Gabrielle Demonico (5 page)

Haley
’s mom spoke up and said, “Yes, that little booger butt is always getting loose somewhere. Oh, thank you
so much
Paul!”

Paul shook his head and said, “
Of course, you’re welcome. I’m just glad we could help. You know, crossing over that ridge is no small feat for a little pooch like that. You’re lucky we found him when we did. If he’d wandered onto the Jeffers ranch, well, it might have been a different story.”

Haley
’s mom raced around the counter and gave Paul a big hug of gratitude. For the first time in her life, Haley found herself wanting very badly to switch places with her mom. Instead, she smiled politely and waited for her mother to finish.

“
It was our pleasure…” Paul said as they broke their embrace. He then extended his hand towards Haley and said, “Forgive my manners… It’s a pleasure to meet you Haley. I have to be honest though. I am jealous of Caleb for having gotten to meet you first.”

Haley leaned in and took his hand in hers. Like Caleb
’s hand, Paul’s was strong, masculine and weathered. His grip sent the same pulse of excitement through her that Caleb’s had. He was muscular and lean but in a way that was built for purpose, not display. All of that, plus burnt amber eyes and a gleaming smile caused Haley’s breath to catch in her throat.

And now it was official, the Steele brothers were the sexiest things alive. The dow
nside, of course, was that now instead of imagining one pair of meaty hands groping and pawing at her, she’d be left to think of two. After releasing her hand, Paul said, “Your mom tells me you’re good with kids. She also tells me that you are looking for some summer work until you can land a new job.”

“
Yes, well, I
do
love kids.” Haley replied. “And, although I appreciate the offer of work, I wouldn’t know the first thing about doing anything on a ranch. I’m strictly a city girl.”

Paul and Alice laughed to
gether in unison and then he replied, “I apologize Haley. We have plenty of ranch hand help. No, what we are looking for is someone to look after the kids during the day. Unfortunately, they are a little too young for chores just yet.”

“
Ohhhh… I see.” Haley nodded in understanding.

Paul continued and said, “
In fact, you are even welcome to stay in the cabin for the summer, if you like. Your mother tells me you are looking for a place to live as well. The cabin is filled with all the creature comforts you could want. You can watch them during the day while we’re tending to ranch matters and then at night, you can get a break and save money the whole summer long.”

Haley
’s mom chimed in and said excitedly, “Oh my
goodness
, Paul. That’s so generous of you!”

Hale
y’s eyes widened at her mother’s unwelcomed intrusion into the discussion. Attempting to wrest control of the situation, Haley turned towards Paul and said, “Thank you very much for the offer. Would you mind if I have a word with my
mother
in private?”

Pau
l stood, made a sweeping gesture with his hand and said, “Of course, not at all.”

“
Thank you.” Haley replied softly.

As Paul stepped aside and moved into the hardware aisle, Haley made a beeline for her mother. She circled around to face her and said in a
loud whisper, “
Mom!
What are you doing? I don’t even know him and you’re making me feel terribly awkward.”

Surprised, Haley
’s mom replied, “Oh, sweetie. I’m sorry. I certainly wasn’t trying to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Haley shook her head and said, “
Ohhh, I know. It’s just…”

“
Just what?” her mom asked.

Haley knew full well that she dared not mention the budding lust she had for these two men. Honestly, she knew that they were out of her league but a girl could dream, right?

Instead, she just shrugged her shoulder and huffed, “It’s nothing, nevermind…”

Her mom reached down, clasped both Haley
’s hands warmly in hers and said, “Haley, honey, I hate to see you cooped up in the house like you have been. You need to start moving on from Adam. After all, that’s why you came here, isn’t it? A fresh start?”

Haley pursed her lips and nodded grudgingly.

Her mom continued, “Their family has been in these parts for generations. There’s nothing to worry about. They are honest, decent men with impeccable reputations.”

Her mom winced at her and said suspiciously, “
I think the
real reason
you don’t want to be around them is that you have a little crush going. Am I right?”

Exasperated, Haley blurted out, “
No!
Mom!
”

“
Mmm, hmmm…
” Alice said, crossing her arms.

“
Alright,
alright!
I’ll go and listen to what they have to say.” Haley acquiesced. Her agreement was louder than she would have liked and it was clear from his reaction that Paul had heard the good news.

Oh. Great. Could this be any more embarrassing?

Haley’s mom hugged her and whispered, “You are making the right decision Haley. You deserve some relaxation and happiness in your life for a while.”

“
Thank you Mom.” Haley replied quietly.

Paul and Haley spent the next few minutes discussing directions to the ranch. She
agreed to meet them there the next morning. If all went well with the kids, then it looked like she’d have her short-term money issues solved, if nothing else.

As for the other problems being that close to Caleb and Paul Steel created for her…
well… she’d have to find some way to deal with them. She wasn’t sure how but she’d have the whole summer to figure it out.

***

After a fitful night of sleep Haley got in her chocolate brown clunker and headed out. After about fifteen minutes or so, her car passed beneath the behemoth Steele Ranch sign and onto the sprawling property. After a slight bend to the right, a great expanse of land opened up before her. In the distance, she could see the outline of houses and barns that made up the bulk of the structures on the property. Her car bounced mercilessly along the dusty road leading up to the homestead and she cursed herself for skipping on the new shocks her mechanic had recommended.

