A Nanny For The Cowboy Billionaire

(Brookside Ranch Brothers)

Hanna Hart

Copyright © 2020 by Hanna Hart - All rights reserved.

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

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Chapter One

Jett

It was mid-July in Arizona, and the heatwave was intense, making the decision of a backyard celebration of life something of a curious decision.

The celebration of life was for Jett Brooks’ late wife, Mel-Anna.

He remembered the first time his friends and family tried to pronounce the girl’s name. They did so as it was spelled.

Mel, then Anna.

But her name was much softer and prettier than that. Pronounced Mel-Ah-Nuh, she was a Taiwanese beauty with brown eyes and pale skin.

She was Jett’s wife, his soulmate, the mother of their three-year-old son Justin, and she had been gone for twelve long months.

Even as the thought entered his mind, Jett couldn’t believe it had already been a year since his wife had been killed in a car accident.

His in-laws, Mel-Anna’s adoptive parents, Carol and Anderson Shaw, had spent months planning this gigantic memorial with his parents, Shannon and Roger.

His in-laws were throwing it on their sprawling Mesa, Arizona bungalow property. They had invited thirty of Mel-Anna’s friends, aunts, uncles, her adoption caseworker, and all of Jett’s immediate family.

Which, for the record, was a lot of people.

Jett came from a unique, privileged, but hard-working family: The Brooks.

They had made a name for themselves through their various luxury dude ranches across the United States and created a billion-dollar brand.

Aside from the infamy of their many ranches, they were also known for their many children.

There was Jett, the eldest child, Bennett, Colt, his country music star brother Phoenix—as if they didn’t have enough fame in the family—his brother Hunter, Jaxon, and baby of the family and only sister, Kennedy.

Everyone was in attendance at the memorial and was currently in the backyard of the immense property. “We release these balloons today to commemorate the life of Mel-Anna Brooks, beloved wife to Jett Brooks and mother to Justin. We’re going to share some of our favorite memories of Mel-Anna as we go around the circle,” his mother-in-law said sweetly into a microphone in the middle of the back yard.

The idea was that each person would stand in front of a microphone holding a pink balloon, Mel-Anna’s favorite color. After publicly sharing one of their favorite memories of his late wife, the friend or family member would release the balloon into the air—harming the environment and probably a couple of seagulls in the process.

“Daddy, look at the balloons!” Justin said, tugging on his father’s boots and pointing excitedly into the sky.

“Yeah, that’s great, buddy,” he said, less enthused about the ceremonial release.

“Alright, I guess I’ll start. Mel-Anna was all we could have asked for in a daughter-in-law,” his mother began, her tone as sweet as honey. “She was one of our own. My favorite memory was when Mel-Anna was pregnant with Justin.”

His father laughed as he joined her at the microphone. “She kept telling Shannon, ‘I’m going to do this birth all-natural. I’m going to do it in a pool in the living room, I’m going to do it all-natural,’ is what she kept saying.”

“Well, I just thought she was absolutely crazy!” Shannon added. She had never been a proponent for Mel-Anna’s all-natural, naturopath leanings. Not until after the pregnancy.

“These women went back and forth,” Roger said with humor. “‘I’m doing this all-natural!’ ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Back and forth, back and forth, for about seven months. Then wouldn’t you know it, the day comes. Mel-Anna is in labor.”

“So we had been staying in Arizona and we rush over. And I tell you, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She was so calm, so soothed by the water.”

“After months of Shannon going ‘She’s in for a surprise!’” his father continued, “Wouldn’t you know it, Shannon was sold on the idea. So sold that when we got home that night, she turns to me and she says, ‘Roger?’ I said, ‘Yes dear,’ and she goes, ‘If we ever had another one, you’d best believe you’d be buying me a pool for the living room.’”

The guests erupted with laugher, some knowing the extent of Shannon’s stubbornness, others knowing of Mel-Anna’s love for all things natural, and some because they knew how much the two women butted heads until after Justin was born.

With that, two pink balloons were released into the sky, and Justin’s head flung back to catch sight of them floating away. Several of Mel-Anna’s college friends took the microphone, talking about how they met and the humorous thing they got up to as kids. Then, the next oldest Brooks child, Bennett, took the microphone.

“Did you know that I was there with your dad when we first met your mom?” he asked, speaking directly to Justin, kneeling in front of the little boy.

“No!” Justin exclaimed in surprise.

“We were visiting your dad after he first opened up the ranch and we went to this beach that he couldn’t stop talking about. Perfect sand, great food...”

“Hotdogs!” his son cheered, and everyone laughed, knowing Jett’s obsession with hotdogs—too many hotdogs—that summer.

“You know your dad so well, little buddy,” Bennett grinned. “You’re right, great hotdogs! But the beach was packed. You could barely take two steps without crashing into someone. Suddenly, we hear someone start yelling ‘Shark! Shark!’ and everyone, and I mean everyone, just goes running. The beach was basically cleared out.”

Justin’s eyes went wide, but he smiled along with the other guests as they began to giggle.

“Of course,” his brother continued. “Jett and I don’t move because we’re the only ones crazy enough to want to see the shark! But all that was left was this pretty girl with black hair in a big giant bun and a lime green bathing suit. Once she and Jett locked eyes, I knew that was it. I wasn’t going to be getting my hot dog that day. He spent the entire day with her!”

Jett smirked at the memory. Mel-Anna had been determined to find any way possible to get the entire beach to herself; little did she count on Jett and Bennett’s appetite for adventure.

When the three of them were the only ones left on the beach, Mel-Anna walked right up to Jett and insisted she needed to ‘Meet the idiot’ who would stick around to get eaten by a shark.

It was the best moment of his life.

And just like that, Jett couldn’t hear a second more.

He couldn’t keep reliving moments with her. This year had been painful enough without having to relive the best moment of their relationship in front of dozens of people.

Jett hated being sat in the front of the crowd. It only made it that much more noticeable—and awkward—when he got up and walked back into the house.

He could have clenched his jaw, bit the sides of his tongue, done anything else to get his mind off of the sharp, agonizing pain the memories brought to his body, but he didn’t want to. Being polite for the sake of other people was something Jett had been raised to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to put others first. Not on a day like today.

He made his way into his father-in-law’s study and closed the door behind him. He knew Anderson wouldn’t mind since he’d offered his study as a hideout for Jett if he felt overwhelmed at any point during the day.

It felt nice to be alone for a change. He sat in the tufted office chair and leaned back to close his eyes.

What Carol and Anderson were doing was a beautiful thing—it really was. It was good for them and wonderful for Justin to get to know about his mother, but it was a living nightmare for Jett.

He didn’t need people reminding him how great Mel-Anna was, how perfect they were as a couple, or what hilarious, sweet, or sentimental memories they’d made with her.

He lived with those memories every day and having them in his head was hard enough without sharing them with a room full of Mel’s closest friends and family.

He didn’t want to be selfish, but he’d been a saint since Mel-Anna died—listening to people say the most ridiculous things, like asking for the gory details of her death, saying it could have been worse, or asking, “Do you think you’ll be ready to date soon?”

He’d even had a buxom and overly-flirtatious young employee tell him that he should consider dating because, “Justin is still young” and “He’ll want a playmate soon. You should think about getting remarried and having more kids for his sake.”

It was one of the rudest expressions he’d heard after Mel-Anna’s death.

“Here you are,” came Mama Brook’s soothing tones as she pushed her way into the office. His father and youngest brother, Jax, followed behind her.

“I just need some space,” he offered as an explanation.

Not even coming close to understanding his need for solitude, his mother came up behind him and began rubbing her hand up and down his arms. “I know, I know,” she said quietly. “But you should be out there with Justin.”

“He’ll be fine,” he said quietly, not making eye contact with her.

“I know he will,” she agreed. “But you should take this as an opportunity to grow together. Go tell stories.”

Jett offered his father a pleading look. He just wanted to be alone. “I don’t feel like telling stories. I feel like going home.”

“Well, Carol and Anderson put this beautiful gathering on for you. I know it isn’t where you want to be, but it’s good for Justin. Now come on. He wants to remember his mother with you.”

“I remember her every day,” he snapped. “I don’t need a special occasion to share memories with my son.”

If he were being honest, as much as he loved his life with Mel-Anna and wished more than anything that he could bring her back or make things better for Justin, what Jett needed was a day to forget. He needed just one day to work, to watch hockey, and to forget that he was ever married. He wanted to forget the numb realization he had every morning that his nightmarish life wasn’t a dream, that his wife’s life wouldn’t have been taken if the other driver had the good sense to call a cab, and that he was now responsible for a billion-dollar ranch, a social life, family obligations, and a three-year-old boy—alone.

The room went quiet after his small outburst. Despite his silent father and brother, his mother continued to rub a comforting hand along his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he said, wringing his hands uncomfortably before making eye-contact with his mother. “I’m just tired. I’ve been tired for a year now, it feels like.”

“Shannon?” one of Mel-Anna’s aunts asked as she barged into the office. His one-time-sanctuary was quickly turning into a packed waiting room. “I’m so sorry, can I borrow you for a quick second?”

“Sure thing,” Shannon said. She squeezed his shoulder before she left the room and gave his father a pointed look. It was a look at that said: you’d better get him socializing.

His father raised both brows and took a seat in the chair on the other side of the desk.

“Dad, I’m going crazy,” Jett said. “I don’t have her. I don’t have my wife. How is this even possible?”

“It isn’t fair,” his father agreed.

“All you do your whole life is wait. You wait to start living,” he enunciated, looking at Jax as he spoke. His youngest brother was just starting his journey through life. In a couple of months, he would be taking on his first-ever ranch, moving out of the family home, and probably starting his journey to finding a wife. He still had so many big life decisions ahead of him. “You just wait to find her, and I found her, and now it’s all gone,” he stammered, covering his face with his hands and willing himself not to burst out crying.

“I know,” his father said with both strength and comfort in his tone. He reached a hand across the desk and waited for Jett to touch it. “But think about all you built together. You’ve got a business, a home, your beautiful son.”

“She’s gone, Dad,” he said, throwing a hand into the air as he continued, “Yeah, we built a life together, but she’s gone. She isn’t even here to do it with me.”

“You’re burnt out. You’re tired. But you can get through this, kid. I know you can,” his father said.

“You need a nanny,” Jax piped up. He took a seat next to his father on the other side of the desk as though they were in the world’s most depressing business meeting and crossed his arms.

Jett rolled his eyes, exasperated, but his baby brother insisted, “I’m serious! You’ve been running the ranch, having Justin by your side twenty-four-seven, you’re just trying to...to breathe. You need a second to yourself.”

“I think your brother’s right,” Roger agreed. “You need some help. Ain’t no shame in that.”

Jett closed his eyes and struggled to take a breath. He could feel tears welling up, so he tilted his head back, not wanting his family to see him cry.

Hiring help wasn’t what he or Mel-Anna had wanted for their family. They wanted to be the only ones Justin relied on.

The thought of some woman coming to live at his house—someone who Justin would seek out when he was hungry or hurt or worse, someone he would look to as more of a mother than Mel-Anna—broke his heart.

But his family was not wrong. He was floundering, and without help, he didn’t know how much longer he could keep his head above water.

“How did Colt find Shelby?” his father asked.

“Just put an ad online, I think,” Jax said. “Why? You want lightning to strike twice—hire the most unprofessional nanny ever and have Jett marry her?”

His brother said the words with an ironic snort, but Roger was quick to reprimand him.

“Jax!” he cautioned.

“What?” his brother scoffed. “It’s just a joke.”

“Go find your brother,” Roger said, and Jax let out a laugh.

“Which one, Dad?”

“Just go find something productive to do, okay? Go watch Justin, go help your mother, just give me a minute here, will you?” his father said, waving his youngest boy off.

Jax left the room as requested, and Jett felt a sliver of his anxiety disappear.

He talked to his father about hiring help, about Justin, and about the New York ranch property they were supposed to be looking at in three months.

Jett was the eldest of the Brooks clan, meaning he’d always been the one with the most responsibility. He considered himself a third parent to the clan.

When it came to business, there was no doubt that Roger Brooks trusted Jett the most. Jett was the only one to accompany Roger to buy new properties for the boys—each of whom received a ranch under the Brookstone banner once they turned twenty-one. Soon, Jax would be shipped off to another state and undergo serious training to continue the family tradition of ranching—whether he liked it or not.

Roger did a great job keeping Jett distracted until he had to go back out into the party atmosphere. He also gave Jett a lot to think about, including whether or not he should hire someone to help with Justin.

Colt had been widowed for a time as well. His wife, Amma, had a rare heart condition that led to her death some years ago. She left Colt and their two children behind.

Jett’s heart broke for Colt at the time. They were all devastated by the loss, but it wasn’t until losing Mel-Anna that he could truly understand the depth of pain he must have gone through.

Eight months after her death, he’d hired a nanny that he ended up marrying. The two had a child now.

Jett had been happy for his brother, though he could admit he found the whole situation a little distasteful—dating the woman who was taking after his children seemed unprofessional, to say the least. But clearly, it had worked out well for them.

By the time Jett got back to his hotel room that evening, he felt the heavy weight of the day reach his chest. Emotional exhaustion had taken its toll. It was all he could do to order room service for him and his son.

He sat on the somewhat tiny brown couch in the living room of his suite and his son sat next to him, each curled up with their favorite comfort food—for Jett, that meant macaroni and cheese and apple pie, and for Justin, grilled cheese and a giant bowl of tomato soup.

Jett had always loved his mother’s cooking—great Texas barbecue, mashed potatoes, brisket, oatmeal cookies, pecan pie, chicken-fried steak, and one amazing chili. She’d made all of his favorites for Mel-Anna’s celebration of life, but Jett couldn’t bring himself to touch any of it.

Standing around with a plate full of food seemed wrong. After all, the food wouldn’t have been there if Mel-Anna had been alive and standing around stuffing yourself because of a death seemed like some otherworldly action to Jett.

So he went without for the day.

Even now, looking down at the plate of baked macaroni, he couldn’t seem to find his appetite. This had been the case for Jett since Mel-Anna died. Food was meant for enjoyment and there was nothing enjoyable about a life without her.

But he wanted to set a good example for Justin. He wanted his son to follow his lead and continue as if nothing was wrong.

The two of them sat on the couch watching cartoons, and the only time Jett’s heart didn’t feel heavy in his chest was when Justin would laugh at one of the jokes on the screen in front of them.

“Did you have a good day today, buddy?” he asked, admiring the strength and courage of his son and envying the ignorance of being three years old.

“Yes, it was fun. I got to play with uncle Jax,” Justin said, not looking away from the TV.

“Good, I’m glad you had a good time,” he said.

“Can grandma stay with us?”

Since Mel-Anna’s mother was known as ‘Nana,’ Jett knew Justin was speaking of his mother, Shannon. Jett tussled his son’s hair and shook his head. “No, sorry, buddy. They only have the weekend in Arizona and then they’re going back to Texas. Besides, we have to get back to the ranch and to our city, too, okay?”

It was four hours north back to Desert Springs, Arizona, where their ranch was. The drive was long, and Justin did not appreciate being cooped up.

Justin stared forward. His tone didn’t change, but Jett could tell his boy as disappointed as he squeaked out, “Okay.”

The two continued watching television for some time as they ate. Jett had a gnawing feeling in his gut that he knew wouldn’t go away until he had a proper conversation with his son about how their lives would move forward once they got back to the ranch.

“When we get back, I was thinking I might hire someone come live with us for a while,” he began hesitantly, biting his lip after the words left his mouth. He didn’t know what Justin would think of the idea. From his silence, he didn’t think much of it. “Someone to help take care of you for a bit,” he clarified.

“A babysitter?” Justin asked, frowning.

“Yeah, kind of like that. Someone nice and fun who can play with you and help feed you while daddy’s at work.”

Justin looked up at his father with curious brown eyes and nodded in acceptance. “Okay,” he said.

Hiring professional help wasn’t something Jett ever thought he would have to do. He and Mel-Anna had been hands-on parents. After Justin was born, Mel-Anna took the first eight months off of work, and when she returned, she returned with Justin by her side. They didn’t want to be parents who relied on babysitters or nannies to help them raise their child. At least not until Justin was in school. They wanted to enjoy the time they had with him while he was little.

But now Jett wasn’t seeing any other option. He was going to have to seek out a nanny, and based on Colt’s horror stories of incompetent help, he had a challenging few weeks ahead of him.

Chapter Two

Paige

“I can’t believe you’re getting married!” Paige shouted to her best friend, Alissa.

The olive-skinned Italian beauty was outfitted with an updo of curls and a vintage ivory tea-dress.

Paige Ramsay had known Alissa for eight years. She’d seen her through her single years, bad dates, bad boyfriends, good boyfriends that didn’t work out, and two pregnancy scares.

In turn, Alissa had seen Paige through breakups, fights with friends, and six unforgettable nights in the rainforest of Peru.

Paige loved that Alissa was always pushing her to do new things. Any trips Paige had ever taken in her life were all thanks to Alissa, a self-confessed travel bug. In fact, it was in Italy on an architectural tour where Alissa had met Nicola—her soon-to-be husband

“Forget getting married!” Alissa exclaimed, grabbing Paige by the shoulders. “I can’t believe I’m moving in with a guy!”

“Girl, you are not just moving out. You are moving across the world!” their friend Harmony said enthusiastically.

“You’re moving to Naples,” Paige added, then paused for dramatic effect before announcing, “Italy! It’s crazy!”

The five women, Alissa, Paige, Harmony, Julia, and Misty, were gathered in an oversized hotel room, just two hours away from taking the elevator down to the lavishly decorated hotel ballroom where Alissa would be getting married.

“Oh my goodness,” Alissa said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I know, it’s crazy.”

“You guys are like BFFs. Misty and I were joking that you and Nicola were going to invite Paige to come and live with you once you were married. You’d be like this weird little thrupple,” Harmony giggled.

“You guys are joined at the hip!” Misty added as Julia helped zip her into the champagne-colored lace bridesmaid gown.

Alissa took a sip of champagne, finishing off the glass and eating the strawberry that sat at the bottom of the bubbly. “Hey,” she teased, “if Nicola would have agreed to it, I mean...” she trailed off, as though considering it, and the girls all laughed.

“Are you nervous?” Misty asked.

“To get married?” Alissa clarified, then shook her head. “Nah. Nicola is amazing. He’s my best friend, tied with Paige, obviously! Marrying him feels so right. Am I nervous about moving to Italy? Yes. Am I nervous about tripping on my train and falling on my face while I walk down the aisle? Heck yes. But marrying Nicola? No way. That’s a no-brainer.”

“You guys are so lucky,” Paige said breathlessly as she watched her graceful friend move around the room.

Harmony raised her brows with gentle envy and exchanged a glance with Paige. “I’d kill to feel that sure about somebody,” she commented with a snort.

“What about Adam?” Alissa asked.

Harmony shrugged. “Adam and I are having fun. I love him, kinda? But it’s nothing serious like you and Nicola. You guys were the real deal from the first date.”

“That’s not true,” Alissa said.

“It is!” Paige said. “You guys met, and it was like, bam! You had this end goal of marriage and moving and making all of these big changes.”

“Speaking of big changes,” Harmony said, handing Paige a glass of champagne. “What are you going to do now, Paige?”

“Aside from taking endless trips to Italy to bug the newlyweds?” Paige grinned.

“Well, I mean, that goes without saying,” Alissa snickered.

“No, what about Devansh?” Harmony asked. “Alissa said he’s in summer school and you’re basically out of a job.”

“And a place to live,” Paige added with a hint of cynicism. She had been working as a live-in nanny for the last ten years for various clients. Her latest was an Indian family with a little boy named Devansh. They were the most loving, thoughtful people she had ever lived with. She’d gotten close with Devansh, but with the mother deciding to put him in summer school and then pre-school in the fall, she was officially out of a job. She had been living with Alissa for the last few weeks, which was only making Alissa’s departure that much harder.

“I hate leaving my kids,” she pouted.

“How many have you had now?” Julia asked.

“This is my third!” she said in disbelief. “Those school years are so hard. Once they hit about four, you’re basically biting your fingernails, hoping they won’t leave you.”

“Oh my goodness, you’re like a mom sending her kids off to college and worrying about an empty nest,” Misty laughed.

“That’s the thing; the nest doesn’t stay empty for long. I usually find a new job pretty fast; it’s just starting over is just, so, bleh. You know? I have to get to know a new family, their habits and everything, and then you get attached,” she explained.

“It’s like having a hamster,” Harmony said, snapping her fingers. “You fall in love with the little guy, and then it’s dead within a few years.”

Paige frowned. “That’s a pretty morbid comparison, but I see what you’re going for there,” she said, and the girls laughed.

“Do you have any leads on a new job?” Harmony asked.

“Yes, she does! She’s been talking to this single dad for like two weeks now,” Alissa said. “Paige, read them the ad he posted!”

Paige smiled bashfully and drew the ad up on her phone. “Single parent looking for a live-in nanny for a three-year-old boy,” she read aloud. “Must be willing to relocate to a bustling ranch in Desert Springs, Arizona. Must be able to work from 7:30 to 6:30, Monday to Friday. The ideal nanny can drive, is comfortable cooking and cleaning, loves to be outside, and has prior experience caring for young children. Competitive salary for the right candidate. Please contact me with some information about yourself.”

“Arizona?” Harmony said with a groan. “So Alissa abandons us and then you take off out of state?”

“And you’ve been talking to the dad?” Misty asked.

Paige nodded. “Yes. It’s a single dad, recently lost his wife, and he runs a ranch there.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s be clear. This isn’t just any ranch! This is Brookside Ranch!” Alissa said.

“What? Don’t we have one here run by that country guy?” Harmony asked.

“Phoenix Brooks! Yes! They’re like, a chain of these luxury dude ranches,” Alissa continued to explain.

“His name is Jett, and his little guy is Justin,” Paige said. “We’ve talked on video chat a couple of times and it seems like a pretty good deal.”

Misty drew her brows together in a concerned frown. To her, the idea of living out of someone else’s house was incomprehensible. “Yeah? You wouldn’t be worried about moving in with some guy you don’t know?”

“I mean...I have no reason to think he’s a serial killer,” Paige snickered.

“Your Spidey senses didn’t go off for that one?” Harmony laughed.

“He just seemed like a nice guy, and the pay is...” Paige trailed off, unsure if it would be rude to finish her sentence.

“Worth moving your whole life for?” Harmony asked.

“Alissa’s moving,” Paige shrugged. “And besides, that puts me within four hours of my parents’ place in Barstow.”

“I didn’t know your parents lived in Cali!” Misty called out excitedly.

“Yeah. That means I could leave after work Friday and be able to spend the whole weekend with them for once. It would be awesome to be closer to them. Plus, I need a change. I’ve done my damage here in Utah. Ex-boyfriends, friends moving away, little kids raised.”

Harmony shifted. “So, you’d seriously consider taking the job?”

Paige bit her lip, then smiled. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

Paige wasn’t sure what she wanted. She wasn’t afraid of adventure. She wasn’t afraid to move, especially now that Alissa was leaving. Maybe Arizona was just what she needed.

The girls continued to talk and reminisce in their little room—sharing stories, laughs, and then tears as Alissa was called downstairs to present herself to the man of her dreams.

The wedding was amazing. It was simple but tasteful. Modest.

