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Suddenly, he sniffed, his nose wrinkling as his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’re still in diapers, aren’t you?” Kicking the door closed, he juggled the basket for a firmer grip.
“We’re going to have to do something about that right now,” he said, though he wasn’t sure what. Smiling in relief at the accomplishment of getting them into the house without another bout of crying, he decided maybe this baby stuff wasn’t going to be so bad—except for the odor emanating from one of them.
Setting the basket down by the sofa, he hollered, “Sarah!”
Both children immediately jumped, then burst into tears. The terror any bachelor immediately feels at the sight of such small children had been held at bay—until those shrieks. His eyes widened and he reached out and patted first one, then the other’s shoulder. Yes, there was no doubt about it, he was in way over his head. He needed help.
“Sarah! Find me the employment agency’s number.”
Kaitland Summerville ran a hand wearily through the straight strands of her honey blond hair, pushing it back from her face. The action did no good, the blunt cut allowed it to fall right back against her smarting jaw.
Adjusting the ice pack, she tried to shuffle the paperwork that she was currently working on, but to no avail.
“Why don’t you take a break?” her assistant, Shirley, asked, her lips quirking in exasperation. “If I’d just been through what you’d been through, I would. I still can’t believe you’ve been temporarily pulled from working with the kids—”
Kaitland smiled, a weary smile. “I don’t blame Jake one bit, Shirley. True, I did nothing to provoke Johnnie’s daddy. He was drunk. But he and his wife are separated, and he doesn’t have custody. And what happened was very traumatic for the kids. It’s only natural that I step back until everything is settled. At least for the sake of the other kids and their parents. I wouldn’t want to stay and risk any censure falling on the day care or the church.”
Kaitland set the ice pack down on the table and pulled out a compact to examine the swelling.
Today had started out a rotten day and had gone downhill from there. First thing this morning, her stepbrother, Robert had called, trying to get her to go to a society function with him. She smiled wryly thinking of their conversation. She rarely went anywhere like that anymore. Still, he knew she did her best to have a forgiving nature and he was always wheedling, trying to get her to do things for him whenever he needed help. Sometimes she thought she’d rather be bitten by a rattler than to again circulate at the society events he frequented. These outings always ended in disaster. It was simply that he wasn’t a Christian. They had nothing in common except their parents had married each other when Kaitland was a preteen. When she’d managed to avoid a commitment to attending the function with her stepbrother, she had thought things were looking up.
However, she’d gone out to her car, running late, only to find it wouldn’t start. Just her luck. The water pump had been on its last legs for at least six months and she didn’t have the money to pay for a new one. True, she was the director of the local day care in the small town of Zachary, Louisiana, but that wasn’t always enough to make ends meet.
Disgusted, she’d called a cab, then a mechanic, hoping she could work out some sort of payment plan with him. The mechanic had agreed. But unfortunately for her, George had been driving the cab. George was the slowest driver in the world, she was sure of it. How he’d kept his license she didn’t know. The ten-minute trip to work had taken twenty minutes.
Because of that she had been running even later. The chapel service they held for the older kids was therefore late starting, which threw everything else behind. And right into the middle of that had come Johnnie’s daddy while she was outside; the daddy that had skipped out of town two months ago and left his wife and child destitute. He wanted his boy, as he’d said. She couldn’t allow him to take the child and had sent Shirley to call the police.
That’s when she’d been injured. Oh, she didn’t think Johnnie’s daddy had meant to hurt her. He’d only meant to move her aside so he could get to his boy. As far as she knew, Johnnie’s father had never been of a violent nature. However, he’d pushed her and in the process he had tripped over one of those stupid shrubs that all businesses put out to look nice but only ended up getting in the way.
Trying to stop their fall by counterbalancing, Kaitland had shoved back against him, but the maneuver hadn’t worked. She’d ended up with a table on top of her and he’d ended up going through a plate-glass window.
And some of the children had witnessed the scene.
