Читать книгу Nanny in Hiding - Patricia Kay - Страница 11

Bryce Hathaway wasn’t looking forward to the evening. Although his family had always made a big deal out of birthdays, especially those of his grandmother, Stella, the oldest living Hathaway, he knew tonight’s celebration would be a trial because Stella Morgan Hathaway had been on the warpath for the past week.

The reason was Bryce’s youngest sister, Claudia. Since earning her MBA, Claudia had worked in the family business, but it was apparent to everyone that, unlike Lorna, she hated it. With Bryce’s encouragement, Claudia had begun to investigate other job opportunities. This meant there was a high probability she would be leaving Morgan Creek since there were few other job prospects in this town for someone like Claudia outside of Hathaway Bakery. But the truth was, part of the reason Claudia disliked working for the family business was the fact it was in Morgan Creek, as Bryce well knew.

Bryce couldn’t blame his youngest sister for the way she felt. As she’d put it last week, what were her chances of finding a guy she might want to spend her life with if she stayed in what she called “this one-horse town”? Bryce knew the answer: slim to none.

Hence Grandmother Stella’s displeasure, which was now aimed not only at Claudia but at Bryce himself.

Bryce grimaced. On top of having to contend with his grandmother’s dark looks and heavy disapproval, there was also the immediate problem of a nanny for his daughters. The second one in less than six months had abruptly quit the previous Friday. Bryce guessed he understood why it was so hard for him to keep a nanny. Claudia wasn’t the only educated woman who didn’t want to be stuck in a small town like Morgan Creek. And even if these women didn’t mind the town, they did mind the six-days-a-week, live-in requirements of the job. Not even the generous salary and private suite of rooms seemed to make up for these negatives.

Plus there was Susan.

Bryce knew he should be angry with his younger daughter, but it was hard for him to stay mad at Susan, no matter how far she tested his patience, because she was so vibrant and full of life. In those dark months after Michelle’s death, Susan had been the only one who could make Bryce smile and forget his pain.

But the nannies employed since the death of his wife three years earlier weren’t as forgiving of Susan’s pranks and subtle forms of torture as he was. Even Stella’s sweetness couldn’t make up for her younger sister’s hijinks and sometimes aggravating behavior, as one recent nanny had told Bryce in exasperation.

“I’ve had all I can take,” the woman had said.

“Look, I’m sorry about the lizard—”

“Yes,” she’d said, “I’m sure you are, but I’m still leaving.”

The lizard in the jewelry box was only the latest in a series of calculated attempts to get the nanny to resign. Susan had made no bones about the fact she didn’t like Miss Reynolds, and no matter what kind of punishment he exacted, he also knew Susan would never change. Until he found a nanny she liked, she would continue to drive them away.

“Daddy, I’m ready.”

Bryce blinked, then smiled down at Stella. It always amused him that his grandmother’s namesake was totally unlike her in temperament, whereas Susan personified the phrase “chip off the old block.”

“And where is your sister?”

“She’ll be here in a minute. She’s fixing her hair.”

Stella’s own hair, a rich golden brown like Bryce’s, lay in perfect waves held neatly back from her face with a coral headband that matched her coral sundress. Around her neck was a strand of coral beads.

“You look very nice, honey.”

Stella ducked her head in shy pleasure. “Thank you.”

“I hope your sister has taken the trouble to look good for your grandmother, too.”

Before Stella could respond, Susan came racing down the stairs—hair flying, face flushed, eyes immediately zeroing in on Stella’s.

Bryce knew that look. Susan was up to something she knew he would disapprove of and was silently commanding her sister to keep her mouth shut. He also knew it would be futile to question either girl. Whatever it was Susan was planning, he’d just have to wait until it happened. Then he would deal with her.

He quickly inspected Susan, who—miracle of miracles—had chosen to wear a green flowered sundress just as pretty as Stella’s. Even her curlier hair—a shade lighter than Stella’s—looked good.