Paige blubbered like a baby through both vows. She apologized to Alissa for what a mess she was going to look like in the wedding photos, and her best friend hugged her, laughed, and said, “You’ll look beautiful no matter what.”

Everyone at the wedding was so beautiful and, the more she talked to the guests at the reception, the more she realized they were all so put together, too.

Paige was not a jealous person. She was a supportive friend who couldn’t have been happier for Alissa to have met her forever person. But weddings were a natural time for singles to reflect on their lives.

Harmony leaned in close at the bridal table, grabbing Paige by the arm as she said, “Can you believe we’re going to be losing her?” and then nodded toward Alissa.

Paige wasn’t the only one who was doing some introspection about how much was changing in her little corner of the universe.

“I feel like everyone we know is getting married or moving off to do something amazing,” Paige agreed.

“Or both, in wonder girl’s case,” Harmony said with a sigh.

The two of them watched Alissa as she stood arm in arm with her new husband, charming their guests and getting ready for the rest of her life to start—babies, curating at an incredible museum, fantastic pasta. Her future was looking bright.

“Seriously, though,” Harmony continued. “Julia’s moving to Seattle, Misty is getting married next year, and Alissa’s moving away. I would hate Nicola for stealing her away if I didn’t love the stupid guy so much.”

“I know, right?” Paige laughed. “Maybe it’s time for me to join the club.”

“Don’t you dare leave me here alone,” Harmony said playfully.

The reception was even better than Paige could ever have imagined it. She and Alissa had spent months planning it, and never in her wildest dreams could she have envisioned a more perfect evening. The venue played great music, served mouth-watering food, and guests offered speeches that ranged from funny to tear-jerking.

Paige was having more fun than she’d had in years, but as Alissa and Nicola did their final bow and bid their guests adieu—or in their case, ‘ciao,’ Paige couldn’t help the knock of adrenaline that rushed through her stomach.

She needed a change. The truth was, there was nothing left tying her to Utah.

Her only hesitation about continuing her job as a nanny was the desire to plant her feet and start a family of her own. She’d spent the last ten years living with other families and never getting a space of her own. She had no living room to decorate, no space to entertain friends, no freedom—just a white-walled bedroom and a whole lot of love to give.

If she accepted the job in Arizona, she would be committed to at least another two years. It would be difficult to date and to make friends in a new area. But then again, she would be brought to a beautiful ranch with a new family to help.

She sat alone at the bridal table; half the guests had gone home for the evening. Paige pulled her cell phone out from her purse. She held the phone under the table, getting a sneaky look at the messages she had been exchanging with Jett Brooks, and smiled. She didn’t know what her life in Arizona might be like, but she was more than willing to find out.

Chapter Three

Jett

There was a time when Jett enjoyed nothing more than coming into work first thing in the morning and spending the day dreaming big about how to better the ranch, how to make customer’s happier, and how to build a bigger, better reputation for Brookside.

But these days, Jett was lucky if he got into work by eleven and didn’t fall asleep at his desk for the majority of the day.

He was so burnt out, he could practically smell the smoke.

He’d been sitting at his office desk for the last two hours, dozing in and out of sleep. It was the kind of overwhelming exhaustion that caused his eyes to roll back without warning. His only savior was Eric, who jolted him from sleep as he entered Jett’s office.

“Problem,” Eric said.

“A problem that I need to know about?” Jett asked, straightening in his chair in hopes that his assistant wouldn’t realize he had been dozing off.

“You’re the only higher up here, so, yeah, I think so,” Eric laughed.

“Shoot.”

Eric looked down at his phone, then up at Jett. “We accidentally booked two families for the same pickleball court tomorrow morning, and there are no other time slots left to give them a spot.”

“How did that happen?”

“Weston,” Eric said as though that should explain everything.

“New guy?”

Eric nodded. “Yeah, he’s still training but I guess he was left at the desk alone the other morning and double-booked.”

“Call the second family who tried to reserve the court and explain the misunderstanding to them. Ask them if they would like to reserve another sport. If not, offer them any one of our activities for the afternoon and get them a voucher for the spa.”

“Can we do that?” Eric asked, his brows flicking up in surprise.

Jett looked around the room curiously, then laughed as he said, “It’s my ranch. I’m pretty sure I get to make up the rules.”

“Will do,” his friend said evenly.

“Pickleball,” Jett repeated, narrowing his brows. “Remind me again how that’s a real sport?”

Eric laughed. “It’s like a mix between badminton, tennis, and table tennis. You know, sort of like whiffle ball?”

“I love sports,” Jett said in playful defense. “You know that. Everyone knows I do, but I am telling you, I had never heard of this before in my life.”

“You haven’t lived until you’ve played,” Eric said with a wink.

“Is that really what people say?”

His friend shook his head, amused. “No.”

“I didn’t think so.”

Jett inhaled a long breath and stood up from his desk. He grabbed his laptop and slipped it into his bag, and Eric asked, “Are you heading home?”

“Yeah, I have someone coming in today to meet Justin.”

“You’re finally getting that nanny?” his friend asked.

“Yeah, looks like it.”

“Best decision you’ll ever make. Kendra hired a nanny last year and she’s never been happier. She works seventy hours a week at her job, you know? Now she gets to come home and be with the kids without worrying about taking care of the house or rushing around to make dinner. It’s just quality time.”

“Yeah,” Jett said, still not entirely sold on the idea. “But isn’t it weird having someone in your house all the time?”

“Ah,” Eric waved him off. “It’s a little weird at first, I guess. But we have that in-law suite in our basement, so when we get home, she just scoots downstairs. We don’t see her all the much. Then she gets weekends off unless we need her, like if Kendra has a conference.”

“And Kendra trusts you with a girl living in the house?” he joked.

“Hey! I’ve never cheated on her. Never have, never will. Besides, our nanny is, like, sixty,” Eric chuckled.

“There ya go.”

Eric shrugged. “Even if she wasn’t, why risk it anyway?”

“Ask my brother,” Jett scoffed.

“He slept with the nanny?”

“No, he married her,” Jett said with a pointed laugh. “After his wife passed away.”

“I’m going to go ahead and guess that she wasn’t in her sixties.”

“Not quite,” Jett smirked. “Nah, she’s a nice girl. They have a kid together now. I don’t know how he...”

“How he what? Risked it?”

Jett wanted to say “how he moved on,” but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words out loud. Saying the words would likely spiral into a gossip chain about how Jett was looking for wife number two, and he couldn’t deal with that kind of rumor. He dismissed the subject entirely and asked, “You coming down to the ranch for the game on Saturday?”

“I’m workin’ that night,” Eric said.

“Good,” he said. “Then that means you won’t miss it!”

As if the ranch needed any more business, Jett tried to have weekly sports nights at their local restaurant, showcasing baseball, hockey, football, and everything in between. All but wrestling, which Mel-Anna had once deemed “Violent, fake, and not even a sport”—thereby blackballing it from the ranch playlist.

He arrived back to his property not long after leaving the office. His house was on the far end of the ranch, making getting to and from work a simple task.

Within a half-hour of his arrival, he received a call from his front gate attendant.

“Mr. Brooks,” Darlack said, “We have a Paige Ramsay at the gate. She says she has an appointment with you?”

“Thanks, send her in.”

Jett wasn’t a shy person. His job was to be engaging and helpful to guests at the ranch. He was required to meet with investors and make business deals. But for some reason, this meeting had him nervous. This wasn’t just a handshake and an exchange of contracts and properties. This was someone he was inviting into his inner circle—to live in his home and care for his son. There were only three women he had ever trusted with that position: Mel-Anna, her mother Carol, and his mother Shannon.

His mother and mother-in-law had been incredibly supportive and giving of their time after Mel-Anna’s death, helping him at the house, watching Justin when he first decided to return to work, and doing anything in their power to help him through the strange transition to becoming a widower.

But his mother didn’t even live in Arizona, and it wouldn’t have been fair to have Carol traveling hours every day to come and babysit for him. Without their help, Jett had no choice but to hire outside the family.

He’d spoken to Paige for a few weeks, even speaking to her over video chat, and he felt comfortable talking to her.

The woman’s CV spoke volumes about her talent and experience with first aid and CPR training, sign-language, and a diploma in childcare and education. Her references also raved about her skills and dependability.

Plus, she was willing to relocate from Utah to brave the Arizona heat.

Everything seemed like a perfect fit, but Jett couldn’t help feeling apprehensive.

He wore slacks and a dress shirt and had dressed Justin up in an equally dressy outfit. As he adjusted Justin’s little bowtie, his son asked, “Why do I have to wear this?”

“Because you look smashing in a tie, little man. Just smashing,” he teased in his best British accent. “We’re dressed up a little bit today because we’re meeting someone. Her name is Paige. She’s the girl I told you about who is coming to take care of you. She might come to live with us for a while, but only if you really like her. So after we spend some time with her, you have to tell me what you think of her, okay?”

Justin shrugged, ever agreeable. “Okay.”

“And you have to be honest, alright?” he said, nudging the boy playfully.

“Cross my heart.”

He met Paige Ramsay at the door with Justin in his arms.

He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting—someone a little more…average-looking, perhaps. But when he swung open the door to greet her, he immediately noticed the girl’s long light brown hair, shiny and curly, and the dimpled cleft in her chin. She looked like some elven creature with her big green eyes and square jaw.

“Jett,” he said, extending his free hand to her. “And this here is Justin.”

“Hi, Justin!” she said, waving excitedly at him. Justin shied away. The boy buried his face in Jett’s shoulder but kept a curious eye on Paige.

“Welcome to our home,” Jett continued. “Did you get here alright?”

“Yeah,” she said with a polite nod.

“And you drove or is that a rental?” he asked, gesturing toward a beat-up lime-green Toyota in his driveway.

She looked at her car and chuckled. “Drove.”

“Long drive?”

“About fifteen hours,” she answered. “But I spaced it out pretty well.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you in person, finally. This is our home. It’s a bit of a...” he paused, then said, “a unique venue.”

“It’s beautiful!” she gushed as he guided her inside his home. “Pulling up to your property has been the most scenic part of the drive, honestly. It’s pretty here with all of the cabins and your place with the gates and the horses roaming around.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you ever get sick of looking out your front window at all of this?” she asked as they took a seat in the living room.

“Not sick of it, no,” he said hesitantly. “But you stop appreciating it. It’s kind of like living in Niagara Falls, I guess. You live near this stunning wonder for so long that you barely bat an eye at it. Then a stranger or a tourist comes along raving about this massive, thundering waterfall and reminds you for a second how lucky you are to be able to look at it whenever you want.”

“I could never get sick of being out here,” she marveled, staring out the bay windows at the sprawling farmland.

“Hopefully that’s true because we’re looking for somebody for the long haul.”

“Right,” she said, her tone suddenly all-business. “You had mentioned that you would still want part-time care after Justin starts school?”

“Full-time, if possible,” he said, hoping that wouldn’t be too much for her. “I run the ranch here, and my schedule is pretty full, so I wouldn’t always have the time to pick him up from school and, well, honestly, I could use the help. Things have been a little crazy here lately.”

“I bet.”

“Justin, do you want to say hello to Paige?” he said, encouraging his son to engage with the woman. “He’s had a hard time since...” he whispered, trailing off.

Paige nodded, then tilted her head to the side sweetly as she looked at Justin. “Hey, Justin, what’s up, little man? What were you doin’ before I got here?”

Justin shrugged, slowly taking his head off of his father’s shoulder. “Nothin’, I was just playing with my trucks.”

“Oh, that’s awesome!” she said with childlike exuberance. “I love trucks!”

“You do?” Justin asked, perking up.

“Yeah, for sure. What else do you like to do for fun?”

“Just chill,” his son said, eliciting laughed from both he and Paige.

“We were just with his uncle for a while, he’s twenty-one, and...you know, has chosen not to speak in full sentences anymore. You don’t sit down and relax, you chill. You don’t share news; you spill the tea.”

“You don’t tell your friend they’re acting weird, now they’re ‘sus,’” Paige added with a giggle.

“Exactly! And now if you get a read-receipt for your text but your friend doesn’t respond to you, it’s called being left on read.” He paused. “Do I sound like an old man? Am I old now?”

“Yes, but don’t worry, it’s endearing,” she said.

“Which is probably the new word for crotchety.”

Paige smiled, and Jett suddenly felt at ease. Maybe this would work after all.

“So, Justin, what’s your favorite food?” she asked.

“Wansanga,” he said. Justin was well-spoken for a three-year-old, but he still had issues with certain words, often inserting a W where one didn’t belong.

“He means lasagna,” he corrected. “But trust me, everything is his favorite food. Steak, potatoes, anything Mexican.”

“Oooh, is he a spicy fan?” she asked.

“Can’t get enough jalapenos. I don’t know where he got that from, trust me. I get one seed on my tongue and I’m down for the count,” he said.

“I can’t do spicy, either, so looks like he’s got both of us beat,” she said, high-fiving Justin.

The three of them spent an hour in the living room getting to know one another, talking about various details of the job, life at the ranch, and what would be expected of her. But mostly, she talked with Justin, asking him questions and trying to get to know him better—as much as one could get to know a toddler.

The fact that Justin was engaging with her at all, making physical contact, and had even waddled away from Jett and sat next to Paige to show her some of his toys, was astonishing. It was obvious that Paige knew what she was doing when it came to drawing children out. Jett knew he’d found the perfect nanny.

Chapter Four

Paige

When Paige found out she was going to be living on a luxury ranch estate, she had never imagined it would be as beautiful as Brookside was.

It was a desert-style ranch that seemed to sprawl on forever. There were sections for pools, a spa, a massive barn where events were held, and adorable cottage bungalows for guests to stay in.

Just driving in, she’d seen what looked like a pack of wild horses running alongside the property.

Jett Brooks’ house was no less stunning. The home was rustic-modern with wooden floors and character beams throughout. It had eight bedrooms, one of which was especially mind-blowing. Her bedroom.

Paige had been concerned about moving somewhere that lacked space, but she couldn’t have been more wrong about staying at Brookside Ranch.

“So, like I said,” Jett explained as he showed her how to use various features in the house—the stove, smart-fridge, her tub, the oven, and the central vac—“we will need you up and ready from seven in the morning until about six at night. You have the full lay of the land; all that I ask is that you don’t take Justin anywhere seedy and please don’t take him out of state.”

Paige giggled. She had been doing a lot of that around Jett. He was exactly her type. Tall, slightly muscular, and completely Texas. Although he denied having an accent, she heard his twang shine through on certain words, and it made her blush. To say she was attracted to her new boss would have been an understatement. He had short brown hair, a wide smile with the whitest teeth she had ever seen.

“If you want to bring him out to the ranch, feel free,” Jett continued. “I’ll get you passes for anything you want to do. There’s swimming, art classes, fishing, a nature center, kids’ day camps, sports, and lots of things for adults too, if you want to sign up for one of the activities on your time off. There’s yoga, a gym, group hikes.”

“Wow! It’s no wonder this place is always busy,” she mused, but what she wanted to say was it was no wonder the ranches had made the Brooks family so rich. It sounded like a cowboy spa and nature retreat. She couldn’t imagine what the bill must have been like to stay at a place like this.

“We’re a busy ranch, but I like to keep a quiet house,” he said, listing his rules and suggestions off on his hand as they walked through the rooms of the house. “We don’t usually have visitors. That being said, if you want to have your friends come over and hang out in your room, that’s completely fine so long as they are quiet after Justin has gone to sleep.”

Paige nodded in agreement. Jett had been more than generous with her real estate in his mini-mansion. He gave her a bottom floor room at the far side of the house. It had a north-facing window, a private bathroom with a sauna and jetted tub, and a bedroom so big there was room to put a small seating area for entertaining guests.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked her face immediately lit up into a blush.

“What?” she asked in surprise. “Oh! No, I don’t.”

“Well, if you start dating, I would prefer if you kept that aspect of your life out of the house,” he said. He sounded unsure of whether or not he was allowed to say something like that, but Paige assured him that her previous clients had laid out similar rules.

“I’m not someone who wants to have a say in somebody else’s personal life, so it’s a little weird for me even to bring up, but you know, for Justin’s sake...” he trailed off awkwardly. “I just don’t want to confuse him or expose him to anything that—”

“No, I get it! It makes sense to me. I won’t overstep your personal boundaries in the house.”

Jett nodded and gestured toward her bedroom door as he said, “And I won’t overstep yours. I want you to feel like this room is your personal space. I won’t be coming in here or invade your privacy. What you do on your time off is none of my business.”

“Trust me, it won’t be anything spectacular,” she snorted. “Probably just roam around the ranch, maybe visit my parents in California.”

“Is it hard to have them in another state?” he asked, his first attempt at making casual conversation.

“Sometimes. I have a big family, so it’s only natural for us to get a little scattered the older we get.”

His interest was piqued. “How many in your family?”

“Five kids,” she said with wide eyes. “Three boys and two girls, including me. I’m the baby of the family.”

“There’s six in mine,” he said with mock sympathy. “Five boys and one girl.”

“No kidding! Five boys, wow,” she mused. “Your poor mom!”

Jett laughed.

“Where do you fall in the lineup?”

“I’m the oldest,” he said.

“Lots of responsibility,” she said knowingly. “What’s the biggest age-gap between you guys?”

“There are fourteen years between my baby sister and me,” he said.

“Yeah, I’m twenty-eight, and there are ten years between me and my older brother Randall. He’s nearly forty, has three beautiful girls, has been married for twenty years. Which is absolutely insane, right? It’s like he has this whole other life. I love him like crazy, but you know, by the time I was a teenager, he was already married and there wasn’t much of a chance to get close.”

“Yeah,” he reciprocated with a nod. “That’s sort of what it’s like between my sister and me. We love each other, but her life is—” he paused, seeming unsure how to finish. With a gentle roll of his eyes, he summarized, “We live very different lives.”

“I get it.”

“You like being part of a big family?” he asked.

“I do. It gets a little hectic sometimes, but it’s fun.”

“I know what you mean,” he said. “We’re a business-family. Most of the boys are running different branches of the Brookside chain in different states. I’m scouting a location for my youngest brother, which has been...”

“Keeping you busy?” she finished.

Jett smiled. “To say the least. So, between marriages and kids and breakups and business, we also have my brother Phoenix.”

“Phoenix Brooks, country music genius,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound like a fangirl. “My friend stayed at the Utah location on her honeymoon!”

“Oh yeah? Small world,” he said with minimal amusement.

“I know, right?”

“He’s had...a tough couple of years.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard rumblings,” she said politely, trying to side-step the fact that news of his brother’s tough years had been splashed across every gossip and new website for what felt like fifty-two weeks in a row.

“Right,” he nodded. “So, as I said, there’s a lot of drama. Brothers fighting, obvious parental favorites, someone feels left out, someone always needs to talk. It’s a busy life, sometimes stressful, but it’s worth it.”

“Are you close with your siblings?” she asked.

“I was the oldest brother, you know? I was the third parent, so I feel protective of all of them. They all have come to me for advice at some point or another. You?”

“Oh, I love ‘em all. Even the crazy ones,” she said with a wink. “But I’m probably closest to my sister Tianna. We’re only a year apart so I guess that’s to be expected.”

Talking to Jett was so easy. Too easy, in fact. She had only been at the ranch for a day and a half, and she was already feeling right at home.

The two of them talked the afternoon away without a second thought, sipping coffee on his couch and getting to know one another. It was refreshing to have someone who understood what it was like growing up in a larger family.

Most of her friends and ex-boyfriends found Paige’s family to be a bit overwhelming. Like Jett had mentioned, there always seemed to be something going on. There was always the overachiever, the slacker, the wild child, and the list went on. Introducing a partner to the Ramsay clan was always something of a nail-biter for Paige.

But of course, Jett was not a boyfriend nor would he ever have the occasion to meet her parents or her siblings.

Still, it was nice to meet someone who could relate.

“Can I ask a sort of a personal question?” she wondered aloud.

“Sure.”

“How long has it been since…” she winced uncomfortably. “Since your wife passed?”

Jett stiffened visibly. “Just over a year now.”

“Ah, okay,” she nodded, taking a mental note. “So, Justin was only two when it happened?”

“That’s right.”

“Does he remember much about her?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t making her new boss too uncomfortable.

“That’s a good question. To be honest, I don’t think so. He remembers her as a concept—as a source of comfort and touch if that makes sense. But does he remember her laugh? Her voice?” he shook his head. “I don’t really know.”

“Have there been any issues with him since she’s been gone? I’m not trying to pry. I mean, I guess I am a little bit. But I think it’s important for me to know a little bit about how Justin has been adjusting so that I don’t trigger him or stunt his progress.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” he said. “I guess he scares a lot easier now. He never used to be afraid of the dark, for example. He cries more, has been a little less enthused to be around women. He used to love his grandmothers; now he cries whenever they try to hold him. Things like that.”

“Then he knows something is different. He knows the dynamic of his home has changed. What does he know about her passing, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“You know, my brother’s wife had a rare illness and she passed away a couple of years ago. I talked to him about it and he told me kids need a coherent story, something age-appropriate that will fill in the blanks so that they don’t have to. They need a complete narrative to control. So, when I explained things to Justin, I told him that his mother was in a very bad accident. I didn’t tell him right away that it was a car accident because I didn’t want him to be afraid to ride in the car with me.”

“Smart,” she said.

“Yeah, until my brother mentioned the car accident right in front of him,” he said with a sigh. “So, that went out the window.”

Paige winced. That was one big oopsie. “Does Justin get nervous about riding in the car?”

“Sometimes. Other times he’s completely fine. You know, I remember when I told him, I had sat him down and I just had,” he stammered, grabbing his stomach for emphasis, “My stomach was in knots. I said mommy passed away. Do you know what that means? He says yes, that she won’t be coming home anymore, and I said yes. Then he asked if he could go back to watching TV.” He rubbed his arm. “It gave me chills, honestly.”

Paige nodded sympathetically. She couldn’t imagine how that would feel.

“He couldn’t comprehend the gravity of it,” she reasoned.

Jett nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. “It seemed so cold.”

“He was two years old,” she said with a wince. “He didn’t know how to react. Heck, I’m twenty-eight and I wouldn’t know how to react either.”

“Fair enough,” he said with some amusement. “It worries me, though. They say it manifests in different ways in kids—that it might come out later in all sorts of horrible side-effects.”

“He’s got a good dad to lean on,” she smiled. “He may just surprise you. Kids are pretty resilient.”

“I hope so.”

“Does he have any idea where she might be?” she asked, and Jett drew his brows together curiously.

“Such as heaven?” he asked, and she nodded. “No. I don’t know where she is. Eternal sleep? Temporary sleep? Heaven? I have no idea, and I don’t want to give him any false promises.”

“I understand. I’ll make sure to keep it vague if it ever comes up. Do you have any preference about whether or not I bring her up in conversation?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I once nannied a girl who lost her grandma. They were close, but just like Justin, Matilda was pretty young. So, her mother asked me if I could make a point of talking about the grandmother, bring her up in conversation, keep her spirit alive in the house.”

“But you didn’t know her,” he interjected.

“No, but I could ask Matilda about her from time to time, and her mom had all of these videos from family anniversary parties that we could watch. If you wanted, I could do the same thing with Justin.”

Jett gave a long pause, considering it. For a moment, Paige had wondered whether she had overstepped some sort of boundary, but her new boss eventually brightened and said, “That might be nice.”

“Okay,” she smiled.

