Chapter One

Jessie McKinnon stepped inside the employment agency and let the heavy door fall shut behind her, glad for refuge from the bone-chilling cold. She ran her fingers through tousled curls and glanced at her watch. Nine o’clock. “Right on time.”

Tugging her long, navy coat closer, she settled into a seat as a voice that sounded oddly familiar caught her attention. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood by the front desk, speaking to an agency receptionist in a quiet but insistent tone. She cocked her head to one side, straining to hear the conversation.

From the back, she thought it could be him. His usual cowboy hat was missing, but the long, lean frame, dark hair, faded jeans, and scuffed boots with bits of mud clinging to them easily fit her memory. Typical Chase Tanner. But there was something—no, two things—making it very unlikely. Namely, a little girl with blonde curls peeking over his left shoulder and a second fair-haired cutie clinging to his leg who appeared to be mere moments away from a full-fledged meltdown. Twins, barely old enough to walk.

No way would the fella she grew up with have allowed himself to be found in a situation like this. He was not the marrying kind, much less a family man. Whoever this guy was, buried in domestic responsibility, he could not be the man she remembered. Besides, why would a fourth-generation Montana rancher be standing in the middle of the local employment agency on a freezing January morning when there must be cattle, horses, and a million other things to tend to back at the homestead?

She winked at the happier of the two toddlers, and the little girl flashed a grin before burying her face in the man’s shoulder. He turned around just as the other child burst into a wailing cry. The grimace that momentarily crossed the poor dad’s face tugged at her heart…so did those unmistakable slate blue eyes.

“Chase? How are you?” She blurted out the words. And then wished she hadn’t. How was he? How did he look? Miserable. Trapped. As though if there were any way out of his predicament, he would have taken it. Gladly.

“Jessie McKinnon? I didn’t know you were back in town.” He switched the one-year-olds, placing the mellower of the twins on the floor at his feet, and scooping up the weeping child. “Shhh, baby girl. You’ll be okay.” He brushed a soothing kiss against the top of the child's head. “What are you doing here?”

“Checking to see if the agency has found anything for me yet.”

Tears kept flowing as the toddler in his arms grew louder and more restless. That tired, don’t-know-what-to-do look had replaced his usual air of self-confidence from days gone by. “Hey, Jess, you grew up in a large family. Part of the McKinnon Mob, right? Any good with crying kids?”

She flinched at his words, an ugly reminder of childhood taunts. Being called part of a mob had never appealed to her. Painful remembrances from school days should have a statute of limitations on them. She was somewhat surprised to find, deep in her heart, they did not.

Trying to ignore the hurtful memory, she focused on a distressed little girl and reached for the child, who, amazingly, was also reaching for her with tiny outstretched arms. “C’mere, sweetie pie.”

He handed over the weeping bundle. “That’s D.J.” Leaning down, he gathered up the other child. “This is her twin sister, P.J.”

Jessie wrinkled her nose as she enveloped the crying little one in comforting arms. D.J. and P.J.? “Those initials make them sound like they’re in middle school. But you’re no more than babies, are you, sugar?” She spoke softly to the child whose crying faded to a whimper in the midst of all the affection.

“Meet Daisy Jane.” He nodded toward the toddler quieting in Jessie’s arms.

“Ahh…very girlie. I like it.”

Then he ruffled short blonde curls on her twin. “And this is Poppy Jo, the more optimistic of the two, at the moment.”

“Another pretty name.” She gently brushed messy ringlets from Poppy’s warm forehead.

“I can’t believe it.” He shoved fingers through his dark hair in frustration as he stared at them. “She’s been crying off and on for hours. But Daisy calmed right down for you. What’s your secret?”

“A woman’s touch. Maybe she’s just missing her mama,” she added casually, like she wasn’t dying to know who the mama of these twins actually was. She couldn’t even hazard a guess. A good-looking and charismatic man like Chase must have married a beauty queen. Or, perhaps, he’d landed the dazzling daughter of some wealthy rancher, who came with an attractive inheritance package. This guy didn’t do anything without a motive. She was convinced of it. Although, how did these darling children fit into his life plan? “I didn’t know you’d settled down with a family. I didn’t expect that from you.”

“Me, neither,” he agreed as the receptionist called Jessie’s name loudly.

“Okay if I take Daisy up front with me?”

“Sure.” Chase watched Jessie McKinnon walk away, effortlessly managing the child with one arm while adjusting her leather purse strap with the other. She seemed a natural with babies. Looked like she’d had a kid on her hip her entire life.

Hell, maybe she had. With that many siblings, the poor gal probably never caught a break.

Poppy extended her arms and wiggled her fingers as if she could somehow will them back her way; her lips puckered into a threatening pout.

“She'll be right back with your sister, babe. In a minute.”

But more than a minute with this woman would be nice. How about a couple of hours, maybe? So he could get some work done at the ranch without bouncing a kid on his knee? Or without hoping their nap would last just a little bit longer? That’s why he’d made his way to the employment agency this morning. In search of one thing: H-E-L-P! A sitter. A nanny. Someone who was willing to watch kids. Deliverance of some kind from this mess he’d found himself in.

Chase rubbed a hand down his face. He knew he practically reeked with desperation. But encountering his former childhood crush here? A female who’d grown up in a family of half a dozen kids? Talk about meant to be. At least, that’s as close as he’d ever been to believing in such a thing. She could probably write a book on child-rearing. She’d been around youngsters most of her life and had already worked her magic with a tearful Daisy. Wasn’t afraid to speak her mind either. He’d always liked that about her.

A corner of his mouth tugged up. Maybe help had arrived in the form of this spirited redhead from his past? Beauty, brains, and baby know-how—all in one package. Could he be that lucky?

Suddenly, liquid warmed his arm as it dampened a shirtsleeve. He patted the soggy bottom of pink pants. “Overdue for a diaper change, Poppy Jo. Let’s head out to the truck.” He glanced up as Jessie returned with Daisy.

“Here, I need to give this little darling back to you and be on my way.” She smiled and pushed wisps of bangs from her eyes.

“Okay, just give me a second.”

Chase sat the babe at his feet, grabbed his black cowboy hat from a nearby chair, and put on his jacket before gathering up two tiny, matching pink coats. Jessie reached for one of them, and he worked to get the other on Poppy through her very vocal protests. Pulling a knit hat over the blonde little head, he wrangled with the mittens until they slid into place. Kind of. Then he quickly scanned his old friend, from her lovely crimson curls to the dressy gray heels. “Any damage to your job-hunting outfit?”

“Not enough to matter.” She slid the small coat onto Daisy, zipped it shut, and then dusted some lint from her charcoal skirt and white blouse.

“Any chance you could stick around to hold her while I change a diaper on her sister real quick?”

“A real quick diaper change?” Her eyes practically sparkled with amusement. “By you? That, I’ve got to see.”