She could understand why Jace decided to move here.
Jace swung Gunner up onto his shoulders and led the way up the steps to the front door. He unlocked it and then allowed Bonnie to go in ahead of him.
The large picture windows let in sunlight rendering the lamps unnecessary. The living room was expansive, beautifully decorated with a plush couch and two recliners, and a wood-burning stove along one wall. Overladen bookshelves lined another. It would be easy for Bonnie to feel at home here.
“This is the living room,” Jace announced unnecessarily. He walked through it and into the kitchen.
Bonnie found she had to move quickly to keep up as they toured the kitchen, dining room, study, and utility room downstairs as well as a large bedroom. “Noel will be staying here.”
Bonnie wondered if Noel was going to be moving to the farm permanently as well, or if it was a temporary arrangement.
She liked the idea of having someone besides just the three of them out here. Hopefully, she and Noel would get along nicely.
Assuming, of course, Bonnie agreed to the job change in the first place.
After that, they headed upstairs. Bonnie allowed her hand to brush the wooden banister as she admired the multitude of family pictures that lined the wall all the way up to the second floor.
She paused at a photo of two young kids—a boy and a girl—smiling as they sat in a tree, legs dangling. They looked to be around ten years old. Even back then, Bonnie could tell the boy was Jace. He looked happy. Content.
Jace must have noticed her hesitation because he came back down the steps and stopped beside her. “We climbed that tree every summer. It’s still standing out back.” He smiled. “I bet Gunner will be climbing it before we know it.”
No doubt that was true. Gunner wasn’t afraid of heights.
Bonnie followed Jace upstairs as he showed her the master bedroom and adjoining bath, the bedroom that would be Gunner’s, and another room that his grandparents had used as a craft room of sorts. Right now, it looked more like a cluttered storage room.
Her favorite spot in the whole house, however, was along one wall not far from the staircase landing. An alcove had been built into the wall and lined with windows. How had Jace’s grandpa somehow glimpsed into the future and known Bonnie’s heart? The perfect window seat had been added, begging her to bring her favorite book, a soft throw, and read until there was no more daylight.
As though her feet had a mind of their own, they led her to the alcove where she tried to guess which direction it was facing. It looked like it would be possible to watch the sunset fromhere. How perfect was that?
Footsteps behind her announced Jace’s presence. “As you can see, the garage has been kept in excellent condition. I can assure you the apartment has as well.” He pointed. “Beyond that, although you can’t see it from here, is another barn and quarters where Cabe, Grandpa’s good friend and the man keeping this place running right now, lives alone. We have two other men that drive in to handle the everyday chores.”
Bonnie’s eyes went from the horizon and her imagined sunset to the three-car garage that she saw behind the house. It was painted to match the house, and like Jace said, it looked immaculate.
Jace must have taken her silence for uncertainty. “Once you check out the apartment, if you agree to stay, you are welcome to decorate it any way you’d like.”
He shifted, his arm just brushing hers, before moving away again. The touch sparked goosebumps that skittered across her skin and had her heart pounding in her ears. She forced herself to breathe normally.
Moving here would be a bad idea. It’d been easy enough to ignore her attraction to Jace when she rarely saw him. In fact, she’d thought those feelings had had disappeared a long time ago. She had a boyfriend now, and even thinking about Jace as anyone but her employer was a waste of time. A pang of guilt zapped her as her thoughts shifted to Lew. Oh, he’d hate she was even contemplating this move.
Her eyes again scanned the view before her. Peace filled her, and Bonnie didn’t know if it was the stillness outside, the house itself, or a general contentment about her current situation. Either way, she knew, without seeing the apartment, that it was going to be nearly impossible to turn down Jace’s offer.
Chapter Four
Jace wished he knew what Bonnie thought of the ranch. The house wasn’t nearly as large or as fancy as his, but it still had a lot of charm and had been kept up beautifully by Grandma, and later by a housekeeper Grandpa hired.
Bonnie came from one of the wealthiest families in Clearwater—a fact he’d discovered some time ago when he’d run background checks on the woman who would be caring for his son. She’d never come off as someone fixated on money, though. She drove a normal car, dressed conservatively, and not once had she asked for a raise.
Truthfully, he’d admired all of that about her. It’d only solidified his decision to hire her back then, and it was one of many reasons why he hoped she’d agree to move with them now.
He watched as she continued to gaze through the alcove window. The sunlight had her dark hair shining as though there were little bits of glitter sprinkled throughout. It almost looked like silk, and for a fraction of a second, Jace wondered if it would be as soft.
He plunged his hands into his pockets. He wasn’t normally an overly sentimental man. But Grandpa’s death and standing here in the house Jace wished he could’ve grown up in was enough to make anyone reminisce.
Had Grandma ever stood like Bonnie and watched as Grandpa came in from the barn after a long workday? How would it feel to know someone anticipated your return like that?
Bonnie looked like she belonged there, and he said a silent prayer that she’d agree to stay on as Gunner’s nanny. If she chose not to, he’d find another, but it wouldn’t be easy.
He wished he knew her better, then maybe he could make an educated guess about her answer.