“Just don’t force it, I guess,” he reasoned. “If he brings it up, don’t feel like you have to change the subject, but I don’t want to upset him with talk of her, either.”

“No problem. As I said, I just like to get these things out in the open so that I don’t do something stupid,” she said with some levity.

He nodded. “Thanks, Paige.”

Chapter Five

Jett

“Coffee’s in the pot!” Paige cheered that morning as Jett entered the kitchen.

Unlike the K-cup-using twenty-somethings, Jett preferred his coffee to be made the old-fashioned way. Strong, and in a pot. This was mostly due to Jett’s overall impatience when it came to getting—and staying—caffeinated. Once he had finished a cup of coffee, he didn’t want to wait while the next one was brewing.

Plus, pouring piping hot water through a plastic coffee pod seemed like a health-nightmare. Doctor’s strongly opposed drinking from a water bottle if it had been left in a hot car; something about the heat causing the plastic to release harmful chemicals. So, why in the world were so many people jumping for joy over K-cups?

“Thanks,” he said, pouring himself a cup. “You’re awfully chipper this morning.”

Paige brightened at the comment and turned to face him. Her smile fell as she caught sight of him, and she teased, “And you just look plain awful!”

“Aw, shucks, you sure know how to flatter a fella.”

She laughed and poured a dollop of milk into his glass. “I’m serious. Are you feeling alright? You look sick, Jett.”

Jett set a hand on his forehead and groaned. He did feel a little bit warm, but he was just starting to get back into the groove at work and wasn’t about to put off another productive day. “I’m alright,” he said. “Just feeling a little dizzy this morning.”

“I hope you’re not getting a bug,” she said, biting her lip.

“Daddy has a bug!” Justin shouted from the breakfast table, smiling proudly.

“No, Daddy may be getting a bug,” Jett said, locking eyes with Paige. “And daddy’s not getting a bug, he’s fine.”

“Bugs are gross. I can name ten bugs,” Justin said quickly.

“That’s awesome, buddy,” Paige said with her usual kid-friendly enthusiasm. She set a hand flat on the countertop and said, “How about I start and then you go, and we’ll go back and forth until we can’t think of any more?”

“Loser makes breakfast!” Justin shouted.

Paige accepted his challenge. “You’re on, little man!”

“Caterpillar,” his son said.

“Centipede,” Paige retaliated.

“Ew!” Justin said, squishing up his face. “Beetle!”

“Ant!”

“Fly!” his son said quickly.

“Are you sure you don’t want to call in sick for today?” Paige asked, leaning toward Jett. “You’ve been working like crazy. This may be your body’s way of telling you to slow down.” The brunette then began pouring milk into a bowl and mixing a batter with an oversized wooden spoon. “Cricket!” she called back to Justin.

“No, I’m fine,” Jett said, shaking his head. He felt his head go dizzy and steadied himself with both hands on the counter. “Eh...maybe I’ll do a half-day, come home around lunch or something.”

“Bee!” Justin shouted, oblivious.

“Yeah, that might be a good idea,” Paige said quietly, then turned to Justin and quickly matched, “Cricket!” Then, turning back to Jett, she suggested, “Come home and I’ll make you some soup.”

“Maybe,” he shrugged.

“Mantis,” Justin said.

Perhaps it was her instinct as a childcare worker, but Paige set her hand on Jett’s forehead without asking. She gave a deep frown and said, “You feel a little warm. I think you have a fever, Jett.”

“I am sensing clear disapproval of my going into work,” he smirked.

Paige raised her rounded brows quickly, then mimed her fingers along her mouth as though she were pulling a zipper shut. She then locked the zipper and mimed throwing the key behind her. “Not my ranch!”

“But if it were?” he asked with amusement.

“If it were and you were my employee, I’d tell you to stay home and rest and not infect the rest of my staff with—”

“Paige!” Justin called, clearly missing his nanny’s undivided attention. “Mantis!”

Paige turned to him and feigned shock at his response. She leaned down to his child’s seat and began tickling him wildly as she played, “I can’t think of a single other bug in the whole world! You are either the smartest smarty-pants ever or you totally cheated!”

“Smarty-pants!” Justin said through his laughter.

“Yeah, right!” she teased.

Jett watched them play and couldn’t help but think how entirely different his son had been these last few weeks. He was no longer the withdrawn little toddler Mel-Anna had left. He was playful and talkative. Jett couldn’t be more grateful for it.

“I want pancakes!” Justin said. “Chocolate pancakes, please!”

Jett looked into the bowl Paige had been stirring. She must have known what his son’s request would be because she was already making a giant batch, it seemed.

“You got it,” Paige said, then looked at Jett with a gentle expression of warning and said, “And you, be careful today.”

“Will do,” he said. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re heading out? You should at least get a little breakfast in your stomach,” she said.

Jett raised his coffee mug and called out, “Breakfast of champions.”

“Alright, have a good day!” she said.

When he arrived at the office, Eric was at the front door waiting for him.

“You have sixteen messages,” his assistant said, mocking a robotic tone as he followed Jett into his office.

“Anything pressing?”

“Your father called,” his friend said, looking over his call list. “The New York real estate dealer wants to meet in February about the Hapwick property.”

“Awesome. That’s great,” Jett said enthusiastically. “Is my dad going or does he want me to handle this one on my own?”

“He said he’s going to ask your brother Phoenix to join you there, but if he can’t make it, then Mr. Brooks senior will be coming along.”

“Alright, great,” Jett nodded. “Thanks.”

Jett spent a few productive hours at the ranch that morning, but by ten-thirty, he was dragging his feet. As it turned out, Paige was right. Jett should have stayed at home. He sat at his desk feeling miserable as waves of nausea waved churned through his stomach.

He tried to continue working, but after twenty minutes of trying not to throw up, he figured the best thing to do would be to head back home and not contaminate anyone at the office with his stomach bug.

He headed back home like a dog with his tail between his legs, hoping he could escape upstairs to his bedroom without Paige noticing, but to his chagrin, she raced up to the door the minute he walked in the house.

“Hey, you’re home early. It isn’t even eleven,” Paige said with concern.

“I’m not feeling the best,” he said, running a hand along his stomach. He slung his bag next to the entry closet and felt Paige’s eyes on him. Looking up at her, he smiled weakly and said, “You can go ahead and gloat now.”

“Trust me, I take no pleasure in your vomiting,” she said with an amused breath.

“I didn’t vomit.”

“Ah, but the day is young,” she winked. Why don’t you head up to your room and I’ll bring up some soup and some medicine?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said with a polite wave of decline.

“Trust me; you’ll want something on your stomach.”

“What, so I can throw it up?” he teased.

He was hesitant to accept Paige’s help, but he wasn’t sure why. It was one thing for her to be helping Justin throughout the day but catering to his own needs seemed weird somehow. Still, he was getting hungry, and the thought of making food for himself in a cold sweat wasn’t exactly appealing.

“Actually, Paige,” he relented, “I would really appreciate you bringing me up some food. Thank you.”

“No problem!” she said cheerfully as she bounded into the kitchen.

Jett made his way upstairs and stood in his bedroom as though he’d never set foot in the room before. Was he supposed to change into pajamas? Should he be lying in bed all sickly when she came upstairs? What was the decorum in this situation?

Paige had been at the ranch since late July, and it was nearly September. Jett should have been more comfortable with her, but the truth was that they didn’t spend a lot of time together.

Sure, he was comfortable sitting a room with her or having a meal while she was with him and Justin, but they hadn’t exactly hung out alone—all he knew was that she was a fantastic cook and Justin adored her.

Begrudgingly, Jett put on pajama pants and a t-shirt and crawled into bed, pulling the covers far up his chest.

Paige entered the room sometime later with the biggest bowl of soup he had ever seen in his life.

“I don’t know what it is about homemade chicken noodle soup, but it really is good for you,” she said as she set it down on the nightstand next to him. Next, she pulled out a table tray and put it on his lap as if he were a little boy.

“That’s just a myth,” he snorted. “It’s like taking a sugar pill. Not that this doesn’t look delicious.”

“No way! Bone broth is full of nutrients. It helps with gut health, reduces inflammation, improves sleep, and the list goes on and on! This is my mom’s recipe and it always made me feel better, even if it’s magical healing powers were secretly just in my head—which they aren’t!”

“Alright, alright,” he laughed, relenting his palms to her in defeat.

“Just have some and I promise you’ll start to feel better,” she smiled. “I also included the world’s gooiest grilled cheese. No real health benefits there, but it’s pretty delicious if I do say so myself.”

“Thanks. And what are these?” he said, pointing to two brightly colored tablets lying next to his sandwich.

“Nyquil,” she grinned. “Just in case you want to be knocked out for the rest of the day and sleep it off.”

He inhaled. Sleeping for days sounded like some paradisiac, impossible dream. “Thanks, Paige. You must have taken care of a lot of sick little patients in your day.”

“I’ve definitely seen my share of runny toddler noses,” she smiled.

Jett took a slurp of the hot soup and felt the liquid coat his sore stomach. “This is amazing,” he said. “And I am not a soup person, so that’s saying something.”

“A compliment for my mom’s recipe is a compliment for me!”

He smirked. “So how have you been doing at the ranch? I know we don’t get a chance to talk all that much. “How have you found it, living here? You make any friends?”

Without asking, Paige sat on the club chair that was cornered next to the bed. She crossed her legs and tilted her head to the side, thinking. “Some of the girls are really nice to me. They’ve invited me out a couple of times.”

“You go?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Last Saturday I went to dinner with some of the girls.”

“Natalie?”

Paige nodded. “Yes. She’s so outgoing, and she’s such a talker.”

“There is no such thing as an awkward pause when Natalie’s around. She can make a conversation about absolutely anything. I swear I’ve heard that girl talk about everything from why geese fly in formation to eating a beetle on a dare.”

“Ew,” she laughed. “Beetle aside, she’s nice. Natalie, Vanessa, and Tommy have all been welcoming, too. We’ve all been texting in this group chat.”

“That’s good, I’m glad you’re making friends,” he said. “It can be hard moving somewhere new and feeling alone, but we’re pretty tight-knit at the ranch. It’s like a family, as cheesy as that sounds. So, if they’re welcoming you into the pack, then I’d take it as a pretty big compliment.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. “So is that what it was like when you came to Arizona?” she asked, then clarified. “Lonely?”

“Oh, definitely!” he exclaimed. “I was only twenty-one when I left Texas. My dad came out here with me for a couple of months while we got the ranch started. I was pretty used to life on the ranch since I used to help him at our first location in Texas, so I was pretty confident that I knew what I was doing.”

“You weren’t scared?”

He shook his head. “I should have been, but I was young and pretty cocky back then. I didn’t realize how much harder it would be to run the ranch by myself, but I found my footing.”

“Did you move out here with your wife?” she asked.

“No,” he said, staring down at the soup at a broad noodle that had somehow wrangled a circle of carrot. “We met at the ranch about seven years ago.”

“Aww, that’s awesome. How long was that after you moved to the ranch?”

“Five years. I had been seeing a girl in Texas when I first moved to Arizona. She was studying programming, so she moved to Seattle for college. We did the long-distance thing for a long time,” he said with a shrug.

“That’s tough.”

That was most people’s reactions to long-distance relationships, but for Jett, it wasn’t a bother. “It wasn’t so bad, actually,” he explained. “We were both so busy that it worked for a while. It’s still hard when you don’t have someone in person to be with. Friday nights kind of sucked—especially when I first moved to the ranch. It took a few months for me to make any friends, and even then, they all worked at the ranch.”

Paige smiled. “And how long were you with your Texas sweetheart?”

He exhaled. “Oh, man. Forever,” he said. “I met her when I was seventeen and we stayed together until I was about, twenty-three?”

“Wow! That is forever,” she mused as she finger-combed her hair up into a messy bun. “What happened there?”

He took another spoonful of soup and closed his eyes, savoring the swallow. He never knew soup could be so comforting. Maybe Justin had been onto something all of this time. “Ah, what always happens,” he verbally shrugged. “People grow apart. Out of sight, out of mind. She would come to the ranch to visit and sometimes I would go to Seattle, but by the end, we were just done with each other. We stopped talking about the important things and both of us were settled into our own lives.”

“Sounds like a pretty easy break-up,” she said.

“I mean, it wasn’t a party or anything,” he laughed. “It’s weird when you’re with someone for that long and then suddenly...not.”

“Yeah, I bet. Even the most casual break-ups suck, right? It’s the rejection; it stings.”

Florence Thomas. The first girl he ever loved—sort of. She was the perfect high school girlfriend. She was driven, fun to be around, and what he thought at the time was very pretty. But it turned out she was just as blasé about keeping their relationship alive as he was.

“This was someone I’d known since I was a teenager, so it was sort of humbling to know that chapter of my life was over,” he said. “She’d known my family in a way that the next girl I dated wouldn’t. She’d hung out with my brothers, knew what my family dynamic was like, understood the struggle of opening the ranch. She knew all of that stuff in a way that nobody else could.”

“That’s the thing about teenage relationships,” she said with a fond sigh. “They’re kind of, blah, dumb teenage love, right? But when you think about it, you’ll probably never love someone as purely as you do when you’re seventeen. Your heart is completely open, and the person you’re with is feeling that same rawness—that new love. They know you completely—they get to watch the transition of you from teenage years to adulthood. Getting your license, graduating high school, pursuing your dreams. It’s all this really special part of growing up that I think a lot of people overlook.”

He nodded, suddenly fascinated by Paige.

“When you meet someone in your twenties, it’s completely different,” she said, leaning back into the chair and getting lost in her rant. “In some ways, way better. In some ways, not so much. Am I even making sense anymore?”

“Yeah, you are,” he smiled.

“So, you were twenty-six when you met your wife?” she said, spiraling her finger in the air as she trailed back to their previous conversation.

He nodded. “She worked at the ranch in human resources. She always knew exactly who was going to work out and who wasn’t. She had a knack for knowing where to place new hires so that they could grow here at Brookside.”

“Were you guys planning on having more kids?”

“We weren’t planning on having any,” he laughed. “Justin was a bit of a surprise. Mel-Anna is a really career-focused person. I think it’s why we work so well together—we both love the ranch almost as much as we love each other.” What he said was probably the cheesiest thing he had ever said. He would have been embarrassed about it if he hadn’t realized he was still talking about Mel-Anna in the present tense, which somehow seemed more humiliating. “When she found out she was pregnant, I didn’t know what to expect from her as far as motherhood went.”

“Not a baby person?”

He shook his head fondly. “Not until she had Justin. Then she fell in love with motherhood. She took maternity leave, and to be honest, I didn’t think she would ever come back to work.”

“That’s amazing,” Paige breathed. “I always wonder what I’ll think when I find out I’m pregnant. Will it feel like a dream come true or if I am going to be completely overwhelmed?”

He blinked in surprise. “You want kids?”

“Love kids. Not to sound cliché, but I have dreamed of being a mom since I was a little girl. I think I would have played with my baby dolls until I was eighteen if people wouldn’t have thought I was nuts.”

“So you settled for nannying instead?” he winked.

“Bingo,” she giggled. “But one day, I want a have a big family like I had growing up.”

“I think you’d be a good mom, Paige,” he said, more earnest than he meant to. “To be honest, you’ve been kind of a life-saver to me. I feel like I haven’t been alive this past year, and since you’ve been here, I feel slightly put back together.”

“Thank you,” she said bashfully, turning away from his gaze. Her cheeks erupted into a pink blush, and Jett couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked.

He cleared his throat, banishing the thought from his head. Perhaps sensing his sudden discomfort, Paige stood up and said, “Well, I’m going to head back downstairs and see what Justin’s up to. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

“Okay, thank you.”

Chapter Six

Paige

“Mornin’, sunshine,” came Jett’s overly familiar greeting as Paige wandered into the kitchen that morning.

It wasn’t usual for Jett to be up before her, so she startled slightly to see him at the stove cooking breakfast for everyone.

“I assume you are talking to Justin?” she said with a blush.

Justin peeked his head up from the living room couch, then flopped back onto the plush pillows, head turned toward the television as he said, “I’m still in nap mode.”

Paige’s brows shot up, and she elicited an amused giggle. “Wow, he’s sassy today!”

“I don’t know who he could possibly get that attitude from,” Jett said in an almost flirtatious way. “And I was talking to you, Paige. What are you up to today? You got anything on the docket?”

Paige poured herself a cup of coffee, taming it with thick cream. Jett was sweet to get everything ready before she came downstairs, but he made his coffee so strong it sometimes tasted bitter.

“Hm,” she said as she sipped. “I thought me and Justin might head to the park before it gets too hot out, maybe grab a little lunch? Otherwise, the docket is free. Why?” she said, coyly drawing out her last word.

“I was thinking maybe you guys should come down to the ranch,” Jett said, flipping eggs into an over-easy position. “Have lunch with me?”

“Really? How exciting!” Paige gushed. “Justin, you wanna hang out with your daddy today?”

“Yes!” Justin called from the living room.

Paige made eyes with Jett and they exchanged a look of pure adoration for the little boy they cared for.

“Sounds like fun,” Paige said, getting the plates out and popping bread into the toaster to help Jett dish up. “What did you have in mind?”

“More than lunch,” he said.

“Oh?”

“I may have cleared my day for you guys. I’m all yours until about two, then I’ll have to leave. Actually, both Justin and I will have to take off for a bit.”

“What?” she said, disappointed. “Thief!”

Jett laughed at her reaction.

“You’re stealing my best little man!” she said, pretend-upset.

“His grandma is stealing him.”

“The famous Mama Brooks?” she said, forcing a gasp. “Based on the stories you’ve told me, I don’t know whether I should shiver or beg to meet her!”

He smirked. “For future reference? Both. But no, it isn’t Mama Brooks; it’s his other grandmother. She wants to have him over for the weekend.” Then he paused, and for some unknown reason, he asked, “If that’s alright with you?”

The question filled her whole body with excitement. The fact that he was asking for her permission, or at least her opinion, on where Justin went for the night meant he viewed her as some sort of parental figure in the boy’s life—somebody who deserved a say.

“I mean, of course!” she exclaimed. “Boy. I don’t even know what to do with myself. A morning with you guys? A weekend without seeing my little guy?”

“Ah, it won’t be long. They’re going to drop him off Monday afternoon, so you’re free to take the long weekend if you want. Go nuts. Visit your parents or get out and meet some people.”

She nodded. “You know what? I think I just might.”

As promised, Paige spent the morning playing at the park with Justin before taking him home for a brief mid-morning nap. He would need his rest if they were going to be out all day with Jett.

She woke the boy around ten and the two of them drove out to the ranch’s very own animal sanctuary.

It didn’t take her long to spot Jett in the crowd, talking to one of the employees. She felt a blush come to her face as he brightened and waved them over.

Before long, a wildlife specialist came out in front of them and started taking them on a tour through the sanctuary. She was a short Asian woman named Sandy. She walked with a microphone and speaker strapped to her belt so ensure everyone could hear her as she talked about each animal.

“The Arizona desert is one of the world’s most vibrant landscapes,” Sandy said. “The plants and animals here have evolved in unique ways to allow them to thrive under this sweltering heat. When we walk through our sanctuary, we will get an up-close and personal look at some of the coolest animals in the state.”

They walked in a small group of twenty-five. Jett liked to keep the groups in the experiences small so that nobody felt left out or left behind.

As they walked to the first animal enclosure, Jett set his hand on the small of her back and whispered in her ear, “They’re all rescues here.”

She stiffened nervously, wishing his hand would never leave. “Oh yeah?”

“I made sure of that,” he said. “I didn’t want some touristy petting zoo. We started finding animals on the property that were hurt or needed rehabilitating—wolves or boars, sometimes even snakes—so I set aside a pen for some of them, got a vet in here.”

“Aww, you’re a big ole softie,” she teased, grinning wide as she looked up at him.

“I love animals,” he admitted.

“And yet you don’t have any,” she snorted.

He took his hand from her back, causing a wave of disappointment to wash over her. He gestured toward the ranch in the distance, obviously referencing the horses, cows, and the animals in the sanctuary as he said, “Oh, I have plenty.”

Paige giggled, pushing Justin in his stroller.

“We rehabilitate most of the animals and release them, but some of them have been here since they were babies, or they’ve been hurt too badly to return them to the wild, so, they just live here now,” he said.

“That’s sweet. I love that!” she said.

“Does anybody know what this little guy is?” Sandy asked, holding a very Zen prairie dog in her hands.

One of the little kids shouted out the correct response and Sandy nodded in his direction. “That’s right!” she exclaimed. “This here is Buster, and he was one of the first animals we took in at the ranch. One cool thing about prairie dogs is that their vocabulary is extremely advanced. Their squeaks and squawks are incredibly descriptive. Researchers believe that not only can a prairie dog tell their friends that a predator is coming, but they can even convey what color the predator is wearing.”

“Wow!” Justin exclaimed from his seat.

“Are they related to dogs?” one of the other parents asked.

Sandy shook her head. “They are not related to dogs, but that’s a great question, considering their name!”

Their tour guide continued to explain that the little animals were not canine, but rather, were in the rodent family, and were sometimes even referred to as ground squirrels.

Jett leaned into Paige’s ear and whispered, “I do a lot of research about animals.”

She cocked a brow, turning to him slightly. “Oh yeah?”

“Used to get obsessed with them when I was a kid,” he continued, his breath casting goosebumps down her neck. “As a teenager, I broke my leg, and my mom got me this guinea pig to keep me company. I don’t know why she thought a fast-moving rodent was the pet to get your hobbling son, but regardless, I got obsessed with him and started learning all of this useless trivia.”

She posed flirtatious eyes at him, pulled into their private conversation as she dared, “Such as?”

“Guinea pigs can’t make their own vitamin C, so I had to supply it in his diet. I also know that they are social animals and can get depressed if they aren’t around other cavis.”

“Guinea pig nerd,” she teased, pushing a finger into his chest.

Jett smiled. “I also learned a thing or two about prairie dogs. So, while the kiddies get their lesson, I am going to whisper the R-rated version of the ground squirrels’ story and scar you for life with my knowledge.”

Paige nearly floated off the ground. “Should I be scared?”

“Definitely,” he said. “Their mating season? I mean the entire season? It’s only an hour long. They mate once. One time and the males have less than an hour to figure out who’s interested and who isn’t.”

Paige could feel the heat hit her cheeks. That was not what she was expecting to hear.

“I feel I cannot comment on this without breaching some sort of unethical boss-employee line,” she whispered.

Sandy interrupted their tour-of-two by loudly announcing, “Now, she may look cute and cuddly, but she’s a real tough cookie. Some of the worst bites you can get are from prairie dogs, so be careful if you ever see one out in the wild.”

“Fun fact,” Jett said, wrapping an arm around Paige’s shoulder.

“Okay,” she told herself, “this is officially not just in your head. He is flirting with you.”

“Prairie dogs can get the black plague,” he said.

“What?” she laughed.

“They got it in the eighteen-hundreds when the bubonic plague came to North America from European ships. I guess it entered the prairie dog population and still wipes out entire colonies from time to time.”

“That is crazy,” she said in surprise. “I officially never want to be a prairie dog owner.”

“Good,” he said, “because I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to keep them as pets.”

“Also, you were not kidding about your animal fun-fact obsession,” she teased.

“Wait until we get to the Gila monster.”

“The…” she furrowed a brow, “The Gila monster?”

