Heartless (Chestnut Springs, #2)(16)

Willa: I figured you’d be proud. Day one and I’m knocking all the rules right out of the park.

Cade: If I pay you more, will you stop texting me about this?

Willa: Probably not. I don’t need the money. I’m just easily bored, and poking the bear is fun.





“How was your first day?” I ask as Willa cuts into one of the chicken breasts I whipped up for us the minute I got in the door.

It was a strange transition. It’s like she didn’t realize she was off the clock as soon as I walked in the house. She offered to cook dinner, and I shot her a death glare. I love cooking dinner; it’s how I unwind at the end of the day. It’s when I get to spend time with Luke.

I think I expected the glare to send her scurrying to her room, but all she did was roll her eyes at me.

Offering to help with dinner isn’t a crime, and I need to get over this idea that I’ll just be able to snap my fingers and have her disappear when I walk in the door.

It’s an unfamiliar feeling walking into a house in full swing. One where I can hear my son’s giggles and Willa’s soft, raspy tones.

“We had a great day, didn’t we, Luke?” She grins over at him, and he grins back.

He’s smitten.

When I got home, they were playing dinosaurs outside. I can honestly say I’ve never heard a woman make the noises that Willa was making. Some combination of a goose honking and a donkey braying, intermingled with that light, charm-like laughter.

She was stomping around with her hands folded up in front of her like those tiny T. rex arms.

She looked insane and carefree.

And fucking beautiful.

“Other than playing Dinosaur Ranch, what did the two of you get up to?”

“Nothing,” Luke says altogether too quickly, and I see a flash of shiny copper hair as Willa’s head flips in his direction. One perfectly manicured eyebrow arching at him.

Her bullshit detection is well-honed. I suppose that comes with working with children.

Mine is just from wading through bullshit every damn day. Those goddamn cowboys in the bunkhouse. My brothers. Town drama. My ex.

The only person who doesn’t exhaust me is my little sister Violet. But that could be just because she moved away to the coast.

“We didn’t do nothing, Luke.” Willa spears a green bean, and I try not to get distracted by the way she slides it into her mouth.

“We . . .” My son flips his gaze between us. Guilty as all get-out. “Made pancakes! With chocolate chips! Lots and lots of chocolate chips.”

Willa winces as she glances back down at her plate. When she peeks up and catches me staring at her, she says, “What? You said no sugar after dinner.”

Shaking my head, I turn my attention back on Luke. “What else?”

“Nothing—” he starts, right as Willa says, “We bought heads of lettuce and then threw them out the window of my Jeep.”

My lips roll together as I cast a quick glance in her direction, seeing that she looks entertained and fucking clueless.

“Luke.” He looks terrified. It’s so hard to give my kid shit when he’s this cute. But I don’t get the privilege of playing good cop, bad cop with another parent. I get stuck doing all the dirty work. Doling out all the scolding. Some days I worry about how that makes me seem to him, but someone’s gotta keep him on the straight and narrow.

Someone’s gotta keep him safe.

“Sorry!” he exclaims, shrinking down in his seat while Willa’s head swivels between us.

“Why are we sorry?”

I sigh deeply, shaking my head and sawing into my chicken breast with altogether too much force. “Luke has already asked to throw lettuce heads out the window and I told him no.”

Luke can’t even hold my eyes, and Willa’s jaw drops as she stares back at him. “Dude! Seriously?”

His little lips clamp down as he curls in on himself. He’s not a bad kid, he’s just got a little bit of a rebellious streak. I guess he comes by it honestly as an Eaton boy.

“I thought Dad meant he just didn’t want to do it.” He turns pleading eyes on Willa. “You said you had fun doing it!”

“Luke—” I start but Willa cuts in.

“We both know you’re smarter than that, Luke. You tricked me. On purpose. Not cool. I had fun, but knowing that you lied to me about it ruins all the fun.” She says it with nothing mean in her tone, but Luke looks devastated.

I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest, a little surprised by her taking this seriously rather than laughing me off. And a little relieved that I don’t have to lay into him—again.

“I’m sorry.” His eyes are instantly shrink-wrapped. He’s a sensitive kid. It doesn’t take much to put him back in place.

Willa nods, taking another green bean between her lips. “I know you are. You’re a good person. But when you trick me, it breaks my trust. And your dad is trusting me to keep you safe, and we need to respect his rules, at least sometimes. Because now we’ve broken his trust too. Does that make sense to you?”

There’s a part of me that wants to jump in and protect Luke. But the fact of the matter is, Willa is right. She’s talking to him respectfully, like an adult, and I can’t fault her.

I’m also just so relieved to have support, even if it comes in the form of Willa Grant. The redheaded mouthpiece who makes eating green beans look pornographic.