Box of Hearts (The Connor's Series Book 1) Read online

  Pushing the truck door shut, I hooked my bag over my shoulder and made my way to the house. As I reached the top of the steps, the door swung open and a woman dressed in jeans and t-shirt came rushing out, wiping her hands on a towel.

  “Millie, oh goodness, it’s so good to meet you, honey. I’m Bonnie, Bonnie Connor, we corresponded via email.”

  She held out her hand to me and I let out a long sigh.

  “Oh, it’s so good to finally meet you.” And it was. The relief at finally being there, finally seeing a friendly face, was immense. I hadn’t realized how tense Jesse’s demeanour had made me.

  “I thought you were Jesse’s wife,” I blurted out.

  Her pretty face broke into a grin as she flicked her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. “No honey, I’m his momma. Addy is my granddaughter. Didn’t I say that in my email?”

  I shook my head. “No you didn’t.”

  “Seesh, I’m getting forgetful in my old age. I’m just used to everyone knowing my business I guess. Well, you come inside and I’ll get you some nice, cold lemonade,” she said enthusiastically. “My husband, Ted, is out of town, but he’ll be back in a couple of days, you’ll meet him then.”

  “Okay, I look forward to it,” I replied, following her onto the porch.

  “Here,” Bonnie said turning to face me. “Let me take your purse.”

  I furrowed my brow but with an internal shrug, I fished around in my handbag and found my purse. I smiled and passed it to Bonnie.

  “Erm, what…?” She held my purse in her open palm, looked at it and then started to laugh. “Sorry honey, your bag, I mean your bag, not your wallet,” she explained handing me back my purse.

  “Oh, God!” I cried. “I’m so stupid, I’d looked up on the internet the different words that you use, but totally forgot that one. You must think I’m an idiot.”

  Bonnie shook her head and opened the door. “Don’t be silly. There’ll be lots of things we’ll both have to learn.”

  As we stepped inside, my heart somersaulted as the most beautiful, blonde haired child came running towards me and wrapped her arms around my legs.

  “You’re here,” she cried. “I’ve been waiting, haven’t I Granma?”

  “Yes, sugar, you have. Now let Millie take a seat so I can get her some lemonade.” Bonnie gently pried Addy from my legs and led her over to the sofa, picked her up, and plonked her down on it.

  As I placed my bag next to my suitcase, which Jesse appeared to have dumped as soon as he got through the front door, I took a quick look around the room. It was just as gorgeous inside as it was on the outside. The space was huge and sectioned off into different areas by white wooden shelves filled with not only books, but lots of different colored glassware and silver photograph frames of various shapes and sizes. We were in the lounge area where the grey and white of the outside was continued. A four-seater, dark grey sofa dominated the space and was placed opposite a grey stone fireplace. Next to the sofa was a huge teal colored armchair that was partially reclined, and was positioned in exactly the right position to see the large TV that sat in the corner.

  “Your home is lovely, Bonnie,” I said as she turned towards me.

  “Oh, thank you. It’s all Jesse’s work, he and Melody had a vision of how they wanted it when Ted signed the house over to him. Me, I prefer things a little bit more rustic, shall we say, but Jesse was adamant we stuck to what Melody wanted.”

  “Melody?”

  “That’s my momma,” Addy cried. “She’s dead.”

  My eyes shot to Addy and then back to Bonnie. “Oh God, I’m so sorry.”

  Bonnie waved her hand at me. “Don’t worry about it. How could you have known? Something else I forgot to put in my email. I’m sorry honey, everything has just been so hectic around here. We’re in calving season, so you can imagine how busy we’ve been.”

  I couldn’t really; the only thing I knew from Bonnie’s email was that we were on a fourth generation cattle ranch with six-hundred pairs of cattle. I’d meant to research the Connor’s ranch on the internet, but my leaving had been a last-minute decision and so I’d been really busy preparing to come here.

  “That’s why you’re here,” Addy added from her seat in the middle of the sofa. “Granma is getting too old to look after me and help on the ranch, so we needed you.”

  I laughed softly and shook my head. “You sure she’s only four?” I asked. “Her vocabulary is brilliant.”

