Читать книгу There Comes A Season - Carol Steward - Страница 9

Laura Bates opened her front door. A tall man holding an adorable baby stood on her doorstep.

“Mrs. Bates? As in the child care provider, Mrs. Bates?”

She extended her hand to shake his, admiring the darkest brown eyes she’d ever seen. “Yes,” she said, uncomfortable being introduced as a married woman, but uneasy sharing her circumstances with strangers. “All the parents call me Laura. This must be Jacob.” She smiled, hoping to set the father at ease over his obvious surprise at her age. “Come in.”

Laura realized she was staring at him, and that their hands were still clenched. Todd’s only been dead four months. What am I doing admiring this stranger? She loosened her grip, shoving her hand into her pocket as she moved out of the doorway.

Bryan stepped into the living room. “I must admit, I didn’t expect someone so…young, Laura. My secretary led me to believe…” Bryan’s deep voice, which was shadowed with a Southern accent, trailed off.

“Vicky didn’t inform either of us very well,” Laura quipped. “I thought both you and your wife would be coming.”

Jacob squirmed in his father’s arms. Laura watched Bryan handle his son, his large hands seeming incredibly uncomfortable with this minute task. She noted a tan line on his left hand where a ring had recently been removed. Her gaze roamed up his arm to his broad shoulders and then to his face. She could see Bryan was tense. No wonder the baby’s cranky. Relax. She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her or was ignoring her comment. She let it go unanswered.

Two heads peeked around the corner and caught Bryan’s attention. “Are these your children?”

Laura pushed her curiosity aside and focused on the question. “Yes. Carrie is ten, and Chad is six. My eight-year-old son is playing with friends this evening. Please have a seat” Laura motioned toward an overstuffed chair.

Noticing his double-breasted suit, she wished that she had worn something nicer than blue jeans and a sweater. What should you have worn? A dress and heels? Get real Laura, this is how you always dress.

She watched Bryan scrutinize the room. He surely noticed the well-worn antiques, piles of children’s art overflowing from the rolltop desk, and jackets tossed beneath the coatrack by hurried children. He studied the family portrait hanging on the wall. It was a recent enough picture that one would assume just by looking at it that the same contentment existed in their lives today.

Before Bryan asked about her husband, Laura proceeded. She didn’t want to talk about that tonight. “We covered the basics over the phone, but I hope you’ve thought of more questions.”

Laura set a manila envelope on the table next to her as she tried to take her eyes off this surprisingly handsome man with a stern look on his face. Business, Laura. He’s here on business. And even if he wasn’t, Bryan is obviously nothing like Todd.

“Right.” Bryan shifted uncomfortably in the chair, switching the fussy two-month-old to the other leg. “How long have you been baby-sitting?”

“Mom doesn’t baby-sit. She’s a child care provider,” Chad exclaimed as he entered the room. He walked over and sat with his mother while Carrie stayed inconspicuously around the corner.

“Chad, I’ll be glad to answer Mr. Beaumont’s questions myself.” She wrapped her arm around her son and kissed his forehead. “I’ve been a licensed child care provider for six years. And as you can see, I’ve had over ten years of mothering experience. I’ll be glad to give you references, Mr. Beaumont.”

“Please, call me Bryan.” He lifted Jacob to his shoulder and thumped the baby’s back. “Vicky’s recommendation is enough.” After Bryan tried unsuccessfully to quiet his son, Chad crawled over and made funny faces at the baby.

Bryan’s dark brown hair was cut conservatively, short in the back and stylishly long on top. Guessing by his appearance, his career came first. It wasn’t just the suit. The crisp white shirt, silk tie and fine leather loafers gave him a sophisticated appeal. Laura admired the shadow of his beard, and found herself wondering if he’d had a long day, or if he left it, enjoying the affect it had on women. Whichever the case, it worked.

“Maybe he has gas. How long ago did you feed him?” Chad said, offering his youthful expertise.

Bryan chuckled, and again, Laura found herself distracted by Jacob’s father. Her son’s forwardness was bound to get her into a fix if she didn’t do something to intervene.

“Chad, I’m sure Mr., um, Bryan can handle it. Why don’t you and Carrie go downstairs to play. We’ll be down in a few minutes to show him the playroom.”

One corner of Bryan’s mouth turned up. He reached out a hand to the youth and grasped his hand in a respectful handshake. “Thanks for the suggestions, Chad. Looks like my son would be in good hands here.” Laura watched her son beam with pride at Bryan’s attention. Chad and his sister raced for the stairs. “What kind of schedule will you put a baby on?”

“What? Oh, schedule. I believe in letting babies set their own, within reason.”

“No schedule? At all?”

Relieved to be discussing children again, Laura relaxed. “Babies normally settle into their own routine within a few weeks. Then again, just as they do, they hit a growing spurt or teething, and it changes. Flexibility helps.”

