I hope that you like this chapter. Vaughn is being introduced, so sorry if he's a little OOC, but keep in mind that he has a kid so he can't be too heartless XD
I just want to thank everyone who is taking the time to read this. It truly means a lot to me that you guys take the time to actually READ my story even though you might not review. But I still hope you review even if it's just a quick 'good job.' Thanks everyone 3
Chelsea slapped away that hand that repeatedly poked her face.
"Wake up. We have to get ready!" Julia said.
The groggy brunette suppressed the urge to groan. She shuffled over to her suitcase and rummaged through her belongings, or rather her sister's clothes. Julia peered over her shoulder.
"Chelsea! Those clothes are so cute compared to what you're wearing right now!" Julia squealed. Chelsea looked down at her gray capris and green wool sweater and felt slightly insulted; she spend quite a sum of money on her Ann Taylor clothing. She decided to give Julia the benefit of the doubt that a hillbilly hadn't heard of such a fine brand of clothing.
She held up a garment like it was a disgusting piece of trash, "These are my sister's clothes."
Julia pushed her out of the way and rummaged through her bag. "This will be perfect for tonight! We're gonna head down to the local shindig! It's family friendly so we can't dress to risqué," Julia winked playfully. She held up a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a grey long sleeve shirt, and a pink scarf. Chelsea observed the outfit and liked its simplicity, so she complied and changed.
Suddenly an old man hobbled into the room. Chelsea looked at Julia with a confused look.
"This is Taro. He's our landlord," Julia explained.
"Nice to meet you Taro," Chelsea said and shook his gnarled hand.
"We'd love to stay and chat, but we're going to the party," Julia said.
Taro nodded understandingly, "Let me know if you see Vaughn. Ya'll know that he was voted Sexiest Man alive?"
Julia smiled and nodded, "Okay Taro. Make sure my mom gives you your medication later."
As the girls descended the stairs Julia explained. "Don't mind Taro. His mind has been going in his old age."
Chelsea nodded.
"Let's head out!" Julia sprinted toward the pickup truck.
"Shotgun!" Chelsea screamed.
XxXxXxXxXxX
This shindig was quite a sight. Chelsea had anticipated that it would be an indoor party, but it was outside a restaurant. Stars shone down on the groups of young adults, teens, and families that were scattered across the field of grass. However, not all of the land was grass; a dance floor had been sprawled over the green vegetation and numerous villagers danced to their native country music.
"There they are!" Julia squealed and dragged Chelsea toward the table.
As the duo neared the table full of young adults, Chelsea felt her palms begin to sweat. She wasn't sure what to expect or how to act. It felt like high school all over again.
"Hey y'all. This is my cousin Chelsea. Y'all show her a good time ya'hear?" Julia said as she sat down and pulled me down with her. Julia then began flirting with the male that was seated next to her. Chelsea assumed that he was the 'hooligan' that Mirabelle had been talking about.
"Hey, I'm Lanna. I'd love to stay and chat, but I really have to head out." Lanna said and left abruptly. Chelsea blushed slightly. She wondered if she had been the reason that Lanna had left.
"Hello. My name is Lily. Sorry for Lanna's exit. She's part of the band that plays here, so she had to go get ready."
Chelsea nodded understandingly.
The man sitting across from her winked at her and smiled flirtatiously. He had dimples that could make any girl's heart kick start. "The name's Denny."
Chelsea smiled politely. She wasn't very good with socializing. True, her job did require her to interview numerous people, but she had all possible questions mapped out; talking to people for fun was not something she delved in before.
She cleared her throat, "Hello. My name is Chelsea. Nice to meet you Denny." She said in her usual professional voice.
He chuckled, "You a city gal?"
She blushed, "Is it that obvious?"
"You sound too formal to be from the county. And you're definitely prettier than country fillies."
Chelsea's face flushed and Julia took notice. Julia flicked Denny's head.
"Don't flirt with my cousin! She isn't going to fall for a player like you, Denny," Julia fumed.
Denny rubbed his wounded forehead, "Ow. I can't help myself, Jules."
Lily interrupted, "I love this song! Come on y'all, let's go dance!"
The teens fled to the dance floor, but Chelsea remained seated at the table. She wasn't much of a dancer; she didn't want to humiliate herself. She huffed. This was going to be a long night.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Vaughn kissed the forehead of the girl that he loved with all his heart.
"Daddy! Come on, let's go. We're gonna be late!" Emma pouted and dragged him towards the shindig. Every Saturday night, there was a party that was held in an empty plot of land. The purpose was to build unity within the community.
Emma dragged her doting father to various stands, but then noticed that Chelsea sat all alone at on the wooden picnic tables. Emma nudged her father, he grunted in response.
"That's the nice lady that I helped the other day. She hurt her ankle and I took her to our house so she could rest."