Bryce smiled his approval. “All right. Let’s gather up your grandmother’s presents and get going. You know how she feels about people not being on time.”

Susan made a face, then grinned at Stella.

Stella returned Susan’s smile.

Sometimes it pained Bryce to see how much Stella wanted to please—not just him, but everyone. He hoped she would outgrow this tendency and become more independent in her thinking. Otherwise he was afraid she was bound to have lots of problems in life, not to mention the very real possibility that she might decide she needed to please the wrong people. He knew he would have to keep close tabs on her, maybe even closer tabs than on Susan.

It was damned hard being a parent, and being a single parent was even worse, especially to daughters. Good thing he had three younger sisters. At least he had a better understanding of girls and the way their minds worked than a man who had never been around many females.

Even so, it was tough raising the girls on his own. He never knew if he was doing the right thing or not. Most of the time, he just muddled through each day and prayed for the best.

Thank God for Lorna, he thought as he and the girls walked across the park-like land that separated his home from the family mansion and gave at least an illusion of privacy. His favorite sister had no children of her own and, especially since her divorce and Michelle’s death, had lavished her motherly instincts and attention on his daughters. They, in turn, adored their aunt Lorna.

The lights of the big house, as Bryce and his siblings had always referred to the main residence within the family compound, were ablaze as he and the children approached.

“Daddy? Is Cameron going to be here tonight?”

“Yes, Susan, everyone’s going to be here.”

“Cool.”

Cameron was the daughter of Bryce’s sister Chloe and her husband Greg, who lived in Austin. Although Cameron was fourteen, six years older than Stella and seven years older than Susan, they both worshiped her. At the moment, she was their only Hathaway cousin, and the way things were going, Bryce was sorely afraid that situation wouldn’t change anytime soon. He knew Lorna had wanted children when she was married but had had some medical problems. Now, of course, she was no longer married. And Chloe didn’t seem inclined to have another, either. Claudia was their only hope.

By now they’d reached the wide, shallow steps leading to the massive oak double front door, which was flanked by flickering gas lamps. Although this was the house where Bryce had grown up, he never entered without either knocking or ringing the doorbell, a courtesy he expected to be returned when any member of his family visited him.

The door was promptly opened by Lucy, one of the maids. “Good evenin’, Mr. Bryce.” She gave him a big smile, then looked down at the girls. “And Miss Susan and Miss Stella. My, don’t you two girls look pretty?”

“Good evening, Lucy.” Bryce nudged the girls, who politely said their hellos and thank-yous.

“Everyone is in the drawing room,” Lucy announced.

Bryce mentally rolled his eyes. Calling the living room the drawing room was something his mother had initiated a few years back, after a trip to England. The affectation had always bothered him. The Hathaways made no pretense of being upper class. Like the Morgans, his grandmother’s family, the Hathaways had come from hardy pioneer stock—people who had worked hard for a living, doing mostly physical work.

Why his mother felt the need to pretend otherwise was a mystery to him. But it hadn’t seemed worth making an issue of, just as so many things were not worth causing more strife in the family than was already there. Bryce believed in picking his battles carefully. That way, his energy was channeled into areas that were important and not just irritations.

The girls raced ahead of him into the large rectangular room that took up the entire right front section of the house. An equally large dining room was across the hall, occupying the left front of the house.

As he entered the elegantly furnished room, he realized most of his family had already arrived. Lorna stood talking to a petite, dark-haired woman Bryce didn’t know, and there was Chloe, her husband Greg and their daughter Cameron, who had all driven down from Austin, and of course Claudia, who still lived at home, along with Bryce’s parents, Jonathan and Kathleen.

Before stopping to talk to anyone else, he headed straight for the far end of the room where his grandmother sat ensconced in a navy velvet Queen Anne chair. At ninety, Stella Morgan Hathaway was still a handsome woman with regal bearing. Her snowy, waist-length hair had been twisted and piled on top of her head, secured with diamond and ruby combs. Matching diamond and ruby earrings and bracelet glittered in her ears and on her right wrist. She wore a long, garnet satin evening dress and, to guard against the chill of the air-conditioning, a white cashmere shawl was draped around her shoulders.

