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“I’m far more concerned with making the most of her intelligence. Kids are born knowing how to play.”
“Well, I think you’re wrong about that.” Kelsey didn’t know what possessed her, exhaustion she supposed, but she was still annoyed that the child had been running loose in the airport without supervision. Add to that Mariah’s concern about her father’s emotional well-being, and Kelsey figured the guy needed to get a clue. “Socialization is important, too, particularly at this age.”
“My daughter is quite social, as you have already observed.”
“That’s not what I meant. Did it ever occur to you that she needs to be a little girl instead of worrying about you?” Oops. Now she’d gone too far.
He blinked, those intense eyes hardening to onyx. “Excuse me. I think this interview is concluded.”
Well, la-dee-da. Concluded.
“And here I didn’t even know an interview was going on. Silly me.” Story of her life. Lose the job before she even applied for it. Before she could shove the next words back down her smart-aleck throat, she blurted, “Sounds like somebody needs a nap, and I don’t mean your daughter.”
After a tense ten seconds while her former classmate contemplated her with both surprise and curiosity and maybe even a little horror, he turned aside and stared out the frosted window.
Steepling his fingers, he bounced them against his chin with a sigh of utter hopelessness. For a fleeting moment, Ryan Storm, king of Storm International, looked like a lost child himself. Kelsey felt a twinge of sympathy, which made no sense under the circumstances. First of all she should be red-hot and furious at his dismissal, but she wasn’t. She thought his defensive reaction was kind of funny and pompous and completely characteristic of the brooding young man she’d known in high school. He’d moved through the hallways with a know-it-all stare and a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas Stadium. Though he said little, his groupies followed, anxious to do the bidding of the rough-edged boy in fitted T-shirt and faded jeans. He was in command even then.
Secondly, and probably most important given the unpredictable state of her emotions, here was a man of enormous success and confidence who had the world in the palm of his hand. She, on the other hand, was a mess. Why should she feel sorry for Ryan Storm?
Mariah, who hadn’t missed a single glare or sigh or comment, glanced from her father’s stormy face to Kelsey’s and back again. “Can’t we negotiate?”
Worry filled her dark eyes and pinched Kelsey’s conscience. Concern for her daddy emanated from her small form in pleading waves. Here was a child who could probably read Shakespeare but was stuck with a workaholic father who hadn’t a clue. If ever a little girl needed a mommy, this one did.
“Didn’t you hear? Kelsey isn’t interested in the job,” Ryan muttered.
Maybe it was the child’s big brown eyes.
Maybe it was the father’s lost expression. Maybe it was hormones.
Most likely it was pure desperation.
“Actually,” Kelsey said. “I think I am.
CHAPTER TWO
SLOWLY, SLOWLY, RYAN TURNED towards the woman. First, she’d told him he had no idea how to raise his own child. And now, she wanted to work for him.
He didn’t think so.
He ran a hand down his face, heard the scratch of beard left untended.
Bone weary of sitting in this airport, he had missed two crucial meetings, and had just spent forty-five minutes on the telephone trying without success to salvage a deal gone sour. By the time he’d ended the call, Mariah had done one of her disappearing acts. His little girl was the only person on the planet who could ruffle his composure and send him into panic mode.
When he’d rounded the concourse and seen her here, talking to the pregnant woman, safe and sound, he’d nearly imploded with relief. If anything happened to Mariah, he couldn’t go on.
Losing Amanda had nearly killed him. Losing Mariah would.
As it was, she drove him crazy, her brilliant mind too young to make appropriate decisions and too smart not to explore the world around her. Once, she’d gotten away from Janine with a handful of change from his dresser and had boarded the trolley for a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium. A quick-thinking driver had saved them all a great deal of grief.
The child needed a keeper who was as smart as she.
Running on minimal sleep, he wasn’t in the best frame of mind to make decisions. But Kelsey Slater, boy hater? Probably not.
All the reasons why he should not hire Kelsey loomed before him as obvious as her pregnant belly. That was the number one reason right there. Pregnant women made him nervous. No, not nervous. Terrified.
But she was someone he knew, at least had known. Kelsey had been the nice, ordinary girl in the front row whose hand was always in the air, volunteering to head the homecoming committee or to do cleanup after the dance. Only she looked so different. Really different. Her glasses had hidden the most stunning blue-green eyes he’d ever seen and a delicate, heart-shaped face framed by long, loose hair the color of his bedroom furniture. Mahogany. And he shouldn’t be thinking of his bedroom in the same sentence with a nanny applicant.
Sheesh. He was tired.
“What makes you think you’re right for the job?”
“What makes you think I’m not?”
The fact that I want to shut that sassy mouth of yours with a kiss.