“It’s a lizard. Venomous, the whole nine yards. You’ll never sleep again.”

“Well, now that you’ve officially given me the creeps, allow me to change the subject,” Paige said. “What will you be doing while Justin is away?”

“Taking a minute to breathe,” he said without thinking. “That sounds horrible, doesn’t it?”

“No. Breathing is good,” she smiled.

“I mean...I wasn’t implying that being around Justin is exhausting.”

“Hey, I work with kids for a living,” she said. “I know exactly how exhausting it can be. No judgment.”

There was a force coming from Jett that Paige had never felt before. She very nearly asked him to spend the night out on the town with her. She didn’t know how to describe it, but she was sure that if she asked him out for the night, he would say yes.

But she couldn’t bring herself to push the words out. After all, what would it mean if she said no? She would have been the idiot employee asking her boss out and probably getting fired for it.

She made plans with Natalie, instead. Nat was always inviting her to go out with the girls from the ranch, though tonight it was just the two of them meeting at a vegetarian restaurant. Both of them ate meat, but the noodle house was getting so much attention, they had to check it out.

The girls settled into a booth by the window and watched the last of the sunset. Paige marveled at the way the lights sprung to life in the city the moment it turned dark.

The fun gimmick of the restaurant was that, of course, everything on the menu was a noodle dish. There were three sections to choose from—Italian, Asian-fusion, and Mexican.

Natalie ordered a red curry noodle bowl with tofu, broccoli, and scallions and Paige got the vegan Pho with thick, broad noodles, mushrooms, and bok choy.

They also ordered a bowl of southwestern zucchini noodles with onions, cherry tomatoes, avocado, black beans, and a flavorful red sauce.

“So how are things going with boss-man?” Natalie asked before spooning an introductory forkful of her dish.

“He’s good,” Paige said, then laughed as Natalie gave a thumbs-up in approval of her first bite.

“How’s he dealing with Mel-Anna and the whole thing?”

Paige blew on her soupy ramen and gave a half-shrug. “I think he’s doing well. He shows up to work, comes home with a smile on his face, and he’s such a great dad.”

“Uh oh,” Natalie said with a world-wise scoff.

“What, ‘uh-oh?’” Paige repeated.

“Uh oh, don’t do what everybody does,” Natalie said with a playful warning, sharking a fork at her friend.

“What does everybody do?”

“They fall for Jett Brooks,” Natalie said. “I’m telling you; it didn’t matter if that guy was single, married, grieving the loss of his wife...women literally throw themselves at him no matter what’s happening in his life.”

Paige felt her heart lilt. “Seriously?”

“I mean, come on,” Natalie chatted cheerfully. “He’s hot, rich, charismatic.”

“Yes, yes, and yes,” Paige agreed.

“But he’s totally heartbroken, which of course only makes him seem more appealing,” her friend said.

The statement was a bit harsh, but not entirely wrong. A crease formed along Paige’s forehead. Yes, she could agree, Jett was rich and handsome, but he was also deep, fun, and loving.

“The guy is no stranger to having girls knock at his door,” Natalie continued with an oblivious shrug. “So many girls at the ranch threw themselves at him while he was with Mel-Anna. Even some of her friends; it was disgusting, really. But hey, I guess that’s what happens when you’re a gorgeous billionaire.”

Paige didn’t like hearing that news, but she wasn’t surprised by it, either. Jett was charming and personable, so it only made sense that women would be after him. But she still felt embarrassed to be counted as one of the many.

“So, what about you?” Natalie asked with a devilish grin. “Have you fallen under his spell?”

“Well, I don’t know. Things between us are...different,” Paige said, noncommittal.

“I’ll say!” Natalie let out an amused breath. “You’re living with the guy.”

“And I don’t know,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I think something might be happening between us.”

“Wait, seriously?”

Paige nodded. “I know he’s still hurting over Mel-Anna, but it has been a year since she passed away. I think he’s ready to move on.”

Natalie leaned in as Paige spoke, then looked suddenly unimpressed as she dismissed, “I don’t know, girl. I think he’ll be hung up on her forever. I have never seen somebody so devastated in my entire life as Jett was over Mel. My dad died two years ago. You want to guess how long my mom lasted before she got remarried?”

“Two years?” Paige guessed.

Natalie’s expression was stoic as she revealed, “Try two months. She married his best friend, also a widower. Go figure.”

“I guess they had their grief in common?” Paige said, her brows going high.

“People either move on or they don’t. That’s the way I see it,” her friend said casually. “You want my advice? Do yourself a favor and skip the happily ever after fairy-tale with this one. Jett is off the market, indefinitely.”

“Nobody is off the market indefinitely,” Paige said, somewhat defensive. “I’ve known eighty-year-olds who have gotten remarried, and they seem perfectly happy. Jett is still young! Plus, me and Justin get along great.”

“Don’t project on him.”

Paige blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You said it yourself. You want a family,” Natalie shrugged. “You want to settle down. You start taking care of a kid, and suddenly you’re imagining life with Jett and Justin through rose-colored glasses. He doesn’t feel that way about you. Trust me.”

“Why?” Paige laughed, offended. “You don’t know anything about us or our dynamic.”

“Because I’ve watched Jett fall in love. We all have. When it’s happening, you know it,” Natalie said. “He isn’t ready; just trust me.”

Chapter Seven

Jett

“You’ve been home a lot lately,” Paige said as she cleared a drinking glass from the coffee table where Jett was working.

He looked up and smirked at her. “Am I cramping your style?”

“No, no! It’s nice having you around. You just don’t usually do work at home; you’re usually at the ranch.”

“Yeah, we’ve been looking into some property locations,” he said slowly. “I think I’ve told you about how when a Brooks kid turns twenty-one, they’re given a ranch to run.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned it,” she said, hopping on the couch cushion next to him. “It’s cool that your parents can provide that for you guys.”

“Is it?” he teased. “I’m just kidding; it’s nice. They’ve done a lot for us. They’ve turned Brookside into a…” he trailed off. He wanted to say “billion-dollar company” be thought it sounded a bit pretentious, so he said, “very wealthy name to be a part of,” instead.

Paige nodded, her eyes flicking toward his computer screen to the stream of ranch properties he’d been looking at over the last few weeks.

“But it also means that you don’t exactly get to do what you always dreamed of doing,” he said, counting on his fingers a he related, “If you want to be an architect, pilot, fireman—you’d better find a way to incorporate them into ranch life, otherwise you’d best not bother.”

“Didn’t your brother become a music star?” she laughed.

“Yeah, and I can’t even begin to tell you what a struggle that was for him. I mean, I guess it’s possible,” he shrugged.

“You seem to love working at the ranch.”

“I do. It’s Jaxon I’m worried about. He’s so young and...I don’t know. He seems so much younger than I was at twenty-one.”

Paige tilted her head to the side in amusement. She pointed at him and announced, “Aww, you’re protective!”

“I’m worried,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” she said with a kind dismissal. “Where’s the ranch?”

“It’s in New York,” he said.

“City?”

Jett shook his head. “The property is in Kerhonkson, about two and a half hours away from the city, though I might be heading into Manhattan in a few weeks to seal the deal.”

“You gonna tour the property before you buy it?”

“Maybe. I don’t know if I have the time. We’re going to be doing the fall festival here soon and that is a production, to say the least,” he said, his eyes going wide. “It’s contests, competitions, and pumpkins. Lots and lots of pumpkins. But the property looks great and it’s a steal so, my dad is all for it.”

“Sounds good then!”

“You ever been to New York?” he asked.

“I went on a class trip once in high school, but it was pretty scheduled,” she said, leaning back against the dark sofa. “You know, eat here, do this, accompanied by a teacher at all times.”

“Still, it’s New York,” he said.

“Yeah, it was fun,” she nodded.

Jett licked his lips and looked down at his fingers, suddenly feeling nervous as he said, “I’m glad to hear that because I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?”

Paige blinked in surprise. “To...the city?”

“Yeah, well, I was thinking of bringing Justin with me, which means I would need you around,” he said, too stubborn to say what he really meant—"This trip would be way more fun and much less stressful with you around.”

“I would probably be gone for over a week and I don’t want to be away from him for that long,” he said quickly. “But only if it’s something you’d be comfortable with. You’d be the one primarily taking care of him.”

“That would be great!” she said without a second thought, immediately putting his mind at ease.

“Are you sure? I know you like to spend your weekends away and this would involve a bit of overtime.”

“Are you kidding?” she giggled. “That sounds amazing. I can’t wait! Has he ever been there before?”

“We went to my brother’s place when he was a baby but, nothing that he remembers,” he said.

And with that offer, Paige was over the moon. She spent the rest of the day practically floating through the house.

She said she hadn’t been on a big trip in a while and couldn’t wait to show Justin the sights.

He was happy to hear it and happier at the close bond she had developed with his son. Her affection for him seemed to be genuine, and he knew Justin felt the same way about her.

That night, Jett had the opportunity to read his son a story before tucking him into bed. As he kissed him goodnight, Justin reached his little hand up and tugged on his father’s sleeve.

“Daddy?” he said, posing big brown eyes at Jett.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“I love Paige,” he said. “Is that okay?”

Jett smiled, then chuckled as he said, “Yeah, that’s great. She loves you too, little man.”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I don’t love her as much as I love Mommy.”

Jett felt his stomach sink. He ran a hand through his son’s dark hair. He knew that Justin, in all of his toddler-wisdom, had only said those words for his father’s benefit.

The odds were that Justin knew Paige much better than he remembered his mother. She was present; she was constant; she was...alive.

Jett knew the day would come when his son would attach himself to a female figure—that he would view someone else in that motherly role Mel-Anna had once occupied.

Jett had expected it to hurt more when it happened.

“It’s okay, Jus,” he said to his son, running a thumb along his boy’s cheek, suddenly overcome by how much he looked like Mel-Anna. “It’s okay to love Paige, and it’s even okay if you feel the same way about her that you felt about Mommy. Do you know why?”

Justin stuck out his bottom lip as if he’d done something wrong and shook his head. “Why?”

“Because that means Paige is a very special person—and she is.”

“Okay,” the boy said, seeming satisfied by the answer. “Can I tell her?”

Jett laughed. “Of course.”

Justin nodded and closed his eyes.

It was amazing how fast kids could drift off to sleep. Jett envied it.

Justin could say something world-altering and then three seconds later be down and out.

Jett thought about his son’s admission for the rest of the night.

It was well after midnight, and Paige had retired to her room a long time ago. The nanny had been with them for months and it was only now that Jett realized she didn’t seem to go out much. The occasional weeknight or Friday she would spend with Natalie or some of the other girls from the ranch, and she’d once gone to spend time with her parents, but beyond that, the girl seemed perfectly happy to spend her nights off at his Brookside manor.

On the rare occasion, she would take her iPod out to listen to music or an audiobook while she walked around on the ranch property, but more often than not, she seemed content to sit with him and watch television, play a game, or spend extra time with Justin.

Jett didn’t have the luxury of going for walks around the ranch. By the end of the day, he was so tired, he could barely keep his eyes open. Especially now, with his New York business trip looming on the horizon, he needed to get more work done than ever.

“Oh, sorry,” Paige squeaked quietly as she entered the dining room where he sat. “I didn’t know you were still down here.”

“That’s okay,” he said, realizing that the noise he was making as he worked—typing and taking video calls—was probably keeping the poor girl awake.

“You still working on the New York deal?” she asked, taking a seat in the chair next to him.

“Yeah, I’m a little...eh,” he bristled. “I don’t know. I feel kind of anxious about it.”

“You don’t seem like the anxious type,” she mused.

“I’m not. When I took on my ranch, I was excited. I wanted to get out there and start living my life. I grew up on my dad’s ranch, so I was eager to work with the horses and build something myself. I’ve always been kind of a fearless type. But Jaxon is...” he trailed off, not quite sure how to end his sentence.

“Spoiled?” she said, then laughed at his less-than-enthusiastic response. “Sorry! I was just trying to fill in the blanks.”

“Not spoiled, exactly,” he said slowly. “You know how there are those people who feel most at peace when they are home with their family? Jaxon is like the opposite of that. He needs to be social—he thrives on it. I just know how much he’s going to hate this.”

“Well, you said the ranch is just a few hours from the city,” she offered.

“I know, and trust me, that’s exactly how I’ll be selling it to Jaxon. I just feel like maybe this is a mistake.”

“How come?”

Jett wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know. I guess we’ve just never had a sibling move so far away. You know, my parents are in Texas, so is Colt. Hunter is in Wyoming, Phoenix is...well, he’s all over the world, I guess. But his ranch is in Utah. Bennett is in Montana. I know it sounds stupid, but Texas is like a hub for us. It’s where we gather, and New York just feels so far away.”

“Dude,” Page said, raising a hand in protest. “Those are like twenty-plus-hour drives you’re talking about!” She laughed. “They’re not at all close to each other!”

Jett pressed his lips thin. “I know,” he said, shaking his head. “Logically, I know you’re right. It’s just that we’re all connected by state lines, you know? We’re just one border away from one another.”

“He’s only a plane ride away,” she said softly. “Think positive! You may be worrying for nothing. Sure, he’s a little younger, but you all took over a ranch at his age, and like you said, you’ve all built successful businesses. It’s a learning experience for him. It’s what will help him grow.”

“I was twelve when my parents had Jaxon,” he reminisced. “I remember at the time being so angry with them.”

“Why?”

“They were old,” he laughed, knowing if his mother ever heard him say that, she would find some way to ground him, even in his thirties.

“In school, people would always make jokes about it. ‘Is your mom ever not pregnant?’ and stuff like that,” he explained. “Then there was such a long pause between kids. Six years. Then suddenly she was having another one, Jaxon, and then another one, Kennedy. If she didn’t hit menopause, she probably would have had five more by now.”

“Same with my mom,” Paige sympathized. “Like I said, a ten-year age difference between my oldest brother and me. I guess the difference is I was the youngest child so, I never really had to deal with the embarrassment of it. I was just...me.”

“Yeah, I was mad. But you know, it’s funny. Being the oldest of so many siblings makes you the third parent, in some ways. Colt, Phoenix, Hunter, Jaxon, and Kennedy, they were all like my kids—especially the younger ones.”

Paige nodded.

“When I was eighteen, Colt was fourteen,” Jett continued. “I became this babysitter for everyone. The one they asked permission for things about when our parents weren’t there.”

“Aww, they were like your little brood of cowboys!”

Jett closed the lid to his laptop and let out a chuckle. “Something like that,” he agreed.

“Now you have a little brood of your own.”

Jett craned his neck to look toward the staircase that led to Justin’s room.

“A brood of one,” he corrected. “But yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“Well, you had a lot of training. That’s probably why you’re such a good dad,” she said.

Paige smiled, and Jett found his eyes following her fingers as they ran through her long hair. He fixated on the strands before tracing the angles of her face with his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

After Mel-Anna died, Jett’s confidence had plummeted. He didn’t know who he was anymore. Was he good at his job? More importantly, was he a good father? He hadn’t felt like it. But here was Paige, saying just the opposite.

Sitting there was the first time Jett had ever noticed how truly beautiful Paige was. He hadn’t thought about her appearance much since they first met, but she was certainly something to see. It was a wonder she hadn’t been asked out by anyone at the ranch.

She was a great girl, and anyone would have been lucky to have her—Jett certainly was.

Ever since Paige came to the Brooks household, everything seemed to have done a one-eighty.

Jett had more time than ever to focus on work while feeling completely confident in her ability to take care of Justin.

Not to mention, he’d been able to spend more quality time with his son. He was less likely to feel frustrated and overwhelmed.

Beyond these things, Paige was also just a great person to have around. The two of them had developed a real friendship, and he actually looked forward to spending his evenings with her. He hoped he would feel the same way about her in New York because it was going to be a long trip in close quarters.

Chapter Eight

Paige

They came into New York City at sundown. The flight was a relaxing five hours. Paige would normally hesitate to put the words ‘relaxing’ and ‘flight’ next to one another, but here she was, coming off of a flight feeling completely refreshed.

When Jett asked her if she wanted to take first-class or a private jet to New York, she had laughed in his face—because how could such an offer not be a joke?

He looked at her with a perfectly amused smirk, and her stomach dropped.

“You’re serious?” she said, blinking in surprise.

He shrugged. “I can rent a light jet. It should get us there a little faster.”

The light jet could only carry up to seven passengers, he explained.

She wanted to say yes to the offer. After all, it wasn’t every day that a nanny got the opportunity to do something so opulent, but the thought of taking a jet for two people and a toddler seemed…wrong. She felt a pit of guilt in her stomach that was off-putting, so she chose first-class. This still made her feel wary and spoiled, but Jett was insistent on making sure they got there in style.

The sun was setting over the New York skyline as the plane landed. It illuminated the city in a palette of oranges and pinks, making every building look like it had been dipped in gold.

They were taken to a penthouse suite in the fanciest hotel Paige had ever set foot in.

The penthouse took up the entire floor and was a little majestic apartment in and of itself. It had three bathrooms, one for each room, all with thickly veined marble walls.

There was a living room with a beautiful half-circle navy blue couch and matching club chairs.

Her favorite feature, however, was the hot tub on the terrace that was set up against the glass balcony walls.

November was a balmy eighty degrees in Arizona, but New York City was averaging low fifties.

Paige had never been so bundled up in all of her life, and just the thought of slipping into the outdoor hot tub overlooking the city filled her body with warmth.

When Jett told the hotel that they were bringing a three-year-old with them, they did their best to accommodate them. There was a play area, brand new toys, and other goodies ready for Justin’s arrival, but the hotel still felt so…breakable.

It certainly wasn’t an atmosphere Paige would have chosen for the little one, and as Jett walked around the room, she could tell he was thinking the same thing.

He ran a hand across the sharp glass corner of the nearly invisible coffee table and gestured to Justin.

“Hey, buddy. Do you see this?”

Justin nodded.

“Be careful. I don’t want you running around here, okay? There are a lot of breakable things here, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Okay,” Justin said absent-mindedly as he ripped a red silk bow off of a giant stuffed animal turtle that was twice the size of the boy.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into trouble,” Paige said with a smile, though she knew she shouldn’t have made any promises. She couldn’t ever guarantee that she wouldn’t end up breaking anything or hurting herself in the luxurious suite.

While relaxing, the travel day had zapped the energy from the threesome, and they decided to order room service.

Macaroni and cheese with a side of roasted vegetables for Justin and steak and salad for Jett.

Paige couldn’t decide what she wanted. When Jett asked what interested her, she listed off several options and told him to surprise her. Well, surprise her he did. When room service arrived, Jett had ordered one of each item she had mentioned: a lobster roll, French fries, avocado sushi, and a side of cheesecake.

“Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed. “Thank you! You really shouldn’t have done that. I am going to explode when I’m done with this meal!”

“Nobody said you have to eat it all,” he teased, tapping her nose playfully. “But if you don’t, I am stealing some of your fries and dessert.”

“Me too!” Justin shouted, eliciting a laugh from both Paige and Jett.

And that was just Jett. He was sweet and thoughtful and, even though this was a business trip, determined to show her a good time in the city.

Paige spent most of the next day with Justin. The pair went out for breakfast at a trendy spot that exclusively served toast, which Justin thought was amazing. Afterward, the pair went to the Met, which Paige had been dying to see.

Even though there were exhibitions as far as the eyes could see, Justin wasn’t nearly as eager to look at what was on show.

The museum was huge and would take days to go through. That, coupled with Justin’s growing disinterest, made Paige happy that her ticket was good for two more evenings.

Afterward, the pair went to one of the biggest candy stores in the world. The store had more than seven-thousand different types of sweets and chocolate bars. She and Justin were in heaven and raved about their amazing haul back to the penthouse.

Justin went down for a nap at one until three, an hour later than he normally would, but they were already two hours ahead of Arizona time, throwing off his schedule completely. Thankfully, with all of the walking they were doing, he went out like a light.

This what was the next two days looked like. Paige and Justin exploring the city until around lunchtime, coming back to the room, napping, and then Paige would play with him, watch television, and order room service as dinner for when Jett got home.

But on the fourth day in New York, Jett surprised her by staying home.

“How come you’re not gone yet?” she asked as she entered the kitchen area of their suite.

“I’m all yours today,” he said with a grin.

Her face lit up. She could feel her cheeks redden and go tight with a smile. “Really?” she asked excitedly, and he laughed and nodded.

“I’ve got the whole day planned out, so you’d better clear your schedule,” he said.

“Justin!” she yelled down the hall, her voice dripping with energy. “Daddy’s staying home!”

Justin came barreling down the hallway, clearly as eager to spend some time with Jett as she was.

The boy’s father scooped him up in his arms when he reached the end of the hallway and pulled him up off the ground.

The day started slowly, like a lazy Sunday morning might. The three of them walked around the suite in their pajamas before going out for a fun brunch.

They ate challah French toast with a banana foster sauce, pepper jack quiche with house-made chorizo, and piles of bacon. By the time they were finished, Paige was sure she’d gone up a dress size.

“So, what are we doing today, Mr. I’m-full-of-surprises?” she asked as she began slipping her jacket on in her chair.

“First on the list,” he said, setting both hands on the table and looking back and forth from Justin to Paige. “A nice Central Park walk to burn off the ridiculous number of calories we just ate. Then we’ll head to the Central Park zoo, look at some penguins...”

“Penguins!” Justin cheered.

“Then we’re going to do a hot chocolate food tour and try and find the best hot chocolate in the city. After that, we’re doing a late trip to Liberty Island, and you, my little buddy, are going to climb the Statue of Liberty.”

“Wow,” the little boy breathed in wonder. “That’s a million steps!”

“Just about,” Jett laughed.

The day went just as Jett had described. The three of them went to the zoo and took in the beautiful sights of the city through the park, then they’d gone to four different cafes, trying different hot chocolates and trying to come to a consensus about which one was the best.

Paige was an enthusiast of white hot chocolate, while Jett chose the Paris-style hot chocolate—just pure melted chocolate as thick as anything she’d ever seen—at a hole-in-the-wall French café, and Justin chose the unicorn hot chocolate he’d tried at the last venue with rainbow marshmallows and a handful of sprinkles grazing the mountain of whipped cream on top.

When they reached liberty island, they were highly caffeinated, which was perfect because Justin insisted they walk all three-hundred-fifty-four steps to the top of the tower. It was strenuous—equivalent to twenty stories. They took turns carrying Justin, who got tired after the first ten steps.

The threesome took turns telling silly jokes the whole way to the top.

“What goes up and down but doesn’t move?” Jett asked.

“What?” Justin asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

“Stairs!” Jett said, and the little boy erupted with laughter.

“Why aren’t Koalas actual bears?” Paige joined in, then explained, “They don’t meet the Koalafications!”

When they reached the top, it felt like a victory. They looked out over the water at the city skyline and watched the way the day slowly faded away with just the hint of pink rolling through the clouds.

It was an absolutely perfect day.

Paige couldn’t believe how much she felt like they were a family. She’d only known them for a couple of months, but her feelings for Jett were explosive. She felt electric when she was around him, and the love and affection she had for Justin was growing each day.

They returned to the penthouse and spent the rest of the day playing games and watching a kids’ movie with Justin. Around eight that night, Paige tucked Justin into bed and read him a story before slinking off to her bedroom. She went online, listened to a podcast, and busied herself on social media, but she couldn’t help herself—she needed to talk to Alissa, if only her voicemail.