Finally, she reached the circular driveway in front of the main house. It was a large, ranch style home with a low profile and utilitarian design. It was no more or less than she had expected, in fa
ct, it seemed just about right. As her vehicle came to a stop, she looked up in surprise to see both Caleb and Paul walking exiting the house and coming towards her vehicle. She quickly gathered her purse and stepped out into a warm breeze to greet them.

“
Hi there!” she said enthusiastically.

As the two of them approached, Haley couldn
’t believe that she’d almost turned this chance down. Somehow, they were even more handsome than she’d remembered - if such a thing was possible.

They greeted her with twin hu
gs that she hadn’t expected but would not soon forget. Haley struggled to keep it formal but found it to be exceedingly difficult. As they took turns embracing her, she imagined double towers of muscle and sinewy abdominals encircling her in a sinful dance. She envisioned herself running her tongue along the deep ridges of their hard earned musculature as they took turns ravishing her supple curves.

She could feel herself getting carried away again when Paul said, “
Ready to go in and meet the kids?”

Haley q
uickly snapped to attention and said, “Yes, of course. I can’t wait.”

“
Great.” He replied.

“
Haley, can we help you bring in your things?” Caleb questioned.

“
Sure, I would really appreciate it.” She replied.

They spent a few moments gathering up her belongi
ngs and then headed inside. But no sooner had the trio crossed the threshold into the house than a young boy ran up to them, shouted “Mee Mee!” and threw his arms around Haley’s waist.

Unsure, Haley froze and looked at the brothers. She immediately saw the
m staring at each other with looks of utter astonishment on their faces. Out of instinct, Haley hugged him and said, “Why hello there little man…” She rubbed his sandy blond hair and continued, “My name is Haley.”

The three foot tall personal space invader
looked up and simply replied, “No, Mee Mee!” Relying on her vast experience with precocious ones like this, she shrugged her shoulders and said, “Okay, Mee Mee it is. And, what is your name?”

“
I’m Cooper.” The little boy replied.

“
And, Coooooper knows that he is being rude. Isn’t that right Coop?” scolded Caleb.

“
Oh, it’s fine. Really. I don’t mind.” chirped Haley.

Caleb exhaled and said, “
As long as you’re okay with it.”

As he said that two additional children appeared. Paul scooped up the little boy and
girl, one in each arm and said, “This is Amanda and this is her brother, Andrew.”

With little Cooper still snug around her waist, Haley replied, “
Well, hello there. Nice to meet you both.”

Stricken with embarrassment, the children immediately buried their
faces into their father’s broad shoulders. Haley laughed at the adorable scene that unfolded before her. After a few more minutes of getting to know one another, Paul and Caleb gave the children some toys to play with and sent them into the living room.

“
They’re adorable.” Haley said. “And
so
well mannered…”

“
You can thank their mothers for that.” Caleb replied quickly.

Their mothers. Yes, where were they?

She swallowed and questioned with a bit of hesitation, “If you don’t mind me asking… the children’s mothers? Are they not in the picture any longer?”

Paul chimed in quickly and said, “
We’ll discuss all that later. Unfortunately, Caleb and I have urgent ranch business to tend to today. Recently, a natural gas deposit was discovered on the eastern most portion of the property. But, it has been taking all of our time to work with contractors getting it setup and running.”

“
I see.” said Haley. She felt strangely disconnected from them all of a sudden. Why was he switching subject so fast? Ordinarily, she would have just thought that they had simply both gotten divorces. But, why didn’t Paul just say that?

She tried to put it out of her mind and instead focused on their instructions for caring for the kids. Once they
’d gone over everything, Caleb said, “Remember Haley, if there’s any problems, just give us a call and one of us will come back. Otherwise, we will both be back around dusk.” And then with a quick wink he said, “And, by the way, since it’s your first night, we won’t make you cook.”

She smiled and chuckled a bit.

Haley’s first day watching the children passed faster than she thought it would. They colored, played games and made cookies. To be honest, she was glad to be around kids again. They had such simple needs and uplifting spirits. It was just what she needed in her life right now and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The afte
rnoon faded into pink twilight as the brothers returned home. As promised, they’d been good enough to stop in town and get some takeout from the only Chinese restaurant for at least twenty miles. The adults sat around and ate dinner and mostly made small talk about the days’ events while the children enjoyed a rare treat for dessert - homemade ice cream from Auntie Moos.

As suppertime wound down, Caleb stood and said, “
Paul, why don’t you show Haley to the cabin. I’ll clean up and get the kids ready for bed.”

Paul replied, “
Good idea. Haley, are you ready?”

“
Yes.” She answered.

Caleb spoke up and said, “
Okay, kids. Say goodnight to Haley. Tell her thank you for staying with you today.”

All the children took turns hugging her. By now, they had all taken to ca
lling her Mee Mee. Somehow what had seemed unnatural suddenly felt much more normal and she’d grown to like it in a short period of time.

As Paul and Haley exited through the screen door and crossed the property towards the cabin, they made small talk abou
t her day. The conversation was pleasant but on some level Haley felt as though Paul’s questions had a deeper purpose. Her instincts told her she was being sized up for something. It didn’t make her feel uncomfortable per se it just caught her off guard.

P
aul opened the door to the cabin. It was about as she imagined it would be - rustic, but homey. As she stepped inside, she could feel a slight chill in the air. That wasn’t altogether surprising since the valleys did get cool in the evening. She’d just noticed it more having just come from the warmth of the main house.