A Mum for Christmas

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Lucy shook her head so hard her curls bounced. “Mrs. Halloway is too old to be a mommy. She just cleans the house and cooks for us.”

The housekeeper, Sherrie decided, with a rush of relief. “Well, I’m sure she’ll be happy to cook you a nice dinner for Christmas.”

“She had to go away,” Lucy said, her gaze shifting to the dazzling Christmas tree behind the chair. “She won’t be here for Christmas.”

Now Sherrie could understand the haunted look on Matt’s face. “Is she coming back?” she asked, wondering how Matt was going to manage to take care of the little girl without his housekeeper.

“I dunno.” Lucy pointed at the tree. “Who are the presents for?”

“All the children who’ve been especially good,” Sherrie murmured absently. “Don’t you have an auntie who can cook for you?”

Lucy shook her head.

“Perhaps Daddy has a nice friend who can take care of you.”

Again the blond curls bounced to and fro. “Daddy doesn’t have any friends.”

Daddy’s private life was obviously lacking, Sherrie thought, wondering just how antisocial Matthew Blanchard could be.

“Can you cook dinner?”

The question took Sherrie by surprise. She laughed, and gave the little girl a warm hug. “Of course I can cook. Santa would be very unhappy if he couldn’t enjoy his Christmas dinner.”

“Can you make pancakes and bacon? And basketty?”

Sherrie raised her eyebrows. “Basketty?”

“You know, those long squiggly things. Mrs. Halloway puts them on a plate an…an…pours red stuff over.”

“Spaghetti?” Sherrie suggested, hazarding a guess.

“Yes,” Lucy said impatiently. “That’s what I said. Basketty.”

“I can cook basketty,” Sherie said solemnly. “And hamburgers and meat loaf and chocolate cream pie.”

“I wish you could come and cook for us,” Lucy said, her voice wistful.

Sherrie stared at the little girl. That wasn’t such a bad idea. That way she would be right inside the lion’s den, so to speak. The perfect place to learn more about Matthew Blanchard. It would be that much easier to introduce him to someone, if she could invite them to his home. Not only that, she wouldn’t have to go back to Tom’s dreadfully lonely apartment every night.

Of course, she told herself, it would only be temporary, until she found someone suitable for Lucy. In the meantime she could take her time looking around for a new apartment.

In the next instant, she gave herself a mental shake. What on earth was she thinking? First of all, after that fiasco with Henry the Hellion, Matt wasn’t likely to trust his daughter to her care full-time. Secondly, she was working at the store until Christmas. She couldn’t be in two places at once.

What worried her the most was the excitement she’d felt at the thought of being in the same house as Matthew Blanchard. That was dangerous, and she had better stop this nonsense right away, she told herself.

Not only was Matt way out of her league, but she was also not about to risk having her heart broken again. Not by anyone. Certainly not by a sophisticated, experienced charmer like Matthew Blanchard.

For although he had bent over backward to convince her otherwise, she was quite sure that under the right circumstances, her new boss would be the ultimate in experienced charmers once he set his mind to it. And, much to her dismay, that prospect excited her most of all.

Chapter Three (#ulink_ed191cd0-2d1a-5508-8c32-a325c5d80d87)

Upstairs in his office, Matt threaded his fingers through his hair. Five phone calls, and nothing. There just wasn’t anyone out there who was willing to take on the job of a temporary live-in housekeeper. What the hell was he going to do?

He sat there for a moment or two, trying to stem the feeling of panic. He’d have to opt for a baby-sitter, and try to manage the rest himself. Somehow they’d survive until Mrs. Halloway’s emergency was over. If she didn’t return by Christmas, he’d just have to take Lucy to a restaurant for dinner. The prospect was a gloomy one.

With a start he glanced at the clock. He’d left Lucy down there with Mrs. Claus long enough.

His daughter was still sitting where he’d left her, he discovered when he reached the fifth floor. She looked quite at home in Mrs. Claus’s small lap. In fact, something curled inside him when he saw her look up at Sherrie with a big smile spreading over her face.