“Hello?” her friend asked, groggy as she answered the phone. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes! What are you doing up, answering your phone? It’s like, what...three in the morning in Naples! Don’t you sleep with your ringer off?”

“I have you on a breakthrough list. So, if you call, no matter what time it is, I will hear it and answer.”

“Aww, you’re such a good best friend! Can I put you on a breakthrough list?”

Alissa laughed sleepily. “Probably. But you don’t have to worry about it. I would never call you at three in the morning.”

“You don’t know that,” Paige said playfully. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d answer. I just wanted to leave a message. I hate this time difference thing; it sucks.”

“I know,” Alissa agreed. “I miss you, too.”

“How’s Naples?”

“Still good. Pizza, good. Sights, good. Beaches...good. I’d be able to go into more detail, but I think my brain is still trying to register stringing sentences together.”

Paige giggled, careful not to make too much noise and disturb Justin or Jett. “Do you want me to let you go?”

“No,” Alissa said, pulling in a groggy breath. “I’m up, I’m up. What’s going on?”

“I’m in New York with Jett and Justin,” she gushed, explaining the amazing day she’d just had to her best friend. “I don’t even know how to explain it, Liss. It’s like, I’m falling in love or something.”

The line went silent. So silent that Paige pulled her cell phone away from her ear to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected. “Did you fall asleep?”

“No, I’m just thinking.”

“About?” Paige asked.

“Well,” her friend began hesitantly. It sounded like she was sitting up, and Paige imagined Alissa with a hand on her forehead, eyes closed as she delivered her sage advice. “I’m really glad you’re so happy. Honestly, I haven’t heard you this happy since you were with Nathaniel, and that was three years ago, and he was a total jerk.”

“But?”

“But,” her friend repeated, “He’s your boss.”

“I know, I know, but don’t you think it sort of sounds like he likes me? A bit? I mean, he’s always making time to talk to me and get to know me, and he does things like put an arm around me or tap my nose if I’m being silly. Plus, he planned out this whole day for us to hang out together.”

“Yeah,” her friend agreed, her voice pitching high before saying, “but you were also with Justin. I mean, all of this stuff would sound like he might have a crush on you if you weren’t the one watching his kid twenty-four-seven. It kind of makes sense that he’d want to get to know you and make you feel comfortable, right?”

Paige slumped down under her covers. “Yeah,” she mumbled, suddenly feeling deflated.

“Which is good!” her friend said, trying to cheer her up. “That means that he likes you and wants to keep you around. Plus, he sounds like a well-connected guy who will be able to give you a lot of really cool experiences. I just wouldn’t read too much into it, that’s all.”

“I think I should tell him how I feel,” Paige said.

“Okay, so basically you’re saying you haven’t heard a word I’ve said,” Alissa snorted with annoyance.

“I hear you; I just don’t think you understand the dynamic we have together. I think there’s something special here, and honestly, even if there isn’t, I don’t think I can take another day of acting like a love-struck teenager around him. I am going crazy here.”

“Paige,” Alissa said sweetly. “The man lost his wife. He’s still in mourning. He’s said that—you’ve even said it. He is still in love with her, and you’re probably the first girl he’s had in his life since she passed away.”

Paige clenched her teeth together. She knew her friend was right, but it just didn’t feel that way.

“So best-case scenario he likes you back but it’s a total rebound because he’s still madly in love with Justin’s mom, or worst-case scenario, you’re reading too much into his kindness and it’s going to backfire, make things awkward between the two of you, and potentially lose you this awesome job that you love.”

Paige thinned her lips, pressing them together thoughtfully. She paused a long time before asking, “You are really good at that.”

“Good at what?”

“Sucking the fun out of things,” Paige pouted.

Alissa laughed, and Paige could picture her shaking her head with amused dismay.

“I’m not trying to ruin anything,” she cautioned. “I’m just telling you to keep both eyes open. Don’t make any rash moves. Wait a few months, okay? If you still have these feelings in a few months and he’s made some sort of hint that he’s ready to move on—go for it! But until then, keep it on lock.”

Paige sighed. Her friend was right but keeping her feelings to herself was proving to be a lot harder than she had originally anticipated. Jett was so wonderful. He was handsome and charming, fun and sweet, thoughtful and refined, yet somehow still a rugged, masculine cowboy. Every time she was around, she couldn’t help but think what great parents they were to Justin, how well they got along, and how happy she could make him if he let her.

Keeping this secret was going to be very, very hard.

Chapter Nine

Jett

“Are we all comfortable with this price?” Jett asked nervously as he stared down at his computer. On the screen before him was a live video conference with his brothers Bennett and Colt and his father. Besides him in a black SUV was his brother Phoenix.

The two of them were outside of their meeting with various lawyers and property owners where they had been discussing the fate of the potential New York ranch.

The meeting went well. While the brothers were warned that the ranch was perhaps not as nice as the photos suggested, it was nothing that a little makeover couldn’t fix.

“It sounds like a steal to me,” Colt said easily. “The pictures look great. Maybe a little bit on the rustic side.”

“Well, it’s a ranch. It’s supposed to be rustic,” Jett said.

“Hey, you know whatever you guys want to do, I’m in,” Bennett agreed. “Looks good and the price is right. I say go for it before they change their minds!”

“Dad?” Jett said.

His father sat with his hand over his chin, thinking. “What does your brother say?” Roger asked.

“It all looks good to me,” Phoenix added.

“Which doesn’t say much, considering you couldn’t care less about ranching,” Colt said with a laugh.

Phoenix frowned and exchanged an irritated glance with Jett. “Maybe not,” he said defensively, “but I still know a good property when I see one and I have more experience signing contracts and making deals with lawyers than all of you put together. Except for you, Dad.”

Their country star brother wasn’t wrong. He’d been touring for years and had been signed to labels, configured advertising deals, and still managed to keep his Utah ranch thriving. The fact that he didn’t care about horses, guest experiences, or life in the country had no impact on his ability to negotiate a deal—and negotiate he did. Jett had managed to wiggle the price down on his own, but once Phoenix was involved, his brother managed to get them down an extra ten-thousand dollars.

Everyone wanted to please the rich and famous, Jett supposed.

“Alright, alright. I think it’s time to take the plunge,” his father said abruptly. “So long as we are all in agreement, I say get up there and sign on the dotted line.”

The brothers agreed, and just like that, the seventh Brookside Ranch was born. Six for each boy in the family and owned by their parents.

Jaxon hadn’t been a part of the business meeting, which disappointed Jett. Jax had told their father that he wasn’t officially a ranch owner and shouldn’t have any say in what was or was not purchased. Jett would have fired back with a “But this is YOUR ranch we’re buying here” but his father was too lenient. Roger knew his youngest son was having a hard time adjusting to the idea of moving away, and he didn’t want to stress him out.

It was funny to see his father go soft as the years went by. When he was a teenager, there was no way he could have gotten away with half of the things Jaxon and Kennedy did—probably because his parents no longer had a clan of children living at their home. Shannon and Roger now had what they’d never had when Jett was a kid: free time. They were able to give Jaxon and Kennedy individualized attention. The youngest of the Brooks clan had no idea how lucky they were

When the deal was signed, Jett and Phoenix went out for an early lunch. It was a rare chance for the brothers to catch up. Phoenix was always on tour or spending time with his partner, Miranda.

It was always interesting to talk to Phoenix for the sheer fact that his brother had to settle into a conversation. It was almost as though he had to spend time with someone long enough that he didn’t have to be on for the camera’s—so to speak.

On television, Phoenix came off as charismatic, deep, and eager to make conversation. In real life, Phoenix had always been quiet.

The two went to a famous New York deli that Phoenix frequented when he was staying in the city. Phoenix loved it not only for its huge portions, but because people in New York didn’t care who you were. They didn’t fawn over somebody famous or ask for their photo. You were just another drop in the bucket.

It must have been strange to go out in public and worry that people were going to be judging you or taking your photo at any opportunity.

“How’s Miranda?” Jett asked before taking a bite of his ridiculously oversized pastrami sandwich.

Looking across the tiny booth, he saw a smirk crawl up the right side of Phoenix’s mouth, then quickly disappear.

“What?” Jett asked.

“It’s nothing. She’s good.”

Jett set down his sandwich and leaned back in his chair. “Well, now you have to tell me,” he laughed.

“Ah…” Phoenix exhaled, then shook his head as though he never should have emoted about whatever he was hiding.

“Come on, what?”

“Okay, okay,” he said, hushing Jett with a wave of his hand.

Phoenix leaned across the table, and Jett met him halfway, curiously turning his ear to his brother.

“We’re not telling people this yet,” he whispered. “So don’t repeat it, not even to mom.”

“‘Kay,” he said.

“Miranda’s pregnant.”

Jett leaned back in his booth and felt a wide grin overtake his face. “Are you kidding me?”

“Two months. It’s early,” he cautioned, then set a hand on his chest. “My heart’s beating so hard right now. I feel like I just shared trade secrets with you.”

“Holy smokes,” Jett exhaled excitedly. “Man, congratulations!”

“It’s early,” Phoenix reminded him. “Really early. I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”

For Miranda to be pregnant now was some of the best news Jett had heard in a long time, but he understood Phoenix’s need to be cautious.

His ex-fiancée, Rachel—who was now married to Hunter—had miscarried their child some years ago and their relationship had instantaneously shattered into a million pieces.

Phoenix and Rachel had announced their pregnancy to the world and Phoenix’s millions of fans, via social media, making it nearly impossible for them to grieve privately when they lost the child.

“Still, man,” Jett smiled, “That’s great. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks,” Phoenix said graciously.

“My lips are sealed, but you’d better let me know when you tell everyone else.”

“I definitely will,” Phoenix nodded, then tilted his head to the side guiltily and admitted, “I did tell Hunter.”

“You…” Jett trailed off.

Phoenix and Hunter’s relationship had been rocky, to say the least. But the two had been best friends before Rachel started dating Hunter.

Come to think of it, a lot of the brothers had been friends before Hunter married Rachel.

Phoenix was devastated. The breakup took a toll on his career, his creativity, and his mental and physical health.

Brothers took sides, and Hunter quickly disassociated himself from the Brookside banner, receiving permission from all shareholders from Brookside to change the name of his location.

That separation created divisions within the family. The youngest Brooks children took Hunter’s side, choosing to believe that love was love, even if it hurt other people.

The second and third born, Bennett and Colt, were vehemently opposed to Hunter’s relationship with his brother’s ex and remained angry with him for some time.

Then there was Jett, who saw both sides of the picture and so chose to stay neutral about the whole ordeal.

It was only Phoenix who had bridged the gap in the family, choosing to forgive Hunter—and surprisingly, Rachel, too.

His father had mentioned that the two brothers were trying to patch things up, but Jett didn’t believe it—but apparently, it was true.

“And you think Hunter’s going to be able to keep your secret? He’s probably the chattiest person I have ever met.”

“I swore him to secrecy on pain of death,” Phoenix said, brows raised. “I don’t even think he told Rachel.”

“Well,” Jett shrugged. “If that’s true, it’s probably smart.”

“What about you?” Phoenix asked. “How are things going with the hired help?”

“Pretty good, actually,” Jett admitted. “I didn’t think I could get used to having someone in the house all the time but having Paige around has been a game-changer. Highly recommended.”

“I think Miranda would kill me if I hired a nanny,” Phoenix laughed.

The longer the brothers talked, the more Jett began to realize he was singing Paige’s praises every five minutes. He was like a teenage boy, looking for reasons to insert his crush into every conversation.

Paige was far from a crush, of course. But the more Jett thought about it, the less he was able to pinpoint exactly what their relationship was.

He was her employer, but there was a friendship there, and then something deeper. They were companions of a sort–someone to see movies with, to raise a child with, to go to date-like events and share deep conversations with. But at the same time, neither of them had to have any romantic feelings toward one another. Their hearts were completely safe, and that was exactly the way Jett wanted it.

Phoenix briefly suggested otherwise, but Jett shot his theory down.

He didn’t want to be with Paige. He just wanted to be around her, and tonight was no exception.

“Guess who bought a ranch?” Jett announced as he walked through the doors of his suite later that evening.

Paige came bounding down the hall, jumping and squealing.

“Really, really?” she exclaimed as she met him at the front door.

Jett instinctively grabbed her by the waist and swung her in a circle, eliciting giggles from the brunette.

“Really,” he enunciated, setting her back down. “And we got them down twenty-grand!”

“Oh my gosh! Jett, that’s amazing!”

Jett grinned. “Not too shabby, is it?”

“Far from shabby!” she laughed.

“Is Justin still up?” he asked.

“Yes, why?”

“Let’s go out and celebrate, the three of us,” he suggested.

Paige agreed and ran down the hallway to collect Justin from his bed.

Chapter Ten

Paige

Paige was over the moon about Jett getting the new property. He was so excited about the acquisition that it started to rub off on her. She found herself squealing and quite literally jumping for joy around the city with Justin and Jett as they celebrated.

Not only was she proud of him for making a smart business deal, but she was also delighted by how calm Jett seemed. She no longer felt the flow of stress fill up the room when he walked into it.

The next two days, Jett was over the moon. He was calm and full of smiles and laughter. Long gone were the long nights of working until all hours of the morning, worrying about what ranch to buy or how much was too much to pay for it.

The days that followed the ranch purchase were amazing. Jett had taken them off, putting work off until he received the keys for the new property.

After their night of celebration, Paige, Jett, and Justin took the next day off entirely. They spent all of Wednesday in their pajamas, save for the swim they took in the private hotel pool.

They ordered snacks to the room for a movie night—popcorn for Justin and a charcuterie board filled with olives, cheese, crackers, fruit, and various sliced meats for Paige and Jett. She was surprised to hear Jett say the word charcuterie out loud.

She’d seen the word written out before and had certainly ordered a board when she was at fancier restaurants with her girlfriends, but she had never actually heard anybody pronounce the word. She’d always defaulted to saying, “The cheese board!”

“You make me smarter, Mr. Brooks,” she teased before popping a square of gouda in her mouth.

Jett smiled at the comment and tapped her on the nose.

On their second day off, the tiny makeshift family spent a classic day out in New York.

They took Justin back to Central Park for the morning and had a picnic, and by the evening, they all went out to see a play on Broadway. It was an adaptation of Peter Pan, a movie and book that Justin loved.

Jett thought his son would be over the moon about it, but even after taking an extensive nap in the afternoon, their adventuring in New York took its toll on the little guy and he fell asleep before the first act was over.

When it was over, the three of them left the theater and Jett expressed his disappointment that Justin hadn’t been able to stay awake for the very expensive play.

“Well, I thought it was fantastic. Thank you so much for taking me,” Paige said sweetly as they left the theater.

Jett let out a chuckle and craned his neck to look at Justin, who was fast asleep in his arms. “At least somebody thinks so.”

“Should we get a cab?” she asked and raised her brows curiously when Jett hesitated.

“Why don’t we stay out?” he said. “It’s a beautiful night. Might as well enjoy it.”

Paige nodded and unfolded Justin’s stroller, fixing the little one inside and fastening his seatbelt.

Jax took the reins, pushing the boy around the beautiful city.

Autumn in the city was breathtaking. It had been a little bit chilly the first few days they had been in New York, but today was the perfect temperature. She was out walking at night with no more than a heavy sweater and boots, though she bundled Justin all the same before they left.

The two went for an impromptu second dinner at a hole-in-the-wall diner. She ordered chicken and waffles, complete with a buffalo syrup, which sounded disgusting but completely impressed her taste buds, and Jett got a standard breakfast—two eggs over easy, home fries, round sausage, and rye toast. A real cowboy’s order.

“Are you liking the city?” he asked.

“So much!” she said cheerfully, incredibly thankful for the position she’d found herself in with her new job. “This trip has been so much fun. I and Justin have been exploring the city, I may have done a little bit of shopping, and you, sir, managed to score a heck of a deal,” she finished, raising a vanilla milkshake to Jett in celebration.

Jett smiled shyly, tilting his head to the side, and she felt a warmth enter her body.

“What about you? Do you like to travel?” she asked.

“Not really,” he said, not giving the question a second thought.

“What? You’re kidding!”

“It stresses me out,” he said with a shrug. “I’m always worried about my bags getting stolen or lost or the plane plummeting into water and me getting eaten by sharks.”

Paige giggled. “Oh man, my friend Alissa would have a heart attack if she heard you say that!”

“Oh yeah?” he smirked.

“She travels all the time. She’s obsessed with it. She just got married a couple of months ago and moved to Italy.”

“That’s amazing,” he said.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool, but I miss her a lot. It’s hard not seeing her every day and forget not seeing her: it’s hard to wrap my head around calling her in a different time-zone.”

Jett nodded. “Have you guys been friends for a long time?”

“Forever,” she said emphatically. “Though I’m convinced that she’ll move back to Utah one day. There’s no way she’ll stay in Italy long-term.”

“I don’t know,” he said as though he knew anything about Alissa. “Being in Europe makes it a lot easier, and cheaper, to travel around.”

“Hey! You’re supposed to be on my side,” she said and they both laughed. “You know, one of the first big trips I took was with Alissa.”

Jett’s brow perked at the mention of it. “Where’d you guys go?” he asked.

“We went to Iquitos,” she said. Upon seeing the vacant expression on his face, she explained, “It’s in Peru. It’s this little port city, kind of like a gateway to the jungle. We stayed at this lodge in the middle of the Amazon.”

“You are much braver than me. That’s incredible! Did you have to get shots before you went?”

“Like, a million shots,” she winced. “Also, it wasn’t bravery so much as being completely oblivious to what I was getting myself into! All I knew was that Alissa said it was safe and I trusted her.”

“And you never trusted her again,” he joked. “So did you guys see much in the rainforest?”

“You have no idea,” she said with wide eyes, recalling the whirlwind adventure. “We went piranha fishing and did all of these jungle treks and stayed in a village. It’s insane; everyone sees your cameras, and either they have no idea what they are, or they all want to take selfies with you.”

Jett smiled, entranced. “What’s the craziest thing you did while you were there?”

“Um. We ate grubs,” she said, frowning deeply and sticking her tongue out for emphasis.

“Head and all?”

She made an exaggerated shudder and said, “Yup. Head and all. Whatever Alissa did, I wanted to do. Oh man, we had one night where we actually slept in the jungle. We were in hammocks under mosquito netting—”

“What?” he interrupted. “Paige, you’re insane!”

“Honestly, yes. It was so cool for the first couple of hours. We stayed with a guide and ate great food that our guide cooked over the fire. But as soon as the night came, he started warning us about how there are snakes and big spiders, and oh, did I mention jaguars and bears?”

“I wouldn’t have slept for a minute,” he said, his eyes as round as saucers.

“Oh, believe me, we didn’t,” she giggled. “As soon as the sun sets, the jungle comes alive. We heard everything from growls to slithers, and we were so freaked out.”

“No kidding! But still, what an experience to have,” he mused.

“Yeah, Alissa has dragged me out to the brink of death a couple of times. We backpacked through China, not knowing a stitch of Chinese, and got lost in the rice fields. The list goes on and on.”

“You sound like a girl who knows her way around adventure,” he said.

“Maybe.”

“No, really,” he insisted, setting his fork down and taking a good long look at her. “I’m impressed, Paige. You’re honestly probably one of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met.”

“Stick with me, kid, and you’ll be in for even more surprises,” she said with a wink.

“I tell you what,” he began slowly as he stole a bite of her waffle. “Why don’t you and I plan a trip together?”

Her heart rate began to quicken with infatuated nerves tingling all over her body.

“Seriously?” she asked.

“Me and you and Justin. You pick the destination, just make sure we’ll get a thrill out of it.”

“Oh sure,” she said with a roll of her eyes, trying to test the waters and see if he was joking or not.

“I’m serious,” he insisted. “I want him to have a sense of adventure. I want him to be a real cowboy when he grows up. Fearless, like you.”

“I’d say you’re pretty fearless yourself, mister,” she said, nodding toward him. Jett had been through so much, and yet he was healing so beautifully from it.

“Yeah, right,” he scoffed, then said. “I mean it. Plan it, Paige. Anywhere you want. I’d love to have an adventure with you.”

Chapter Eleven

Jett

Jett had fallen asleep on the couch. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done that.

To his surprise, Paige was right next to him, her head draped heavily on his shoulder. She was curled up and sleeping against him.

They got in late and after putting Justin to bed, both came out to wind down and watch some mindless cooking show.

He looked down at her hand, which had looped its way through his arm, and stared at it for some time. There was a pang of guilt that ran through him briefly as he thought how nice it felt to be that close to someone again.

He knew he should wake Paige up, but he took a selfish moment to enjoy the feeling of her body against his. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes, wanting more than anything to drift back off to sleep.

Jett’s movements stirred Paige awake and she inhaled sharply when she saw him next to her.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he said with a hoarse chuckle.

“Hey,” she said, getting up from the couch and then hunching over in pain. She rubbed the back of her neck, working a knot out of it as she laughed in pain, “Ah-slept wrong!”

“I’ll say,” he agreed. “But thanks for keeping me warm.”

“Yeah,” she said, a blush coming to her face as she scurried toward the coffee maker. “Wow, we were up late last night.”

“Cupcake competitions,” he said playfully, as though that simple sentence should explain everything.

“Who knew baking was so fun to watch when you don’t actually get to sample the cupcakes?” she mused.

“What time is it?” he asked, and his stomach dropped as he watched Paige’s face turn into a regretful wince.

“Ten?” she said.

“Ten?” he repeated with haste. “Oh, my gosh. I am so late. So, so, so late!” he said, jumping up off the couch and rushing into his bedroom as fast as possible. He was supposed to meet with Phoenix and their lawyer to get the key for the new ranch an hour ago. Pulling his phone off of its charger, he saw that he had seven missed calls from Phoenix. He listened to a couple of his brother’s messages. They started out curious, “Hey, man, you running late? Call me back,” then turned annoyed, “I’m outside the lawyer’s office. Alone. Where are you?” and near the end, frustration turned to worry as Phoenix said, “Hopefully you didn’t fall onto a subway platform somewhere. I have to head to the airport so, uh, call me and let me know you’re not dead.”

Jett slapped a hand over his face and rushed to get dressed, dialing Phoenix’s number with his free hand.

“Hey, man,” he said before Phoenix even had a chance to say hello. “I’m so sorry, I overslept. Can you meet me now?”

“Sorry, I’m almost at the airport,” Phoenix said, clearly in a rush. “I’m supposed to be at a benefit concert in Seattle in about seven hours. I only had time to meet this morning. You okay?”

“Are you kidding me? Oh man, I’m sorry,” Jett said regrettably. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m just running late. Geez, okay, what about the key?”

“I got the keys and all of the paperwork,” Phoenix said easily. “I left them with the front desk of your hotel.”

Jett immediately felt his panic disappear. He sighed in relief, one leg in his jeans and the other hopping across the bedroom floor. “You are a life-saver,” he said, enunciating each word.

“Yes, I am,” Phoenix laughed. “And I’ve gotta go; we’re just pulling up now. “Let me know how it goes with the ranch, alright?”

“Will do, and thanks again, Phoenix. Bye.”

Now that he had a second to breathe, Jett considered how he wanted to proceed with his day

After properly getting dressed, he decided that he wanted to spend his day with Justin and Paige at the ranch.

It only made sense that his little family would be the first people he would show his newly acquired property to.

