Читать книгу Nanny and the Beast - Donna Clayton, Donna Clayton - Страница 12

Just as Sophia slipped on her jacket, Michael entered the living room.

“You’re leaving?” He actually looked startled.

“Well, yes,” she told him. “It’s Saturday. I’m off today and tomorrow. I was going to come find you before I left. Tell you that Hailey was only up a couple of times through the night. She should awaken early this morning.” She picked up her purse. “I’m off to check on my cat. Pick up my mail. Check with my assistant that everything’s okay at the office. I have laundry to do, a few errands to run and—”

“Of course. Of course. Everyone deserves time off.”

The trepidation edging his words was unmistakable.

“Michael, you’re not afraid to be alone with Hailey, are you?” Instantly, she realized she’d made a poor choice of words. A dynamic man like Michael didn’t appreciate the inference that he might be fearful—of anything. Some quick rephrasing was certainly in order. “What I meant to say was that you have no reason to be uncomfortable with your daughter.” A tiny furrow bit into her forehead as she pointed out, “The other nannies you’ve employed had weekends off. I’m sure they did.”

He nodded. “And every weekend has been two days of hell.”

Sophia smiled. “Surely you’re exaggerating.”

But he didn’t return her smile. “I honestly believe Hailey and I make each other nervous. She gets cranky. I get edgy.”

“Oh, come on. Hailey’s a good baby. She’s been calm and easygoing for me since I moved in on Thursday. And she’s been great for you in the evenings, too.” Meaning only to inject a little humor, she added, “I could tell you some stories about children who were suspected of being true devil-spawn.” She chuckled, and he did have the grace to smile, albeit fleetingly.

“Besides the fact that your daughter’s so laid-back,” she continued, “you’ve done great with her over the past couple of days. You’ve made great strides. You’ve learned to feed her properly. You’ve bathed her.” She grinned. “And I haven’t had a single diaper fall off her little butt since I showed you how to fit them more snugly.”

Again he nodded. “I know. And you’re right. I’ll be fine. I’m sure.”

He didn’t sound sure.

Just then Hailey’s cry came from down the hall.

“Sounds like Her Majesty is awake,” Sophia quipped.

“I’d better get in there.” He glanced behind him, distracted by the baby. “You have a great weekend.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning.”

Hailey’s cries swiftly elevated to wails, and Michael’s gaze collided with Sophia’s. In an instant, he seemed to be standing on the threshold of panic.

Calmly, she remarked, “Sounds to me like a ‘my-diaper’s-wet-and-I-don’t-like-it’ cry and a ‘feed-me-now’ cry all rolled into one.” She set her purse down. “You change her diaper and I’ll get her bottle ready.”

At first, she thought he might reject her offer of help. But obviously he was too smart for that.

“Okay,” he agreed. “But as soon as she’s settled, you can go. We’ll be all right. I know you have things to do.”

She answered him with an easy nod and they went off in different directions.

As the bottle was warming, Sophia thought back over the time she’d spent in Michael’s home. She’d arrived feeling angry and resentful over his treatment of the women she’d placed in his home to care for Hailey. The nannies had described him as harsh and bossy and superior, and Sophia had bore the brunt of that behavior from him, too. But what those young women hadn’t seemed to grasp was that there was a logical reason behind The Beast’s growling exterior. Sophia suspected his controlling, inflexible conduct regarding his daughter was due more to his feelings of paternal inadequacy than it was his need to flaunt his authority as their employer. Of course, Sophia would never try to delude herself. He was a complicated man whose strong personality could never be completely comprehended—not in just two short days, at least. However, he had proven to her that he was willing to compromise, although she had pushed the issue a time or two. Although his list of rules remained in plain sight so they wouldn’t be forgotten, Michael had made concessions on some of the sillier ones. In fact, just last evening the three of them had taken a stroll to the park.

Sophia thought it funny, the many times over the past few days he’d staunchly referred to the information he’d read in the outdated parenting manual he’d been using as a reference. Patiently, she had worked to show him that there was a huge difference in reading instructions printed in a book and in the real, hands-on experience of caring for a newborn. And he’d been an excellent pupil, as eager to learn as any other new father would be.

She placed a drop of the formula on the tender skin of her wrist and, finding the temperature to be perfect, she twisted the top back onto the bottle securely and headed toward the nursery. Michael was just then swaddling a cranky Hailey in her blanket as Sophia entered the room.

“Good morning, Hailey,” Sophia called softly, peering around Michael’s shoulder. The baby was too busy fussing to give her much notice. “Are you hungry, honey? I’ve got your breakfast right here.”

Michael still looked a little freaked when he took the bottle she held out to him. Tucking his daughter in the crook of his arm, he said, “Let’s go out into the living room. As soon as I can get her quiet, you can go.”

“I’m in no hurry,” she assured him. Any other response would have only added to his anxiety. Besides, she spoke the truth.

He went down the hall, murmuring softly to Hailey. Walking behind him, Sophia couldn’t help but notice how he was dressed. He looked good in the business suits he wore during the work week. But today he was dressed very casually. The horizontal hunter-green piping that spanned the upper back of his cream-colored polo shirt emphasized his broad shoulders. The denim fabric of his jeans hugged his muscular thighs. The man had a great body.