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Jill grimaced. Damn him, and damn Kim. When her friend returned from her honeymoon, Jill was going to give her a piece of her mind. This wasn’t fair. Not to Jill, not to Craig and not to the kids.
She fought against a twinge of guilt. She was partially to blame. When Kim had come to her and talked about eloping, Jill had encouraged her to just go for it. Her life was so upside-down, she wanted someone she cared about to be happy. Kim had worried about the job, and Jill had blithely told her she would step in.
Next time I’ll find out the details before agreeing, Jill promised herself. In the meantime, three boys didn’t have anyone to look after them.
“I find it difficult to believe that you couldn’t find one other nanny you liked,” Jill said.
Craig didn’t answer. She turned to face him and found him standing only a few feet behind her. She had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.
“I’ve taken enough of your time,” he said and placed his hat on his head. The black uniform emphasized his dark hair and eyes.
He was leaving. That would be best for both of them. Yet what about the children? She really didn’t have a job right now, and she wasn’t ready to go back to San Clemente. She might never be ready to do that. Besides, she could use the money. If it wasn’t permanent, if she were careful to keep her heart firmly under lock and key, it might not be so bad. She would be a caretaker; she would not get personally involved.
“Spring break is in a few weeks,” she said quickly. “Let’s give each other a one-week trial. If it works out, I’ll stay until break. That will give you time to find someone who wants a permanent position. Agreed?”
He stared down at her. She couldn’t read his expression. She wondered how much of that was because he was a cop and how much of it was the man himself. He didn’t look like the chatty, outgoing type.
He crossed to her in two long strides and held out his hand. “Agreed.”
His smile once again made her knees threaten to buckle. At least she was short enough that if she collapsed it wasn’t a real long way down. She extended her hand toward him and tried to give him her best smile. He didn’t seem the least bit affected. Hmm, she would have to work on it more. She wanted to leave men in a broken heap trailing behind her. Maybe it was—
His skin brushed against hers. Instantly electricity raced between them. His long fingers and broad palm swallowed her hand nearly up to her wrist. Her heart thundered in double time and her breathing choked to a stop. She hoped she didn’t look as stunned as she felt. She hoped it was just a quirk of fate, a not-to-be-repeated cosmic thing, because there was no way she was going to get involved with a man. Any man. And certainly not one with children.
Been there, done that, she reminded herself. The punishing aftermath was still evident in her healing emotional wounds.
“Do you have a car?” Craig asked, apparently un-fazed by the sparks leaping between them. Or maybe they were just leaping one way.
“Uh-huh.” She withdrew her hand and, before she could stop herself, wiped it on her robe. The soft cotton did nothing to erase the electricity still prickling her skin.
He raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything. She was grateful.
“If you want to pack a few things, we could go right over.” He glanced at his watch. “My neighbor could only stay with the boys for an hour.”
“They’re home today?”
“It’s Saturday.”
“Oh. I forgot.” With the excitement of getting Kim ready to elope, there hadn’t been time to keep track of mundane things like days of the week. “No problem.” She glanced down at her robe. “Let me take a quick shower and pack enough to last until Monday. I can come back here while they’re in school. I still have a few things to take care of for Kim.”
She started toward the doorway, then glanced at him. “You can have a seat. Or there’s coffee in the kitchen. Whatever.”
“I’ll wait here,” he said.
She stepped into the hallway.
“Jill?”
She turned around. He’d removed his hat and was running his hand through his hair. His self-control slipped a bit, and she saw the worry in his eyes. “I hope Kim knows what a good friend you are. You didn’t have to do this. I really appreciate it.”
The compliment made her uncomfortable. “No big deal. I’m a sucker for kids and puppies. Be right out.”
Even as she hurried up the stairs, she started making a mental list of everything she would have to do. Packing, stopping the paper. She wouldn’t worry about the mail today. But Monday she would put it on vacation hold. Kim didn’t have any pets, which made that part easy. She would tell Kim’s neighbor she was leaving so someone would keep an eye on the house. She would need Craig’s phone number, too.
She walked into the guest bathroom and closed the door behind her. As she glanced into the mirror, she stifled a groan. Her hair was sticking up in spiky tufts. Her mother had promised her it would darken as she got older, but it was still the color of a rag doll’s. She wore it short because otherwise she looked out of proportion. Without makeup, her eyes looked too big and green. That, combined with her small, almost triangular button nose, gave her an uncomfortable resemblance to the kitten so many people likened her to.
“I’ll just pencil in some whiskers and be done with it,” she muttered under her breath, then turned her back on the image and flipped on the shower. No wonder Craig Haynes had hired her. She looked young enough to be the perfect playmate for his kids.
* * *
Craig drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now that Jill had left the room, he was able to ease up on his iron-willed self-control. It was as if the dam burst, as heated blood coursed through his body, settling inappropriately in his groin. He walked to the window and stared out blindly. He hoped his new nanny believed in taking long showers. He was going to need the extra time to get himself back under control.
