“He is. He’ll be gone most of the day.”
I try not to think too much about what he’s doing. He’s flying. The helicopter has been fixed. He took it out yesterday to test it, and today, he’s picking up guests at the airport. I know he said it was a one-in-a-million fluke, but what if it happens again? I’ve read of people winning the lottery twice—the odds of that are probably way greater than one in a million.
My alarm goes off. “I have to get to a meeting. You okay here?”
She picks up Josie. “We’re great. Hey, would you mind if I took her to the store to pick up a few things for dinner?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I enjoy cooking. And Josie is so easy.”
Easy. I laugh, thinking of our first few days with her. “Knock yourself out,” I say, taking money from my purse and leaving on the table for her. “I know we’ll both appreciate whatever you make.”
“Do you want to ask Quinn if I can take her?”
“He’s probably up in the air. It’s fine.”
“I don’t mean to overstep, but it doesn’t seem to me like you’re Josie parents. Am I missing something? Did you recently adopt her? Did someone die and leave her to you?”
“It’s complicated. I’m not her mother, and we’re waiting on a paternity test to see if Quinn is her father.”
“I’m sorry I pried.”
“It’s fine. Just know you’re a godsend.”
She smiles. “I’m glad you think so. And I hope you’ll keep me on if you do end up needing a nanny after three weeks.”
I thumb to the bedroom. “I have to get to work. See you for dinner.”
It still feels strange walking into anyone’s house uninvited. You’d get arrested for that in New York City, but that’s how they do things around here. I knock once and open. “Devyn?”
“In the kitchen!”
I go back to see Andie, not Devyn. “I thought it was Devyn’s afternoon to watch the kids.”
“I got fired.”
“What?”
She gets a few Diet Cokes, and we sit at her kitchen table. “The Double Duce informed me today that they’ll no longer be needing my vet services.”
“Oh, gosh. Why?”
“They didn’t say. But I’m sure it’s no coincidence that it happened right after Jon Thompson was released from prison.”
“Why wouldn’t Jon want you working there?”
“He couldn’t care less if I’m working there. He just wants to make my life more complicated. The joke’s on him, though, because I’m actually glad to have the extra time. After having Viv, I stopped working full time and was down to splitting my time between here and The Double Duce. I guess now I’ll just work here.”
“How’d Maddox take it?”
“I’m not sure if he knew whether he wanted to punch Jon or thank him. He doesn’t want me to go off the ranch. Guess he got his wish.”
“Still, you can’t let Jon get his way.”
“It’s definitely not the hill I’m going to die on.”
“How dangerous is he?”
“Very. I’d stay away from him if I were you. He hates Maddox. He almost raped me. Probably would have if the cavalry hadn’t shown up. And now he hates Quinn.”
“Noted. I’ll watch my back.”
She nods in the direction of the guest house. “So how are things? Sophie seems great.”
“She is. I don’t know how you and Devyn manage without a nanny.”
“It’s different when you have months and months to plan and anticipate. The two of you were blindsided. Don’t feel inadequate if you need help.” She cocks her head. “Can I ask what your plans are? What will you do if Josie is Quinn’s daughter?”
“That’s the question of the year. Quinn won’t even talk about what he’ll do if that turns out to be the case. We’ve tried to contact any family. It seems other than Michelle, Josie’s only living relative is a maternal grandfather living in a retirement home in Naples, Florida, and he has Parkinson’s disease.”
“So if Josie is his, he’ll have no choice but to raise her if Michelle won’t. Would you be willing to take that on?”
“To be honest, he wouldn’t have to ask twice. I see so much of myself in her.”
She smiles empathetically. “While I admire your willingness, I just want you to be sure you’d be doing it for Quinn and not just Josie.”
I grin. “Is this you being protective of him?”
“I may not have started out liking him very much, but he’s grown on me over the years, and now he’s family. In case you haven’t noticed, here at Devil’s Horn Ranch, we take care of our own.”
“I have noticed.”
“You’re one of those, you know. You’re family too.”
“Am I?”
“If you want to be.”
“I do.”
“Good. Now tell me what’s going on with you and Quinn.”
I make sure Vivian is out of earshot, although I’m sure she wouldn’t understand. “Lots and lots of hot sex.”
She sighs. “I remember those days. Don’t get me wrong, we still have our moments, but there’s nothing like the newness of a relationship.”
“It’s still strange hearing that word. I didn’t think I’d ever be in a relationship, let alone one like this.”
Her brows shoot up. “Are you in love with him?”
I stiffen. “Love? Are you insane?”
“Does your heart race when you see him?”
I shrug, then nod.
“When he leaves, does it feel like he’s taking a piece of you with him?”
I blow out a long breath. “Every time.”
“Can you picture your life without him?”
“No, but—”
“But nothing. You’re in love, girl. And I’d bet the ranch that he is too.”
“I’m not so sure. What are the odds of a manwhore and a tramp hooking up, getting into a helicopter crash, making a temporary fuck-buddy pact, and then falling for each other?”
She laughs and gets up, leaving the room to come back with a stack of paperback books. “You just described half the plots of Maddox’s mom’s books. You’d better watch out, or she’ll write one about the two of you someday.”
“There’s nothing special about us.”
“Are you crazy, Amber? With your backstory, the crash, and everything else you just told me, and then an unexpected kid being thrown into the mix, it’s an epic love story in the making.”
Something inside me wishes it could be true. But something else inside me knows it could also be taken away as quickly as it came.
Chapter Twenty-five
Quinn
I make my daily call to Josie’s mom, better known as the bitch who dumped her kid on me two weeks ago.
“I know what you’re pulling here, and it’s not going to work. You won’t get a goddamn cent out of me. Even if the kid is mine, I’ll make sure any money I give you goes to her and her alone. You think any judge is going to be sympathetic to a mom who abandons her kid to extort money? Call me. Better yet, come collect Josie before she starts hating you.” I put down the phone and see Amber standing in the doorway. Guilt consumes me. “How much did you hear?”