11. Savvy

11

Savvy

T he next morning, Savvy pulled Rory aside while the kids were occupied with breakfast. “Would it be okay if I take the kids to Beth’s and Conner’s ranch? The kids really loved Taryn, and she has a very gentle horse, named Pegasus, that they could ride.”

Savvy chose not to tell him that not only was the horse gentle by nature but also because Taryn could communicate directly with the horse. Not only was she a wolf shifter, but her special witchy talent was the ability to talk to, calm, and control any animal.

“Sure. I trust you and I trust Conner,” he said.

“Terrific. I wanted to ask you before I said anything to them.”

“I appreciate that,” he said, briefly putting his hand on her arm.

A shock wave exploded inside of her, nearly knocking her down. It had been so hard for her, because every time she looked at Rory, she saw him naked and felt his hands on her body. If she closed her eyes for a second, she could feel him inside of her, bringing her to the edge of being completely consumed by fire.

Savvy quickly turned back toward the kids and said, “I have a surprise for you. Taryn asked if you could go to the ranch and maybe ride a horse.”

“Really?” Cat asked excitedly. “I love horses.”

“I want to ride a horse,” Drake said.

“Are you coming, Daddy?” Cat asked.

“No, baby girl. I have to work. I’m sorry.”

Both of the kids looked disappointed but didn’t argue with him. Savvy saw a shadow pass over Rory’s face and knew he hated not being able to go with the kids. It was one of the aspects about Rory that made him so easy to love – he was an incredible father who adored his children.

Savvy shook her head. She didn’t love Rory. She was just attracted to him. He was sexy, and he was her boss. They had sex once and that was all. It was a one-time deal that would never happen again.

Taryn was as excited to see the kids as they were to see her. Savvy had to remind them to wait until the truck was at a complete stop before they unbuckled their seatbelts and jumped out. They ran over to Taryn and hugged her, one on each side. She giggled and hugged the kids back.

“Do we really get to ride a horse today?” Cat asked breathlessly.

“I love horses,” Drake said.

“Yes. I have Pegasus saddled and waiting for you,” Taryn said. “Before you get on him and start riding, though, you have to introduce yourselves and get to know him. I have some apple slices you can give him that will make him love you.”

Drake jumped up and down and clapped his hands. Cat giggled. The two kids followed Taryn to the barn, telling her everything they knew about horses.

Beth handed Savvy a glass of sweet iced tea and they sat on the front porch so they could watch the kids. Taryn led the horse out of the barn with both kids sitting on its back. Then, after walking them around the corral for a few minutes, she helped Cat off and then got up behind Drake. They galloped around for a couple of minutes, and then they switched so that Cat had a chance to ride. Taryn’s smile was as big as her younger friends’.

“How are things going between you and Rory?” Beth asked as they watched Taryn, Cat, and Drake.

“Well, I guess that all depends on how you look at it,” Savvy said. “We had sex the other night.”

“What?” Beth asked shocked. “You had sex with him?”

“Yeah. It felt right. He kissed me and I can’t even begin to explain the fire and heat that exploded inside of me. It was like nothing else in the world mattered. I needed him so badly that I was afraid that I would die if we didn’t connect.”

“You gave your virginity to your boss?” Beth asked.

“I know. It’s crazy. But as I said, it felt right. And it was incredible.”

“I’m glad that you enjoyed your first time. So, what now?”

“Nothing. We talked about the fact that I was a virgin right after we did the deed. Then, I went upstairs, took a shower, and went to bed. The next day, we just acted like nothing happened.”

“Are you going to be able to keep that up?”

“As long as I don’t see him naked and he doesn’t touch me. Just a single touch sets my entire body on fire.”

Beth grinned. “It sounds to me like you’re falling in love with him.”

“I can’t be. He is my boss. I’m just the nanny who takes care of his children. Nothing more and nothing less. We had a brief moment of weakness in the library and satisfied a need. That was all.”

“In the library?” Beth giggled.

“Yep. We messed up a very nice rug.”

“Wow. That’s all I can say. Wow.”

“I know,” Savvy said. “It was definitely wow. But it can’t happen again. I can’t put my job in jeopardy. I love the kids too much.”

The two women were quiet for a minute. They exchanged amused glances when they heard Taryn explaining how to brush the horse and why it was important to take care of them. Then, she told them about all the different jobs that horses can do.

Then, when the lesson was over, everyone traipsed in the house for lunch. Cat and Drake excitedly told Savvy and Beth everything that they learned about horses.

“Don’t forget to eat,” Savvy reminded them, laughing.

They ate with gusto, and Savvy was afraid that they were going to be sick. Beth assured her that Taryn had eaten that way all the time when she was younger, and sometimes even now that she was older.

