Page 8 of A Rancher's Heart

Tamara swung her leg over and prepared to jump.

Somehow Caleb dismounted first, his strong hands wrapping around her waist as he lifted her from the saddle and placed her on the ground as if she were a child.

She wasn’t sure why his casual touch was so disappointing. Him ignoring the awkwardness between them was what she needed. This was a job position she was starting, and the last thing she wanted was for him to treat her like a potential date.

He caught her by the hand to guide her forward. “Three steps up to a landing, then the door.”

“I’m not that blind,” she said, but she didn’t drag her hand away because she couldn’t seethatwell, and the last thing she wanted was to fall flat on her face before even making it through the door.

Tamara didn’t say a word about the fact they were both still wet—it was his house and if he didn’t mind her dripping on the floor that was okay by her.

She’d clean up when she figured out where the mop was.

Caleb led her down a hallway—yellow walls reflecting the bright light pouring in the windows—and opened the last door. “This is yours. Bathroom’s the door on the right, and you’ve got lots of closet space. The girls are in the two rooms to our left. I’ll show you the rest of the house later.” He backed up, those dark eyes moving out of her line of vision. “I’ll let you figure it out from here.”

He was gone before she could say another word, leaving her to find her way through a blur of walls and furniture into the spacious master bath.

The shower felt amazing. Tamara stood directly under the pressure with it running as hot as she could for as long as she could bear.

That had gone well…

Not.

So much for her good intentions. But maybe this was a better thing—if Caleb’s expectations were rock-bottom, the only direction she could go was up.

It took some time, but once she’d finished and wrapped herself in an enormous towel, she was feeling mostly human. She leaned close to the mirror, wiping away the fog to peer at her face and drag her fingers through her hair. Until her stuff arrived there wasn’t much more she could do.

She pushed open the door and glanced into her new home.

A dark-haired little girl sat on her bed.

Tamara slid forward, trying not to look too creepy as she moved into close enough proximity to check out the kid’s face. “Hi.”

No answer.

Okay. No talking, which according to Tamara’s sources meant this should be Emma. Daughter number two.

“Do you know if your daddy brought my truck to the house yet?”

Her lopsided ponytail swung as she shook her head. Then she stared at Tamara intently, her lips turned down, a distressed look in her eyes.

Tamara took the chair across from Emma. “Is your sister around as well?”

The little girl’s mouth opened for a second before she nodded.

“Okay, that’s good. Your daddy said I’m not starting work as your nanny until tomorrow but I did want to meet you, and, here you are.” She held out a hand to Emma. “I’m Tamara. I’m very glad to make your acquaintance.”

Emma stared at her fingers suspiciously before catching them and giving them a quick shake.

“Your Auntie Dare told me you weren’t fond of talking, especially to strangers. Your choice, but since I’m new here, I’ll probably need to ask a bunch of questions. I hope even if you don’t feel like answering with words, you can help me in other ways.”

The little girl’s mouth opened in surprise before she slammed it shut again.

Tamara paused.

Hmmm. Something was up. This did not appear to be a little girl who for whatever reason did not use verbal communication. More like a little girl who was trying topretendshe didn’t talk.

Tamara hid her smile. “Hey, I think I hear noise outside.” She got up and peered out the window. “Look at that. They brought my truck and there’s my horse. Can I ask a favour,Sasha? I’d appreciate if you could grab the bags I left on the passenger seat.”