As Bryce and the girls approached, she lifted her chin. Although she smiled, her blue eyes were cool as they met his.

Still mad at me, he thought. His answering smile was warm and loving, for he did love his imperious, stubborn grandmother. He’d always loved her. When he was a boy, she was the one he confided in, the one who counseled him and comforted him and encouraged him. His mother had been too preoccupied with the social activities she used as a substitute for a happy marriage, and his father had been too mired in his own insecurities and discontent to spend much time or effort on his son.

The girls hugged and kissed their great-grandmother, added their presents to the pile near her feet, then skipped off to join their cousin.

Bryce bent down and kissed his grandmother’s soft cheek. The scent of roses, a hallmark of her favorite perfume, clung to her skin. “Happy birthday, Grandmother.”

“It would be a lot happier if you would talk some sense into Claudia.”

“Gran, we’ve been all through this.”

Her lips tightened. “That doesn’t mean I’m satisfied with your decision.”

“I know, and I’m sorry about that.” Bryce almost added more, then decided not to. As he’d pointed out, everything had already been said. More than once. He wasn’t going to change his mind, and his grandmother would not change hers. “We’ll just have to agree to disagree.”

“I suppose you approve of that application she made to that school in Houston.”

“Yes, I do.” Claudia had applied to teach business classes at a community college there.

“Hmmph. Houston. Nothing but dirt and crime and traffic.”

“Gran, that’s not true. I’ve been to Houston lots of times, and I really like the city. There’s lots of energy there. And lots of young people. If a job comes through for Claudia, I think it’ll be good for her to move there.”

He could see how his grandmother was struggling not to lose her temper. This issue was one of the few times Bryce had ever crossed her, one of the few times anyone had ever crossed her, and he knew his opposition was hard for her to swallow.

Saying, “You’ve ruined my birthday,” she put her chin in the air and refused to utter another word.

Giving her a second kiss on the cheek, he murmured, “I’m sorry you feel that way, Gran. Try to remember that disagreeing with you doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” Turning away, he finally directed his attention to the other guests in the room.

“Bryce,” Lorna said. She had walked up behind him with the stranger he’d noticed earlier in tow. “I’d like you to meet an old friend. Amy, this is my brother, Bryce. Bryce, this is Amy—” Lorna broke off and gave her friend a quizzical smile. “I never asked you what your married name is. Or if you had gone back to using Summers again?”

“Not with Calista,” the woman said. “Our last name is Gordon.”

“Oh, of course. I took my maiden name back because there weren’t any children involved.”

Bryce took this exchange to mean the woman was divorced.

Turning her attention back to him, Lorna said, “Amy and I met at Florida State that year I was there. In fact, we were roommates. She and her little girl are staying with me for a few days.” She inclined her head. “That’s Calista over there, with Cameron and the girls.”

Bryce caught a glimpse of a cute, dark-haired girl in a pink-checked dress.

“It’s nice to meet you, Amy,” he said, wondering when they had arrived. Lorna hadn’t mentioned expecting company at work today.

“Thank you.” Amy smiled and put her hand out.

Bryce shook it. She had a firm grip for such a small woman. She also had a direct gaze and huge brown eyes that dominated her face. “I hope you won’t be bored here. There’s not much to do in Morgan Creek.”

“It’ll be fun just to catch up with Lorna.”

He liked her voice, too. It was low, with a musical quality and slight Southern drawl. “So you two were roommates?” Those eyes really were incredible. It wasn’t just their size. Their color—a rich, warm brown flecked with gold—was arresting, and setting them off were thick dark lashes.

“Yes. And I missed Lorna after she left.”

She smiled at Lorna, and Bryce saw that she had a small dimple at the right side of her mouth.