Paige was happy to come along and seemed excited to be part of the process.

They talked the whole two-hour drive to Kerhonkson and played silly car games with Justin.

He was happy to be in a family atmosphere again. The ride reminded him of the way such a drive would have gone with Mel-Anna, and he missed her desperately.

Melancholy aside, Jett was in a good mood. That was until they reached the ranch.

From the outside, it was a beautiful property. There was a new barn and recently refinished stables, but the cottages left a lot to be desired.

They were small, meaning they would either have to market them with single beds or expand them, which was more money than they had expected to drop into the ranch. But setbacks were to be expected.

What Jett hadn’t been expected was the state of what was listed as The Great Hall, which was intended to be the main building at Brookside.

The building was in disrepair, with cheap, peeling paneling, dated wallpaper, and a rug that smelled like a barnyard.

One glance after another told Jett the mess he’d gotten himself into.

He inhaled sharply, feeling dizzy, and felt his whole world crumbling down around him.

Paige looked equally speechless.

“Look at this place,” he said frantically, throwing his arm out to the side. “It’s a dump!”

“Daddy, it stinks!” Justin piped in.

Even the three-year-old was unimpressed with the building.

Jett scraped his fingers down his forehead in agony.

“Well, you said they’d mentioned it was a bit of a fixer-upper,” Paige said softly.

“Fixer-upper?” he repeated incredulously. “The carpets smell like a garbage heap! Look at this,” he said, pointing to what clearly looked to be rabbit feces on the carpet. “Animals have been in here!”

His eyes immediately flicked to Justin, who was roaming around the entryway.

“Don’t touch anything, Jus,” he said quickly and watched as Paige drew the boy into her arms.

“You’ll give it a good, thorough clean,” she said, head tilted back as she inspected the ceiling. “You’ll make it beautiful.”

“I’m going to call them right now,” he fumed, his voice getting louder as he spoke. “I’m going to call them and say I want out of the deal. My lawyer is going to…” he stammered, noticing a giant crack that broke across the entire countertop of the antique oak bar. “I should have come out to the property. I am an absolute idiot. My father is going to lose his mind,” he said in a panic.

“No, he’s not,” Paige reasoned, quiet but firm. “And you’re not an idiot; you’re a savvy businessman, and I’m going to tell you why.”

Jett let out a loud scoff as he looked her way.

“Because you have helped build and promote five Brookside Ranches,” she said. “You helped pick the properties, and I’m sure some of them were no walk in the park, but you helped make them into some of the highest-rated luxury ranches across the country.”

Jett listened to what she had to say. He dismissed her words at first, but soon they started to settle into his mind. She was right. When they first bought Bennett’s ranch, it needed a complete overhaul. They borrowed against everything to get it built, and that was back when they didn’t have even half of the resources—financial and otherwise—that they had now.

“The bones of the building are good, right?” Paige said, reciting what he had told her about the building the night he bought it. “New roof, new barn?”

“And an inside that’s right from the nineteen-seventies,” he sighed. “Look at this carpet,” he cringed, pointing down toward the bright green shag. “The paneling isn’t even real wood; it’s cheap particle board. This reno is going to be...”

“Expensive,” Paige said. “And it’s going to take a little longer than you thought, but look at these wooden beams,” she said, walking to the two giant pillars in the foyer of the building. “Look at the vaulted ceilings and this big open space? Perfect for a bar or lounge. It’s beautiful, Jett.”

His stomach settled down as Paige continued to point out all of the great features of the property that had driven his attention to Kerhonkson in the first place. To further ease his tension, Paige pulled up an app called Pinterest and began showing him possibilities of what they might be able to do with the space and all of the rooms.

Somehow, she had done the impossible—she made him believe in the hideous property again.

After just a half an hour of talking with Paige, he felt okay. More than okay, he felt excited about getting started on the ranch. He already knew exactly what he was going to tell his father about how to market the property.

He looked at Paige with amazement as she spoke. The more he got to know her, the more wonderful he found her company.

She was a nanny. She took care of kids for a living. It was a profession that anyone could have looked down at or shrugged with indifference about, but the truth was this wonderful girl used her precious tie to make a difference in these children’s lives.

Justin needed her more than he needed anyone. Her love, compassion, patience, and comfort had meant more to his son than any of Jett’s reassurances did. He needed a motherly figure in his life, and he’d found it in Paige.

Beyond that, Paige was more than a caretaker. She was a world-traveler, a soul seeking adventure, an optimist, and, as he’d learned from this very conversation, something of an entrepreneur—or a saleswoman, at the least.

He grabbed her hand, thankful for her company, and they continued walking through the property talking about what the future held for Brookside Ranch: New York.

Chapter Twelve

Paige

Paige’s soul was alive. She lay on her side, facing the wall made of windows in her penthouse bedroom. It was the kind of night where sleep was a distant whisper.

It was a chilly evening in New York. She didn’t check her phone, but she could tell it was past midnight, probably somewhere around one or two in the morning. She hadn’t slept at all. She’d been daydreaming in the night, thinking about life with Jett, their time in the city, and the milestones they’d reached together—raising Justin, building the ranch, connecting in a way that was so intimate, it needed no classification.

Paige could feel the cold in the air even in their well-heated suite. She got up from the warmth of her down-filled blanket and made her way down the hall to Justin’s room. She couldn’t help herself from checking in on him. It was what she did with all of her kids.

When she was very young, she remembered being afraid of the dark. She told her father this in passing one day, and from that moment on, he would come in and check on her every night. Sometimes she would be awake, others fast asleep. He would always make sure to keep her door ajar and leave the light on in the hallway. He did that for years until she told him she wasn’t afraid anymore.

She had always appreciated that. It was one of the things she loved most about her father—his thoughtfulness.

Without meaning to, it seemed as though she had inherited the need to check up on whatever child she was nannying, making sure they were still sleeping soundly.

She slipped into Justin’s room to make sure he had enough blankets before moving quietly back into the hallway. She was always afraid she was going to wake him up, but it hadn’t happened yet.

Paige walked back to her bedroom door, but notice the lamplight coming from the living room.

She saw Jett sitting on the couch, leaned over the coffee table with a tablet and a scattered smattering of legal papers.

Paige crossed her arms and grinned as she walked up to him.

“What a surprise, you’re burning the midnight oil,” she teased.

Jett ran a hand along his shaved head and grinned up at her bashfully.

“What are you doing up?” he asked, his eyes flicking to the clock on the wall.

“I was checking on Justin,” she said, and her sentiment seemed to please him. “It’s a little cold in here.”

“I can turn the heat up,” he said.

Before she had a chance to protest, he picked a remote control up off of the coffee table and aimed it toward the thermostat, clicking the smart device up to a cozy seventy-three degrees.

“Thanks,” she said.

Jett had an energy about him that she couldn’t read as he gestured for her to join him on the couch.

She sat next to him, their legs grazing, and he lifted a paper to her hands.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“It’s a blueprint—a rough draft—for ranch renovations.”

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “You work quick!”

“I can’t help it,” he said. “Paige, I have never been this excited about anything in...well, years. I feel like I have a purpose again. This ranch...we’re gonna build it from the ground up.”

Paige smiled as she watched him, completely enamored with his happiness. She nudged him with her knee and said, “Good! I’m glad to see you’ve gotten over your Brookside Blues.”

“Cute,” he snickered.

“I thought so,” she giggled. “I’m glad you’re so excited about this project. It’s going to be great! And what a better way to get your brother jazzed about having his own ranch than to have him help you build it from the ground up? That way he’ll get exactly what he wants out of it, and it can be this family thing—this bonding experience.”

“I just hope he sees it as positively as you do,” he said.

“I’m sure he will,” she said, then shrugged and said, “Or he’ll cry once he catches sight of it.”

Her words elicited a laugh from Jett, which filled her whole body with butterflies.

“Either way, I think it’s great,” she said, running her fingers over the carefully drawn blueprints. “I’m not a builder or anything, but if there’s anything I can do to help, you know where to find me. It might be cool for Justin to see how the ranch gets built, too.”

“Definitely,” he said.

“After all, I assume he’ll be taking control of the Arizona ranch one day, won’t he?” she asked, hoping the question didn’t sound too morbid. Presumably, all of the Brooks children would keep their ranches in the family, otherwise, why would they have worked so hard to build their brand?

“I hope so,” he said. “I hope he loves it. But if he’s not interested in running the ranch...” he trailed off thoughtfully, as though he’d never considered the question before. “Then I wouldn’t want him to run it on my account.”

“You’re a good dad,” she said sweetly, putting a hand over his.

“It would break my heart though,” he said with a bemused laugh. “Not gonna lie.”

She set the blueprint back down on the coffee table, covering his tablet. She turned to look at him, admiring his features as she said, “You love it, don’t you?”

“I did,” he said firmly. “I did love it, then after Mel-Anna died...I hated it. I hated looking at this thing we ran together. I hated seeing all of the things we loved. I hated the commitment I had to give it while I was trying to grieve. I resented the time it took away from my son and me. Until you came around.”

Paige set the tips of her fingers gently against the apples of her cheeks, feeling her face flush hot. “What, seriously?”

“Seeing you explore the ranch was like…” he paused, his eyes locking with hers in a way she’d never seen before. He looked like he was searching her for something, and whatever it was gave her goosebumps all over her body. “I can’t explain it,” he said quietly. “It was like I was seeing the ranch for the first time with you. It felt new and full of potential again. And look at yesterday! I was ready to call my lawyers and try to get us out of this deal until you talked me off the ledge. You have this amazing way of seeing possibility.”

“Yes,” she said, her voice quiet as she looked him over. “I do...”

“I have a hard time seeing what something is going to look like when its finished,” he said evenly, his voice getting lost as his eyes trailed her features. He moved his leg and she could feel the heat of him against her.

“Which is crazy,” he continued slowly, “Because I’ve done this before, but whether it’s paint on walls, sofa colors, stable designs, or architecture in general, I have no faith in design. I am always skeptical, always anxious until I see the final product and then I go: ‘Ooh! I get it!’”

His words made Paige’s heart race. Was he still talking about design, or was he talking about them?

“But you...you saw it,” he said, his voice almost husky.

“You’re making me blush,” she said timidly, but she didn’t look away from his gaze.

“I’m serious. I’m in awe over you, Paige. You have this incredible talent for looking on the bright side and for lifting me up. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without you in my life.”

“I feel the same way,” she said. “Before I met you, I was just floating through life. Now I have Justin and you and...”

“I know!” he agreed eagerly. “I know exactly what you mean. I was so lost. I had no one to help me with Justin. I told you before, he hasn’t been close to anyone since his mom…yet he’s taken to you just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers. “If that isn’t meant to be, then I don’t know what is.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” she said just above a whisper.

Paige took Jett’s hand into hers and leaned forward. She tilted her head up, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against his.

His mouth was warm and softer than she had expected, which only attracted her more. She could feel her body start to curve towards his, but before she could comprehend what was happening, he had already pulled away from her in a sharp, swift motion.

He drew away so quickly, she felt like the breath had been pulled out of her. She blinked rapidly, staring at him in surprise.

“Paige, no,” he said firmly. The sudden way his words hit the air mixed with his protesting hands raised out in front of him. The action made her feel like she was some sort of bad dog being reprimanded.

She swallowed, her mouth dry as she stammered and searched inwardly for words. Should she apologize? What did she do wrong? Hadn’t he so clearly been inviting something to happen between them?

“I j-just thought,” she stuttered before pressing her eyes shut. The realization of what just happened washed over her, forcing a marriage between a sigh and a humiliated groan to leave her mouth.

“Oh, man, I’m an idiot,” she breathed.

“Look, Paige, if I gave you the impression that I wanted you to—” he stopped short. “If you thought I wanted anything unprofessional from you, then I apologize. That wasn’t my intention.”

Paige was still stunned. She felt like she now understood the phrase to “have the rug ripped out from underneath” her.

“You were saying all of those things,” she said, her brows forming a deep crease in the middle of her face. “I thought you were trying to tell me you had feelings for me.”

Jett was still pressed into the corner of the couch, clearly trying to get away from her. It made her feel disgusting. She shifted over to give him space and he finally put his hands down. He looked at her, down at the table, and back up to her with confusion as he asked, “Do you have feelings for me?”

Paige pressed her lips thin. She didn’t look at him but nodded. It was the only way she could think to answer. She had already made a mess of things—her job, her income, her future—so she might as well be completely honest with him.

Jett nodded. “Okay. Look, Paige, you mean a lot to me. A lot. I have never gotten closer to someone in such a short amount of time as I have with you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. But we...I mean...I just don’t see you that way.”

“Oh,” she said, staring forward at the fireplace.

“Even if I did feel something for you, which frankly I don’t,” he snapped, “I wouldn’t want to ruin the friendship we have or jeopardize your relationship with Justin. He is my priority.”

“Of course. That makes total sense,” she said, and she could feel her whole body about to crumple into a deep cry. Keep it in, she begged herself. If you cry, it’s over.

Jett didn’t say anything, so neither did she.

After a long, horrifying silence, she set her hands on her legs and then stood abruptly from the couch.

“Well, I think I’m going to head back to my room and try to get some sleep.”

It was a transparent excuse, she knew, but she needed to get out of there as quickly as possible without making a scene.

“Right,” he said. “Goodnight.”

She was already walking down the hallway when he spoke. She turned briefly to smile at him. “Goodnight,” she returned in kind.

Paige walked back into her bedroom and closed the door gently behind her. She crawled into her bed and curled into a ball with a throw pillow in her arms.

She felt sick. Like full-on going-to-throw-up sick. Her stomach kept churning, her heart sinking into a bottomless pit. She had never been so wrong with signs and signals before.

Didn’t he seem like he wanted her to kiss him?

Wasn’t he looking her over in a way he hadn’t done before?

Hadn’t this whole trip to New York felt like one long, perfect date?

She replayed the scene over and over in her mind but couldn’t come to any other conclusion.

But it didn’t matter how right or how justified she felt about the kiss. He didn’t want it, so it must have been wrong. She was very, very mistaken.

Paige felt a heap of a sob overtake her throat but forced it down when she heard two gentle knocks on her bedroom door.

She cringed inwardly as she got up from her bed and turned the knob.

Jett stood on the other side of the entryway as though they were standing on opposite sides of a precipice.

He didn’t say anything. Just stood there looking awkward.

What did he want? Couldn’t he tell she was mortified and wanted to be alone?

“Yes?” she finally asked.

“I don’t feel good about what just happened,” he said.

Paige’s brows went up as she quipped, “I’m not exactly looking to have the moment photographed and framed.”

Jett smirked at the comment, sending another wave of sickness through her stomach. Then his expression fell, and he looked pained. “I didn’t mean to come off so rudely when I said I wasn’t interested,” he said carefully. “Look, my life is a mess right now. I’m just...” he splayed his hands out before her and said, “broken.”

“I understand.”

“Do you? I want you to understand. You mean a lot to me, Paige,” he said, and she couldn’t help the inward thought of, “Yeah, just not enough,” from creeping into her mind.

“Mel-Anna was in a car accident, and it was sudden,” he said, eyes down at the floor. “And I carry a lot of guilt about it that I haven’t really talked about with anyone.”

Paige exhaled. “I’m sorry,” she said, trying to sound sympathetic.

Of course, she had empathy for Jett and Justin. She’d never experienced a loss so great and couldn’t possibly comprehend how much that hurt. How difficult it must have been to feel like you had everything figured out—you met your forever person, you have an established career, you’re a unit, a family—only to have it all destroyed.

But her empathy didn’t take away from the pain she felt knowing that she could make Jett happy if he would just let her in.

“No, don’t be sorry. It’s just…” he huffed, clearly finding it difficult to explain himself, “When Mel left, something in me gave up. I don’t have anything to give.”

“Okay,” she said slowly.

“I don’t want you to think that it was you or something you did. You’re great! You—”

“You’re not seriously giving me an ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech right now, are you?” she snorted derisively.

Jet’s eyes went skyward. “Inadvertently,” he said.

“Uh-huh,” she said, forcing a smile. “Look, it’s cool. I completely overstepped a line and I apologize. I don’t want to do anything that will jeopardize my job or our friendship. If you’ll still have me, I promise nothing like this will ever happen again.”

“If I’ll have you?” he said as though he were testing out the words. “You’re not thinking about quitting, are you?”

“No, of course not! But you are my boss, and I did just kiss you, and that’s not usually a great work environment.”

“Right,” he nodded. “Paige, I still want you here. If this arrangement makes you uncomfortable then, of course, you’re free to leave, and I’ll make sure you have an excellent reference and severance package, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re a part of this family now. Justin loves you. You’re an amazing nanny to him and a good friend to me. Wasn’t I just raving about that earlier?”

“Were you?” she said, her voice pitched high. “I’m trying hard to block this night out of my memory so forgive me if I get a little hazy on the details.”

He chuckled politely.

“Let’s just pretend like it never happened, okay?” he suggested.

Paige nodded, acting relieved. “That would be amazing. Thank you, and thank you for coming to explain everything to me.”

“Of course,” he said. “Goodnight, Paige.”

“Night,” she said and closed the door between them.

Her words expressed appreciation, but she didn’t feel the least bit thankful. Maybe to keep her job, but all Jett did was confuse her, not make her feel at ease.

She lay back down in her bed and once she was sure Jett was gone from the hallway, she broke down. Tears spilled, unwanted, from her eyes. She buried her face in her pillow and cried into it in a way she hadn’t done since she was a little girl.

Her only solace was that come the morning light, they would be headed back to Arizona.

Chapter Thirteen

Jett

As he, Justin, and Paige arrived back on Arizona soil, things in the days that followed were awkward, to say the least.

He and Paige tried to resume their regular routine back at the house, but as days went by, he realized pretending nothing ever happened between them was going to be a lot easier said than done.

Jett’s favorite moments were coming home after a long day at the ranch and hearing Justin and Paige light up the room with their laughter, but no sooner after he got back would Paige retreat to her bedroom

Paige had always been on a schedule. Her shift was from seven-thirty in the morning to between six and six-thirty in the evening, but she’d never adhered to it before—always choosing to spend her evenings with them having dinner or watching a movie.

Now she had no problem figuratively clocking out at the end of the day.

It gave Jett a lot more time with Justin, which was nice. But they’d spent the last few months developing a routine with Paige and having it suddenly change, especially knowing the reasons why she was avoiding him, was an adjustment.

Jett reasoned that it was good for her. It was good that she got out into the city and make friends—maybe even meet a guy.

He replayed the kiss over and over in his mind. Thinking about it made him sick with guilt—all kinds of guilt.

He felt strange to have let her mouth against his, even if only for a second. It felt like a betrayal to Mel-Anna.

Why he was supposed to stay faithful to a memory, he couldn’t fathom. But she didn’t feel gone, and as long as she was alive in his little corner of the universe, he couldn’t even think of entertaining a future with someone else.

Then there was the guilt for hurting Paige. The poor girl was clearly embarrassed.

He still couldn’t fathom why someone so lovely, with so much future ahead of her, would be interested in someone as lifeless as Jett was. He had nothing to offer her, and the thought that she had spent the last few months developing a crush on him left him mystified. He was at his most unlikeable that he had probably ever been—consumed with the ranch, obsessed with his pain, utterly selfish.

He understood her need for distance. He welcomed her personal growth outside of the social constructs of the ranch, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss her company.

The truth was, it had been nice to come home to somebody.

She would have dinner ready for him. He could rest easy knowing that Justin was well taken care of—but it was so much more than these things.

Coming home to Paige was like coming home to an endless stream of positivity—something his life was sorely lacking since Mel-Anna’s passing. She forced him to slow down, to enjoy moments. She drew him out.

She was a breath of fresh air, and yes, perhaps in some small way, he did like her—he was man enough to admit it. He would have been blind not to notice how beautiful she was or how lucky he had been to spend his nights with her. But a crush did not mean he wanted to start something serious.

He thought the world of Paige, and in another life, maybe they would have made the perfect couple, but he couldn’t give her what she wanted.

It wasn’t until they had been back for three weeks, nearly a month, that things started to even out.

“Hey, you,” Jett said, nodding toward the door as Paige crept in late at night.

“Oh!” Paige erupted in giggles, then stifled her laughter with her hands, noticing the late hour.

“Sorry,” she said, making a ‘Shh’ signal with her finger against her lips. “I know it’s late.”

“That’s okay,” he said, gesturing toward his laptop perched on the coffee table in front of him. “I was up. You have fun?”

She nodded, pressing her lips flat into a curious smile. He had never seen Paige drink before, so he had no basis for thinking she may have been tipsy, but the thought of her drinking and driving worried him all the same.

Jett was not a drinker. He never had been, save for a few drinks at social events throughout the years. He didn’t even drink at his wedding.

He had been especially opposed to imbibing since Mel-Anna’s death by a drunk driver.

He often tried to imagine what it must have been like for her to get hit. He had meditated on it more times than he could count, trying to imagine himself in the dark car. He envisioned the road without streetlights and how frightening it must have been to see lights suddenly flashing. He tried to hear the crunch of metal crashing against metal, the pop of the airbags deploying, the screech of the side of the SUV against the cliffside guardrail and the sudden pain, and then nothingness of his neck snapping.

Jett wanted it to be him instead of Mel-Anna. He wished he were dead, and she was here taking care of Justin. He’d begged, pleaded, and prayed for it. “Please, switch us. Let me take her place.”

But life did not work like that, and he was the one alive with their son, struggling to know what to do.

Women, mothers especially, had an innate response to trauma. They knew exactly what to do. If Mel-Anna were here, she would have been heartbroken by the loss of her husband. He knew that. But she would have had a motherly instinct kick in—something that said, “Take care of Justin, no matter what.” And just like that, she would have made the best of her new life.

Jett did not have those instincts. He was a mess. He was lost. And suddenly, he was angry.

He narrowed his brows thoughtfully at Paige.

“How’d you get home? You didn’t drive, did you?” he asked, his heart suddenly pounding.

“What?” she asked, looking at him curiously. “Yes, I drove. Why?”

“Have you been drinking?”

She gave an exaggerated, surprised blink, then incredulously asked, “Excuse me?”

“You seem like you’ve been drinking. Why would you think you were in a position to drive home like this? Do you know what could have happened?”

The two were face to face in the hallway—an awkward staring contest ensuing.

“I’m not drunk,” she snapped. “I didn’t have a single drink. I was with Tommy on a horse trail—liquor free,” she said, holding up a hand in a salute as if to say scout’s honor!

“I’m sorry,” he said, backing down quickly. “I just get worried.”

The moment dragged on, painfully slow, as they stood in silence in the hallway.

“So, Tommy, huh? Tommy Hagersville? I didn’t know—” he began but thought better of it. Whatever she did with her time was none of his business.

He wondered if his momentary interest in her evening would prompt her to share the details of her outing with him, but instead, she pointed toward her bedroom and said, “I’m gonna head in. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he sighed, shaking his head and walking back to the couch.

So much for resuming normalcy.

Jett wanted to talk to somebody about what had been happening between them.

Colt came to mind. He had been through the same thing after the sudden loss of his wife. He wanted to ask how Colt felt when complications started happening with his hired help, but the idea of his brother possibly encouraging him to pursue Paige put him off sharing.

What he wanted to do was talk to his dad. Roger Brooks had always been in Jett’s corner.

