Chapter 2


    Amber


    The incredibly handsome cowboy actually winks at me. My cheeks flush red once again, while my heart inadvertently starts beating a little faster. Jake’s sparkling blue eyes are a striking contrast to his wavy dark hair. A dimple deepens in his chin when he laughs, and the strong muscles of his arms and torso suggest he''s accustomed to heavy labor on the ranch. His entire body exudes an agile strength. He is easily the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life–not that that’s saying much.


    I haven’t exactly met a lot of men in my life, my parents made sure of that, but this is the first time I’ve felt my body respond to a man like this. My fingers tingle from merely touching Jake’s bicep and cleaning the cut on his arm. His smile is doing strange things to my stomach and makes my knees go weak.


    ‘Thanks for the help, I appreciate it,’ Jake says. He hops off the horse feeding chest and holds out his shirt in front of him. It’s dirty from the work he’s been doing and more than a little bloodied. He briefly pushes his fingers through the cut in the sleeve, inadvertently making the gap even wider. ‘I guess that one’s a goner,’ he sighs resignedly. ‘Mind if I run to my cabin real quick and grab a clean shirt, boss?’


    ‘Go ahead,’ Mr. Jenkins nods. ‘Zane and I will wait outside for you at the corral.’


    ‘I’ll be right back,’ Jake promises. He starts walking towards the door, but suddenly I dislike the idea of watching him leave.


    ‘I can fix that for you,’ I blurt out.


    Jake stops and turns around. He looks at me with an inquiring expression on his face. ‘I’m sorry?’


    ‘Your shirt,’ I reply, pointing towards it. ‘You don’t have to throw it out. I could fix it for you, if you want.’


    ‘Really?’ he asks, surprised.


    ‘Sure. I don’t mind at all.’


    ‘You’re a regular Mary Poppins, aren’t you?’ Jake concludes with an amused smile. ‘Caring for the kids, nursing wounds, fixing up clothes… Is there anything you don’t do?’


    ‘Just wait until you''ve tasted some of the stuff she bakes,’ Ray laughs. He pats his stomach.


    ‘Amber bake cookies real good!’ Violet confirms with an enthusiastic nod.


    ‘They’re nothing special,’ I say humbly.


    ‘Please, you''ve only been here for two weeks, but I think I’ve already gained five pounds thanks to your baking,’ Ray compliments Amber, patting his stomach.


    ‘It doesn’t sound like there’ll be enough leftovers for me to ever get a taste,’ Jake laughs.


    ‘You can always hope you’ll get lucky one day,’ Ray teases me, but then he turns serious again. He claps his hands. ‘Let’s go gentlemen. We still have a lot to do. Get yourself a clean shirt and meet us outside, Jake. Amber, girls, you have a nice day! Oh, and Amber? Don’t forget that Fiona has soccer practice after school today,’ he reminds me.


    ‘I have her bag in the car already,’ I reply with a smile.


    Fiona is the oldest of the five Jenkins children. She is now ten years old. After her come the seven-year-old twins, Tom and Benjamin, and then Violet and Olivia. The oldest three children are in school at the moment. On the days their mother works at the local library, one of my tasks is to drive them to and pick them up from school. Ray nods at me approvingly and grabs Zane by his shoulder while they walk out together.


    ‘Right, so…?’ Jake’s eyes go from me to the shirt in his hands.


    ‘I can take that,’ I say quickly, while I reach out my hand.


    Jake hands over his shirt and sends me a grateful look. His bright blue eyes are mesmerizing, but I still can’t help that my gaze trails down towards his perfectly toned chest and abs. Right now, I''m beyond glad that I took the plunge and moved out here, away from my parents. If Jake is any indication of the type of men I may encounter during my stay here, I''m pretty sure I’ll be able to find at least some of the things I''m looking for. Like having an actual life, with actual men in it. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet someone who is willing to kiss me, and hopefully a lot more. If he’s only half as handsome as Jake, I definitely won’t mind that. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    I suddenly realize I''ve been staring at Jake for way too long. I blush as I quickly avert my gaze, clutching his shirt in my fists.


    ‘I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can,’ I promise Jake.


    ‘No hurry,’ he smirks. ‘This just gives me an excuse to walk shirtless around you!’


    If I blush any harder I''m going to combust right on the spot. Jake has obviously noticed that I find him attractive.


    ‘Right, well…,’ I mumble embarrassedly, really not knowing how to respond, which only makes Jake laugh harder.


    ‘I''m just messing with you, Poppins,’ he reassures me. ‘I really appreciate your help. Thank you.’ This time he sends me a genuine smile that has my knees melting.


    ‘No problem,’ I stutter.


