a girl after Skylar’s own heart—loved being a little extra. Once they were buttoned up in their peacoats, with all the wooly winter trimmings, they were ready to go.

  Skylar opened the front door and let out a yelp at the woman standing on the other side. “Oh, you scared me.”

  “Hi, Erin!”

  “Hey, peanut.” The woman looked Skylar square in the eye. “We briefly met the other day. I’m Erin, Rhett’s right hand.”

  So, this was the Erin. “Nice to meet you. I’m Skylar.”

  She stepped into the house and Skylar backtracked, shutting the front door to keep the cold out. She’d been dying to get out of the house and they were bundled to go, but Erin had information and supplies she needed.

  “We can go in a few minutes, Addison. Keep your coat on, but you can go play with your toys.”

  Erin studied them with a tight-lipped smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You two are going out? The roads are getting snowy.”

  “Oh, well, we were just running to the farmer’s market to get some produce. Technically, we could walk.”

  “Actually, Rhett suggested grocery shopping. The pantry’s usually picked over by midweek and he wanted it fully stocked. He’s very particular and gets moody if he has to scavenge. You know how men can be. He also wanted dinner ready when he gets home. After all, that’s what he’s paying you for.”

  Technically, he was paying her to take care of his daughter, but he’d mentioned light cooking and cleaning. Skylar just assumed he meant she’d be performing those acts for Addison.

  Erin spoke of Skylar’s salary as if it somehow offended her. Did she know how much he was paying her? Did she think it was too much?

  Being that it was a substantial pay increase from what she was used to, Skylar felt immediately uncomfortable and over-valued. Pressure to prove she was worth every penny he’d offered made her eager to meet every expectation.

  “Can you recommend some meals he likes?”

  “Skylar, I wanna go…” Addison tugged at her coat.

  Erin glanced down at her. “Honey, why don’t you go grab a Coke from the fridge.”

  “Oh—” Before Skylar could object, Addison bolted into the kitchen. “Please tell me that’s for you.”

  “Let me give you a little advice, from one friend to another.”

  “Okay.”

  “Mr. Buchanan is under a lot of stress and he really can’t be bothered with distractions right now. He’s generously compensating you for your services to avoid any unforeseeable complications. We have two events this month, and the holidays are always a little more hectic than other months. He wants to get through Christmas and start the New Year off on the right foot. I suggest staying out of his way, keeping Addison happy and occupied. Don’t ask too many questions.”

  Her stare once again intensified as she looked directly at her. Skylar had the urge to drop her gaze, but forced herself to hold the other woman’s stare. She didn’t want her to assume she couldn’t handle the job.

  “Rhett might seem like a patient man, but that’s all part of the job,” Erin continued. “It’s my business to adjust his life where needed, whenever needed, so he doesn’t have to. That’s the way he likes it. He tells me what needs to be done and I do it, so he can maintain diplomacy at all times. That includes the supervision, hiring, and firing of his staff. Understand?”

  Skylar blinked like a cartoon, not used to this sort of abrasive intensity from others. She wasn’t sure what Erin thought of her, but it seemed clear she didn’t care for her. Skylar wasn’t even sure she viewed her as a person, but it seemed clear she didn’t see her as an equal.

  At the moment, she felt a little like a trespassing spider Erin had decided to let live—for now.

  “I understand.” How else could she respond? Her attitude was completely unexpected and unfamiliar. Seriously, who spoke to people like that?

  “Good.” The word had a completely different impact than when Rhett had used it as a form of praise earlier.

  Skylar swallowed, a little afraid to blink.

  Erin reached into her purse and removed a manilla folder. “Here’s your paperwork. Paychecks get electronically deposited every Thursday.” She removed a one-hundred-dollar bill from her wallet. “And this is for this week’s groceries.”

  Skylar never shopped for a family before, but quick math told her a hundred dollars wouldn’t be enough for three people requiring three meals a day for a solid seven days, especially if she wanted to feed them more than junk.

  Maybe when he said meals, he expected her to pay for her own. She should have thought of that. And he probably
skipped breakfast and grabbed lunch in town.

  “Is there a list?”

  “Rule number one, Skylar, no one has time to hold your hand and walk you through every step. You’ll only survive in this position if you know how to be assertive and get things done.” She cocked her head and made the most patronizing pout. “Is that something you think you can handle?”

  She wanted to snatch the money out of her hand and tell her to fuck off, but she simply smiled, some deep seated voice of maternal wisdom telling her that the strongest women didn’t need salty language to face off with a bully. But the hillbilly in her really wanted to hogtie the bitch and shove a frog in her mouth. “I think I can handle it.”

  “Good.”

  Just then, Addison came running back into the foyer. She had a brown mustache and a spill down the front of her fuzzy, white coat.

  Erin tsked. “Oh, honey, what have you done?”

  Addison put her chin to her chest and frowned. “Whoopsie. I spilled.”

  “Your Daddy’s going to be very upset if he sees that. That’s your good coat.” The child pouted and Erin turned to Skylar. “You’ll have to get that cleaned. Mr. Buchanan wouldn’t want his daughter walking around town in dirty clothes.”

  Really? Because yesterday she was running around in thirty degree weather without a jacket, in a mismatched outfit, with unbrushed hair. “I’ll take care of it.”

  By the time Erin left, Skylar felt like she needed a nap. What had started as a fun outing, now felt like a heavily weighted assignment that could make or break her.

  She blew out a breath and Addison did the same, mimicking her post-tornado posture. “Is she always like that?”

  Addison shook her head at the door, imitating Skylar’s tone. “Is she always like that?”

  Skylar chuckled, needing the slight comic relief. Addison had a decent sense of humor for her age and they were going to have a nice day together, stains or not.

  “Come on, kid. Let’s change your coat and get going. We have a lot of stops to make.”

  Being that she was only given a hundred dollar allowance to feed a family for a week, Skylar had to get creative. Luckily, she came from a long line of women who could feed an army on a dime and make pretty much anything from scratch.