But it was an hour later in Texas, and Jett wasn’t about to wake his father up in the middle of the night. He’d done that enough since losing Mel-Anna.

He remembered getting the call from a police officer the night she died. He went to the hospital, leaving Justin with one of the nurses, and sat in the room with Mel. She looked mangled and swollen. She didn’t look like her.

His father was the first person he called and the first person he took any comfort from after it had happened.

He remembered how scared Roger sounded when he’d woken him in the night, and he wasn’t about to frighten him a second time.

He waited until the morning to call the house, getting up earlier than usual to catch his dad before he headed over to the Texas ranch.

“There’s my boy!” Roger exclaimed with a gruff excitement as he answered the phone.

“Hey, Dad,” he said.

“Not that often I get graced with a call from my kid this early in the mornin’! You land us any new deals I should be bragging about?” his father chuckled. “I just can’t get over that. You really talked them down! I’ve been telling everyone. Larry can’t get over it! I’m pretty sure everyone is sick of hearing me talk about it.”

Jett offered a polite laugh. It wasn’t unlike his father to brag about his kids, especially when it came to business. He thought his chuckle sounded genuine, but right away, his father could sense something.

“What’s goin’ on, kiddo?” Roger asked, his tone softening.

“Do you have a minute to talk?”

“Yeah, of course,” his father said.

“Alone?” Jett specified. This was his polite way of saying, “Without Mom?”

He heard his dad shuffling around on the other line, perhaps getting up from the kitchen table and shifting rooms. He heard the screen doors of his parents’ house open and close and could imagine his father on their immense back deck with a coffee in his hand and a phone in the other.

“Yeah,” his father finally said, sounding somewhat winded. “I’m alone. What’s on your mind?”

“I want to talk to you about something and I don’t want you to tell Mom or any of the guys about it,” he said evenly.

“That’s a bad way to start a sentence,” his father said with amusement. “What is it?”

“Promise me.”

“I promise, I promise,” Roger said. “I won’t say a thing.”

Jett looked around his kitchen, wondering how much longer it would be before Paige got up. He took a cue from his father and headed out the front door and started wandering toward the ranch. “It’s Paige.”

“Are things not working out?” his father asked. “It can be hard to find someone who flows with your lifestyle, but don’t get discouraged.”

“No, it’s not that,” he said. “She’s great, actually. Justin’s crazy about her, and she knows how to cook a steak, so the two most important qualifications are basically covered.”

“Sounds like a keeper to me!”

“The thing is...I think she might have feelings for me,” he said awkwardly.

“You think, or you know?”

“I know,” he admitted. “She told me, and the thing is, things were going so great between us before and now everything really—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” his father said with his Texas twang. “Back it up a bit there, boy. I think we’re missin’ a couple of steps. What did she say?”

Jett cringed inwardly. In his thirty-three years of life, he had never once talked to his father about women or dating, and doing it now felt beyond weird.

“Well, she kinda...kissed me.”

His father didn’t say a word, but Jett could tell the old man was smiling.

“And I pushed her away.”

“Well, you’ve gotten yourself in a bit of a pickle, haven’t you?” his father said thoughtfully, though not without amusement. “That makes for a mighty awkward life at home.”

“You’re telling me. The whole dynamic has changed. She doesn’t talk to me like she used to. She just does her job and calls it a day.”

“What do you mean? What were you doing before?”

“You know, just...” Jett stammered. “Hanging out. I don’t know? Just normal, stupid stuff like watching TV, me, her, and Justin. Or sometimes we take him out, go out to eat, or they’ll come to do some activities at the ranch. Nothing mind-blowing.”

“Hm. Well, son, I’ve never been a nanny, but I imagine it’s like seeing a therapist, which I also have not done.”

“You are killing it with the analogies today, Dad,” he laughed.

“Hear me out. When you see a therapist, you’re tellin’ them all of this private stuff about yourself, and they say you can end up getting attached to them. You feel vulnerable with them; you trust them. It’s appealing. The same goes for being a nanny. You’re bonding with a cute little kid all day, then the dad comes home, and you spend some couple time together.”

Jett clenched his teeth before defending, “We don’t spend couple time together. We’re friends.”

“Right, but that’s where it gets muddled. You’re acting like a family, and she starts getting attached to this little unit you’ve created, you get me?”

“Yeah, I get it,” he said.

“I’m not saying you led her on or anything—unless you did,” Roger backtracked with a playful but accusatory tone. “Then that’s on you. What I’m saying is it’s probably normal. Little crushes happen and the best thing you can do is forget about it. You hear me? Forget it ever happened. It may take a while, but eventually, things will go back to normal, and if they don’t, then it’s as simple as letting her go.”

“Right,” Jett mumbled.

“Now, that said, you’ve implied that Justin has gotten pretty attached to her, so if at all possible, try to wait this one out,” his father cautioned. “It isn’t wise to be pulling people in and out of his life so soon after what happened with his mom. Especially not a female role model in his life or a motherly figure or what-have-you.”

Though his father couldn’t see it, Jett was nodding in agreement. “Should I apologize to her?”

“For what?” Roger asked.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “For leading her on?”

“Did you lead her on?”

“No,” Jett said quickly, then backtracked, “Not intentionally.”

“So you did, huh?” his father said. “Not the brightest move. Look, don’t say anything to her. Just leave it alone. In my experience, women need time to think. Once they work everything out, they’re fine.”

In Jett’s experience, that was a bit of an oversimplification about women, but the sentiment was clear: let it go.

“The question is, do you want to leave it alone?” his father asked.

Jett raised a brow, and the question took him off guard. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Ah,” his father said in the same tone he used whenever he was about to say something that made him feel vulnerable. “Do you remember when Phoenix was younger, he always sang that song…what was it now?”

Jett set his jaw. He knew the exact song his father was talking about. Phoenix could play it on guitar and piano and practiced it relentlessly as a teenager.

Roger snapped his fingers on the other end of the line, then said, “Well anyway, there’s a lyric that goes, ‘Show me a smile, don’t be unhappy, I can’t remember when I last saw you laughing.’”

“True colors,” Jett said begrudgingly.

“Right,” his father agreed. “I’ve never heard anything remind me so much of you after Mel-Anna passed. I can’t remember when I last saw you laughing, until Paige came along.”

Jett remained silent as his father continued, telling him that Paige brought him back to life. “You seem good,” Roger said. “You seem like yourself.”

“I care about her a lot,” Jett confirmed. “But I can’t be in love with her.”

“Because you don’t feel that way about her or because you don’t want to feel that way about her?”

Chapter Fourteen

Paige

When Paige got back from New York, she was angry. When speaking to Jett, she sometimes used tones that a passive-aggressive teenager might take to sass their parent.

She knew this was unprofessional—unfair, even. He was her boss—and clearly still grieving the loss of his wife, despite what Paige had thought earlier.

But she couldn’t help herself. She felt a fiery fury in her belly that wouldn’t go away.

She wanted to be with Jett. She knew they could be good for one another, but it didn’t seem to matter. Jett didn’t see her that way.

That’s what he said, anyway.

But if that were true, then why pull her close when they were out in public? Why did his touches linger? Why did he call her out of her room some nights to come and sit with him? Why did he invite her out socially, and why oh why did he seem so flirtatious?

Paige refused to believe it was in her head, and so she was angry for putting herself out there and for being led to believe that what they had was special.

But as the weeks went by, her anger faded, and what she was left with was embarrassed guilt.

Her job was to take care of Justin. She loved him, and recently he told her that he loved her too.

At first, this only made Jet’s rejection harder. After all, she loved his son—deeply and genuinely loved him. She was a good caretaker and knew she would be a good stepmother and clearly, Justin thought so, too.

If Jett would open his eyes and see how great they could be together…

But no, she eventually realized. They wouldn’t be great together because Jett only saw her as a friend, and she wasn’t about to be the girl who begged the guy to be with her.

In the span of a few weeks, she went from angry to heartbroken. She spent her nights out of the house or else locked up in her room surfing the internet alone, talking to Alissa, and mostly crying.

She tried to go back to the way things were. She kept a “fake it ‘til you make it” attitude around Jett.

Paige smiled when he was around, laughed politely at his jokes, and sat in the living room with Justin to watch movies or play games. She did her best to pretend that nothing was weird, and nothing was broken, but it was all an act.

A month had gone by since getting back from New York, and Paige realized that things hadn’t gotten any easier. She didn’t feel like her heart had healed. The longer the days seemed, the more she considered looking into other employment. The only thing keeping her in the Brooks household was Justin, the boy she loved so dearly.

So she tried to get over it and be strong for him.

She’d been hanging out with Natalie, her new boyfriend Gary, and his best friend Tommy most days of the week after she was done with work. Tommy finally asked her out on a proper date, and she said yes, hoping the attention would distract her from her heartache.

It worked.

The two went out for dinner and went back to his place to plan an epic weekend camping in the Grand Canyon with friends. Tommy was fun and free-spirited, with seemingly no baggage to pull his affections from her.

At the end of the night, he drove her home. He opened the car door for her like a true gentleman. They stood by his car, sharing a few more ideas about their weekend, and then he ran his fingers along her sharp jawline and said, “I always knew you were a cool girl and tonight I feel very justified in my assessment.”

“Is that right?” she said coyly. “Well, I’m glad I could live up to the hype.”

“Oh, you more than lived up to it,” he smiled. “And what about me?”

“What about you?”

“On a scale from one to ten, how well do you think tonight went?” he asked, leaning in closer.

Paige ran her fingertips up his jacket, crawling them from button to button as she flirted, “I’d say a solid nine.”

“Nine,” he repeated with a nod. “That’s good; that’s good. Always room for improvement, I see. And how willing would you be to have a repeat of our evening say…tomorrow night?”

“Pretty willing,” she smiled.

“Great. Then I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Sounds good,” she said.

Tommy leaned in and pressed his lips against hers in the perfect goodnight kiss. His lips were cold, but the kiss was sweet, and she more than reciprocated. She felt the slightest spark of a butterfly in her stomach as he rested a hand on the small of her back.

“Goodnight, Paige,” he said with a broad smile.

“Goodnight,” she giggled and watched him walk back to the car. “Hey, Tommy?” she called out, and he turned around to face her. “I want to change my answer.”

Tommy raised his brows. “Oh yeah?”

“I would give tonight a solid ten.”

The man laughed, seeming pleased with himself. “Glad to hear it,” he said with amusement. “Goodnight, Paige.”

She blew him another kiss, and he got into his car. She loved the way he waited for her to get into the house before he pulled out of the driveway. There was something old-fashioned about Tommy that she liked.

Paige opened the front door and closed it quietly behind her, sliding the lock over gingerly.

She startled, however, when she realized Jett had been sitting in the living room adjacent to the foyer, likely with a full view of her goodnight with Tommy.

“That seemed like it went well,” Jett said curtly.

“Yep,” she said, her response equally as clipped.

“Was that a date?” he asked.

“Yeah, actually.”

Jett nodded. He set the book he was reading on the coffee table and stood from the couch as he asked, “First date or second date?”

“First,” she said.

“Right.”

He paced around the living room and Paige watched him curiously, drawing her brows together as she asked, “Something the matter?”

“No,” Jett said.

His dismissive demeanor told her it was time to return to her bedroom, so she began walking down the hallway, but stopped before she reached her door when Jett called out, “Actually, um. Not to nitpick, but I thought I asked you not to bring guys you were seeing around the house?”

She spun on her heel and gave an incredulous laugh. “First of all, it’s ‘guy’—singular. I’m only seeing Tommy, and second, I didn’t bring him in the house. He was just dropping me off.”

“Still, I would prefer it if you didn’t bring anyone home.”

Paige walked back out to the living room and stood with her hands on her hips as she asked, “Why?”

“Why?” Jett repeated with irritation. “Because those are my rules. I don’t want Justin to see anything like that or it might confuse him. This isn’t a new rule, Paige.”

She set her jaw. She knew he was right, but she hated that he was ruining this night for her all to be petty. “Sorry,” she said.

“Doesn’t sound like it,” he snapped.

“Then I guess that’s because I’m not sorry,” she said, equally as petulant.

Jett opened his mouth in surprise. “We discussed that before I hired you, and you had no problem with it then.”

“I didn’t bring him in the house,” she argued. “I wasn’t entertaining him in front of Justin. Justin doesn’t know anything—he’s asleep!”

“I don’t care.”

“No, of course, you don’t care. You’re just mad!” she scoffed.

Jett swallowed, and she could tell that she hit a nerve.

“Mad about what?”

“I don’t even know anymore! Mad that I kissed someone? Mad that I’m not still holed up in my room pining over you? I have no clue what you want from me. You act like my boyfriend for one minute and my boss next. You tell me you’re not interested, and you know what? That sucked, but I’m a big girl and I got over it. Now I’m moving on and you’re mad? Or jealous? Or…what?”

“I’m not jealous,” he said. “I want my rules respected, that’s all.”

Paige rolled her eyes and turned away from him, heading back toward her room. She couldn’t do this with him—argue like this over nothing.

“You know what?” he said as he followed her down the hall. “Actually, I am mad!”

She turned around again, meeting his eyes as he said, “I needed you, Paige. We were friends, and the minute I said I didn’t want to date you, you completely disappeared out of my life.”

She watched his pained brown eyes flick back and forth between hers, waiting for any sort of response or defense, but she didn’t have any to give. A pang of guilt wrenched through her as she realized she’d been doing exactly what all the men she’d rejected in the past did to her. They acted like she was the greatest thing in the world, then she turned them down and they treated her like garbage. They pretended like she didn’t exist.

Paige was hurt. She didn’t want to be around him and remember how amazing he was. That was her only defense.

“I do my job,” she said.

“Very well, I might add. But the moment you’re off, you couldn’t get far enough away from me.”

“I’m hurt,” she said, shrugging helplessly at him. “I’m hurt, Jett. I thought I saw a future with you. I love Justin...you know that. He’s one of the most important people in my life right now. I know your situation. I know you miss your wife and you still love her, and I get it. I understand. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

“Paige...” he said softly, but it was too late; she was already crying.

“It hurts being around you. It hurts to have dinner with you and Justin like a family and know that none of it is real. It hurts when Justin tells me he loves me, or he calls me Mom.”

Jett stiffened. “He calls you…?”

Paige wiped her tears and shook her head, embarrassed. “It just hurts me, and it’s not your fault. It’s my stupid fault for being so stupidly unprofessional and opening my big mouth.” She set a hand against the hallway wall, thinking. “Jett, I think I have to quit.”

“What?” he exhaled sharply, stung by her words. “No, Paige, come on.”

“I thought it would be easier to get over everything, but when I’m around you, I either feel this love I can’t control or this heartbreak, and either way, it’s killing me. I can’t do it.”

He stared at her for a long while, carefully considering her words. She felt her heart sink when she realized that he probably agreed with her. He knew they couldn’t keep going on like this. Her feelings for him weren’t going anywhere, and so long as he didn’t feel the same way, she would be tortured seeing him every day and not being able to be with him.

Chapter Fifteen

Jett

Paige’s desire to leave sparked a panic in Jett that he hadn’t been expecting.

He didn’t want to make her stay if she didn’t feel it was what was best for her but as soon as she had said she wanted to quit…no—from the moment she kissed Tommy out in the front yard, Jett realized that he couldn’t imagine life without Paige. He didn’t want a life without her.

And from that moment, a dam of unexplored emotions broke inside of him.

Jett had always had affection and appreciation for Paige, but there was always something more between them that either he couldn’t put into words or hadn’t been willing to explore yet.

Jett had managed to convince Paige to continue working for him, though he knew it was only her love for Justin that kept her around.

He promised to give her space, but as the days went by, he suddenly realized that was the last thing he wanted.

He’d spent months being confused about his affection for Paige. Having a clear understanding that this wasn’t just appreciation, fondness, or some crush was a relief. He knew now that the way he felt about Paige was pure love.

He just didn’t know how to move forward with it.

After days of enduring a purely professional relationship with Paige and knowing she was going to be spending her weekend under the stars in the cold Grand Canyon with Tommy, Jett was sick to his stomach. He didn’t want her to go. He wanted to tell her to forget everything he had said in New York—that he was ready now—but there didn’t seem to be a good way to bring it up, nor did Paige seem particularly interested in hearing it.

It was Thursday afternoon, and Jett was dreading seeing her leave the next day, especially to go camping with her boyfriend.

Jett needed advice.

He called Colt, who had been through a similar situation, and cringed as he answered the phone.

“Hey, man,” Colt said cheerfully.

“Hey, do you have a minute?”

“I have a few,” his brother said. “What’s up?”

Jett licked his lips awkwardly. He wasn’t used to going to his siblings with his problems. He’d always been the older brother—the stand-in-parent—not the one who asked for advice or shared his feelings.

“I’m just having a hard day,” he said slowly.

“New York ranch?” Colt guessed, having heard about the shag carpeting and extensive renos their crew had been doing.

“No. Mel-Anna,” Jett said slowly.

“Ah,” Colt said, and for the first time, Jett felt like someone fully understood exactly how he felt.

The two had spoken briefly about it after Mel-Anna died, and of course, Colt gave his brother the obligatory, “If you ever need anything, just call,’ speech, but Jett hadn’t taken him up on the offer.

“I can relate,” Colt said.

“I know you can. Sometimes I think you’re the only one who can.”

“What’s on your mind?” Colt asked.

Jett took a long inhale, unsure exactly what to say. He wasn’t great at being vulnerable, especially not with his brothers.

“I was wondering when you first knew you were ready to move on with Shelby?” he asked timidly.

“Oh,” Colt said with some surprise. “Have you met somebody?”

“I think so,” Jett admitted, his heart suddenly pounding. “But it’s...confusing.”

“You’re not kidding,” Colt said with a sympathetic laugh. “Do you know what I’ve learned since losing Amma?”

“What?”

“There is always going to be a before and after. You don’t measure years by your birthday or by how long it’s been since you graduated high school or started working at the ranch,” his brother explained. “You measure time by how long it’s been since she died.”

“Yeah,” Jett said under his breath.

It was true. It used to be he measured time by school, then whatever girl he was dating, then the ranch, then Mel-Anna, then Justin’s age. Now, time felt like a blur.

“Time changes after you’ve lost someone. A lot changes, actually,” Colt continued. “Including how you fall in love. It isn’t as easy to recognize it—or at least, it wasn’t for me. To tell you the truth, I don’t remember the exact moment I knew with Shelby. I just knew I didn’t want a life without her.”

Though Colt couldn’t see it, Jett was nodding. “Didn’t you feel guilty?” he asked.

“Of course,” Colt said. “You spend a lifetime being faithful and devoted to your partner, and just because they’re gone doesn’t mean you stop being devoted to them. Moving on is a trip, man.”

Colt’s words made Jett feel a little bit better about the guilt he’d been carrying since Paige had first kissed him.

“So, how did you decide you were going to be with someone else?” Jett asked.

His brother went quiet for the first time in their conversation.

“Death isn’t fair, Jett,” he finally said. “Because you don’t break up. You don’t start to resent each other and go your separate ways. You have this perfect thing that you were ready to see through until you’re in the ground, and then it’s all taken from you.”

Jett felt his throat go tight as his brother spoke. He wished he’d called Colt sooner. He was the only one who had truly known the depth of pain you feel you’re your spouse passes away.

“You can’t get it back,” Colt said. “So you have to decide that you deserve to be happy. What I—what you had before was irreplaceable, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to have something irreplaceable with somebody new. I love Amma, but she’s never coming back, you know?”

“Mel-Anna is never coming back,” Jett said, testing the words out. He knew with every fiber of his being that those words were true, but they still felt wrong to say out loud.

“I just figured, I liked Shelby, my kids loved her, so I took the plunge.”

Jett exhaled a breath of amusement. “So basically what you’re saying is you didn’t know if you were ready or not, you just went with it?”

His brother laughed. “I didn’t have a clue. All I knew was that I could trust Shelby, and if I was going to make it work with anybody, it was going to be her. What about you, Jett? Do you trust your girl?”

“I do.”

“And you can picture a life with her? A real life with you, her, and Justin?” Colt asked.

“Yes.”

“And you care about her?”

Jett nodded, relenting, “Yeah, I really do.”

“Then you know about as much as I did when I took the plunge. All you can do now is trust your gut. If this is the only girl you’ve ever felt something for after losing Mel-Anna, then she must be pretty special.”

“Yeah,” Jett said. “She is.”

Chapter Sixteen

Paige

Since deciding to stay in the Brooks household, things between Paige and Jett had been surprisingly calm. She still felt a sharp jolt of pain when he smiled at her or when their conversations turned mildly flirtatious, but she was doing her best to move on.

Tommy was in her life now, which proved to be a wonderful distraction, but she missed Jett terribly. Although she saw him daily, she missed the connection they had shared before New York. Sometimes she cursed herself for ever kissing him. Living in the bliss and mystery of what could have been was preferable to the wallowing darkness she felt these days.

But there was nothing she could do to change that now. All she could do was be the best caretaker for Justin as possible, show her respect for Jett and his home, and make the best of things.

Jett came home early that Friday, giving Paige the perfect opportunity to slip out and start her road trip with Tommy to the Grand Canyon.

The drive was just under two hours, and the hike down to the bottom would take five. The plan was to stop at the last motel before the canyon and spend Friday night there, then hike down Saturday and spend a night under the stars.

She had been looking for the right moment to request an early dismissal from her Friday shift but hadn’t yet worked up the nerves to ask.

Jett, who was usually consumed with renovation-related work or schedules for Arizona’s Brookside, had been strangely attentive that day, seeming to follow Paige and Justin around the house like a lost puppy.

He was playing with her and Justin on the floor, rolling plastic cars across the expensive carpet, and seemed distracted in a nervous, excited kind of way.

“So, I was wondering,” she hesitated, not meeting his eyes. “Maybe I could take off a little bit early today since you’re home now?”

“Oh,” he said in surprise. “Of course. You heading out to the canyon?”

Without a second thought, Paige pulled out her cell phone and started texted Tommy, asking if he could pick her up in thirty minutes. “Yeah, we’re going to camp down there.”

“Doesn’t seem like you’ll have long enough to go do that,” he said, eyes fixated on the clock on the wall.

“Well, even if we just get one night in, I still think that would be pretty cool,” she said and proceeded to explain to him what the plan was for their weekend. “Hopefully, we don’t get eaten by any coyotes.”

“Hey, if you braved a jaguar in the Amazon, I’m pretty sure the animal kingdom knows not to mess with you,” he teased.

Paige flicked her eyes to his and offered a genuine smile. Her heart sank as he smiled back, and she looked back down at the yellow dump-truck in her hand.

“It’s going to be cold down there, you know,” Jett offered. “Might get down to minus four.”

“I’m bringing a jacket, and Tommy has all of this camping gear and a little generator-heater thing. He does this all the time,” she said. “I’m not too worried.”

“Don’t go,” Justin said with more of a complaint than a request. “We’ll be scared.”

“You’ll be scared if I go?” she repeated, cocking her head to the side.

Justin nodded and pushed his bottom lip out into a pout. “Yes, just stay, please?”

“Ah, I wish I could, buddy, but I promised my friend I would go with him,” she said sweetly as she ran a hand through his dark hair.

“No, stay,” Justin pleaded.

Her brows furrowed sympathetically, and she let out a helpless laugh. She looked to Jett for help, but the elder Brooks just smirked and said, “Yeah, stay here with us! We can camp out in the back yard, make a fire. I can even pull up a Grand Canyon ambient noise on my phone.”

