Rodeo Sheriff. Mary Sullivan
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Maybe that was why his questions became tougher than merely determining her hours of availability and how she felt about children.
“How would you spend your time with Evan and Madeline?”
“They’re young still. It’s already June so school is over for the year, but I would teach them every day. Along with playtime, they would have studies.”
“Studies?” At Madeline’s age? In the cave, with the barest touch, Chelsea applied hot-pink polish to Madeline’s tiny fingernails.
Madeline watched Chelsea intently. There was barely anything there to paint, those little nails small and fragile.
God, anything, everything could hurt that child. And what about Evan? He put on a better show than Madeline, but Cole knew how much he cried at night for his parents.
“Madeline is young,” he said. Petite. Vulnerable. Depending on him to protect her. “What would those studies look like?”
“It’s never too early to start teaching the alphabet.”
God! The alphabet! “But how would you do that?”
“By showing it to her every day. By reading books and teaching her simple words.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun,” he said.
“Cole, it would be normal for a child her age,” Honey said, watching him with a frown. “Children as young as two can sing the alphabet and enjoy doing so. What Tanya is offering is appropriate.”
“But—” Cole couldn’t articulate why it bothered him. “Tanya, what is your teaching background?”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t have a teacher’s certificate. You know that, Cole. I’ll use the same methods I used with my four children who are all at college now. They’re smart young people.”
“Yes, they are.” Cole knew that, but he glanced at Evan and Madeline, looking too solemn for their ages. “I just want them to have fun.” A little desperately, he added, “Just for the summer.”
Tanya and Honey exchanged a glance. In it, he saw worry. Was he being unreasonable? God, he didn’t know.
“Tanya, thanks for coming in today.” Cole stood and Tanya followed. “I have a couple of other candidates to interview. I’ll call, okay?”
Tanya looked puzzled.
He’d ended the interview too abruptly. His timing and instincts were way off.
“Sure thing, Cole.”
Five minutes later, after she said goodbye to everyone and tried again to connect with Madeline, who turned away, Cole escorted her out of the apartment.
When he came back upstairs, Honey asked quietly, “What was that about?”
“What do you mean?”
“Evan and Madeline are not too young to learn. Sure, Madeline won’t start kindergarten in August, but there’s always preschool.”
Cole dug in. “Madeline’s too young to go to school, even preschool.”
“Are you afraid she’s not ready to meet new kids? She might be by August.”
Cole crossed his arms. “Maybe.”
“Okay then, maybe, but Tanya’s idea of reading to her often and teaching her the alphabet is strong.”
“Maybe.”
Honey hissed out a breath. “Cole, you are not going to damage those children by teaching them. Tanya’s ideas are a low-pressure way to prepare Madeline for school.”
“School!” he spat out. “How can we talk about school? Look at how tiny she is.” He pointed toward the fort. “She’s only three and a half years old!”
Honey backed away from him, and he realized he was looming over her. He eased off.
Honey’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s not as if Tanya was suggesting drills and flash cards.”
“Yeah, but...” He didn’t have a good reason for not choosing Tanya.
“Cole, I know you’re scared—”
“I’m not scared.”
Honey crossed her arms and stared at him.
“I—” Okay, he was scared. All of it—the new parenting, hiring a nanny, being responsible for kids who were still crying at night because they missed their parents—terrified him. “It’s a big decision.”
Honey softened. “Yes, it is.”
“They cry at night,” he admitted and her expression softened.
“I understand.”
Cole shrugged. “I—Honey, I don’t know why, but Tanya’s not quite right.”
“Tanya Mayhall is not quite right to babysit?” Rachel had walked up and heard him. Her skepticism mirrored Honey’s. “She’s perfect.”
Again Cole shrugged, helpless and irritated. “Support me on this. Please.” After a glance between them, they nodded.
Cole retrieved Tanya’s teacup and brought it to the kitchen. Honey took it from him. The second her fingers touched his, he stepped away. She did the same thing. He wasn’t a skittish kind of man. She wasn’t a jumpy woman.
Whew. This situation was getting on everyone’s nerves.
“Who did you book next?” Honey asked.
“Ellen Clarkson.”
Rachel nodded along with Honey. “Another good possibility,” she said.
Cole sat near the window again, exhausted but with two more interviews still to conduct.
After sitting with her fingers splayed like frog digits until the polish dried, Madeline climbed out of the cave and ran to the window.
In the sunlight, her nails sparkled. He’d be surprised if they were any longer than a quarter of an inch from cuticle to tip.
Her fragility, her utter dependence on him, sent him trembling with insecurity. He glanced at Evan. Cole saw vulnerability there, too. Their losses were huge.
Give him a bunch of bad guys to round up and throw into jail. Give him a fistfight to resolve with his own fists if necessary, or a gun to face down, but not, not this.
Madeline held her hands out to Cole. He lifted her onto his lap with the care deserving of a glass ornament and admired the paint job before placing a soft kiss on her forehead and holding her close, his cheek on her tiny head. An aching tenderness swept through him.
When Vy and Chelsea left to head home, Cole hugged them goodbye.
Ellen arrived moments later.
Again, Cole stood through another hug. He loved his townspeople. He loved these women, but their sympathy ripped off countless bandages, tearing open his wounds.
When the time was decent enough, he set her away from him. He asked Honey to sit in on the interview.
Small and elfin, Ellen had a perky way about her that might appeal to the children.
“Hi,” she said to the kids inside the cave. “I’m Ellen.”
Madeline turned her face into a pillow, refusing to look at the woman, let alone acknowledge her.
Evan drummed his feet. “Hi!”
Cole sat down with Ellen while the children resumed their quiet play in the cave. Too quiet.
Again, as with Tanya, he covered the basics, then moved on to, “How would you fill your time with the children?”
“Play! We’d do lots of fun stuff.”