  “She is definitely four, and three months. That three months is real important, hey Addy,” she replied, ruffling Addy’s hair. “But you’re right, she seems older. That’s why we need you, too. She could go to pre-school, but to be truthful, the local one isn’t so great and,” she said on a sigh. “I had a falling out with the teacher when she told me that Addy had behavioral problems and should be tested for ADHD.”

  “Really, anyone can see she’s bright and it’s probably boredom.”

  “I know, exactly, so you can imagine how Jesse took that when I told him. He told me to pull her out of there and said she’d learn more on the ranch than anything that ‘mean-spirited old witch could teach her’.” Bonnie did air quotes with her fingers to indicate that they were Jesse’s words.

  “Could she not start school a little earlier?”

  “I tried, honey, but the principle is the husband of the pre-school teacher, so he listened to her. Told me that unless I got Addy tested to prove otherwise, he’d have to accept that she was a badly behaved child and would not be allowed in school until the law required. So, that’s where you come in. Our cook left, and Jesse has struggled to get a replacement; everyone’s already settled into a contract. We have four hands living in the bunk house who need feeding. This means that Monday through Saturday the cooking and packing of lunches for seven men, and the family, is down to me, so I don’t have time to teach her, and,” she said with a glance at her granddaughter, “a bored Addy is a mischievous Addy.”

  Addy grinned up at her grandmother and then at me.

  “Well, I’m here to help now, and we’ll make sure you have plenty to do. Won’t we, Addy?”

  “Yep, we sure will.”

  “Okay, Millie,” Bonnie said. “Let me get you that lemonade while you make yourself comfy. Take a seat, honey. Then once you’ve cooled down some, I’ll show you around. But, while you’re here, I want you to treat this as your home. As for caring for Addy, well she’s still a little girl, so I don’t want anything too routine. Make it nice and relaxed, just see what the days bring. The main thing is she won’t be sitting around here trying to amuse herself when I’m busy, and I won’t be run ragged trying to amuse her.”

  “Sounds perfect,” I replied, and it did. The money wasn’t brilliant, but I hadn’t taken the job for the money. A year on this ranch was just what I needed.

  As I moved over to sit next to Addy, I heard a door open followed by a pair of heavy boots stomping across the room. I looked towards the back of the house as Jesse appeared from what I thought was the kitchen as I could see the edge of a countertop from behind the shelves. He was now wearing a plaid shirt tucked into his jeans and a black Stetson that was pulled down so you could hardly see his eyes.

  Jesse stopped, looked at me, and then turned to Addy.

  “Hey, Daddy,” she cried, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her father.

  “Addy, I’ll see you tomorrow. Be a good girl for Granma.”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  I couldn’t help but notice that Jesse barely looked at her as he moved past the three of us to the door. It also struck me that Bonnie had been the one to deal with getting a pre-school teacher. I also couldn’t help but notice that Addy’s eyes were shining and her bottom lip had a little tremble to it.

  Once the front door slammed shut, Bonnie bent down and kissed the top of Addy’s head.

  “Daddy’s real busy today, sugar.”

  “I know. Can I go and play in my room, please?”

  “Don’t you want t
o stay and get to know Millie?” Bonnie asked.

  Addy shook her head. “Not just yet, thank you ma’am.”

  “It’s okay, Addy,” I interjected. “You go and play, we can have a talk later.”

  With a little nod she climbed down from the sofa and ran to the stairs that were off to the right.

  “I’m sorry,” Bonnie sighed. “It’s been hard for her. She’s a bright child, but she’s still a child and doesn’t always understand how hard Jesse has to work.”

  “It’s okay, Bonnie, I understand.” Actually, I wasn’t sure I did. Jesse seemed to be totally blind to how his behavior was upsetting his daughter.

  Bonnie studied me carefully before flopping down onto the arm of the sofa.

  “He’s not been himself since Melody died.”

  “Well that’s understandable. How long ago was it?” I asked, thinking it would be a few months.

  “It’s been almost two years since she died. It was a car accident.”

  I gasped and felt my heart break for the little girl who so wanted to be seen by her daddy.

