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Marrying the Virgin Nanny / The Nanny and Me: Marrying the Virgin Nanny / The Nanny and Me
Teresa Southwick
MARRYING THE VIRGIN NANNYFrom the moment Maggie Shepherd picked up Jason’s baby son, he knew he’d found what he was looking for. He needed a mother for Brady; Maggie needed a place to call home. And taking her as his temporary wife was the perfect solution… THE NANNY AND MEWealthy lawyer Blake Decker thinks a nanny is just another employee. But he’s drawn to the irresistibly headstrong woman who insists he be more than a half-hearted father. As Casey coaxes Blake to open his heart to his niece, the nanny might just inspire him to open his heart to her as well… Two nannies plus two gorgeous bosses – romance that’s twice as heartwarming!
Marrying the Virgin Nanny
And
The Nanny And Me
By
Teresa Southwick
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
About the Author
TERESA SOUTHWICK lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Mills & Boon.
Marrying the Virgin Nanny
By
Teresa Southwick
To Charles Griemsman, who is simply a joy to work with. You’re the best!
Dear Reader,
I love kids. From the time I was a little girl, if someone in the neighborhood had a baby I was glued to their side. I’m the middle child of six and helped with the younger ones, who were almost as big as me. These days, my definition of family isn’t just those with whom I share DNA, it includes the people who touch my heart and become part of my life.
Maggie Shepherd, the heroine of Marrying the Virgin Nanny, was abandoned as a baby at the Good Shepherd Home for Children. The nuns and kids there became her family and she’d do anything to protect them, including marrying Jason Garrett, the wealthy boss who makes her an offer she can’t refuse.
Jason has his own family problems. He needs a nanny and is dealing with a controlling father who keeps getting marriage wrong. When Jason meets Maggie, he’d do anything to make sure she’s there for his infant son—anything except fall in love.
For me, the only thing better than holding a baby is writing about one, especially the littlest matchmaker who brings Jason and Maggie together. I hope you enjoy their story and look for the next two books in THE NANNY NETWORK series.
Happy reading!
Teresa Southwick
Chapter One
Margaret Mary Shepherd had never been the sort of woman men undressed with their eyes.
But if Maggie had to pick someone for that particular job based solely on looks, Jason Garrett would be right at the top of her list. Dark curly hair and eyes the color of coal complemented the brooding look he no doubt used from the boardroom to the bedroom.
Standing in the doorway of his penthouse condo just off the Las Vegas Strip, Maggie listened to the wail of an infant and knew the exact moment the decibel level went up. The man winced, an expression that was perilously close to panic and put him on the fast track to fear. It also told her that what she looked like underneath her crisp denim jeans and blue turtleneck sweater wasn’t even on his priority list.
“I very much hope that you’re Ms. Shepherd from The Nanny Network,” he said.
“I am.”
“Thank God.” He opened the door wider for her to enter. “Ginger Davis promised that you would be here within the hour.”
“She said it was an emergency, Mr. Garrett.”
He ran his fingers through his hair and from the looks of it, that wasn’t the first time. Quite a tall man, he forced her to look up. His wrinkled white dress shirt with sleeves rolled up and recklessly loosened striped tie only added to his potent masculinity.
“I need a nanny,” he said. Desperate need, judging by the ragged expression on his face. “Ginger assured me that infants are your specialty—”
An enraged, tiny-baby wail came from somewhere nearby. “Right on cue. That must be yours.”
“My son, yes.”
“I’ll just go—”
“Wait.” He glanced in the direction of the cry. “According to your employer you are the very best at what you do, but I’d like some confirmation.”
The baby’s distress was making Maggie want to tell him what he could do with his confirmation. “Isn’t that why you contacted The Nanny Network? The agency has made its reputation by conducting thorough personnel background and qualification checks. Peace of mind is part of the service.”
“I haven’t had a chance to check out Ginger Davis and The Nanny Network the way I’d like. But I’m not hiring ‘Ginger and Company.’ You’re the one who will be taking care of my son. The circumstances I find myself in—”
“What is your situation, Mr. Garrett?”
“I’ve had three nannies since my son was born and he’s only a month old, born December eleventh. I need someone to care for him, someone I can trust.”
The cry increased in pitch and urgency and Maggie couldn’t stand it.
“Look, Mr. Garrett, I’m not sure what your problem is that makes it a challenge for you to keep a nanny, but the job interview can wait.” She turned in the direction of the crying.
“Hold on a second—”
“Not while that baby is upset.”
As she hurried down the hall with the man hot on her heels, Maggie’s impression of his home was understated sophistication and simple elegance that probably cost a bundle. The guy was loaded, some kind of genius developer sensation. And what did any of that matter to the tiny infant who was clearly distressed about something?
She found the nursery and hurried over to the crib. The infant was on his back, thank goodness. His little face was red and the desperate cry was constant, high pitched. His hands and feet were going a mile a minute and his little mouth quivered in the way babies did that could just break your heart.
Without hesitation, she reached in and scooped him into her arms. “Oh my goodness, sweetheart,” she cooed. She lifted him against her chest and rubbed his back, making him feel as secure as possible. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
She pressed him close and gently swayed, the movement coming automatically. When he’d calmed enough, she settled him into the bend of her elbow, then took his tiny hand in hers and brushed his palm with her thumb. The intensity of the cries diminished until the sound was more like a cat’s meow, one that was telling her off big time for letting the situation deteriorate to such a low.