For a horrified second, he thought he might have spoken aloud but when she didn’t slap his face, he breathed a sigh of relief and said instead, “My daughter seems quite taken with you. Her needs are paramount.”
“As they should be.” She shifted uncomfortably. An airport was no place for a pregnant woman. She didn’t look too far along, but her face and arms were thin, as if she’d recently lost weight instead of gaining. She could be about to pop for all he knew. A shudder of dread quivered up his spine and, in spite of the frigid temperatures, sweat broke out on his upper lip.
“I have a number of people to interview once we’re back in Dallas. I’m sure I’ll find someone suitable.”
She gave him a look that said she questioned his sanity, a legitimate concern at the moment.
“Look, Ryan,” Miss Pregnant and alone said.
“Let me be honest here. I need a job and a place to live. I allowed my Texas teaching credentials to expire and even after I renew them, it’s the middle of the term and I’m pregnant.” She would have to bring that up again. “Finding a position isn’t going to be easy.”
No. She wouldn’t do. He couldn’t put himself through the agony of being reminded of those last days with Amanda.
“I’m an excellent teacher,” Kelsey said. “And a good person who adores kids and knows how to get the best out of them. You know me, at least somewhat. That has to be a plus. I can do a good job for you and for Mariah.”
He could read through an applicant’s motives faster than gossip and Kelsey’s were nothing short of desperation.
Sympathetic feelings had no place in business dealings, but he had to admit to having some. The Kelsey he remembered was a nice girl, almost too good, if talk among the guys was to be trusted. But hiring a nanny who could also homeschool his daughter in the manner he considered best was business. Purely business. If Kelsey had those qualifications—and she did—those were the only things that mattered. However, her attitude toward child-rearing was far different than his. He knew what was best for his daughter and if he hired Kelsey, she’d have to do things his way.
But he didn’t want to hire her. She was pregnant. And a little too bossy. Nope, no way. No deal.
Then why couldn’t he get past the lines of tension around her soft mouth or the worry in those stunning eyes? Why did he keep sitting here beside her, listening to the soft drawl in her voice and wondering what it would be like to have her in his employ, in his house?
“What about your family?” Surely, she was returning to Dallas to be with caring family members. Someone who could keep a close eye on her until the baby came.
Pink tinged the crest of her cheekbones. Any makeup she might have worn was long gone by now, and a smattering of freckles popped through the clear, lovely skin. The color of her hair, the fascinating freckles were like sprinkles of colored sugar on a bowl of cream.
Good lord, when had he become a poet? He really was too tired.
“My dad and stepmother still live in Dallas,” Kelsey was saying, a little too stiffly. “But I’m not a charity case. I do not want to live off them or anyone else. I earn my way.”
Ryan realized he had insulted her somehow.
But in doing so, he’d discovered something important. For whatever reasons, Kelsey was down on her luck but she had a lot of pride. He’d been there, done that. Could completely relate. So much so that he admired the thrust of her chin and the glitter of pride in her eyes. She was stubborn, opinionated and pregnant. But she was also smart and qualified and someone he knew.
Mariah was right. They did need Kelsey Slater, boy hater. He’d interviewed half a dozen women already, but none that suited. On the other hand, none were pregnant former classmates who attracted him either. Everything in that sentence, other than the former classmate part, was not in Kelsey’s favor.
Still, he needed to concentrate on his work, especially right now with the Toliver takeover on the horizon. Something about Kelsey annoyed and worried him as much as it attracted him—but maybe that could actually work to his advantage. He was gone sixteen hours a day or more anyway. No need to even see her or her pretty mouth or pregnant belly.
He shivered at the last thought. That was the deal breaker right there.
But his schedule next week was now doubled due to this airport delay. Given his aversion to day-care centers, he needed someone reliable—and fast.
If not for the pregnancy, Kelsey Slater, boy hater could fill the bill very well.
In high school, she’d been friendly to him even though he’d never run in her social circle. Truth was, his social circle had been on the outer edges, the group of boys and girls just shy of trouble. He’d been their leader, though most of his after-hours were spent working and trying to keep his family afloat. With a father who wandered in and out of his life at odd intervals, the role of man of the house had fallen to him most of the time. He’d worked his butt off, too, all the while plotting his way out.
His jaw tightened. He’d made it. With the sweat of his brow, unholy hours and a few unholy alliances he wasn’t particularly proud of, he’d scratched his way to the top. By all that was good and right, he was going to stay there. Mariah would never know what it was like to come from the bottom of the barrel.
To keep his relentless work pace, he needed someone reliable to care for his daughter. He flicked another glance at the familiar woman with the blue-green eyes.
In his world, those who hesitated were lost. Deals could make or break on five minutes of indecision. He was known to make decisions quickly on gut instinct. So he swallowed down the last inner scream of protest and made one.
