Contemporary Western set in Southern Oregon on a cattle ranch.

             Brock Hughes is a man juggling a mortgaged ranch, a preteen daughter, and a toddler. He’s lost two wives, one to a tragic accident and the other to the bright lights of the city. That’s the trouble with women. Sooner or later, by design or by fate, they leave a man high and dry.  He doesn't want another one for his family--especially in the form of a beautiful nanny he didn't hire.

             Carina Valencia arrives on Brock’s doorstep determined to pull her life back together. As far as she's concerned, it doesn't matter who hired her.  These children are clearly in need of a woman’s touch and she’ll not let another child down.

Perfectly Good Nanny

Romantic tales of the old West

“He must be a good judge of character,” she teased. When Brock didn’t respond she looked over.

He sat back in his chair and stared out into the dark night watching the rain fall from the sky in buckets. Petting the dog, she watched the man. He fought demons. It was clear every time lightning lit up the sky, revealing tortured features etched on his face. The children seemed unaffected. What was the father’s torment?

“Does it always rain this hard?” she asked, when the silence seemed to choke her.

“Several times a year. We need the rain. The grass needs to last a couple more months.”

“Why?” She’d never heard of needing grass to last. Her curiosity over everything was one of the reasons she liked to teach. In teaching you also learned new things.

“I don’t have enough hay to feed more than six months. If I have to start feeding the livestock too soon, then I won’t have enough to keep them fed till the spring grass comes on.” He raised the beer bottle to his lips, frowned, looked down the opening, and set the empty bottle on the porch next to his chair.

“Can’t you buy more hay?”

He turned dark, angry eyes on her. “No, I can’t buy more hay. I can’t afford to call the vet if a cow gets sick, and I can’t afford to lose one damn calf.” He looked her square in the face.  His eyes burned with an intensity she’d not witnessed before. Fear crept up her back as the man sprang to his feet.

“And I can’t afford a nanny this family needs.” He shoved the chair back, yanked open the screen door, and stalked into the house.

Carina sat in the rocking chair, clutching the arms, and wishing the agency had handed her a different assignment. The man of the house was broke and broken. The children were in desperate need of schooling and a woman’s touch. But could she endure the man’s outbursts even for a month? Perry had never flown into fits of rage. Not even after she lost the baby. He just stared at her and walked away.

The sound of chimes from the grandfather clock in the hallway reminded her she hadn’t called Georgie to let her friend know she’d made it to her destination. Carina pushed out of the chair. Wind hurled rain onto the porch splashing her for the second time that day. For being touted the high desert there was sure a lot of moisture in the air.

With care not to make a loud noise, she closed the screen door. The lightning flashed, and she saw the dog sitting on the porch. “Do you come in at night?” she asked, opening the screen. The dog looked at her for a moment then turned and walked to the end of the porch.

“Guess not.” She closed the screen and the wooden door. Out of habit, she reached up to throw the deadbolt, but there wasn’t one. All that kept the world out was a hook that slipped over a nail. Carina rolled her eyes and slowly climbed the stairs in the dark.

When Carina Valencia shows up on Brock Hughes’s doorstep and announces she’s the nanny he’s hired to take care of his kids, Maddie and Tate, he’s flabbergasted. All he knows is that he hasn’t hired any nanny. Although this woman is attractive and smells so good she nearly knocks him off his feet, he stubbornly insists he has no idea what she’s talking about. When his daughter confesses an adult has helped her hire Carina over the internet, things become clearer. Carina insists she stay, at least until they figure things out, and takes up residence in the guest bedroom. Fleeing Chicago and the sorrows of her past turns out to be a very good thing for Carina. For Brock and the kids, too. But it’s not always easy to give in to love. Finding a way to trust again is hard work for some, especially when there is so much old baggage to deal with.

I enjoyed Perfectly Good Nanny, mostly because the characters are so multi-dimensional. Carina has lost so much, but she’s willing to take a chance on a new life. Brock knows he’s struggling to do everything, and lets himself be open to accepting help. Even the children, Maddie especially, aren’t shallow. Maddie tore at my heart when she said she wished she didn’t have to watch Tate so much. I wondered how many other little girls feel exactly that way. The strongest point of this book is the way Ms. Jager has written such wonderful characters. The reader can’t help but become involved in their lives, and are drawn right into the plot. There are no real surprises, but there don’t need to be any for it to be an enchanting read. I found Perfectly Good Nanny to be a completely pleasant way to pass an afternoon. Good job, Ms. Jager!

Reviewed by: Carly

Carina Valencia had a traumatic past and needed time away from her family, friends and ex-husband to get over her devastation. She was hired by a nanny agency to take care of two children, a girl, Maddie, aged 12, and 18-month old Tate. Their father, Brock Hughes, owner of Haven Ranch, had no idea what she was doing at his home and how he was going to pay her salary. It wasn’t long before he found out that his daughter and a long-time family friend, Willie T., had forged his name and contracted with the agency for her services. Her first month’s salary was paid.

Carina was a beautifully depicted woman who had suffered from the loss of a child. She was not sure she was qualified to be a nanny to these two children but, after seeing them and their need, she certainly wanted to try. Brock had two children by two different wives—his story was haunting him as much as Carina’s. His life-love, Beth, had been killed and her father was constantly harassing Brock because of his, supposedly, culpability. His second wife, Cindy, disappeared back to the big city shortly after Tate was born. Maddie had to take care of him while their daddy worked the ranch.

Ms. Paty Jager has done an exceptional job writing this western-slanted contemporary. Her characters, the main and the secondary ones, are multifaceted and their in-depth attributes show the details Ms. Jager used to express her story so well. There are not really too many surprises in this feel-good story; however, the story is comprehensive. The plot is fresh and different in the varied situations. The characters are mesmerizing—even the children. She showed how even an 18-month-old little boy could create havoc.

I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more by Ms. Jager. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast-paced story which will leave a reader wishing for more. You will certainly enjoy this book.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

Reviewer: Brenda Talley, The Romance Studio