“I know, sweetheart. You’re absolutely right. The conditions here are deplorable and completely intolerable. But things are looking up.” She glanced at Jason Garrett who was watching her through narrowed eyes.
“I wasn’t finished talking to you.” He wasn’t accustomed to losing control of a situation.
“I was finished talking to you until this little one is sufficiently reassured that his needs will be met.” She cuddled the child close. Smiling down she asked, “What’s his name?”
“Brady.” He moved close. “Brady Hunter Garrett.” Tentatively brushing a finger over the downy dark fuzz on the child’s head, he smiled.
Maggie’s stomach quivered and pitched. He’d been all brooding darkness until he looked at his son. It was an expression so tender and loving her heart quivered and pitched, too.
“It’s a good, strong name.” She continued to caress the tiny palm as she said, “It’s nice to meet you, Brady Hunter Garrett.”
“Are you always so take-charge?” he asked.
“Are you always so long-winded?”
“What does that mean?” he demanded, the brooding look back.
“Brady’s needs come before yours.”
“Not when my need is to make sure he’s safe,” Garrett snapped.
“It’s easy to see why you go through nannies like napkins at a car wash.”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you. I’m the employer; you’re the employee.”
“Not yet. If you can interview me, I should be extended the same courtesy to decide whether or not I want to work for you.”
“Do you screen all potential employers?”
“This is the first time.”
Maggie wasn’t sure why she was doing it now except something was weird here. Her specialty was infants from birth to six weeks. Go in, stabilize the situation, so new mom could get her sea legs and some rest, get out before she, Maggie, fell in love with the child and couldn’t leave without breaking her heart. Ginger Davis, owner of The Nanny Network, had always placed her in work situations with couples—husband and wife or man and woman living together in a committed relationship. Always she’d met the infant’s mother first. Not this time.
“Where’s Mrs. Garrett?” she asked.
“I’m not married.”
“But Brady has a mom.”
He frowned and his perpetual dark look grew positively black. “The woman who gave birth to him is not going to be a part of his life.”
Was that his way of saying she’d passed away? If only there’d been time for Ginger to fully brief her on this position.
“Is she—I mean, was there a medical problem?”
“Nothing like that. All you need to know is that she won’t be an issue.” And the scowl on his face put an end to further questions on the subject.
She had news for him. A mother who disappeared from your life could be an even bigger issue. Maggie knew from firsthand experience.
“Now, if it’s all right with you,” he continued, “I have a few questions.”
“I’m an open book,” she said.
“May I see your references?”
“I didn’t bring anything with me.”
“Then you’re the first who’s arrived without them.”
“I’m between assignments, Mr. Garrett, and was expecting to have several weeks off. Ginger said this was an emergency and I should come right away. She promised to messenger over whatever paperwork was required.”
“I require it before you interact with my son.”
“Then we have a problem.”
She stared at the little boy in her arms who was sucking on his little fist and staring up at her with his father’s dark eyes. There was a funny sort of tightness in her chest just before she felt a powerful tug on her heart. He was a beautiful child, but that wasn’t a surprise because his father was an incredibly handsome man.
This was a first, too. She normally felt nothing but the general nurturing instincts that babies always generated in her. This was different. Because there was no mother in the picture? Because she was one of a long line of nannies in his short little life? Because Jason Garrett clearly needed her? Or was it the man himself?
He was as compelling as any Gothic romance hero she’d ever read. He was Mr. Darcy, Heathcliff and Edward Rochester all rolled into one tall, muscular, attractive and dashing package.
She would be the first to admit that her hormones hadn’t been out for a test drive in quite a while. But they were making up for lost time in a big way now. This father-son duo packed a powerful punch in the few minutes she’d been here. How much damage could they do if given half a chance? It was a disaster in the making.
“I don’t think I can work for you, Mr. Garrett.” She shifted the baby into his arms and the way he instantly stiffened told her he wasn’t used to this.
She refused to let her sympathy cloud her better judgment and walked out of the room.
“Ms. Shepherd—” He caught up with her in the foyer. “Wait—”
Bracing herself, she turned to face him but could only raise her gaze to the collar of his shirt. “There’s no point in wasting any more of your time.”
“It’s my time and I’m asking for just a few more minutes of yours.”
“I don’t think there’s anything left to say.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
“I’m wrong?” she said, taking her purse from the table and sliding the strap over her shoulder.
The baby started to whimper and flail his fists and the just-this-side-of-panic look was back in his father’s eyes. “Okay. Maybe I’ve been a little hasty in judgment. But look at it from my perspective.”
“And what is that?”
It was a mistake to ask, but that wasn’t her first one. Going soft when he all but admitted he was wrong was the number one slip-up.
“Nanny number one couldn’t soothe him, and made some excuse about why it’s all right to let babies cry during the night. When my son cries it’s because he needs tending to and I’m in favor of feeding on demand as opposed to making him wait for a scheduled time.”
“I agree.” To her way of thinking babies always had a reason for crying and should not be ignored. The child came first. Period. The caretaker was always on call. “What happened to nanny number two?”
“A family emergency.” He glanced at his son, a fiercely protective look. “Something I understand all too well.”
She’d never had a family, at least not a traditional one. “That’s not her fault.”
“No, but now it’s my problem. And I have to ask—you walked in and had him quiet in thirty seconds flat—how did you do that?”