The man was now at the hospital getting stitches—and sobering up—and she was sitting in the office nursing a bruised jaw.
And a temporary removal from the eyes of the parents and kids until her battered face healed. Instead of overseeing the day care for the rest of the week, her pastor, Jake, had suggested she stick with the paperwork until everything blew over. There had already been two calls from concerned parents—boy, did news travel fast in a small town. Since there was a board meeting scheduled in a few weeks, the pastor suggested they discuss the incident then. But he didn’t expect any trouble. By then any worries would be gone, Jake had assured her, and she would be able to go back to work with no problems. But she still had to wait that long.
It couldn’t get any worse.
Of course, looking at her jaw now, Kaitland saw only a very faint coloring to it. She didn’t bruise easily. She knew that from five years ago…
Her eyes still held a slightly dull glaze, no doubt from the pain in her jaw.
“Well, at least you’re not losing any pay while you’re working in here with me, though you’re probably going to be bored to death.”
Kaitland smiled at Shirley, knowing she was right. Shirley was short, no more than five foot and had bright red hair and green eyes, fitting her Irish heritage. She also possessed the energy of ten people, one of the reasons Kaitland was so glad to hire her in the first place. Kaitland hated the paperwork and was glad when the day-care center had been able to afford a full-time bookkeeper/secretary, taking the burden off Kaitland’s shoulders. Since Kaitland had helped found the day care, she’d done all the extra work. She could honestly say it was nice to be the director. Now she worked overseeing so much of what she hadn’t particularly loved to do before. The only thing she really missed was working with the kids on a one-to-one basis.
“You’re right,” Kaitland told Shirley. “I’ll be bored to death. I’d go ahead and take vacation right now, but I don’t want Jake to think I’m bailing out on him.”
“How about another job then?” a voice said.
Both women gasped. Kaitland’s eyes shot to Jake, who’d just entered the room, afraid to believe what she’d just heard. As if realizing his mistake, he said, “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I had a call from a friend who runs an employment agency. We have a mutual friend in need of a temporary nanny…Why don’t you come into my office?”
Temporary nanny? She shot Shirley an odd look and followed the pastor into his office. Once they were seated, he continued, “I didn’t mean to blurt that out. Sometimes my humor falls flat.”
Jake Mathison was thirty-two, single, but also singleminded in his dedication to his job. He’d been enthusiastic four years ago when Kaitland had approached him about the idea of opening a day-care center in their church. He’d supported her every step of the way. So, Kaitland knew he didn’t mean anything by what he’d said, but was curious anyway about what he’d meant. She sat patiently and waited as he rubbed one hand over his face.
“This is confidential.” Jake leaned forward in the chair, his gaze meeting hers and showing her the seriousness of his statement. “That’s why I brought you in here. This is something I don’t want overheard by anyone.” Placing his hands on the desk, he allowed a small smile to ease Kaitland. “As I said, a friend called the employment agency, needing a nanny. The person requires immediate help at his house. It seems that some kids were abandoned on his doorstep.”
Kaitland’s mouth dropped open. “Has he called Child Services?”
“No. No, there was a note. Um, well, the note intimated that the kids were his, though he denies it. He wants to find out what’s going on before he does anything with the children. And the first thing he needs is a nanny.”
“Why me?”
“He didn’t ask for you. He just asked the agency for someone who’s not gossipy. I’ve known you for five years now, Kaitland,” he said, calling her by the name everyone at church called her by. “I’ve never heard a word of gossip out of you. I feel I can trust you.” He leaned slightly forward again, and with earnest eyes, added, “I also know you can use the extra money. Not only can you take your paid vacation if you want, but you’ll be getting a salary, almost double what you’re earning now, while you’re on the job there.”