“I guess I didn’t do so bad this week after all, then. How many children do you watch?” Bryan’s tension escalated as Jacob grew more fussy.

“Six preschoolers and my own three-when they aren’t in school. It sounds like a lot, but the limits really are reasonable.” The baby wailed, and Laura put her hands in front of her. “Could I hold Jacob for you?”

“My pleasure. Since his mother died, I’ve had a lot to learn about babies. Talk about a cram course on parenting.”

She felt as if someone had just punched her in the stomach. That would explain why Vicky didn’t say anything. She wanted them to find that common ground. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize,” she managed to reply.

His jaw worked back and forth. “I thought Vicky would have explained that when she called. Work’s piling up at the office, and Mr. Mom I’m not. The nanny and I didn’t get along, so I let her go. I’ve gotten myself in quite a mess.”

“Excuse me, Bryan…”

“Jacob’s constant screaming convinced me that I needed to make some changes. Even as inexperienced as I am, I know when a baby needs something. Problem is, at the rate I’m going, I’ll figure out what it is by the time the kid can talk.”

Bryan regarded the gentle way she held Jacob. In a matter of minutes, she’d calmed him down. She rubbed the baby’s back as Jacob’s big brown eyes searched her face. Bryan looked to Laura’s left hand for a wedding ring, chastising himself for his interest, and surprised by his disappointment when he saw one.

He could almost feel Jacob’s small body go limp in her embrace, and wondered if the baby had ever been held with such tenderness by his own mother. He doubted it. Bryan couldn’t believe how wonderful it felt watching this woman cuddle his son.

The son Andrea had kept from him.

“Bryan, I know what you’re going through…” Laura said.

Startling Bryan out of a bitter recollection of his wife, Bryan felt the muscles in his entire body tense. “You couldn’t begin to imagine…” He stopped, realizing he almost dumped his resentment on this woman who seemed nothing like a stranger.

He looked up at her, feeling an unexplainable peace for the first time in days.

There was no doubt that he liked her. But was it the confident way she presented herself, her gentleness or the crystal blue eyes that invited him to open his heart? He gazed at her wavy hair, wondering if it was as touchable as it appeared.

What am I thinking? She’s happily married. Get your mind back on business, Beaumont! What’s wrong with you? Reprimanding himself, Bryan blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Can he start right away?”

Laura seemed startled, hesitating before she answered. “The opening is available as of Monday, however…”

“Have you interviewed a lot of families for this position? It seems infant openings are in great demand.”

Laura lifted her gaze to his, irritated at this man’s presumptuousness. “I haven’t advertised the opening yet.” Truth be known, she’d been picking up the phone to do so when he’d called.

She looked back at the baby in her arms. As much as her heart ached for these two and the pain they were feeling, she couldn’t do it.

Laura considered how to tell Bryan that she wasn’t up to taking on a child who would need an extra dose of mothering.

“Mr. Beaumont, I think you’d be better off looking for another live-in nanny under the circumstances.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I didn’t realize the situation. I think a nanny might fit your needs better. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

“Just a minute, Mrs. Bates. I’m staying with a friend—until my house sells. The last thing we need is some woman…I mean, a nanny’s not a possibility. You came very highly recommended, and I need someone to care for Jacob.”

Laura looked into Bryan’s eyes, then at his son. Questions raced through her mind. She heard a little voice reminding her of the pastor’s sermon the previous week: “Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” But God, I have my own pain to deal with. I haven’t the strength to help a single father who obviously has no idea what to do with his baby.

Her personal struggle with this was far from over. She couldn’t say yes to Bryan Beaumont. This time, God was expecting too much. Meeting her own family’s needs was more than enough to handle.

Running her child care business, baking cakes, shuffling children between school and extracurricular activities would have been enough. But now Laura was responsible for her own duties in addition to those Todd had handled prior to his death. There simply was no extra time or energy for counseling anyone, let alone a chauvinistic executive who was willing to exchange his paternal duties for his own career.

Before her emotions took over, she backed away, using her firmest business voice. “Before either of us make any decision, I recommend you review this packet. I also require that one parent visit during business hours before enrolling your child so you can see firsthand how I run my business. This also allows you to meet the other children that I care for. Enclosed in the packet is a copy of my policies, a letter outlining my child care philosophy, as well as a sample contract. Please read everything thoroughly.” Laura motioned to the manila envelope on the table next to him.

The very way he handled himself told her that he was a man accustomed to success. If she was right, once the virile Bryan Beaumont experienced six preschoolers in action, he’d be out of her house quicker than a firecracker on the Fourth of July.

Bryan picked up the envelope, stood and walked over to her. “Thanks for reconsidering, Laura. I’ll see you in the morning.” He took the baby, and walked to an expensive foreign-made car.

“I have not reconsidered,” she muttered as the door closed behind him.