Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Micah
I didn’t ask Santa for a baby for Christmas. But the precious bundle that was left on my doorstep needs me and I won’t let her down. Problem is I can’t run the Christmas tree ranch and care for a little one.
So I ask Santa to send me a nanny for Christmas who can help me with my new daughter. I just didn’t expect the curvy woman that shows up for the job would be the same one I’m interested in. But it’s fine. I can treat her just like any other employee…until that kiss under the mistletoe. Could Chloe possibly be interested in a gruff older cowboy like me?
Chloe
I’ve had a crush on Micah Kringle for weeks now. But it’s fine. I can still work as his nanny for hire. Everything is going great…until he kisses me under the mistletoe.
Now the older cowboy is growling at me and insisting I’m his. But what happens when we’re done with our naughty fun? Will my filthy boss still want me, or will this holiday fling melt away to nothing?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
MICAH
“Five minutes. We’ll just be in here five minutes,” I promise the little girl in my arms. I never expected to wake up with a baby girl on my doorstep. But that’s what happened two days ago. The only clue was a note left with her. She’s yours. Take good care of her, Micah.
Except she’s not mine. That isn’t denial talking. It’s cold, hard science. Despite my nearly thirty years of age, I’ve never been with anyone. I’ve poured everything into making the Kringle Christmas Tree Ranch more profitable. No one has ever caught my eye. Well, not until the little thing who works here at Emma May’s grocery store did a few weeks ago. But I’m too old and too gruff for a sweet woman like Chloe.
Abby blinks up at me. Actually, I think she’s squinting. I’m not sure how well babies can see. I add it to the list of things I’ll be searching on my phone later. As it was, it took me all of yesterday to choose a name. There wasn’t anything to identify her in the car seat or diaper bag. Just two bottles of formula and that damn note.
A smarter man would have called the sheriff. But Sheriff Luke is obligated to tell child protective services. Next thing you know she’s being bounced around from home to home.
I was just like her once. I was a foster kid who kept getting thrown away for one reason or another. No matter how good I tried to be or how hard I worked, I couldn’t make anyone want me. I won’t let that happen to her. I won’t let it be her story.
I called in Cash, the town doctor, to examine her as soon as I found her. He estimates she’s only about two weeks old. He didn’t ask me too many questions. I’m considered an upstanding member of the community. Which means as long as there are no blood tests and everyone takes my word for it, this will be fine.
“So, the thing is, grocery stores are loud sometimes, and I can’t really help that,” I tell her. It’s my job to introduce her to the world. That’s what the parenting podcast I’ve been listening to in between her naps tells me.
If I’d had any other option, I would have left her at the house. But my brothers are struggling to keep the ranch running in my absence, and the foster parents I met when I had just turned eighteen are sick with a cold. Even if they weren’t, they’re busy with lives of their own. They don’t need to be raising a kid again, which means I need someone to help me out.
There’s a thread on the Courage County social board where townsfolk can ask Santa for something. People can post anonymously or as themselves. I posted asking for a nanny for Christmas. Figured it was probably better than asking for a date with the dark-haired cashier who features in my dreams.
Abby grunts and starts rooting around my chest. I manage to juggle a bottle of formula out of the truck and get it into her mouth before she can start screaming her head off.
She’s beautiful and amazing and also the loudest thing I’ve ever heard. She eats constantly, about every two hours. Cash said it was normal and even dropped off some formula to get me through these first two days with her. It’s only been forty-eight hours, and I don’t know how new parents do this. She’s so tiny and she needs constant care. My every thought is now about her and whether she’s happy.
“See? That’s better now, isn’t it?” I croon as I wander into Emma May’s grocery store like this is normal. Like I’m always around town with a baby tucked in my arms. I chose the early morning hours to minimize the amount of people she would be exposed to. I won’t hide her. Not ever. I’m damn proud of this little girl. But the world has to be a scary place when you’re that small and surrounded by strangers.