A Callahan Christmas Miracle. Tina Leonard
hot as an oven, dude.”
Galen swallowed. “Poetic.”
“I know, right?” Jace grinned, pleased with his announcement. “If Fiona hires her, I’m definitely going to think about it.”
“I almost hate to ask, and we do have greater matters to discuss other than your love life, but don’t you and Sawyer have kind of a secret thing going on?”
Jace shrugged. “If it’s a secret, why are you asking? And no, we don’t. Sawyer is a pretty girl. That’s all. I think she flirts with all the guys. She’d probably flirt with you, if you’d unbend.”
Galen decided he didn’t care about Jace’s love life. “Whatever.”
“Why? Do you want to ask Rose out?”
“No, I don’t.” Damn straight, I do.
“Because if you want to,” Jace said, like a dog with a juicy bone, “I wouldn’t stand in the way. I wouldn’t want to make you look bad. You’re not getting any younger, old-timer.”
“As if you could make me look bad.” Galen glanced toward the door. “Where’s the rest of the team?”
“I think they saw the other candidates and stopped to chat. I, on the other hand, stick to the assignment.” Jace poured himself a whiskey with a huge grin. “What’s up with your face, bro? Look like you have a stomachache. Need a soother?” He waved the bottle Galen’s way.
“I do not need a soother.” He sat on a sofa, dismissing his brother, and pondered what he should say about Somer. She’d definitely gone after the job, and he felt vaguely uneasy about her aggressiveness. He was the eldest Callahan, a doctor, a man who believed that fate and hard work brought many gifts. Why should Somer bother him so much?
“One of the candidates took off by herself to tour the ranch,” Galen said.
“Oh.” Jace seated himself at the opposite end of the sofa. “The tall, hot brunette? I think I heard Fiona tell her to go let her horse have some exercise. She pointed her in your direction, knowing the two of you would meet up. Fiona would never send a female onto the ranch without protection, but she knew you were on your way back, and that Ash was out there, too.”
Now that made more sense. Aunt Fiona’s fey mind at work, probably culling the tempting beauties from the herd and dangling them in front of the remaining single Callahans. “Why’d she bring her own horse?”
“Probably because she’d be expected to ride here? This is a ranch, you know.”
It all sounded reasonable.
“Gorgeous piece of flesh, if you ask me.” Jace’s grin was so irritating Galen wished he could bean him one across the head as he had when they were children. He’d given up beaning his siblings when they went off to boot camp.
“Are you planning on asking her out or not?” Galen asked.
Jace gave him an annoyed look. “The horse was a gorgeous piece of horseflesh,” he said, emphasizing the word as if Galen were stupid. Then he grinned again. “Galen, my brother, has a woman finally walked into your path that stirs your quiet, hard-to-reach soul?”
“No,” he said, thinking, Yes, that petite blonde with big eyes, but I’m not about to give you anything to crow about.
The rest of their brothers filed in, as well as Ash, whose grin was big as the quarter moon.
“What’s going on with the fire?” Galen asked her.
“Sheriff says he’s got men over there checking it out. We’ll know soon enough.”
He studied his brothers, grateful that he’d been able to keep them on the right path, the path of men committed to the fight. Strong, brave, true. Of course, Grandfather Running Bear had set the path for all of them. When their parents had gone away from the tribe, Galen returned home from his medical studies and raised his brothers and sister. They’d been a headstrong bunch, fierce and courageous. All of them had opted to join the military—and then retired to quiet lives. Then Running Bear had reached out with his astonishing instructions that they come to Rancho Diablo and protect cousins they’d never known they had. Protect a heritage they’d never known was theirs.
That decision had been the turning point that marked them all, and changed their lives.
“Excuse me,” Fiona said. Their aunt poked her head into the library. “I know the family meetings are sacred, but Rose is about to head back to Tempest. Are there any objections to her being hired on here?”
Jace looked at him. “Yes, Galen, are there any objections?”
Galen grimaced. “Why would I care who is hired as a nanny here? I don’t have children.”
“Well, you always seem to have an opinion about everything, relevant or not,” Fiona replied. “And you’ve met Rose before, so I just wanted to make certain there’d be no awkwardness. Awkwardness is bad when we all live as closely as we do.”
His frown deepened. “Why would I feel awkward around Rose? I barely know her.”
The rest of the family was quick to sense that something was in the air.
“Are we roasting Galen about something, Aunt Fiona?” Ash asked.
“No. Just making sure his highness is consulted about the new hires.” Fiona looked pleased with her jibe.
“Ah,” Dante said, “you’re trying not to get on his bad side by hiring Rose.” He nodded wisely, as if he understood the entire situation. Galen felt pretty much in the dark. “So, Galen, what do you think about the new girl?”
Galen cleared his throat, realizing his family had him pinned against the wall. If he let on that he did have a weakness for Rose, there would be incessant teasing and subtle ribbing. “I couldn’t care less who is hired on at Rancho Diablo.” He pondered his words for a moment. “Though I do admit I’m not certain about Somer Stevens....”
Everyone said, “Ah!”
He sighed. “I guess I couldn’t convince you that there’s just something about her that puts me off. It’s not personal.” He glared around the room at all the smiling faces. “Never mind. I don’t care who gets hired. Can we get on to planning how to beef up security?”
They moved on with the meeting, shooting him a few knowing looks, sizing up his mood in a way that family does when they know you’ve got something on your mind. His family did know him—very well—but on the matter of his heart, Galen preferred to remain an enigma.
Then he could romance Rose without his family observing every single move he made, the way they had with his brothers when they were courting. Of course, Galen did the same thing to them, which was why he had no desire to have the matchmaking tongs applied to him. Once his family had you in their sights, the well-meaning interference never ended.
If Rose accepted the position, he’d begin to plan a different strategy, called Romancing the Nanny.
He didn’t want to be the Lone Ranger of Rancho Diablo for the rest of his life.
“What are you grinning about, bro?” Tighe asked, and Galen shook himself from his daydream of Rose’s delightful curves and big smile. “Look like you had something sweet on your mind.”
“Just wondering how you dolts ever ended up with women. Proceed.” He waved a hand imperiously. “Let’s hear all your plans for securing this ranch, especially if that fire over there was set by our renegade uncle, Wolf. Because if it can happen across the canyons, it most certainly can happen at Rancho Diablo. And I refuse to allow the work of our father and Uncle Jeremiah to go up in smoke.”
Chapter Two
Rose knew immediately she was going to like living at Rancho Diablo, and it wasn’t just