Almost Perfect. Judy Duarte
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Maggie had always figured the lonely woman had set her sights on sleeping with a real live cowboy and signed up for a stint at the dude ranch with that sole purpose in mind.
Back then, she’d thought it kind of funny. But there didn’t seem to be anything humorous about Vickie the vixen and her obvious attraction to the cowboy with his share of female conquests.
“Well, now,” Vickie said. “A nanny with a medical degree is just the kind of sitter I’d hire, if I were inclined to have a few rugrats of my own.”
Maggie doubted the woman would risk marring her body with stretch marks, let alone any of the other subtle differences brought on by childbirth. She seemed too showy, too self-absorbed, too groomed to perfection.
Vickie extended her arm, gold bangles clanging upon a sparkling tennis bracelet. “How do you do?”
Maggie took the proffered hand, noting the cool, silky texture and polished nails that boasted of regular manicures. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Jake, honey,” Vickie said, batting mascara-thickened lashes. “Now you can take me on one of those late-night rides that was advertised in the brochure. Last time I asked, you mentioned not having someone to look after the kids.” Tinted lips curled into a sly, take-me-to-bed smile.
The vixen turned to Maggie. “You work full-time, right? And the kiddies will be sleeping….”
Maggie shot a glance at Jake, wondering what he’d tell the busty, can’t-wait-to-get-naked-in-the-moonlight brunette.
“Rosa’s hospitalization has set me back. I’ve got a lot of things I need to do. I’m afraid the late-night ride is out of the question. Maybe next time.”
A cherry-red bottom lip pooched out in a little-rich-girl pout.
What would Jake have told the vixen had Rosa not been out on disability? Had Maggie not been witness to the woman’s blatant attempt to spend some late-night hours with the good-looking cowboy?
Sam squealed, then began to grunt and squirm out of the high chair.
“Would you mind watching the kids, Maggie?” Jake asked. “I need to talk to Vickie outside.”
“By all means.” Maggie feigned a smile as Jake and the vixen stepped out the back door.
Of all the… She’d meant to help Jake with the kids, make things easier on him, not so that he could find time to fraternize with the guests.
She grumbled while pulling out drawers until she found a dishcloth she could use to wash off at least some of the chocolate Sam wore like body paint, all the while mumbling under her breath.
At least she hadn’t thought she’d spoken aloud.
“Did you say something about reindeer?” Kayla asked.
Maggie glanced over her shoulder at the girl. “Reindeer? No.”
“But you said, ‘Vixen,’ and that’s one of Santa’s reindeer.”
Maggie couldn’t quell a wry grin from forming. “Yes, I suppose I did. That lady reminds me of a reindeer, the way she prances and dances around your uncle.”
Kayla laughed. “Does Uncle Jake remind you of Santa Claus?”
“Not really,” Maggie said. But she thought Victoria Winston was hoping to sit on Cowboy Claus’s lap and get her name on his naughty-girl list. “Kayla, it was rude of me to think about that, let alone say it out loud. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay,” the little girl said. “I don’t like her, either. She just walks in the house all the time, even when the other people are doing fun stuff like riding and swimming.”
That didn’t surprise Maggie. Victoria Winston had set her sights on good old Uncle Jake.
She wondered whether the hound dog would succumb to temptation.
Vickie sidled up to Jake as he escorted her outside and down the walk toward the barn.
He sidestepped her. “I’ve made it a point not to date or become involved with any of the guests at Buckaroo Ranch.”
“Why’s that?” she asked, closing the space he’d tried to put between them. “I’m not asking for any kind of commitment. Maybe just a visit or two to my cabin late at night, when the others are sound asleep. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”
It was hard not to think about sex in front of Vickie. She all but wore a sign around her neck saying Ready, Willing and More Than Able. But shoot, he was a family man now. A role model, albeit a tarnished one.
“Oh,” she said, noticing something on Jake’s face and licking her finger. “What’s this? Looks like chocolate. I’ll get it off for you.” She rubbed the skin above his brow, then slipped an index finger into her mouth, wrapping her tongue around it and slowly pulling it out. “Mmm. Good.”
Her eyes told him she wanted to taste more than chocolate.
Was everything a sexual innuendo with the woman? Part of the fun of having sex was in the chase. Vickie didn’t let a guy get out of the starting blocks.
She gave him a kiss upon the forehead, right where the chocolate had supposedly been. “Think about it, honey. You won’t be sorry.”
He was sorry already. High-maintenance women like Vickie were a dime a dozen. He’d become adept at kindly brushing off their propositions, but he wasn’t used to dealing with them in front of his niece and Maggie.
Vickie was pushing his patience to the limit.
“What about the party on Friday? Surely you can find time for a dance.”
The hayride and barn dance were the highlight of a Buckaroo week. As long as Jake had committed to fulfilling the reservations his sister had made over a year ago, the weekly event would go on as planned.
“All right,” he told her. “One dance.”
But something told him that wouldn’t be enough for Victoria Winston.
Now if he could just get the woman to go back to her cabin or encourage her to have a facial. Maybe catch one of the sunset rides into the canyon. But he doubted that any of his suggestions would work and opted to bow out gracefully. “You’ll have to excuse me, Vickie. I’ve got to get things lined up inside. Then I have a lot of work to catch up on.”
“Sure, Jake, I’ll excuse you. But don’t forget about the dance on Friday night.”
“No, I won’t forget.” Jake tipped his hat, then headed back to the house.
When he stepped inside the kitchen, Maggie was busy wiping Sam’s face and hands. She had her back to him and didn’t speak when he entered. Something told him that wasn’t a good thing.
Kayla, on the other hand, giggled out loud.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“You got a big, red, reindeer kiss on your face.”
Chapter Four
A reindeer kiss?
Jake didn’t know where Kayla had come up with that, but he knew what she was talking about and quickly wiped where Vickie had left her mark.
Maggie, who had turned at Kayla’s reindeer comment, wore a weird smile, one that poked a teasing accusation at his conscience.
But what did he have to feel guilty about? It wasn’t his fault that Vickie was doing her best to stake an unwelcome claim on him. He couldn’t think of anything to say in his defense, so he didn’t utter a word and continued to wipe at the damn lipstick.
Maggie handed him a paper towel. “Don’t let us keep you from joining in the reindeer games.”
Kayla giggled, although he still wasn’t sure where the reindeer