To her surprise, she laughed. “Does such a thing exist?”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s on YouTube somewhere,” he said.

“It’s tempting guys, it is, but I’m already packed and Tommy is on his way now, so I have to start getting ready to go,” she said, getting up. She leaned back down and kissed Justin on the top of his head as she said, “I promise I’ll be careful, okay? I will see you Monday, little guy.”

“I’ll help you with your bags,” Jett said, quickly following behind her. “Justin, stay here, okay?”

“Okay!”

Jett followed her into her bedroom and slung her backpack over his shoulder, then lifted her duffel bag under his arm. The two of them walked out to the porch and stared out into the expansive driveway, waiting for Tommy to show up.

“You sure you won’t reconsider?” he asked, looking into the distance at the beautiful ranch property.

Paige nodded. “I’m sure. I don’t know what kind of cell reception we’re going to get down there, but if I do have any, I’ll be sure to call Justin and check in just so that he knows I’m coming back.”

“Right,” he said, toneless.

Paige bit her lip. Jett was being unusually needy, following her around all day, and now trying to get her to stay. She looked him up and down and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Look, Paige, do you think we can talk when you come back?

Paige leaned against the porch rail so that she was facing him, her palms gripping the boards beneath her. She didn’t know why, but she had an overwhelming sense of unease pass over her.

“Let’s talk now,” she said.

“No, I’d rather talk when you get back from your weekend.”

She shook her head. “I will officially be spending my whole weekend wondering what you want to tell me, so you may as well just tell me now and spare my Grand Canyon experience from a lot of worrying.”

Jett made a clicking noise with his teeth and shook his head. “No, no, it’s nothing you should be worried about. It’s...well, it’s the New York ranch.”

“What about it?”

“We finished the great hall,” he said, but she wasn’t convinced this was what he had wanted to talk about. He flipped his phone around so that she could look at the screen and marveled at how the construction was coming along.

“Wow! No more shag carpeting?”

Jett laughed. “Nope. We’re free at last! We ended up incorporating a lot of the designs you showed me, and I was hoping I could take you there to see it.”

“Oh, uh,” she stammered. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’m ready to return to the scene of the crime.”

“It’s not a mess anymore, I swear,” he said playfully.

She met his eyes, and her tone went soft and awkward as she said, “I wasn’t talking about the ranch.”

Jett’s face went still and serious, and he said, “Neither was I.”

The sinking pit of curious unease expanded in Paige’s stomach, and she raised a curious, shocked brow. “Jett, what are you trying to say? What’s going on?”

Jett’s eyes flicked to the driveway, where they could now see Tommy’s car slowly driving up to the gate. He gave an impatient sigh, clearly feeling rushed, and said, “I’ve been thinking a lot these past couple of weeks and you were right about something.”

Her heart was racing in her chest, but before she had the chance to ask him to expand, Tommy had pulled up to the large garage.

“Hey!” she said with false excitement. “You’re early!”

“I thought I’d help you get your bags and all that, do the gentlemanly thing,” Tommy chuckled.

“Oh, that’s, that’s great! I already have my bags out here,” she said, forcing the words out and desperately wishing she could ask him to give her a minute alone with Jett.

Tommy looked down at her bags and laughed. “This is all you’re bringing? You are so lucky I packed extra for you. You wouldn’t last a day in the canyon without me.” Tommy leaned in and kissed her, then turned to Jett and extended his hand as he said, “Hey, man.”

“Hey,” Jett shook the man’s hand. “Happy camping.”

“Yeah, thanks. It’s gonna be awesome,” he said enthusiastically. “I’ll put these bags in my car.”

“Thanks, I’ll be there in a sec,” she smiled.

Once Tommy was safely back in his car and out of earshot, she turned to Jett and whispered, “So, what were you talking about then?”

Jett thinned his lips, unsure. “Nothing. It’s not important.”

“No, what is it? What was I right about? It helps me to know these things so I can properly brag about them,” she said with a playful grin.

“You were right that...” he sighed. “I led you on.”

Paige blinked in surprise. That hadn’t been what she was expecting to hear from her boss, but she felt strangely justified. “Oh,” she said quietly.

“I didn’t mean to. I just didn’t realize what was happening...” Jett waged a finger between them and quietly concluded, “Between us.”

Her heart lilted in her chest and suddenly she wished Tommy were anywhere else in the world instead of interrupting the flow of their conversation.

“What’s happening between us?” she asked desperately, her eyes never leaving his.

“Something I think I was too scared to—” he began to say, only to be interrupted by Tommy coming back up to them and slinking an arm around Paige’s shoulder.

“You ready to go, babe?” Tommy asked.

“In a minute,” she said.

Tommy nodded, but he didn’t leave. He just stood there with his arm around her, awkwardly waiting for the employer and employee to wrap up their conversation.

“I’ll meet you in the car, okay?” she said, trying to let the sugary sweetness of her tone disguise her irritation. “Just discussing some work stuff.”

“Sure thing. See you later, Mr. Brooks!” Tommy said, taking his second leave from the pair.

“Yeah, bye,” Jett snapped.

“Too scared to what?” she asked, redirecting their conversation.

Jett watched Tommy until he got into his car and then focused his attention back on Paige. She could tell he wanted to reach out and touch her by the way his hand flinched towards hers. He licked his lips and looked more nervous than she’d ever seen him before as he said, “Look, I know the timing of this is pretty bad, but I think I’m falling in love with you and...I couldn’t process that before. Then you threatened to quit and I—”

“You don’t want me, Jett,” she said. “You just don’t want me to leave my job, and that’s fine! You don’t have to pretend to like me just to spare my feelings.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Are you sure?” she asked with a light scoff. “It seems pretty convenient that as soon as I say I’m going to find another job, you suddenly realize that you might have feelings for me.”

“It’s not about the job,” he insisted quickly. “It’s about the way I felt when you kissed me and how I’ve wanted you ever since. It’s about you going off to spend the weekend with Tommy, and,” he paused, setting a hand over his stomach as he emphasized, “and how sick I’ve been thinking about you with him.”

“Hey babe, let’s go before we start to lose sunlight!” Tommy called from his window, clearly jealous.

“One second!” she called impatiently to her date, then turned back to Jett. “But...what about your wife?”

Jett shrugged—a reaction she hadn’t been expecting. “I can’t help the way I feel about you, Paige. Believe me,” he chuckled. “I’ve tried.”

For a moment, Paige was so happy she thought for sure she was going to burst into tears and giggles, but the feelings were quickly squashed by the annoyance she felt at his poor timing. What he was doing wasn’t fair. She had been so hurt by him and so closed off, and now he decided to tell her when it was too late? When she was on her way to spend a weekend with someone else? When there was someone else at all who’s feelings were now going to get tangled up in their confusing web?

It wasn’t fair.

“I have to go,” she said helplessly, unsure what else to do or say.

Jett looked visibly stunned. His eyes went wide, and he blinked in surprise, then frowned as he said, “What, really?”

“What did you expect? I have someone in the car waiting for me. You can’t just spring this on me and expect me to drop everything,” she snapped. “You can’t just expect my life to revolve around yours the minute you decide you know what you want.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Finally, he said, “I know. You’re right. You go, and...we’ll talk when you get back.”

Tommy was an absolute chatter bug the whole two-hour drive toward their motel by the canyon, but Paige hardly heard a word of it. Usually, she liked hearing Tommy’s take on the world, his stories about his friends, and the music he listened to, but her mind was elsewhere. It was back at the house with Jett, replaying their conversation over and over again. She reimagined her reaction, wondering what it would have been like to kiss him or to jump into his arms.

She was so shocked; she hadn’t had time to properly process what had happened. Had Jett really just told her that he had feelings for her? And had she actually left without reciprocating those feelings?

They were mere minutes from their hotel, nearly two hours into their drive, when Tommy finally noticed something was up.

“You have something on your mind? You seem a little quiet tonight,” he said.

“Yeah, a little bit. I was just thinking about the future,” she said, noncommittal.

Tommy smiled. “Oh, yeah? And where do you see your future, Paige?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, eyes fixated out the window. “Where do you see yours?”

“I see you and me in a little cottage by the beach somewhere,” he said, and Paige laughed and shook her head.

“Be serious,” she said.

“I am! Why is that not serious? You don’t think a future with you sounds amazing?”

Paige rolled her shoulders. “I think...we’ve only been seeing each other for a little while.”

“But we’ve been hanging out for months,” he said with a nervous laugh. “Don’t you see your future with me?”

She turned to face him. In her mind, she thought, “Not especially.” But that was not the thing to say to someone who had just planned such an amazing, fun, romantic weekend for you. So she gave the polite answer and flirted, “I mean, who can say no to the beach?”

Her response seemed to placate Tommy, who proceeded to tell her about all of the amazing beachfront cottages he had been to in his life, but all she could think about was Jett. What was he doing? What was he thinking? Why had he suddenly decided that she was someone he wanted a future with?

She didn’t know how her weekend was going to end, but she knew she desperately needed to talk to Jett.

Chapter Seventeen

Jett

Watching Paige leave was one of the hardest things Jett had done in a long time. He felt like he was sending his own heart out into battle, watching her leave with another man.

It was his fault, of course. He had been too slow and stupid and stubborn to admit his feelings for her when she reciprocated them.

In truth, Jett had been expecting a bigger reaction from the girl when he admitted his feelings for her. He had at least expected a smile, but all she had done was give it a brief think and then appear furious.

He watched Tommy’s car pull out of the circular driveway and wished he had the power to bring her back.

Jett sat in the living room with Justin for much of the rest of the day. When his son was a baby, he was so little and breakable. Jett enjoyed that first year, learning how to navigate fatherhood, endure sleepless nights, and enjoy that new baby smell. But the truth was he much preferred these years when Justin was talking. Even though their conversation was limited, talking to Justin could always make him laugh. He loved the way little kids saw the world.

“Why is Paige going to the—the big hole in the ground?” Justin stuttered, looking up at his dad on the couch.

“The big hole in the ground?” Jett repeated with a chuckle. “The Grand Canyon?”

“Yes!”

He shrugged. “I wish I could tell you, Jus. She’s just out looking for adventure, I guess.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Justin asked.

“Oh, yeah, buddy,” he said, cupping his son’s cheek in his hand. “Of course, she is.”

“Will she really come back?”

Jett blinked. He understood now. His son was comparing Paige to Mel-Anna. Would she return home safe and sound? Could they feel settled and safe loving her?

He remembered Justin’s casual reaction to his mother’s death and understood now that Justin hadn’t brushed off the event as Jett had once thought. That fear of losing a loved one was very much alive in the boy and now manifesting itself on Paige.

“Yes,” Jett said softly. “She’ll come back. She’s just camping as we do at the ranch sometimes.”

“Mommy didn’t come back,” Justin said. His words stung—they hurt Jett, but the father also realized this was the first time Justin had brought his mother up since she died. Perhaps he hadn’t forgotten her after all.

“No, she didn’t. Mommy had a bad accident, but that isn’t going to happen to Paige. She’s going to be so careful because she knows how upset you’ll be if she misses your playdate on Monday, right?”

Justin nodded, but he didn’t look convinced.

“I know, I miss her, too,” Jett said, then offered, “Hey, do you wanna hang out in my room tonight?”

“Can we watch on the big screen?” Justin asked, his brows high.

Jett laughed. “Sure.”

The two retired to Jett’s room once it got dark and watched movies in bed. Jett forgot how much he liked to spend time with his son, even without Paige present. They laughed at all of the same parts in the film and cuddled close.

Every so often, Jett would look over at his son and be struck by just how small the boy was. The pillow behind his head seemed to tower underneath him as though he were sleeping on a mountain top. He was so cute and small and curious.

As Justin drifted off to sleep, Jett thought about how much he looked like Mel-Anna.

He thought again about how Mel-Anna never came back, then worried about Paige’s safety.

She assured him that Tommy camped out plenty of times in the canyon. The truth was, people did it all of the time, but it didn’t settle Jett’s worry.

If he lost Paige, he would never be the same. He started to worry about what would happen if they ran into a wild animal before his thoughts shifted to a different worry. What if she fell in love with Tommy? What if Jett was too late?

He imagined them at the motel, sharing a bed, bodies pressed against one another in the night, and felt physically ill at the thought of it.

Somewhere around three in the morning, Jett noticed his phone lit up and illuminated the room. When he leaned over to inspect it, he saw that it was Paige calling.

Jett slipped out of bed as quietly as possible, grabbed his phone, and headed down the hall into his office.

“Hello?” he whispered.

“Are you up?” Paige asked, sounding wide awake.

“Yes, I’m up,” he said nervously. “Where are you?”

“I want to talk to you about what you said to me earlier,” she said, not wasting a moment before getting to the meat of the conversation.

Jett could feel relief hit his stomach just from hearing her voice and said, “I was hoping you would call.”

“I can’t stop thinking about what you said,” she said seriously. “Your whole speech was so…so…unfair! You can’t just spring something like that on a girl five seconds before she leaves for the entire weekend with no cell service!”

“I know,” he said.

“No, you don’t know! This is different levels of unfair,” she insisted. “Many, many shades of unfair. You act like you want me in New York and then when I act on it, you say you aren’t interested in me that way. And the last few weeks you’ve been really distant, but all of a sudden, you’re saying you have feelings for me? You’re not making sense!”

“I’ve been working through something,” he explained honestly. “And hey, you haven’t exactly been coming to me to talk. We’ve both been distant.”

“Then how do you know what you feel is real?” she asked, her fury subsiding.

“I just...” he trailed off, then shrugged, “I know.”

“Jett, you pushed me away, and the second I start getting close to someone else, you decide that you’re interested. Don’t you think this is a classic ‘You don’t t want me; you just don’t want anybody else to have me’ scenario?”

“No,” he said confidently. “Paige, trust me, I know. Where are you?”

“How? How can I trust that? You said before that even if you did like me, you wouldn’t want to jeopardize our friendship by making it into something more. What’s changed?”

Jett swallowed. He knew he had to pick his words carefully to convince her he was telling the truth.

He had considered every angle. Was he being jealous? Possessive? Was he rebounding? The answer was no, no, and no. He hadn’t impulsively decided to start liking her. The love he felt for her had been there all along; it had just taken more time to grow than Paige’s affections had.

“I know I hurt you,” he said slowly.

“Yes!” she said with frustrated laughter. “And now you’re swooping back into my heart and I need to know that you mean it or I’m going to go crazy.”

Jett smiled. He wished so badly he could be in front of her to hold her and kiss her the way she deserved to be kissed, but words would have to suffice.

“I know because I haven’t felt this way about somebody since I first met my wife,” he explained. “Look, I’m not good at talking about this sort of stuff, okay? But when I’m around you, life seems...possible, again. Before, there was nothing to look forward to, but when I met you, the future stopped seeming so terrifying. The more I got to know you, the more I thought, no, the future isn’t scary—it’s exciting. I think you’re amazing, Paige. I really do, and I was an idiot for pushing you away, but if you give me a chance, I know I can make you as happy as you have made me these past few months.”

Paige was quiet on the line. He could hear the emotion in her voice as she let out an amused breath and said, “Wow. That was a really good answer.”

“Where are you?” he asked again.

“I’m on Saguaro Boulevard, in Hackberry,” she finally answered him.

“What?” he said in surprise. That was less than an hour away. She should have been at the canyon motel a long time ago by now. “Paige, that’s in the middle of the desert!”

“I know,” she said bashfully. “I told Tommy that I wanted to leave, and we sort of got in this huge fight, and I’ve been trying to hitchhike my way back to Desert Springs.”

“Hitchhike?” he repeated, horrified. “Paige, no. Call a rideshare!”

“I can’t get the app to work; the service is choppy,” she said.

“I’m coming to get you. Just, stay put, okay?”

Jett didn’t waste any time going to meet Paige. He kept her on the car phone for half of the drive, and as the two talked to one another, he realized things had snapped back to how they used to be. Their conversation was full of easy, flirtatious banter and he no longer felt a spiral of worry pulsing through his body.

For the last twenty minutes of the drive, when the roads went dark and it was pure desert in all directions, Paige said she had to hang up. “My phone’s pretty low on battery,” she explained, “And I want to be able to shine my flashlight when I see your headlights.”

It was a strange, impromptu meeting, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Eventually, she called him back and said she could see him in the distance. She began shining her flashlight, and soon she was sitting next to him in the car. He kept the vehicle on to provide the shivering girl some warmth and flicked on the overhead light to get a good look at her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and she nodded appreciatively.

Paige turned to the backseat and raised a curious brow as she asked, “Where’s Justin?”

“I had his aunt come and watch him. I may have told her it was an emergency,” he said.

“Well,” she began, over-emphasizing her speech, “a girl almost gotten eaten alive in the desert! So I would say this definitely counts as an emergency pick-up.”

He smiled. “You couldn’t wait until morning to leave? You should have called me from the hotel. I would have come and got you.”

“No,” she shook her head. “I had to see you, and I had to get out of there.”

“What happened? What did you say?

“I told Tommy I didn’t think that I would be the best company this weekend and that I wanted to go home,” she said slowly. “And then he got upset because he’d taken the weekend off to be with me and all this. Then I told him I just couldn’t stay because...”

“Because...?” he asked.

“Because I’m in love with someone else,” she said as she met his eyes. Even in the darkness, he could see her cheeks going pink.

Jett’s whole body filled with warmth, and he leaned over and ran a hand through her hair. “I love you, Paige,” he said.

She smiled and looked like she was going to cry. Her expression told him that she’d been waiting months to hear these words from him, and he had been waiting months to get it all figured out.

“I swear on everything, I want this,” he said, pulling her closer. “I’m sorry I ever made you question that.”

He leaned in and met her lips with his, pressing softly against them and then opening his mouth to hers, finally getting a little taste of what their forever was going to look like.

The kiss seemed to go on forever, neither willing to break it and undo the spell they were falling under.

Finally, when they parted, Paige offered a demure smile and said, “Best night ever.”

Epilogue

Paige

Their big adventure had been weeks in the making, and today, on Paige and Jett’s six-month anniversary, they had finally taken their first vacation—ready to share and explore the planet together as a family.

It was all Paige ever could have hoped for.

The family of three arrived at the Reykjavik airport late that evening and had just checked into their amazing hotel.

Jett insisted that the trip should be a surprise and gave Paige the reigns to plan the entire thing.

His only rules were first, that it had to be safe, and second, that there would be plenty of things for Justin to do.

Iceland was just the place. Paige had obsessively pored over travel websites and bucket lists to ensure the happy family got the vacation of their dreams.

“Are you ready to have the best two weeks ever, little man?” Paige said, covering Justin’s eyes as she walked him into the main room of their boutique hotel stay.

“I loved the plane!” Justin exclaimed excitedly.

“I loved the plane ride too. It was really bumpy near the end, wasn’t it?” she giggled, eyeing Jett teasingly. He had been a wreck during takeoff and landing.

“Don’t remind me. My stomach is still recovering,” Jett said playfully.

“If you love the plane, then you’re going to love-love-love this!” she said as she removed her hand from Justin’s eyes and let him take in the views.

They were staying in a unique hotel in the middle of a beautiful green field. The luxury cottage had everything they would possibly need for an amazing stay in the country, including a skylight that spanned the entire length of the living room and two giant glass feature walls. Not only did the glass make for easy stargazing, but they would also come in handy for another important aspect of the trip.

“Look!” Paige exclaimed, pointing up to the night sky.

“What is that?” Justin asked in awe.

Paige felt Jett come up behind her and slip his arms around her waist, the three of them craning their necks skyward to look at the beautiful lights in the sky.

Ghosts of greens, purples, and pinks danced, putting on a show especially for them.

“Those are the Northern Lights, buddy,” Jett said in awe.

“What’s that?” Justin said excitedly.

“Aurora borealis,” Jett explained. “They’re colored lights that appear in certain parts of the world. They’re like natural fireworks.”

“Just for us?” Justin asked, and Paige smiled.

“It sure feels like it,” Jett said, then landed a kiss on Paige’s cheek.

The three of them laid on the pull-out couch, staring up at the massive clear ceiling, unable to look away from the beautiful activity in the sky.

“You know what we’re going to do tomorrow?” Paige asked, and Justin shook his head. “First, we’re going to go see some puffins, which are the cutest little birds in the whole wide world. Then we’re going to get ice cream. Then we’re going to go to a geothermal pool.”

“What does that mean?” Justin asked.

“It’s these natural pools of water that are really warm,” Jett said, ever the tour guide.

“Do we get to swim with the puffins?” the boy asked

“If we’re lucky, we just might,” Jett said with a wink.

He reached over and grabbed Paige’s hand, and she was immediately filled with love. “I can’t believe I let you plan this whole thing without telling me what we’re going to be doing,” he said. “You’re going to have me skydiving or bungee jumping off of something, I just know it.”

She giggled. “Yeah, right, you would never trust me to plan anything ever again!”

“That’s not true,” he said, and then they both laughed. “Alright, it might be a little bit true.”

“I tried to pick a lot of child-friendly activities, but I wanted Justin to be able to get a little bit of that ‘adventurer’s spirit’ you talked about. So, we’re going to see these big geysers and they explode all of this water.”

“And the volcano?” he asked, and Paige nodded. “Alright, even I can admit that’s pretty cool,” he said.

“We’re going to see a volcano?”

“And hey,” she said coyly, “Do you know what one of the most popular foods in Iceland is?”

“What?” Justin piped up.

“Hotdogs,” she said playfully and brightened as Justin jolted up, exclaiming to his father, “What? Dad, that’s your favorite!”

Jett looked at her and gave her his perfect, adoring smile. “Alright, Paige. You officially have my trust when it comes to booking any vacations from now on!”

“Hotdogs!” Justin cheered again, and Paige wondered how they would ever get to sleep with all the excitement from their arrival.

Iceland was beautiful. They were able to see massive geysers, visit the famous Blue Lagoon, and make enough memories staring up at the lights in the sky to last them a lifetime.

But Paige’s favorite moments were not the ones where they were looking at waterfalls, exploring the black-sand beaches, or looking at breathtaking icebergs. Her favorite moments were the ones where Jett held her hand and ran his thumb across her knuckles. They were the ones when the three of them were cuddled up close like a real family, just like Paige had always wanted.

Jett had made her dreams come true in more ways than one. He’d taught her how to love and how to be strong; he’d taught her about business and gave her a full share in helping design the newest ranch under the Brookside banner. But more than anything, he had filled her heart just by sharing his life with her.

And finally, on their last night in the land of fire and ice, he made her the happiest woman in the world when he leaned into her ear in front of the roaring fireplace at their lodge and whispered, “Let’s have a baby.”

Her eyes lit up, and she looked at him in surprise. “Really?” she asked in a quiet voice.

He nodded. “I can’t think of anything better.”

She nodded, her cheeks exploding into a smile. “Neither can I.”

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About the Author

Hanna Hart is a passionate sweet clean contemporary romance author who has found the love for writing since the age of 6.

Hanna lives in the beautiful Santa Cruz California with her loving husband, two children and dog Milo. Other then dreaming up of extremely sweet & romantic stories, Hanna enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, cooking great food, travelling the world, and getting a lot of exercise.

Hanna’s purpose is to delivery very sweet romantic stories to her readers that will touch their hearts in a very meaningful taking them to another place that will positively impact their life.

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