“You’re hired.”
Kelsey couldn’t believe her ears. A gift horse had arrived upon the scene, literally falling from the sky. Did this mean the fickle finger of fate had decided to smile on her for a change?
“But I can’t be.”
Annoyance flashed on chiseled features. “Are we going to have this argument again?”
“Don’t you want references? Shouldn’t we discuss expectations and duties, days off and salary? You could be hiring a serial killer to care for your daughter.” Shut up, Kelsey. Shut up!
Ryan raised a finger in silent command. Thank goodness. “You aren’t a stranger. You just told me you were totally trustworthy and I believe you. And I’m a very good judge of character, as is Mariah.”
Kelsey huffed. “Six-year-olds trust anyone with bubble gum or a puppy.”
No wonder lady luck enjoyed tormenting her. She made it so easy.
Mariah came to life, face alight. “Do you have a puppy?”
“No honey, I don’t.” Kelsey ran a hand down the child’s arm to soften the disappointment.
Mariah had just made her point. “See what I mean?” she said to Ryan.
“You cheated. Even I’m a sucker for puppies.”
She’d have to give him points for that. “But still, there are things to discuss.”
“We can evaluate references and execute a contract once we’re back in Dallas. If at that time the particulars don’t suit one of us, we can, as Mariah says, negotiate.”
And she knew who would come out on the short end of that stick. Her. Ryan had pulled himself out of poverty to multi-millionaire status. He hadn’t gotten to the top of the heap on those stunning looks alone.
“You need a job. I need a nanny. Let’s say a trial run. Thirty days. Deal or no deal?”
Who was she kidding? There was no way she could turn down his offer.
“Fine,” she said. In her desperate state, she should be kissing his feet in gratitude. For the past five months, she’d held herself together with pride and spunk and not much else. When the cars and the house, the boats and the business all went on the auction block to pay off debts left by her late husband, Kelsey had gone from being the Mercedes-driving wife of a successful yacht dealer to being pregnant, alone and dead broke.
She should be grateful instead of argumentative. But she hated feeling obligated and something about Ryan Storm irritated her. Rubbing at tired eyes, she fought back tears. Resentment and despair welled in her. The baby reacted to her distress and fluttered around like an oversized butterfly. She laid a hand to the mound beneath her heavy sweater.
As if she’d slapped him, Ryan jerked, riveting his attention on her stomach. “Are you okay?”
“Sure.” If she’d survived the last few months, she could survive being stranded in an airport.
Ryan swallowed. Kelsey wondered if the question had been deeper than a polite inquiry.
“Good. Good,” he said. “You don’t look fine. You look dead on your feet and stressed to the max.”
“Thanks.” Roadkill. She looked like roadkill.
“No insult meant.”
“None taken.” Yeah right.
“Mind if I ask what happened to your husband?”
The nightmare that had begun five months ago was never far from her thoughts. If she was going to work for this man, he needed to know.
She shook her head setting her hair into motion. It felt heavy and greasy against her scalp. What she wouldn’t give for a shower and shampoo and a comfy bed.
“Mark was sailing a yacht to its new owner in Greece when something went wrong. An explo
sion of some kind. He was lost at sea.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” She never knew what else to say, though her answer sounded so unfeeling. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel terrible about Mark’s death. It was that she was still so angry and bewildered at what he’d done.
“He was never found?”
One of the reasons the insurance company had refused to pay. No body, no money. A morbid prospect, she thought. “No. The investigation is ongoing but the Coast Guard insists no one could have survived the explosion and subsequent fire. There was nothing left of the yacht other than debris.”
She’d heard the story and repeated the words so often to investigators, insurance adjusters, reporters and friends, but they still held that element of horror. No matter how she felt about Mark, she’d never wanted him dead.
The marriage had been rocky for so long that Kelsey was embarrassed to play the grieving widow. Still, hadn’t she gotten pregnant in an attempt to draw them closer together? Foolhardy, she knew now because, instead of fixing the problem she’d made things worse. Mark had not been happy to add, as he called it, the financial burden of rearing a child to his busy life. She’d thought the notion ridiculous given how well they were doing financially. Or so she had thought.
Only after the accident did she discover some important details Mark had forgotten to mention. The business was in deep trouble. The money he took with him was all they had. He’d also put Mason Marine and all the accounts payable in her name. At first, she’d thought the action was sweet and loving—until reality dawned. Her husband had not left her the business as a means to care for her and their baby. He’d left her holding the bag.
A warm, masculine hand pressed against hers. Both Ryan and Mariah were studying her with concern. “Hey. You went a million miles away. Sorry to bring up such a painful topic.”
She’d expected compassion from the child, but from Ryan? The man was as much as an enigma now as he’d been in high school.
