The Nanny

By Kirsten Osbourne

Ashley feels like she's in limbo. Realizing she doesn't want to be a teacher after getting her degree in lower elementary education, she moves from Montana to New York City to live with her crazy aunt. When the opportunity to be a nanny in Texas comes up, she jumps at it. It's not until she's flown there does she understand that she'll be living with the child and his very sexy single father. Not looking for romance, she tries to keep her thoughts off the father and on her young charge.
Barrett Dalton is at a loss for what to do when he finds his newborn child on his doorstep. Calling a nanny agency seems to be the only logical solution. The nanny causes his blood to boil in a completely unexpected way. Telling himself over and over that she's there to take care of his child isn't enough. Will Barrett be able to convince Ashley that she's not only the perfect mother for his son, but that she's also the perfect wife for him? Or will she continue to see only his bad boy image and not the caring man he really is?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Unlimited Dreams
• Release date: Feb 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393713418

Book preview

Prologue

Barrett Dalton stumbled out of bed when he heard the doorbell.  His brother, Archer, was out of town, and his other brother, Cage, slept like the dead.  Who would be at the door at two in the morning anyway?  He hoped it wasn't the police.  Last time someone had come to their door at this time of night was the night their father died.  He rushed toward the door a little faster.  Surely Archer was all right.

The three brothers had no one but each other, and he couldn't imagine losing either of the other two.  They were triplets and had the tight-knit bond that most multiples had.

He opened the door wide without looking to see who was there, knowing as he did, his brothers would have said something to him if they'd seen it.  They thought he was too trusting, and judging by the events of the past year, they were probably right.

He looked around and saw tail lights disappearing out of the driveway.  Just as he was about to close the door, he heard a quiet whimper from the ground.  He looked down, and there it was.  A baby in a plastic laundry basket.  Who the hell would put a baby in a laundry basket and leave it on his doorstep?  Really?

He leaned down and picked up the basket, carrying it inside.  There was a note with his name on it atop the baby.

"Barrett,

I've tried repeatedly to get you to marry me for the sake of our child.  You've refused over and over.  You may have him then.  His name is Dalton Dalton Dalton.  I know how fond you were of your great-great-grandfather's name.  Enclosed are papers giving up all rights to the brat. 

No love lost,

MaryBeth."

Barrett sighed, looking down at the baby.  He'd have blood tests run to be sure the kid was his, although it didn't really matter.  He'd raise him regardless.  Poor kid had enough going against him with that bitch for a mother and a name like Dalton Dalton Dalton.  He didn't need to go into the system on top of that.

He picked up the baby and cradled him to his chest, looking in the basket.  One bottle, and a half a can of some white powder.  How he was going to figure out how to be a father and what to do with the thing, he had no idea.  He carried the baby back through to his wing of the house and climbed back into bed.  He'd figure it out.  He had to.

This was just what he and his brothers needed for their reputation.  A baby born out of wedlock.  He sighed, holding the baby close.  They were going to be known as the bad boys of Dalton, Texas forever.

Chapter 1

Ashley Sinclair stood in the checkout line at Wal-Mart with her aunt and her aunt's assistant.  Aunt Lachele was a psychologist who had started a matchmaking business she called Matchrimony.  It was weird, but Ashley couldn't complain, because it made her aunt deliriously happy. 

Lachele was looking at a copy of The Dirt and frowning.  Those three boys have more money than they know what to do with.  Why can't they settle down and act right?

Ashley blinked at her crazy purple-haired aunt.  What boys?

Oh, those Daltons.  You've heard about them!  Their family had this huge ranching empire, and their dad blew it all gambling and drinking.  And now they've found oil, so they're rich as sin, but they don't know how to behave themselves.  Lachele shook her head.  Their mama died when they were born, so I guess no one can hold it against them.

Samara, a pretty girl in her late twenties, added, They're triplets.  Always in the tabloids.

Ashley glanced at the magazine in question.  What did they do?

Lachele shrugged.  What don't they do?  I swear, every one of those boys only knows how to think with what's in his pants.  They've left a whole slew of love-sick girls all across Texas.  She mumbled something under her breath about men being unable to think with their pants too tight and cutting off blood flow to their jewels.  Don't you ever get involved with a bad boy like that.  You hear me, Ashley?

Yes, Aunt Lachele.  The three men on the front of the magazine were identical, other than one sporting a full bushy beard.  But more importantly?  They were hot.  Ashley wanted to fan her face just looking at their pictures.

After they'd checked out, they walked toward the car Lachele had hired to take them into New Jersey for their twice-a-month stock up on groceries.  With all the stores in Manhattan, Ashley still wasn't certain why they had to go to New Jersey to shop at Wal-Mart, but she knew better than to ask.  She'd gotten an earful when she had tried to figure it out a couple of months before when she'd first moved in with Aunt Lachele.

It's downright un-American not to have a Wal-Mart close to you.  Why, Wal-Marts are a God-given right in this country, and I think the mayor of New York City needs to be fined and forced to use a bulldozer on some of those stupid sky-scrapers to build us a Wal-Mart.  What is this world coming to?  The discussion had simply gone downhill from there.  No, Ashley would never ask again, and instead, she meekly followed along whenever her aunt suggested a trip to Wal-Mart.

Ashley had gotten a double major in early childhood and elementary education a year before, and she'd taught for the first semester of the year, taking the place of a teacher who was out on maternity leave.  After one semester of teaching, she realized that she was not cut out to work in the school system.  She couldn't see herself spending the rest of her life teaching young children how to take tests.

She'd moved in with her aunt while trying to decide where she wanted to go from there, and was substitute teaching while she lived there, further cementing her resolve she could never teach.

The previous week, she'd taken a day off from subbing and had gone to a domestic agency to see if she could be placed as a nanny.  She loved the idea of spending her life working with children, but she still didn't know in what capacity she should do it. She'd get there.  Soon.

* * *

Ashley was on a break the following day; the kindergarteners she was teaching were in their music class.  She was checking her email on her phone, scrolling through all the spam, thinking she really needed to change her email address, when it rang.  She answered quickly.  Hello?

Is this Ashley Sinclair? asked a no-nonsense female voice on the other end of the phone.

Yes, it is. 

This is Sandra Martin.  You applied for a position with our agency last week.  We've had something come up that would require you to relocate.  You indicated you didn't mind relocating as long as the position was live in.  Is that correct?

Ashley felt her heart beating faster.  This might be the opportunity she was waiting for.  That's correct.  I actually like the idea of relocating.  She'd been born and raised in Montana, and it seemed so odd to her to live in Manhattan.  She'd wanted the change, but she was already tired of city life.

Have you ever been to Texas?

Ashley frowned.  It was hot in Texas.  No.  I haven't, but I'm not opposed to going there.  She'd learn to deal with the heat.

Can you fly out tomorrow?  Instead of an interview they're asking that you commit to a one month trial period.  If it goes well, you'll stay.

Wow.  That's fast.  She thought of the jobs she had lined up for the next two days, but she knew she could drop them if she needed to.  That would be fine.  What airport should I get the ticket to fly into?

"Oh, the father will take care of that for you as soon as I call him back.  I'll email you with your itinerary within an hour or two.  We'll need you to report in once a week for the first month to let us know how the position is working out for