  “God, this is too much for you. You haven’t even been here an hour yet.”

  “No, it’s fine,” I whispered. “But, poor Addy.”

  “I know. He’s shut us all out to be honest. All he does is work and got to Rowdy’s, when he’s not falling asleep on his feet.”

  That I did know about; Rowdy’s was the only bar in town.

  “So you see, honey, there’s lots of things you can do for Addy, not just teach her math and English, but don’t worry about that just yet. Maybe take a week to settle in, get to know her, and then think about some lessons.”

  I smiled and nodded, knowing that this job was probably going to break my heart more than being ditched at the altar.

  Jesse

  As Rowdy’s came into view, I thought about Angie, my latest fuck buddy, waiting inside for me. She was always waiting for me, even when I didn’t want her to be. I’d never promised her anything, told her from the start all it would ever be was sex, nothing else, but fuck if she didn’t keep trying.

  Then the damn English woman’s face flashed before my eyes. Those fucking sexy lips and that hair that I’d love to grip hold of while I made her forget her own name.

  Shaking my head to erase the images, I pushed open the truck door and went into the bar.

  Millie

  It was the day after my arrival, and I had not once seen Jesse since he’d left the house. The sad part about that was it meant that Addy hadn’t seen him either.

  Thankfully though, by dinner time, after her tearful retreat to her room, Addy seemed to have recovered from her disappointment and played happily with me, showing me around the ranch while Bonnie was busy in the kitchen cooking up a storm, making cakes and pies for the house and bunk house. All of which were especially welcoming now, because it was calving and they were all out with the cattle for long hours.

  With Bonnie still busy, Addy and I had made lunch and taken it outside to eat in the pasture opposite the house, under a massive old oak tree for shade.

  “Grandpa gets home today,” Addy said excitedly. “I missed him.”

  “Where’s he been, somewhere nice?” I asked.

  “He’s been to the city to see Uncle Garratt.”

  “Oh right, okay.” I hadn’t heard about any uncle. “Is Uncle Garratt mommy’s brother?”

  Addy screwed up her face. “No silly. Uncle Garratt is Daddy’s brother. He’s at college but Grandpa says he keeps screwing up.”

  “Addy!” I exclaimed. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

  “But that’s what Grandpa said,” she replied indignantly.

  “Well, maybe so, but you shouldn’t. Okay?”

  With a big sigh and heave of her tiny shoulders, she nodded her head and began tucking into her sandwich. Once we had eaten our lunch, I got out one of the reading books that I had brought with me. It was really for age’s six to seven, but I was fairly confident that she would be able to make progress with it. She’d amazed me at how bright she actually was. I’d done some basic arithmetic, or math as she’d called it, with her the night before, not to start teaching, but just to gauge what level of lessons I’d have to give her. She’d flown through it, so I knew that I’d have to keep her constantly engaged with learning. I’d already decided to go online and find some lesson plans, realising that caring for Addy would need far more input than the basic reading, writing and arithmetic that Bonnie had expected. It wouldn’t be a problem for me, I had a teaching degree, but teaching hadn’t been for me and I’d much preferred being a nursery school teacher, but now it would help me to help Addy.

  We had been reading for few minutes when a truck rumbled up the track to the house and pulled up where Jesse had parked his truck the day before. This truck, however, was a huge shiny black one, with sparkling wheels, nothing at all like Jesse’s decrepit old girl.

  “Grandpa!” Addy cried, and with her book forgotten, she ran as fast as her little legs would take her to her grandfather.

  “Sugar pie,” a tall, sandy haired man called, and swept Addy into his arms, swinging her around, making her giggle.

  I walked over to them and stopped to watch their happy reunion. When he finally placed her carefully on her feet, laying a hand on her head, I took a step forward.

  “You must be Millie,” he said, thrusting out his hand. “Ted Connor, it’s great to meet you.”

  I took his proffered hand and shook it. “Hi, Mr. Connor, lovely to meet you, too.”

  “Ted, please, Mr. Connor is my dad, God rest his soul.”

