Just What the Cowboy Needed Read online

  Summer of Her Cowboy

  Never fall in love. Never get married. Logan Hunt knows all the things he doesn’t want. But his daughter needs a summer nanny and darn if Grace Flynn doesn’t fit the bill...and then some. The sweetly alluring kindergarten teacher is showing the die-hard bachelor a thing or two about fatherhood. It’s her effect on his libido—and heart—that’s keeping him up nights.

  Did Grace really think her crush on Logan would magically vanish when she moved in with him and his adorable little girl? Still, she never thought the broody rancher with the intense baby blues would turn out to be the cowboy of her dreams! All she ever wanted was a real home. Could her place to belong be with this unexpected family man?

  Logan bent and lifted her but wasn’t fully prepared when Grace slid her arms around his neck.

  He knew what a come-hither expression looked like and had even experienced it more times than he could count. But he’d never felt the power of it before Grace. He didn’t think she even realized how she was looking at him. As if she wanted him, too.

  This was big trouble.

  It would be so easy to touch his mouth to hers. Only a couple of inches separated them and he ached to know if she tasted of wine, cake and some magic that was all her. Somewhere close by, he heard the chirp of an unlocking car. The sound snapped him out of the sensual trance and he moved over to the truck to set her gently in the passenger seat. It was just a beat too long before she stopped touching him.

  “Thanks.”

  “Buckle up.”

  He closed the door and realized how stupid he sounded. She wasn’t a kid but a grown woman, a fact not lost on him after holding her exceptional curves in his arms.

  * * *

  THE BACHELORS OF BLACKWATER LAKE: They won’t be single for long!

  Dear Reader,

  As a parent I struggle with every decision affecting my children. Will I say something profound and life changing or send them into therapy? For this most important job, I’m often flying by the seat of my pants, which means falling back on lessons from my own childhood. It’s worked out pretty well so far. But what if one parent was a really bad role model?

  Rancher Logan Hunt grew up despising his father because the man cheated on his mother. She finally left with her children because one of his many mistresses was pregnant. There was nowhere to go until her estranged father took them in on the ranch. The experience left deep scars. Marriage and children were not on his list of life goals. Then there was an oops—no marriage because they were better off friends, but he was a father. And so in love with his little girl that his goal changed. It’s all about protecting her from himself.

  He limits visits to weekends and leaves important parenting decisions to her mother. Then circumstances change and he has sole custody of his five-year-old for two months. With a ranch to run, he hires Grace Flynn, a kindergarten teacher who’s off for the summer. Simple, right? But not so much.

  Grace was abandoned as a baby and grew up in the foster-care system. All she’s ever wanted is a home and roots—somewhere to belong. It was almost hers until love blinded her to a man’s manipulation and she has to start from scratch. She’s almost there and this summer job will put her over the top again. Nothing will jeopardize that. Including the very strong attraction to her boss.

  But love has a mind of its own and Logan’s stubborn heart is no match for Grace’s sweet determination. She makes him see that sometimes being too careful isn’t good for the soul and making a mistake is part of the parental learning curve.

  I hope you enjoy reading about these two stubborn people determined to get through a summer with their hearts unscathed. But when love is involved, everything changes for the better. In fact, Grace Flynn is just what the cowboy needed.

  Happy reading!

  Teresa Southwick

  Just What the Cowboy Needed

  Teresa Southwick

  Teresa Southwick lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Harlequin.

  Books by Teresa Southwick

  Harlequin Special Edition

  The Bachelors of Blackwater Lake

  His by Christmas

  The New Guy in Town

  Just a Little Bit Married

  A Word with the Bachelor

  How to Land Her Lawman

  The Widow’s Bachelor Bargain

  A Decent Proposal

  The Rancher Who Took Her In

  One Night with the Boss

  Finding Family...and Forever?

  Montana Mavericks: The Baby Bonanza

  Her Maverick M.D.

  Montana Mavericks: What Happened at the Wedding?

  An Officer and a Maverick

  Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!

  From Maverick to Daddy

  Mercy Medical Montana

  Her McKnight in Shining Armor

  The Doctor’s Dating Bargain

  Montana Mavericks: Back in the Saddle

  The Maverick’s Christmas Homecoming

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  For everyone who wants a happy ending as much as I do and believes that love will find a way.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Claiming the Captain’s Baby by Rochelle Alers

  Chapter One

  Grace Flynn’s heart actually skipped a beat, and she’d always thought that happened only in romance novels.

  Logan Hunt stood in the doorway of his house, and her worst fears came true. Her first impression was officially correct. He wasn’t a troll and that was not good news.

  “Hello, Grace. Nice to see you again.”

  “Nice to see you, too.” And that was the absolute truth, darn it.