“Double?” Kaitland gaped. She could sure use the money. Her grandmother’s medical bills over the last year and a half, and then her funeral, had put Kaitland in debt. She was barely managing each month, which was ironic, considering her stepbrother was rich. But he’d refused to help their grandmother after she had disowned him. So, it was left to Kaitland to see to her grandmother’s bills now that she was gone. And the taxes were past due on the house her grandmother had left her. She hated the thought of losing the place. Yet, now she was being given a possible solution to her dilemma. “Why is he willing to pay so much?” Then another thought crossed her mind. “Just who is he?”
“Discretion is part of his need. And he’d want you to live in. As for who he is…”
Jake leaned back and folded his hands across his flat stomach. Why did that gesture make her feel so uneasy?
“It’s been a long five years for you, Kaitland.”
Kaitland knew he was talking about the incident, as she thought of it.
“I’ve watched you recover from the circumstances, pull your life back together and conquer almost all of your fears. You’re a strong woman, willing to work hard at the work God has called you to. Not only that, but you’re devoted in your personal life, too. Sometimes we don’t understand the trials we go through, but we have to remember that God lets us go through things to mold us how He wants us, into His image.”
“What are you getting at, Jake?” Nervously, she gripped her damp palms together in her lap. She didn’t like talking about that time. She had overcome most of what had happened.
That was the catch, though.
Most
She knew there was still some bitterness and hurt there, but was at a loss how to let go of it.
“Getting on with your life, Kaitland,” the pastor said. “I would never suggest anything that might hurt you. I feel you’re ready for this.” He paused, then, “The man is rich. I know your ex-fiancé was rich, too. I thought this might be the perfect opportunity for you to get out around that social set again and see that not all of them are like your ex-fiancé. Since I know this family and would trust them with my own sister, I feel you’d be safe. What do you say?”
Perspiration broke out on Kaitland’s skin. She’d never told her pastor the name of her ex-fiancé as she’d started at this church after that fiasco. But her pastor talked about his friends a lot. It couldn’t be…it just couldn’t be.
Still, she so desperately needed the money, she knew before she asked the next question that she was going to take the job. “Who is it?”
“You’ve heard me talk about Rand and Max Stevens?” he asked easily.
Her stomach sank to her toes even as she said, “I believe I have.”
“Well, it seems there’s been some sort of mix-up and Max Stevens needs you out there immediately.”
Kaitland smiled. Max Stevens might need someone immediately, but she doubted he was going to appreciate seeing the woman he had jilted five years ago.
Nope, he wasn’t going to want to see Kaitland at all.
But her pastor was right. Though he didn’t realize it, he was giving her the perfect opportunity to lay her past to rest. Kaitland took a deep breath. She was going back into the lion’s den and would come out unscathed this time.
Chapter Two (#ulink_a769f195-fa1a-5602-86df-56a49ed96d62)
“Come here, che’rie. Just give me the baby powder and we’ll be okay.”
Max Stevens, covered from head to toe in white dust, was down on all fours near the edge of the queen-size bed, holding out his hand coaxingly as he peppered his speech with Cajun words, trying to persuade the diaper clad little girl to hand over the dusting powder.
Kaitland stood at the door and held back her laugh.
“No! No! No! No! No!” The toddler accentuated each no with a bounce of her knees and a squeeze of the powder container, which puffed out its fine white sheen all over the forest green carpet.
Max winced, shook his dark glossy hair in exasperation then promptly sneezed when he inhaled the dusty powder that floated in the air. Only a few hours had passed since he’d discovered the children, yet somehow, it felt longer. Much longer, Max reflected.
“Come on, che’rie. Just give it to Uncle Max and let me change your diaper.”
“No!” the little girl squealed, then threw the container at him and turned, dancing away on her toes toward the bed.
“Thank you,” he said with the desperation of one totally besieged, but saw relief in sight when the little girl started to crawl up on the bed. He placed his hand on the mauve and green comforter to push himself up, but the other twin, who had been trying to pull off his shirt, suddenly decided it was playtime.
“Horsey!” the young boy whooped. With a lunge, he shot forward, landing in the middle of Max’s back.
