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She placed her purchases on the lush cream-colored carpet beside the queen-size sleigh bed and wondered who or what had inspired this much decorating when the third bedroom that would be the girls’ was empty? A sleigh bed had always been a fantasy of hers, although this one was bare of linens or blankets. The bone-colored walls were also bare, but at least there was a large armoire for storage and a good-size closet.
“I’ve never gotten around to finishing things on this side,” he told her. “The only reason that I got this far was from thinking maybe Cassie would visit. She and the babies could have all snuggled in the bed and still had room for a puppy.” He shrugged. “Alas, no visit.”
“And no puppy. Should we look for one after the girls arrive?” She meant that mostly to pay him back for all of his teasing her, but she also thought she’d sensed a flash of loneliness in him.
“Maybe the stuffed toy variety,” he drawled, moving on. “I’ve plenty of linens in the main hallway closet by my room. I’ll get you a set and a blanket. Keep that credit card I gave you and pick up whatever else you feel is right for here and for the girls’ room.”
“Thanks,” Sabrina said to his back.
What about towels and supplies in the bathroom? she wondered.
While he was gone, she went to check, and sure enough there was an assortment of dark blues and greens as far as towels were concerned, and adequate toiletries, but things like no-tearing shampoos and a first-aid kit were definitely lacking. Sabrina concluded that a shopping list was a must-do in the morning.
Returning to the bed, she sank onto the mattress only to jump up, reminded of her day working in a grimy warehouse. But how she yearned to curl up on that pristine bed—covers or not. Today’s ordeal was taking its toll; nevertheless, she couldn’t deny that things could have ended much worse.
Inevitably, however, her mind returned to Collin’s admission about being attracted to her. While he’d seemed genuinely chagrined at the admission, she could never let herself forget what an actor he could be. Regardless, as her gaze settled on her work- and cold-roughened hands with her chipped nails, she grimaced and thought herself a bigger fool than ever. Maybe she might have imagined herself a possible temptation when she’d worked as his assistant, but there was no possibility of that now.
Sabrina had begun taking the labels off her purchases and was neatly folding them for storage in the armoire when Collin returned. He’d shed his jacket and tie along the way. She saw his gaze drop to the lace-and-satin bits of fabric and he all but dropped the stack of linens and blankets onto the bed before backing toward the doorway as though recoiling from a pit viper.
“The sheets are Egyptian cotton. You know me, spare no expense in spoiling the most important person in your life.”
“Your self-indulgence is my good fortune,” she replied with a smile. “I’ll sleep like a baby.”
“Good.” His gaze fell to her lingerie again, and then he shook his head. “Well, I’d better let you get to that then. Oh—” he drew something out of his shirt pocket “—your personal key to the front door.”
Sabrina considered the shiny brass instrument on her palm. Seconds ago it had rested against his heart. “I want you to know I appreciate the trust this represents. I won’t let you down.”
“The only thing I was always sure of—am sure of—is that I have no cause for concern in that department.” For an instant their gazes met and held, then he blinked and continued. “There’s another key with security. That’s Sonny, and Dempsey Freed, who is usually the night guard. Sonny is working extended hours to cover for Dempsey, who apparently couldn’t resist stepping into an altercation on the street this morning and needed some emergency dental surgery.”
“Poor man! Was he protecting one of the building’s residents?”
“More like fighting off a junkie trying to remove the copper numbers on the front of the building to cash in. Dempsey was a welterweight boxer, an Olympian in his youth and he takes his responsibility here as seriously as Sonny does.” Backing into the hallway, he pressed his hands together and tilted his head toward his side of the condo. “If you’re all right, I’ll leave you to it.”
“I’m good. Thanks again.”
“Sweet dreams,” he murmured.