“Amy’s on her way to California,” Lorna explained. “She’s a kindergarten teacher and hopes to find a job and settle out there.”

“Whereabouts in California?”

Amy shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. I like small towns, and I was thinking maybe I’d go somewhere near the San Diego area.”

As Bryce was framing another question, a flurry at the entrance to the living room announced another arrival. Bryce saw that it was Jake Kenyon, their neighbor and a long-time family friend, accompanied by his daughter, Tara. Tara and Bryce had grown up together, and until Bryce had met and fallen in love with Michelle, Bryce knew that his family and most of the townspeople had assumed he and Tara would eventually marry.

Tara had married within six months of Bryce, and Bryce had always wondered if the marriage had been her answer to his. Whatever the reason, it hadn’t lasted long. Not even two years, and the union had produced no children.

During the years Bryce was married to Michelle, Tara had spent most of her time in Dallas, working as a runway model for several of the designers based in the city. She hadn’t needed to work—as Jake’s only child she had plenty of money and stood to inherit a fortune—but Bryce knew the attention she received from her modeling and the whirl of the Dallas social scene were the big draws. At one point, she’d been engaged to some bigshot Dallas power broker, but she’d broken the engagement. He’d never known the reason why.

Six months ago she’d returned to Morgan Creek and now spent her time helping her father with his many business interests. She’d also become heavily involved with the local rodeo committee, for Morgan Creek and the neighboring town of Bailey Springs joined together to sponsor the annual Morgan Bailey Livestock Show and Rodeo, one of the largest in Texas.

Bryce genuinely liked Tara, and sometimes he wondered if that affection and their long friendship and similar backgrounds might not be enough…for something more. The girls seemed to like her, too. And yet…after having the real thing with Michelle he wasn’t sure he could settle for less.

With this thought in mind, he watched as Tara and her father headed in his direction.

Tara Kenyon looked like a movie star, Amy thought. Tall and slim at about five foot eight, she had luxurious chestnut hair and glittering green eyes. Her features were flawless: straight nose neither too long nor too short, plump lips, perfect white teeth, beautifully arched brows, long, thick, curly eyelashes and a creamy complexion with just a hint of a tan.

And that body! Amy could only dream of such a body. It was very slender yet curvy, with full high breasts and a nicely rounded rear.

Tonight she wore a figure-skimming silk sheath in a shade of tangerine that looked fabulous on her and complemented both her hair and her skin. The dress ended several inches above her knees, revealing long, gorgeous legs and high arched feet with perfectly manicured toes shown to advantage in strappy gold stiletto heels.

Next to her, Amy felt colorless and dull in her beige dress and plain brown sandals, but the outfit was the best she’d packed in readiness for her chance to flee. The reminder that she was here on false pretenses took away some of the pleasure she’d begun to feel at her warm welcome from Lorna’s family.

Watching Tara, Amy saw that she acted like a star, too, barely acknowledging the introduction to Amy as her gaze moved unerringly to Bryce. Only then did she turn on the full wattage of her smile.

Leaning forward, she kissed him on the mouth. “Hello, stranger. Haven’t seen you in a few days,” she drawled sweetly. “Where have you been hiding yourself?”

“Another nanny quit,” Bryce said.

“Are you sure you’re not beating them or something? Not that it might not be pleasant to be beaten by you.” This last was said with a low chuckle.

With unspoken accord, Amy and Lorna moved away.

“Bitch,” Lorna muttered.

Amy couldn’t help laughing. “I take it you don’t like her?” she whispered.

“Remind me to tell you some Tara stories tonight after we get back to the house.”

Just then Lorna’s youngest sister, Claudia, approached. Amy had met Claudia and the rest of Lorna’s family earlier and was struck by how attractive they all were. Lorna reminded Amy of Cameron Diaz with her big eyes and wide smile, whereas Claudia was a Meg Ryan type with her coltish grace and impish grin. Chloe, the oldest sister, had more classical good looks, sort of a cross between a young Cheryl Ladd or a Michelle Pfeiffer. They were all blonde—although Amy suspected some of the blond came from a bottle—blue-eyed, slender and tanned.