    Jake raises his hand in a greeting and then walks out of the stable at a brisk pace. I follow him with my gaze while he passes the corral and heads towards the row of small cabins beyond the barn. Some of the men working on the Jenkins Ranch live there during the week.


    ‘Amber, we have cookies now?’ Violet pulls impatiently on my hand.


    ‘Right! Yes, sure, Violet,’ I reply quickly.


    I shake my head and return my focus to the two girls in my care. I offer them each one of my hands and walk them back towards the house, where I offer them something to drink. Then I give them both half a cookie, before I load them in the minivan to pick up the other kids from school.


    ‘Okay, let’s go,’ I sigh, once I have them strapped in safely.


    Still a bit uneasy, I pull the minivan out of its parking spot and slowly start driving it down the gravelly driveway that leads to the main road. I''m not used to driving such a large car and I want the children to stay safe, so I stay a little below the speeding limit. Other cars keep honking and pulling around me, but I try to ignore them. I have plenty of time to get to the school, which is a good thing, because I manage to take a wrong turn twice. I’ve only been here for two weeks and school only started this week, so I don’t really know my way around yet.


    ‘Boogers,’ I mutter under my breath when I turn left and immediately realize it is the wrong street again. I groan and carefully start making a turn. My phone starts ringing and, without looking, I answer it through the car’s integrated communication system.


    ‘Hang on, I’m in the middle of a U-turn,’ I declare, while I carefully look out for any traffic.


    The voice on the other end on the phone laughs. ‘Did you get lost again?’


    ‘Don’t judge me, Hailey,’ I grumble, while I finish the turn and insert the minivan back into traffic on the main road.


    ‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ my cousin teases me cheerfully.


    ‘Did you just call to make fun of me?’


    ‘Never,’ she promises. ‘I just wanted to know how you were doing. How are things working out with Marjorie and Ray?’


    My cousin Hailey was the one who found me this job. She volunteers at the library where Marjorie works and heard that they were looking for a live-in nanny. Knowing how desperately I wanted to move out of my parent’s house, she mentioned to Marjorie that she knew someone for the job and asked if I could apply. Hailey’s introduction and glowing recommendation were apparently enough to compensate for my lack of actual experience as a live-in nanny, because they offered me the position on the same day I came down here to meet them.


    So far, it’s been even better than I imagined. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins are both very kind and their five children have not been any trouble to me yet. Sure, the twins are a bit rowdy, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I really like all of them. And thankfully, the family seems to like me too.


    ‘It’s going well I think,’ I reply with enthusiasm, because I finally recognize the right street. ‘They’ve been very welcoming and they’ve done everything they can to make me feel at home. They have given me my own quarters in the house, with a separate entrance, but they said I''m welcome to spend time with them in the main house any time.’


    ‘Marjorie is a sweetheart,’ Hailey confirms. ‘I knew you would be a great fit over there. They’re lucky to have you, Amber.’


    ‘Thanks, that’s really nice of you to say,’ I say warmly. ‘And you’re really sweet, but you don’t have to keep checking in! I’m doing fine.’


    ‘Unfortunately, I actually have another reason for my call,’ Hailey says hesitantly. I hear the tone of regret in her voice.


    ‘You can’t meet me on Saturday,’ I guess.


    ‘No,’ she sighs. ‘I''m so sorry, Amber.’


    ‘Don’t worry about it,’ I say, even though I find it hard to hide my disappointment.


    ‘My boss has suddenly decided he must go to Milan next week,’ Hailey says apologetically.


    ‘You’re kidding me! Are you going with him?’


    ‘No, not this time, but I do have to schedule everything for the trip and pack up his stuff. And then I have to drive him to the airport on Sunday morning, so he can catch his afternoon flight. It’s going to take up all of my time until I’ve dropped him off.’


    ‘That’s not your fault,’ I assure her. Hailey works as a personal assistant to a major investment banker. This is not the first time she’s had to cancel plans with me on account of her job, even though I’ve only been here two weeks.


    ‘I can still come by Sunday afternoon, if you want? And I promise to make it up to you next weekend! We’ll have a girls night next Saturday. I will show you around town and I''ll introduce you to some people, so you can start making some friends here.’


    ‘That sounds great, Hailey,’ I say. With a sigh of relief I pull into the elementary school parking lot. ‘I have to go pick up the kids now. I’ll see you Sunday afternoon then?’


    ‘Yes, absolutely. I''ll be there. I really am sorry, Amber,’ Hailey emphasizes.


    ‘It’s fine, Hailey. Don’t worry about it. I''ll just entertain myself,’ I reply, although I have absolutely no idea what else I''m supposed to do this weekend.