He hadn’t seen Lucy smile like that in a long, long time.

He watched the two of them together for a few moments, touched by the earnest way they were chatting to each other. Lucy had certainly taken to Mrs. Claus. If the rest of the children were as happy with her, this could be the best season yet at Blanchard’s.

That had been a brilliant idea of Sherrie Latimer’s. He must remember to tell her so when she left. Again that small pang of regret attacked his midriff. Frowning, he shook off the moment of melancholy and strode toward the display.

Lucy’s face lit up when she saw her father, and she held out her arms to him.

“Thanks, Mrs. Claus,” Matt said gruffly as he scooped his daughter up in his arms. “I appreciate you staying on to watch her for me.”

“I enjoyed it,” Sherrie said, smiling at him.

For a moment Matt basked in that smile. Now that he knew what she looked like under all that padding, his imagination filled in what he couldn’t see. Annoyed with himself for letting his mind stray in that dangerous direction, he gave her a brief nod. “Well, have a good evening. See you tomorrow.”

Sherrie watched him leave, Lucy still in his arms. For some reason she felt unutterably lonely. The day was over and she had nothing better to do than go back to that bleak apartment. As well as shop for groceries, she reminded herself as she made her way back to the employees’ lounge. Not to mention washing her dress when she got home.

A familiar face greeted her when she entered the lounge.

“Hi, Mrs. Claus,” Beryl Robbins said cheerfully. “Survived another day, I see.”

Sherrie laughed. “I think I’m growing into the part. My back is permanently bowed and my hair is turning white.”

Beryl made a face. “I know what you mean. It’s been one of those days. I broke two nails, lost a shipment of Christmas tree ornaments somewhere and Matt got on my case about some kid terrorizing the toy department with one of our bestselling items. I had to pull them all off the shelf. Thank God it’s time to go home.”

Sherrie studied the woman thoughtfully. She’d offered to answer any questions Sherrie might have. How forthcoming would she be about her boss? Sherrie wondered.

Deciding to find out, she said casually, “I’m going to stop off for a coffee on my way home. If you’re not in a hurry, would you care to join me?”

Beryl reached for a brilliant red coat on the coat stand. “Make it an espresso and you’ve got a deal.”

Sherrie grinned. “Just give me time to get out of these clothes and I’ll be with you.”

The coffee bar was noisy, warm and infinitely better than the empty apartment. Sherrie chose a corner table by the window and waited for her companion to get settled before tackling the subject.

After asking a few questions about the store in general, she slipped in the casual comment. “I met Mr. Blanchard’s daughter, Lucy. She seems such a lonely little girl.”

Beryl sighed. “I know. It’s such a shame. I’m not sure what happened, but as far as I can make out, Matt caught his wife cheating on him and dumped her when Lucy was a year old.”

Sherrie stared at her in dismay. “He dumped Lucy’s mother?”

“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. She was a lot younger than Matt, still a kid herself, really. I heard that she got bored with sitting home alone with a baby while Matt was working. She started going out without him, leaving Lucy with a baby-sitter. She must have been no-good, since Matt got custody.”

“Poor Lucy,” Sherrie murmured. “Though it must be hard on her father, too. I don’t suppose he has much time to himself, with a daughter to look after.”

“He has a housekeeper who helps take care of Lucy.” Beryl took a sip of coffee. “Not that he’s much of a party animal. I think he gets out to his health club a couple of times a week. Matt is a strong believer in keeping fit. He tried to start an exercise session at the store, but everyone dropped out after the first week or two. Matt’s a tough instructor.”

She could just imagine, Sherrie thought, remembering the broad shoulders and narrow hips of her boss. It took discipline to look that good. She sat up straight, almost spilling her coffee. She had the perfect candidate after all—Elaine Maitland.

Elaine was a secretary at Conway Pharmaceuticals. She was also a fitness freak, not to mention bright, intelligent and attractive. She had made Sherrie feel tired at times, relating her adventures on the ski slopes, the tennis courts and the golf courses, as well as her stints as swim coach for the local grade school and aerobics instructor in her spare time.