“Oooaf!”
Max went down.
Kaitland burst into peels of laughter. “Felled by your own son, Max. I’m surprised. And you, who used to play football.”
Max’s head jerked around at the familiar voice and his eyes widened incredulously. “Katie?” he gasped.
“That’s right, Max. At least you remember my name…or should I say the name you’ve always called me.”
She strode into the room, gliding into it as if she had every right to be there. Ignoring him, she crossed to where the little girl was lying on the bed, one toe in her mouth, the other foot waving around as she waited for a diaper. Grabbing a diaper bag, Kaitland pulled out the wipes and then quickly, efficiently cleaned and diapered the child.
Max couldn’t get over how good Katie looked as he knelt there in the middle of the powder-caked floor.
It had been five years. She hadn’t aged, just gotten more graceful. Her honey blond hair was now straight instead of permed, but it was more beautiful, swaying to and fro with every step she took. She’d filled out a little, was more rounded, softer-looking, not as coltish as he remembered. Long, graceful hands worked quickly and expertly to diaper and dress the girl in a pink romper that was in the bag she’d pulled up onto the bed.
Her high cheekbones were slightly flushed with color and her lips were puckered as she made cooing noises to Maddie. Maddie laughed and kicked both feet in approval to whatever Kaitland had said.
And those eyes.
Her green eyes still sparkled like jewels when she laughed.
Five years and he’d thought never to see her in his house again…His eyes widened. “What are you doing here?” he blurted out, realizing he was seeing her in his house and had no idea why.
Kaitland glanced over her shoulder, a sardonic brow lifted. “I’m changing a diaper, Max. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a diaper changed.”
Chagrined by her answer, Max opened his mouth to tell her he knew exactly what she was doing and that was not what he’d meant, but Kaitland continued, “The girl doesn’t look much like you, but now the boy…My, Max, he could be your twin, but you already have one of those, don’t you?” Her light tone was in contrast to her sudden intense stare at the child.
“They’re not mine.”
“Oh, really?” Kaitland asked, lifting Maddie in her arms. “And what is this one’s name?” she asked, bouncing the little girl on her hip.
“Madeline Renée.”
“And the boy?”
“Maxwell Robert,” he replied, suddenly realizing how Kaitland would take the fact that the boy’s first name was the same as his own.
“And he’s not yours,” she said so falsely that Max flushed. She was always able to goad his temper.
“No. They are not!” He enunciated each word.
“I see, little Max,” she said, winking at the boy.
“I’ve been calling him Bobby.”
“Bobby?” Kaitland asked before giving Maddie a peck and letting her down on the floor.
“Well, it would seem rather odd to call him Max, now, wouldn’t it?” Max demanded as she crossed the room.
“I don’t know,” Kaitland mused aloud, pausing to tap her chin as if in deep thought. Then, for the first time, she pierced him with those deep green eyes. “A lot of people name their firstborn son after themselves.”
“He’s not my firstborn son!”
“You have another?” she asked, all innocence.
“I don’t have any son,” he growled, then took a deep breath. “Look. It’s hard to explain. I woke up to what I thought was a cat brawl and found these two at the bottom of the balcony steps near the kitchen.”
“I see.”
“No. You don’t see. I have no idea who they belong to. Though it’s probably someone who reads those stupid rag magazines and believes I’m out to populate half of Louisiana.”
“You sure it’s not the other half that believes you’re Mr. Perfect?”
He frowned at her words.
“I’m sorry, it was only a guess.”
“I don’t know,” he finally said, brushing off his pants. “It doesn’t really matter. All I can figure out is some woman dropped off her kids hoping I’d give them a better life. For all I know, Max and Maddie aren’t their real names.”
Both children turned at those words. Kaitland laughed. “I’d say that’s their correct names, all right Now, as to their parentage—”
“They’re not mine!” he said so forcefully that Kaitland’s eyes widened.