Bryce was very attractive, too, but in a different way. His hair was darker than the girls’—more brown than blond—but he also had those intense blue Hathaway eyes. Amy decided she wouldn’t exactly call him handsome. His chin was too square and his nose a tad crooked, but in addition to those great eyes, he had a terrific smile, and he exuded warmth and strength. Not to mention tons of sex appeal. These were all qualities Amy was sure most women found irresistible—not just Tara Kenyon.

It was easy to see where the women got their good looks, for their mother, Kathleen, was a beauty, almost as perfectly put together in her way as Tara Kenyon was in hers. Yet there was something about the expression in Kathleen Hathaway’s eyes that told Amy the older woman wasn’t happy. Amy wondered if that unhappiness was related to Lorna’s father. Jonathan Hathaway was handsome, but there was a softness about him that Amy found off-putting.

“So what are you two plotting?” Claudia asked with a grin as she joined them.

“No plot,” Lorna said. She leaned over and stage-whispered into Claudia’s ear, “Just dissing Miss T.”

Claudia grimaced. “Oh. Her.”

Amy was gratified to find she wasn’t alone in her almost immediate dislike of Tara Kenyon. Glancing back, she saw that the woman had slipped her arm through Bryce’s and was looking up at him as if he were the only person in the room.

“Yep,” Lorna said, following Amy’s gaze. “She’s gunning for him.”

“Your brother doesn’t act as if he minds.” It disappointed Amy that he seemed to welcome Tara’s attentions, but it didn’t surprise her. No man would be immune to a woman like Tara, she was afraid.

“She’s been after Bryce since she was knee high to a grasshopper,” Claudia said with an exaggerated country accent.

“Yeah, she nearly croaked when he brought Michelle home and announced their engagement,” Lorna added with a wicked grin. “I don’t think it ever entered her head that he’d marry someone else. It’s one of the few times in Tara’s life that she’s ever been denied something she coveted.”

Just then Bryce and Tara walked in their direction, and the sisters immediately changed the subject.

“So, Amy,” Claudia said, “Lorna tells us you’re heading to California?”

Amy nodded.

“Do you have family out there?”

“No. I just wanted a change.”

“She wanted to get away from her ex,” Lorna added.

“Well, I admire you. I want a change, too, but I haven’t done much about it.”

“You’re doing something,” Lorna said.

“Finally,” Claudia said.

“Hey, it’s not easy bucking Gran.”

Claudia made a face. “Tell me about it.”

“Mommy, Mommy! Lookit what I got.”

The three women turned at the sound of Calista’s excited voice. Amy smiled as her daughter, followed by Bryce’s two girls, skidded to a stop in front of her. Eyes bright with happiness, she lifted a strand of coral beads that were hanging around her neck.

“Where did you get those?” Amy asked.

“Stelwa gave ’em to me.”

Stella Hathaway gave Amy a shy smile.

“That was sweet of you, Stella,” Lorna said. She pulled Stella close and gave her a shoulder hug.

“I have some beads like those,” Susan piped up, “but mine are green. She can have mine, too.”

It was obvious from her tone of voice that Susan had no intention of being outdone by her sister.

“What generous girls you are.” This came from Claudia, who winked at Amy.

“Did you say thank you?” Amy asked Calista.

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I’d like to thank you girls, too.” Amy smiled down at Susan and Stella. “But maybe your father won’t like you giving away your jewelry.”

Susan made a face. “He doesn’t care.”

“We bought the beads with our own money,” Stella offered. “When we were in Mexico last year.”

“You went to Mexico?” Amy said.

“Uh-huh,” Susan said. “We took a cruise with Daddy.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“Claudia and I went, too,” Lorna said. “And it was fun.”

“We had our own party,” Susan said.