He could handle the fact that she was an attractive woman, although the petite pixie look had never been his type. Big green eyes and a smile that promised two parts humor and one part sin was okay with him, too. The tousled just-out-of-bed look was a bit more of a problem, but he knew he would have been able to keep it all together…if she hadn’t been naked.
He swore under his breath. He’d been so worried about the boys, he hadn’t noticed at first. But when she’d settled on the sofa, her full breasts had been evident beneath the thin fabric of her robe. He hadn’t had a date in two years. He hadn’t been with a woman for even longer. Unfortunately, his body had chosen that moment to surge back to life.
Even with her out of the room and only the faint hint of her perfume lingering in the air, he could feel the need flowing through him. He wanted to go to her and hold her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her and—
“Stop it,” he said aloud.
He had to get control. All that mattered was finding someone to take care of the boys. Jill Bradford was only a stopgap. He was going to have to find someone permanent. As if he had the time.
He rubbed the back of his neck. The dull ache that began between his shoulder blades and worked its way up his neck had become a permanent companion. Now it stepped up a degree in intensity. He would start interviewing right away. The agency swore they didn’t have anyone else to send him, but there had to be someone. Maybe the perfect nanny was about to leave her job somewhere else. He could only hope.
He heard footsteps overhead. He thought about all he knew about Jill. Kim had mentioned she was recovering from a messy divorce. He could relate to that. He’d gone through the same thing nearly six years ago. Krystal had wanted out, but she hadn’t made it easy. He’d hung on as best he could, trying to be both mother and father to the boys. He’d thought he was doing well, until this last year.
What had gone wrong? Was it the hours he put in? He didn’t usually volunteer for special assignments, but this one was different. There wasn’t a lot of glory involved. No big drug busts, no fifteen minutes of fame on the local news report. Just directly helping those in need. He’d wanted to give something back. Were his kids paying the price for that?
He knew some of the trouble with the boys was that they’d lost Mrs. Miller. She’d been a part of their lives for nearly five years. Coming on the heels of their mother’s death—Craig shook his head. No wonder the boys weren’t themselves.
He’d done his best to keep it from happening, but history was repeating itself again. He was gone a lot, as his father had been. He was failing his kids, and he wasn’t sure how to make it better.
A thunk from the top of the stairs broke through his musings. He walked through the living room and into the hallway. Jill was dragging down a suitcase almost as big as she was.
“I’ll get that,” he said, taking the stairs two at a time.
“I can manage,” she said politely, then stood aside to let him pick up the case. It wasn’t very heavy, but she was so tiny, how big could her clothes be?
“Is this it?” he asked when he reached the first floor.
She nodded. “I can come back and get whatever I’ve forgotten.” She had a purse over her shoulder. She shook it once, then frowned. “Keys. I need keys.”
While she glanced at the small table in the entryway, then patted her pockets, he studied her. She’d made a quick change. Her short red hair was still damp from her shower. Bangs fell nearly to her delicate eyebrows. The style left her small ears bare. She’d put on some makeup. With it, she looked older, although not anywhere near thirty, which he knew she was. She wore faded jeans that hinted at the curvy legs he’d seen just a few minutes before. The baggy white sweatshirt dwarfed her small frame. She’d pushed up the sleeves, exposing finely boned hands and wrists.
He had the uncomfortable feeling that a man as big as himself could easily crush her if he wasn’t careful.
“My keys,” she muttered, shaking her purse again. “Come on, Jill, you usually have it together.”
“But do you usually talk to yourself?” he asked.
She looked startled, as if she’d forgotten he was there. Then she grinned. “Yeah, I usually do. Sorry. You and the boys will have to get used to it.”
“Don’t worry. I talk to myself, too. A hazard of the job. Too much time alone.” He motioned toward the front door. “Are those your keys in the lock?”
She turned around and stared. “Oh. Thanks.”
He pulled them free. “Not a good idea to keep them here. If someone breaks in you want to make it hard, not easy. By leaving the keys in the door, you let him walk out the front, like he belongs here.” He shifted the keys until he held the one to her car. “Not to mention giving him a nice late-model vehicle to steal.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But if I don’t keep them in the door, I lose them.”
“You lost them anyway.”
She stared at him, then reached for her keys. He let them fall in her palm, rather than risk direct contact. Her expression turned thoughtful.
“Craig, do you ever go off duty?”
“Not usually.”
“How do the boys feel about that?”
Her green eyes saw too much, he thought grimly. He raised the suitcase slightly. “Do you need anything else?” he asked.
“Nope. I’m ready.” She followed him out onto the porch, then locked the door behind them. “What, no patrol car?”
He pointed to his two-year-old Honda. “Sorry, no. There’s a utility vehicle at the house so you can cart the boys and their sports equipment around, but I use this to get back and forth to the station.”
Her red Mustang convertible was parked in the driveway. She opened the trunk and he set the suitcase inside. “Get many tickets in this?” he asked.