Chapter Three
The next morning, grateful that Collin slipped out early, Sabrina called her boss at the warehouse and gave him the news that she was quitting effective immediately. She still felt badly for terminating so quickly, but had to admit Collin was right; if things were the other way around, she would get no such window of time or courtesy to ease into the transition. What’s more, she had been wondering how long she could keep up those strenuous hours that had never been in her job description in the first place, while the district manager kept telling her there was no budget for additional employees.
Not surprisingly, Mr. Burger was displeased to learn that she wasn’t at the store. What made her realize that Collin had done her yet another favor was when Burger finally asked, “How much is it going to cost me to keep you?”
Only now was he willing to negotiate?
Out of sheer curiosity, she told him a figure close to what Collin was paying her and the man laughed harshly. “Good luck, sweetie,” he said, and hung up on her.
She sat there staring at her cell phone for several seconds before declaring with Collin’s accent, “Then all’s well that ends well, I suppose.”
Sabrina made several more calls—all related to her compromised identity and credit situation—and then reached for the list of numbers that Collin had left for her on the kitchen counter. Pouring herself a second mug of coffee, she punched Cassidy’s phone number into the wireless phone on the counter. She fully expected to be asked to leave a message and was unprepared to get Cassie herself.
“Oh! I didn’t expect—this is—”
“Sabrina!” Collin’s sister replied with delight. “I recognized your dismay instantly. How typical of people who spend any time at all around my brother.”
Before this morning Sabrina might have giggled and agreed with her. But she was far more humbled and grateful to him now. “No, I’m fine, really.”
“Well, I appreciate you getting in touch so soon. You’ve accepted the job?”
It was on the tip of Sabrina’s tongue to admit that she didn’t have much choice, but this was Cassidy Masters, who believed in choices and had made critical and smart ones for herself and her family. “Yes, I have. Only I’m not sure I’m qualified to fill your shoes, even part-time. Are you certain that you want me for this? It’s such a serious responsibility.”
“That’s exactly why I told Collin to find you. I knew that’s how you’d see this. Didn’t he tell you?”
Sabrina pressed her hand to her heart. “You’re too kind.”
“And you’re going to be wonderful. My fear is if my kids will want to come back home with me when I return.”
“My fear is how to keep them from crying because they’re missing you beyond bearing.”
Sighing, Cassie replied, “They’re going to cry, Sabrina. And misbehave. And test your wits. But I know if anyone can work through that, you will. While I sensed from the first that you have a tender heart, I quickly came to understand that you’re not a quitter.”
Hoping she was right, Sabrina thanked her again and began asking questions. “You’re going to need to tell me about the girls’ routines, likes and dislikes, and definitely any medical information I need to know about. And will they be able to talk to you sometimes? I know from other people who have had family deployed that they’ll be able to e-mail almost anytime. But the girls are so little yet and that will hardly be enough.”
“Sure, e-mails and phones are both an option. This is not our fathers’ and grandfathers’ war,” she added drolly. “But listen, I want you and Collin to come down here as soon as you can. That way we can cover all of the questions, and you can take some of their things they’ll need back with you. Then you can take the rest when you come for them—or when I drop them off—the last day.”
“The last day.” Sabrina’s throat locked on the words.
“None of that,” Cassie ordered. “This will be a perfect opportunity for you to start getting to know them.”
“Does Collin know this is how you want to do it?”
“He will as soon as I call him.”
Cassidy’s laugh was subtly irreverent and Sabrina was reminded how brother and sister had that in common. “I don’t know how thrilled he’s going to be to have to sit in a car with me for two five-hour trips.”
“If he complains, he’s lying through his teeth.”
Had Collin admitted his attraction to his sister? Surely not—and she wasn’t about to, either, for fear that it would trigger doubts about having her stay on as the nanny after all.
“Uh-oh. You’ve grown very quiet,” Cass said. “Did he pretend to be insensitive and rude to you?”
“If anyone was rude, it was me. I was still angry with him for causing me to quit.”
“So was I, believe me.”
“Oh, dear,” Sabrina replied. “He told you why he transferred me.”