  She’d hoped her attraction to the rancher was an interview thing that would magically disappear on her first day in his employ. Well, she’d just arrived for work and her reaction was even stronger than the last time. Burying her head in the sand wasn’t an option. She had to face the fact that she would be living in his house and taking care of his five-year-old daughter for the next eight weeks. This strong response to the man meant the job would be more difficult and complicated than it should be.

  On the bright side, and it could just be her stereotyping, men as handsome as this one were usually jerks. The kind who would string a woman along, hint at a future and a family while letting her pour her heart, soul and savings into him and his house, then decide he didn’t love her after all. That jerk had used her and stomped on her heart, but being the fool who fell for a pretty face was on her.

  “Are you all right, Grace?”

  “Yes, fine.” She didn’t sound breathless, did she? Oh, please no.

  Call her pessimistic and cynical, but it
wasn’t a matter of if Logan would live up to the stereotype, but when. She hoped his inner jerk would come out soon so her heart would stop hammering like a drum at a Fourth of July parade.

  “Are you sure?” He was giving her a funny look while standing in the doorway.

  Not so much standing as filling it, she thought. He was very tall and boyish looking with his brown hair and blue eyes. Although there was an intensity in those eyes that was all man.

  “I’m fine, really. It was a long drive from Buckskin Pass.”

  “I’ve been there. Pretty town.”

  “I like it.”

  “Please, come in.”

  “Thanks.” She was clutching the handle of her wheeled suitcase and started to roll it inside.

  “Let me get that for you.”

  His fingers touched hers and she felt like a cartoon character whose heart beat so hard and fast you could see the outline of it jumping out of her chest. “Thank you.”

  “Do you have more in the car?”

  “Of course. Packing a lot of stuff is what we do. Women, I mean. I’m a woman.”

  “Yeah. I noticed.” When his gaze met hers, his polite cowboy manner slipped a little. It was the way a man looks at a woman when he likes what he sees, giving her a glimpse of something earthy and primal. And exciting.

  That moment of chemistry touched a core of femininity and expectation simmering inside her. Wow. From September to June she was a kindergarten teacher at Buckskin Pass Elementary School. Without a doubt she could say she had never exchanged a hot look like that with her boss, the principal. But her boss for the summer was a different story.

  Grace needed to say something to... What? Break the ice? She was so hot right now, there was no way anything in her immediate perimeter could freeze.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing Cassie again. Where is your adorable daughter?”

  “She’s with her mom doing wedding errands. Tracy will drop her off when they’re finished.”

  “Okay.”

  Grace had met his ex and liked her a lot. Tracy mentioned that she and Logan had never married, but shared custody of their daughter, although he had her only on weekends. But she was tying the knot and taking an extended honeymoon, so he was keeping their little girl here at the ranch. Since he had to work and needed child care, Grace had been hired to look after her. It would be interesting to know why Logan and Tracy had never married. Why the two of them, who had created a child together and seemed to get along perfectly, hadn’t worked out romantically.

  “Follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll be bunking.”

  The statement was so macho cowboy, she could practically hear the creak of saddle leather and the clip-clop of horses’ hooves. Or was that just her heart again?

  This was the first time she’d seen his house. They’d met in downtown Blackwater Lake at the Grizzly Bear Diner for the interview. So far she liked what she saw. They were standing in the small entryway just inside the front door. There was a living room to the right, dining on the left. Wood furniture looked like well-loved antiques, while the sofa, love seat, chair and ottoman were contemporary, compatible and homey. Somehow it all worked but wasn’t what she’d expected from the handsome rancher.

  Grace followed him up the stairs. “So, Logan, I checked you out—”

  “Oh?” He glanced over his shoulder, but his face gave nothing away.

  She couldn’t tell whether or not that bothered him. “It’s the smart thing to do. I’ll be living in your house for eight weeks.”

  “And looking after my daughter,” he reminded her.

  “The thing is that you had me checked out, right? I’d expect nothing less from her father.”

  “Of course I did.”

  “So it works both ways.” Grace was watching for signs that his inner jerk was scratching to be let out. “Can you blame me?”

  “Nope.” He reached the top of the stairs, then turned right.

  “Don’t you want to know what I found out?”

  He glanced over his shoulder again and appeared amused about something. “As it happens, I know all about me.”

  Cute, she thought. Actually, he was very cute when he let down his guard a little. She would really like to see what he looked like when he laughed.

  “That was more of a conversation starter. Because I found out that this land has been in your family for four generations.”

  That boggled her mind. He could easily trace his ancestry back to his great-great-grandparents. She, on the other hand, didn’t even know who her parents were. That’s what happened when shortly after birth you were wrapped in a towel and left at a fire station. Logan had an impressive family tree; she had nothing but question marks.