  I let out a laugh. “That’s exactly what Jesse said when he picked me up at the airport.”

  Ted frowned. “Jesse picked you up?”

  “Yes.” Was my succinct reply. What else could I say? ‘Yes, he picked me up and acted like an ignorant idiot the whole time’?

  “Wow, his mother must have bribed him with something.” As he saw me raise my eyebrows, Ted laughed. “No offense to you, but Jesse doesn’t exactly do anything except work as a rule.”

  “So I gather. Anyway, I know one little girl who is glad you’re back.” I nodded down at Addy who was gazing up at her grandfather.

  “Oh, hey sweetie pie, I have a surprise for you in the back seat of the truck. I already opened the door for you.”

  “Yay,” Addy squealed as she skipped off to the truck.

  “Wait for it.” Ted grimaced and put his fingers in his ears, just as a piercing scream of excitement filled the air.

  “Uncle Garratt is here, too!” Addy cried excitedly. “Millie, come see, it’s Uncle Garratt.”

  “I brought my youngest home, he was sleeping on the back seat. I figured it was time he woke up.”

  As we both turned, a pair of black converse appeared out of the truck and planted themselves on the dirt. Long legs clad in dark jeans followed, and then finally, a lithe body in a white t-shirt. The head that appeared was almost as gorgeous as his elder brother’s but he was darker and his features were still slightly boyish, not yet those of a man. The potential was there though and Garratt Connor was definitely going to be a heart breaker, if he wasn’t already.

  “Hey beautiful,” he crooned, bending down to pick Addy up. “You miss me?”

  Addy rubbed her nose against Garratt’s and then threw her chubby little arms around his neck.

  “Yep, I guess you did.” Garratt turned to me. “Hey, Garratt Connor, the prodigal son.”

  “Hi, Garratt,” I replied, instantly liking the boy/man standing in front of me. “Millie Braithwaite.”

  “The nanny, right?”

  I nodded. “Although I like to think of myself as Addy’s new friend.”

  Garratt grinned widely and snuggled his face into Addy’s neck, appearing to breathe her in. “I’ve missed you so much, beautiful.”

  “Are you staying home now, Uncle Garratt?”

  Garratt’s eyes shifted towards his father and then snapped back to Addy.
“I think so, for now.”

  Ted let out a breath and moved back towards the truck. “Okay, Garratt let’s get your bags inside and let your mom know you’re home.”

  Garratt put Addy down on the ground and followed Ted to the covered flatbed of the truck. A few seconds later they both appeared again, carrying various bags.

  “Is there anything that I can bring in?” I asked.

  “There are some boxes,” Ted said. “If you could bring one of those it would help.”

  “Me too,” Addy cried, jumping up and down.

  “Okay, sweetie, let’s see what we have.” I peered into the truck and saw about four or five boxes of various sizes. I found the smallest for Addy and placed it in her outstretched arms. Luckily she was still able to see over the top, just about. “Go carefully.”

  “I will. Come on, Millie, let’s go and see Uncle Garratt.”

  I smiled, glad that Addy seemed truly happy that her uncle was home. Even if her father had no interest in her, at least Garratt appeared to. I picked up a box and followed them inside, and bizarrely felt a little pleased myself that Garratt was home.

  Addy was taking a little afternoon nap, and Ted and Bonnie were ‘having a chat’ in the office; a chat that I guessed was about their youngest son. I didn’t know much, but what I had gleaned from Bonnie’s words when he first got home was that he’d been in trouble at college, but for what I wasn’t sure.

  With both of us at a loose end, I suggested that we sit on the porch with some of Bonnie’s lemonade. Garratt agreed with a grin, and a warning from his mother to behave.

  “So,” he said as we sat on the swing on the porch. “What on earth brings a beautiful woman like you to Bridge Vale? Most can’t wait to leave, believe me.”

  I took a deep breath and wondered whether to lie, or just be out there about my humiliation. I’d only known Garratt a couple of hours, but he seemed a genuine, fun loving sort of guy, and it really didn’t worry me about telling him the truth. I didn’t expect him to judge me.

  “Long story short, I got dumped at the altar by my gay fiancé.”