“He didn’t have to. I have good instincts and can put two and two together. Thank goodness the man put you up on a pedestal and refused to drag you off, otherwise he would have had a fling with you, then felt the need to buy you a nice piece of jewelry and find you a position with a deeper pocket than his.”
“Well, I wasn’t interested in having an affair with him then, and I definitely am not now.”
Cassidy sighed. “No, you’re the kind of girl a man marries, and Collin is practically allergic to that union, thanks to our parents, bless their souls.”
What did that mean? She had never broached the subject with him—there had been no reason to, even when she was his assistant, although she did notice that his only contact information in case of emergency was Cassidy. She had assumed that they’d passed away.
“That’s really none of my business, but I hope if he is involved with someone, that he doesn’t bring her here—I mean for the girls’ sake.”
Cass chuckled. “By all means, for the girls’ sake.”
Flustered, Sabrina slid off the bar stool. “I’d better get off this phone. The furniture is being delivered and the security guard is supposed to ring to warn me that they’re on their way upstairs.”
“You’re wonderfully efficient. I’ll get back to you as soon as I have my schedule lined out.”
“I’ll be here,” Sabrina murmured after the other woman disconnected.
It shouldn’t have surprised Collin at how eager he was to get home that evening, but it did. Not good, he thought, yet it didn’t stop him. He’d been invited to cocktails with associates across town; there was also some gala over by the new Dallas Cowboy football stadium in Arlington and another in the Dallas theater district. He felt no temptation whatsoever to choose any of them and, thirty minutes before the rest of the staff quit for the day, Collin told his assistant Geoff that he had an appointment and was leaving.
He arrived at the condo with a big sack of Chinese takeout. Sabrina was nowhere to be seen, so he set down the bag and pulled at his tie as he cautiously ventured through the hall. He would have called out to her, but if she was napping from all of her work and emotional upheaval, he wouldn’t want to wake her. Instead he found Sabrina on a stepladder draping yards of orange, lavender, pink and sage chiffon off the ceiling fan and fastening them to the four corners of the room.
“Good grief, woman, this is supposed to be an upgraded nursery, not a harem.”
With a yelp, Sabrina came off the ladder and would have tumbled back into one of the two dressers bookending either side of the doorway if Collin didn’t catch her by her trim waist and help her back upright. She then slapped him with her ponytail as she whirled around to face him.
“Oh, no,” she gasped. “Sorry. Sorry.”
Ruefully rubbing his cheek, he quipped, “Was it something I said?”
“You’re early.” She checked her watch and frowned. “Very early. Didn’t you tell me that you had some function this evening?”
“It’s a good thing I changed my mind about attending or you’d have a concussion or worse.”
“I wouldn’t have fallen if you’d announced yourself.”
“What, in my own house?” He wagged his right index finger at her pert nose. “I don’t think I like the idea of you on a ladder with no one about, either. Where did you get it? I certainly don’t own one.”
“From the custodian, Mr. Salazar. Very nice man. He wanted to do this for me, but he had his hands full replacing bulbs in the lobby.” Sabrina gestured to her handiwork. “Do you really hate it?
Collin saw that the beds and other furnishings had arrived, and that sometime thereafter, she’d been out and had purchased a happy orange twin bedspread, one in purple and throw rugs in lavender, and embroidered throw pillows with bangles and mirrors and beads. Posters of Disney heroines adorned the walls.
“Who said anything about hate? It’s just—different. It’s definitely bright.” He looked from poster to poster. “I’m not sure how much use they’ll have for stories about mermaids and princesses at MIT. You do realize they know their numbers to twenty and can identify their names when they see them? They’re learning to write them now. I believe calculus is scheduled to start next week.”
“They can go back to being overachievers when their mommy returns. For now we’re immersing them in storytelling and the art of using your imagination.”