“It looks flashy, but I never drive fast. I know that’s disappointing, but at heart I’m pretty boring.”
He was about to tell her he wouldn’t have used that word to describe her. Cute, maybe. Tempting, probably. Sexy, definitely. But boring? Not in this lifetime. And any man who thought that obviously had his head up his—
He cleared his throat. “I live south of here. In Fern Hill.”
“I’m not familiar with the neighborhood.”
“It’s an independent city. You’ll like it. Just follow me. I’ll go slow.”
Her gaze widened, as if she’d read more into his statement than he’d meant. Before he could explain, she smiled. “Okay, Officer Haynes, I’ll be right behind you.” She opened the driver’s door and slid inside.
As Craig started his car and pulled away from the curb, he thought about what Kim had said when she’d phoned to tell him she couldn’t take the job.
“I have a friend who would be perfect for you.”
In that moment, on a night when the pressures of the job and raising three kids alone had driven him to the edge of his patience, he’d wanted to believe she referred to more than a baby-sitter.
“Pretty stupid, Haynes,” he muttered. He’d given up on relationships a long time ago. There weren’t any promises, no sure things. And his ex-wife, Krystal, had taught him the foolishness of trying to believe in love.
So what if he found Jill attractive? All that meant was he wasn’t as dead inside as he’d thought. Maybe it was time to think about dating. There was only one problem. He came from a long line of men particularly gifted at screwing up relationships.
Chapter Two (#ulink_2846cc7b-e71c-5cbf-9691-1597ee792f7b)
Craig pulled up in front of the house and motioned for Jill to park her car in the driveway. He pushed the button on the garage door opener and got out immediately, but she sat in her red Mustang, staring. He glanced at the two-story home in front of him. It wasn’t all that different from his neighbors’. The area was a more recent development, about six years old. He’d bought the house after his divorce, thinking that making a clean break would make it easier for all the boys. Besides, Fern Hill had a great school system with a sports program that was the envy of the state. He’d wanted that for his sons.
He tried to see the house as a stranger would see it. The high peaked roof was Spanish tile, as were most of the others on the street. White stucco with wood accents, tall windows that—he squinted and stared—needed washing pretty badly. The front yard was oversized, mowed but not trimmed. He frowned. Since taking his temporary assignment, he hadn’t spent much time at home. The house showed the neglect. He wondered if the boys did, too.
Jill stepped out of her car and gave him a slight smile. “Cops make more money than I thought,” she said. “This is nice.”
“It’s south of the city,” he said, “so most people won’t make the commute. For me, it’s closer to work and closer to Glenwood, where my brothers live.”
“Great.” But she didn’t sound very enthused.
She walked around to the rear of her car and lifted the trunk. Before she could reach for the suitcase, he grabbed it and pulled it out.
This time her smile was genuine. “Thanks. Such nice manners. Your mother must be proud.”
Before he had to decide whether to explain that he hadn’t seen his mother in years, the front door was flung open and two boys raced down the walkway. Craig grinned when he saw them.
“Is this her?” C.J. asked. His nine-year-old looked like a typical Haynes male, with dark hair and eyes.
“Yes. Jill, this is my middle son, C.J. Short for—”
She looked at the boy and winked. “Let me guess,” she said, interrupting. “Craig Junior.”
“Yeah.” C.J. skittered to a stop in front of her and held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Bradford. I’m very much looking forward to having you as our nanny.”
She looked at Craig. “Impressive.”
He shrugged. “C.J.’s our charmer.”
“And a fine job he does, too.” She took the hand the boy offered. “The pleasure is mine, young master C.J.”
Craig turned and saw Danny standing by the edge of the driveway. He motioned him closer. His youngest held back a little, then walked toward them. Big eyes took in Jill’s appearance, then lingered on the bright red car. Craig put down the suitcase and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Danny looked up at him and smiled.
Craig could go weeks without remembering, but sometimes, like now, when Danny smiled, it all came back. Krystal hadn’t come home after she’d had their youngest. She’d sent a friend to pack up her clothes, and she’d walked away without looking back. Danny didn’t know his mother, although he had some of her features. When the memories returned to force open old wounds, Craig clung to the only sane and constant source of strength in his world: his children.
He bent down and picked up Danny. The child placed one arm around his shoulder and leaned close. “She’s pretty. The prettiest of all of them.”
“Yes, she is,” Craig answered softly. Jill was pretty. And sexy and all kinds of things that most men would enjoy. She was also his employee, and as that, she deserved his respect and nothing more.
C.J. was chattering on about the neighborhood, his friends and what he would really like her to serve for dinner. When his middle son started in on an earnest discussion of why it was important to have dessert with every meal, Craig interrupted.
“I’m sure Jill knows what to prepare, C.J.”
The boy gave him an unrepentant grin. “Yeah, Dad, but a guy can always hope, can’t he?”
“Sure. Hope all you want, then eat your vegetables. Jill, this is my youngest, Danny.”
She moved close and touched the boy’s arm. Her green eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. “Hi, Danny.”