Vaughn's eyes widened to the sight of dinner plates, "Didn't I tell you not to talk to strangers, Emma? I thought you knew better!"
Emma bit her lip, "But she was hurt. I had to help. It was the right thing to do."
Vaughn sighed, "I know, you're right. I just don't want you to get hurt."
She hugged him and giggled, "I know daddy. I love you."
"Love you too Em."
Emma smiled mischievous and looked up into his amethyst eyes, "Daddy. You know that summer is here."
"Yes…" Vaughn said apprehensively. Her tone of voice hinted that she was hinting at something.
"Well, since my regular nanny quit, I think I know who would make a good replacement."
He was all ears now. He had scanned every ad for a nanny or babysitter, but none of them seemed to fit their needs. "Who?"
She grinned, "Chelsea."
Vaughn's jaw dropped, "You mean the woman you helped, Mirabelle's niece? The one would can even walk without getting injured?"
Emma pouted and gave him her best puppy dog eyes, "Please daddy?"
So many thoughts of what could go wrong ran through his mind, but his daughter's pleading eyes won over. He sighed. "You can mention it. I don't want you to make her feel like she's obligated to do it."
Emma's smile was so wide it could have split her face, "I'll go talk to her right now!" She squealed and ran toward the wooden picnic table.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Chelsea looked up from her downcast thoughts and saw a familiar face sprinting towards her.
"Chelsea!" the little girl squealed.
"Hello Emma," Chelsea said warmly and hugged the petite girl. She may not be good with people her age, but she adored children.
"Okay, I have something to ask you," Emma said and sat down next to Chelsea, "My dad said I need to be careful about how I ask."
Chelsea smiled, "Ask away."
"Will you be my nanny for the summer?" Emma asked in a rushed voice.
Chelsea sat wide-eyed. She pondered for a moment. It wasn't like she had other things to do. She'd rather be with Emma than hang out with Julia and her friends; not to say that she didn't like them, but she just wasn't comfortable. Being Emma's nanny would be a great escape from the teens, but still allow her to see them occasionally.
"Does your nanny stay at the house with you?" Chelsea questioned.
"Yeah. My dad works pretty late, and sometimes things happen with the cattle and he has to take care of that," Emma explained.
"Is your dad okay with you asking me?"
"He'll probably want to meet you…" Emma's eyes lit up with an idea, "I'll go get him right now!"
While Emma was attempting to find her father, Chelsea thought over her role of being Emma's nanny. During her spare time, she would be able to do some research for her column.
"Dad, this is the lady I told you about," Emma said. Chelsea's head snapped up. Emma's father looked just as unique as she did. Unlike Emma, however, had a slightly darker complexion and Chelsea detected silky white locks hidden under his Stetson cowboy hat. Even though Julia had explained that Taro was senile, Chelsea couldn't help but wonder if he had been right about Vaughn being voted Sexiest Man Alive. It could be possible considering he was extremely handsome.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Chelsea Pettigrove. I think you might know my Aunt Mirabelle." Chelsea stood up to shake his hand.
Suddenly, Vaughn felt self conscious at the sight of the young woman. As she stood, her light chestnut tresses swung over her shoulders. The top of her head reached his nose, making her tall by anyone's standards. Intelligent blue eyes peered into his own.
He cleared his throat, "Vaughn. Nice to meet you."
"I've enjoyed getting to know Emma. She's such a sweet girl and very independent. Although she seems shy, I can sense that she is actually quite strong."
He nodded, but kept his face neutral. He was actually surprised that she had figured out Emma that quickly. Most people wrote her off as the quiet, pale cowgirl.
"That about sums Emma up," he rustled Emma's black hair.
Chelsea smiled, "I've been told that I have good intuition."
Her words were like a stab in the heart. What if she truly did have good intuition? What if she could read him like a book? He shook the thoughts from his head as quickly as they came. He couldn't let that happen, not after how hard he had worked to get where he was now. He changed the subject.
"Our usual nanny stays in the main house, but if you want to say at your aunt's house…" he trailed off.
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind staying at your house. As much as I love my aunt and my cousin, Julia… they're a bit too crazy for my liking." Her bright smile literally took his breath away. It felt like a horse had given him a swift kick to the gut.
"Fine. You can start tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan," Chelsea said.
"Chelsea! We're going!" Julia called.
Chelsea smiled apologetically to Vaughn, "I'll see you tomorrow and bring my luggage."
He watched her as she strode to Julia's pickup truck. The way she walked was different than country gals. She walked confidently, but cautiously; Vaughn found this somewhat endearing and wondered what he just roped himself into.
Hope ya'll enjoyed readin' my story. See what I did there *nudge nudge* cowboy lingo is something that I need to work on... But I hoped you liked this chapter!
Hit the review button, come on! You know you want to...