The three of them raced back outside, stripped, carefully folded their clothes, put them in plastic bags, and played a rousing game of wolf tag. Cassia flew above them, tagging them.

“I don’t think that Cassia has had this much fun in a long time,” Savvy said.

“Speaking of familiars, have you told Rory that you are a witch?” Beth asked.

“No. I’m not really sure how to approach that particular conversation. ‘I take care of your kids, we had a great time having sex, and by the way, I’m a witch.’ I don’t see that going over too well.”

Beth laughed. “I probably wouldn’t put it quite that way. More like, ‘You know how you’re a wolf shifter? You aren’t the only one who is paranormal. I’m special, too, in a different way. I’m a witch.’”

“Do you really expect me to say something like that?”

“No, not really,” Beth said, grinning.

“It doesn’t really matter if he knows that I’m a witch. It doesn’t affect my ability to take care of his kids. It’s not like we have a personal relationship and I need to fully disclose everything about me.”

“That could change,” Beth said.

“I don’t think so. Even though he didn’t say anything, the very brief conversation we had about Eva made me think that he still has some feelings for her.”

“After four years? They don’t even know each other.”

“True, but you know how it is with your first love. A part of me will always be in love with Gabe, even though I’ve learned to let him go. Eva is still alive.”

Beth shrugged and raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know. But you definitely don’t want to get involved if there are residual feelings there.”

Cat and Drake were very upset when it was time for them to go home.

“You can come back and play any time you want to,” Taryn promised them. “Pegasus loved you and so do I.”

They hugged her tightly, hugged Pegasus, and then reluctantly climbed into the truck so that Savvy could fasten them in. They waved until Taryn was out of sight.

Rory arrived home shortly after Savvy and the pups did. They pounced on him as he got out of his truck.

“Dad, guess what? We rode a horse today. We learned all about horses,” Cat said.

She and Drake followed him into the house, telling him everything they learned about horses and how much fun they had riding and brushing Pegasus.

“We even got to give him apple slices,” Drake said. “You have to give it to him with an open palm like this so he can get it without accidentally biting you.”

“Can we get a horse, Daddy? Pleeeeeeease,” Cat begged.

“Yeah, can we? Can we? Please,” Drake asked.

Rory looked at Savvy and shook his head as though to say, “What have you started?” Then, he said, “Not right now. That is a big responsibility. We would have to build a barn and a corral, and the horse would have to be fed and watered every day. You would have to take care of it.”

“We could do that,” Cat said.

“Maybe in the future. Right now, though, I’m sure that you can make play dates with Taryn and Pegasus, as long as it’s okay with Taryn’s mom.”

Cat and Drake were a little disappointed that he didn’t agree to get them a horse but were happy that they would be able to go back and visit their new friends.

After dinner, Cat and Drake talked Colby and Rory into shifting and playing tag with them.

Savvy, Rosa, and Amy sat on the back deck with glasses of cold homemade lemonade and watched.

Rosa sighed and said, “He’s such an amazing father. Even though both kids were young, it really hit them hard when Eva left. They kept asking about when their mother was going to come home. Rory did the best that he could to explain that she was in a different part of the world and wouldn’t be coming home. He told them that she loved them, but would just love them from far away.”

“That’s really sweet. I know that a lot of people would be incredibly salty about the entire situation and might trash the other partner,” Savvy said.

“Rory’s not like that,” Amy said. Then, after a pause, she said, “You know, I don’t think that he really ever got over Eva. You need to guard your heart. Rory is a sweet guy and easy to fall in love with.”

Savvy pretended to not know what she was talking about. “He’s my boss. I am just the nanny. That’s all there is to it.”

Rosa laughed and said, “Are you really expecting us to buy that? Honey, we aren’t blind. We see the way that you look at him.”

Savvy felt the heat rise into her face. “Oh, well, he is nice looking and he is a good father.”

“Uh-hum,” Amy said. “There’s more to it than that. He touched your arm this morning, and you looked like you were going to pass out. We don’t want you to fall in love with him and get your heart broken.”

Savvy felt like sliding under the patio table.

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep your secret. We just don’t want you to be hurt. You’re part of the family now, and we care about you,” Amy said.

“My brother is single. He’s good-looking, has a good income, and would treat you right. I could set you up on a date with him,” Rosa offered.

Savvy laughed. “No thanks, but I appreciate the offer.”

She watched the three wolves and the bear play tag in the yard and wondered if Rory had any idea of how attracted she was to him. Did Rory notice how he affected her if it was that obvious to other people?

I hope not. I’m going to have to keep my distance and practice looking at him like a nanny instead of like a woman who is starting to have the hots for her boss.