  “I’m aware of that,” he finally said.

  She was staring at his broad back and wide shoulders and swore it wasn’t her imagination that he tensed up. “Happily, nothing bad popped up in the background check I did.”

  “Good to know.”

  “And Cassie’s mother vouched for you when I interviewed with her.”

  “What if Tracy was lying?”

  “She wasn’t.”

  He stopped in front of a bedroom. “How do you know?”

  “I just do.”

  “You’re a good judge of people?”

  “Yes.” Mostly. Her biggest lapse in judgment was with Lance the Loser.

  Everyone was entitled to one monster of a mistake, right? She’d been a kid in the foster care system and had to move from place to place. Growing up, she’d dreamed of having a house of her very own. She’d worked really hard and saved to do that, then lost it on Lance. That’s what happened when a girl took a man at his word but got nothing in writing to protect herself.

  There’d been no choice but to start all over again saving for a house, and after this summer job, she would have enough for the down payment. Again.

  “So, you’re a good judge of people and still took this job?” Logan said.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” She was pretty sure he was joking and that was supposed to be a sassy comeback, but Grace couldn’t tell if she’d pulled it off.

  “You did the research.” Logan shrugged and one corner of his mouth quirked up before he carried her suitcase into the spacious room, then set it on a cedar chest at the foot of the bed. “I hope you’ll be comfortable here.”

  There was a queen-size bed with brass head- and footboards. An old-fashioned wedding-ring-patterned spread and throw pillows in dusty rose and green covered the mattress. On the wall over the swivel rocker hung a flowered hatbox and vintage prints in oval frames. One was a needlepoint that said, “A Family Stitched Together with Love Seldom Unravels.” The mirrored dresser and matching armoire looked old but well cared for.

  “This is a girl’s room,” Grace observed.

  “It was my sister’s.” He pointed. “The bathroom is through there.”

  “Lucky girl had it all to herself.”

  “Not luck so much as practical. Mom and Granddad figured the line would move faster in the morning if Jamie didn’t hog the facilities. There’s another one down the hall. My two brothers and I used that one. Cassie’s room is next to it.”

  “Wow, four kids.” And no mention of his father. “Must have been fun growing up.”

  “Not really.”

  It would have been so easy for him to say his childhood was idyllic and carefree. How would she know? Well, except for the glaring omission of any reference to his father. But, really, he could have taken the easy way out and glossed over it, but he didn’t. She liked that about him. And yet it made her considerably more curious to know details.

  “I’ll show you the rest of the place,” Logan said, before she could ask anything.

  Each room was cozier than the last. The kitchen looked recently remodeled w
ith granite countertops, a large island and wood floor. A circular oak table and four matching chairs filled the nook overlooking a manicured backyard with a pool.

  Grace had never had a house of her own and was admittedly sensitive to a homey vibe. That said, after seeing Logan Hunt’s whole house there was no denying love at first sight. The realization made the ache inside her bigger. All she’d ever wanted was somewhere to belong with roots that went deep. A place that was all hers, that she could call home.

  On the plus side, when this summer job was over she would have the money to put a down payment on property with her name on the title. She could picture it in her mind, a positive affirmation. Until then, her work environment was awesome.

  But every plus had a minus, and his name was Logan Hunt.

  * * *

  Logan was doing his damnedest to be a good father, but very often his daughter had a way of proving that he was spitting into the wind.

  “Daddy, you got soap in my eyes.” Cassie was sitting in the tub, rubbing her eyes.

  “Sorry, baby girl.” He let the bathwater out, then turned on the tub’s spigot and used a plastic glass to pour fresh water over her head. “Is that better?”

  She nodded. “I’m cold.”

  “Got a towel right here.” He lifted her out and wrapped the thick terry cloth around her. “Let’s get you dry and in your nightgown, then I’ll brush your hair.”

  “I don’t like that part.” She had blue eyes, light brown hair and the prettiest pout in the world. People always said she looked like him. He would take it, minus the pout part.

  “Do you want Grace to brush your hair?”

  Cassie thought for a moment. “Maybe you should show her how first.”

  That meant sharing confined bathroom space with her, but there didn’t seem a way out of it. “Okay. I’ll go get her while you finish drying off and put on your nightgown.”

  “Okay.”

  Logan left and found Grace in her room unpacking. He stood in the open doorway, taking in the fresh pretty sight of her. The first time he’d seen Grace Flynn was when he interviewed her. It felt as if he’d been slugged in the gut with a sledgehammer. The second time was this afternoon when she’d arrived for work, and the sledgehammer felt more like a bulldozer. She wasn’t cover-model beautiful, but that mouth... Her full lips looked as soft as cotton candy and twice as sweet. More temptation than he was prepared to deal with.