“While the adults were having a cocktail party,” Lorna explained.

“It was cool,” Stella said. “We got to dance and everything.”

They talked about the cruise a few more minutes, then the girls trooped off—the older two each holding one of Calista’s hands.

“I haven’t seen those girls take to anyone like that in a long time,” Claudia said, watching them walk away.

“Neither have I,” Lorna added thoughtfully.

Amy watched them, too, thinking how much she was going to hate leaving Morgan Creek. She’d only been here a few hours and already she felt at home. And, obviously, so did Calista. It really was sweet how Susan and Stella were looking after her.

Just then one of the maids came around with a tray holding glasses of champagne, and a few minutes later the adults were called across to the dining room where dinner was ready to be served. The children would eat in the morning room, Lorna explained to Amy, supervised by two teenage sitters her mother had hired for the evening. “Mother and Gran like civilized meals,” she added with a laugh. “Meaning, they don’t even want to see the children, let alone hear them.”

“Yeah,” Claudia said. “We weren’t allowed to dine with the adults until we turned sixteen. And even then, woe to anyone who couldn’t behave themselves.”

Amy thought about the way she was raised, which was so different. Of course, she was an only child and had been born to parents who were already in their forties and who had never expected to have a child. Consequently, they were so delighted, they liked having her with them all the time. When Amy started school, it was Amy’s mother who had cried instead of Amy. Remembering, Amy felt a frisson of sadness. Her mother had been dead for nearly ten years, and Amy still missed her.

Once in the dining room, Amy found herself seated across the table from Tara Kenyon and Bryce, who was on Tara’s right. Amy was seated between Lorna and Greg Standish, Chloe’s husband. Greg was extremely handsome, Amy thought, and very charming. Almost too charming. When he turned to her, giving her the full force of his attention, she decided if he were her husband, she might never let him out the door.

“So you and Lorna were roommates in college?” he said.

“Yes.”

“Lucky Lorna,” he murmured.

Amy had never been comfortable with men who flirted as easily as they breathed. She was not a mistress of light banter, and she was particularly bad at anything with sexual overtones. Maybe this was because she had spent her working life with children, who were nothing if not direct, so she’d never had a chance to master subtleties. Or maybe it was because Cole had been so possessive and jealous that she’d had no opportunities to develop her skill at casual, social flirting. On the other hand, maybe it just wasn’t in her to be anything but straightforward in her relationships with others. And yet, here she was, presenting a false front to all these nice people, she thought with a renewed stab of guilt.

“Behave yourself, Greg,” Lorna said.

Greg just laughed and winked at Amy.

“Bryce,” Lorna said, “did you notice how taken Susan and Stella are with Amy’s little girl?”

“I did.” His gaze met Amy’s, and he smiled. “She’s a charmer.”

“Thank you.”

“Well behaved, too,” Lorna added. “Which isn’t surprising, seeing as how Amy’s background is teaching young children. I think I told you that’s what she plans to do in California.”

Amy wished she could find a way to change the subject. She was sure Lorna’s brother didn’t care what her plans were, plus she didn’t like being the focus of everyone’s attention.

“Why are you going to California?” Bryce asked. “Is it because you have a job lined up there?”

She knew he was just being polite. “No, not yet.”

“Would you consider staying in Texas if you could find a job here?”

She was surprised by the question. “I…I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it. I guess if I happened upon a job somewhere like Morgan Creek, I would. I like small towns.”

Bryce studied her for a long moment. She couldn’t imagine what he was thinking.

Then he said, “Maybe that could be arranged.”

“Really? Do you know of an opening here?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes, I do.”

At this, Tara Kenyon said, “She’s a kindergarten teacher, Bryce. There’s only one kindergarten in Morgan Creek, and Allison Stuckey has that job.”

“I was thinking along different lines,” Bryce said, not looking at Tara. Once again he smiled. “Amy, what would you think about coming to work for me as a live-in nanny to my girls?”