Amused, Collin watched her stretch to reach for the pink light bulbs on one of the dressers and felt his blood heat several degrees as her periwinkle sweater pulled across the gentle mounds of her breasts. “I certainly get that.”
“Don’t worry, I cleared it with Cassidy.” Sabrina stretched her arms this time to encompass the room. “And look, I’m making this as easy for you as I can. No pink walls to paint over after they return home, no cutesy wallpaper or painted murals.”
As she started up the ladder again, Collin stayed her. “Have you eaten today?”
Her eyes lowered, she said, “Sure. I found some crackers in the pantry, and I admit I helped myself to the cheese you had in the refrigerator.”
“All that?” He took the bulbs from her and put them back on the dresser. “Enough for today. I don’t need you falling off the ladder again, this time from hunger.” He took her by her elbow and directed her down the hall. “I’ll buy you dinner.”
“Two nights in a row? That’s not necessary.”
“Frugal little thing. For your information, I brought back takeout. There’s a nice bottle of Shiraz in the red section of the cooler that should accompany it well.”
Visibly touched, Sabrina said, “That was thoughtful of you.”
“You are literally saving my sanity. The least I can do is keep you alive.”
Sabrina’s brief laugh ended in a groan. “There’s no danger in that. My brothers will tell you that they had to fight for their share of food at our table when we were growing up.”
“Being a brother myself, I can assure you that we can be thoughtless lugs, when we aren’t outright pigs.” Collin stopped at the dining-room table and pulled out a chair for her. “Now this is an order. Sit and I will serve tonight.”
Sabrina balked. “I’m not in any condition to sit at this table. Couldn’t we sit at the kitchen counter on the bar stools?”
“Grand idea.” Inclining his head, he led the way, ditched his tie and suit jacket over one of the four bar stools, then drew out another for her. Once he had her seated, he collected two long-stemmed wineglasses from a cupboard and the wine. “Do you like Shiraz?”
“I had it once and honestly couldn’t tell the difference between it and the other red. I don’t remember what that was.”
“Bet it was a Syrah. Sometimes even I can’t tell the difference, but then Syrahs are sometimes marketed as Shiraz. It’s a dark-skinned grape with a history that goes back to the BCs. Do you like Asian food?”
“Almost all. Particularly Thai.”
“I will bring that next time. This time it’s Chinese.”
Collin enjoyed her politeness mixed with irrepressible honesty. She made him happy that he’d come home. She made him want to hug her with her youthful eagerness to please, seasoned with an instinct to stand her ground when the situation mattered. Refreshing, that was the word. She looked and was the genuine article. It didn’t hurt that her eyes matched the color of her sweater, although it was too long and hid her cute bottom, particularly in those slim-fitting jeans. He made the right choice to come home instead of slumming about tonight with people who were more acquaintances than friends, and who relentlessly altered their opinions to gain favor.
He knew she watched with studentlike attentiveness as he used the latest in cork-removal technology to open the bottle. “This is a client’s latest invention. I think our ads are three times better than the product.”
“I remember you always made a point to test the quality and value of the item you were being asked to market. Not all of your people did that.”
“Their success ratio exposes them sooner or later, and they move on. Jacobs left shortly after you did.”
Sabrina gasped. “You knew?”
Pouring, Collin nodded. “I knew.”
“I’m so glad. It had bothered me. I’d wake up at night wanting to write you an anonymous note to expose what a sloppy businessman he was.”
“Not handwritten, I presume? You didn’t believe me when I told you that you had the loveliest penmanship I’d seen in years.” Noting her cheeks blooming even as he touched his glass to hers, he changed the subject. “So the delivery went smoothly? You’re pleased with the furniture?”
“Yes and the men were happy to come to somewhere so elegant. Tony, the supervisor, said they’d never delivered bunk beds to anything higher than two floors.”
Collin barely swallowed his first sip of wine before something struck him. “How did you tip them?”
Sabrina shrugged. “I used what I had on hand.”
