Читать книгу Marrying the Virgin Nanny / The Nanny and Me: Marrying the Virgin Nanny / The Nanny and Me - Teresa Southwick, Teresa Southwick - Страница 7

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?”

She shrugged. “I’m good at what I do, Mr. Garrett.”

“I couldn’t say about babies in general,” he said, a smile cutting through his uncompromising expression. The transformation was amazing. “But I saw for myself that with my son you’re very skilled.”

She wasn’t the only one. Her skill was infants, his was flattery. At first he’d kept it securely under wraps, along with his seriously compelling charm. Now that he needed them, he pulled out both and set them on stun. “Brady is a beautiful child.”

“He’s more than that, Ms. Shepherd—”

“Maggie.”

He nodded. “He’s my son, Maggie. I’m a demanding boss. I’ll admit that. And I don’t know a lot about babies. I’ll admit that, too. But most important for you to know is that I’m a protective father. It seems to me that when caring for a child there are some basic nonnegotiable principles.”

“Such as?”

“Doing your job. When I arrived home from the office unexpectedly, I found nanny number three on the balcony with a glass of wine and Brady in his crib crying.”

Maggie was shocked. “That’s horrific.”

“I thought so, too, and fired her on the spot.”

“Good for you.”

“So, you see, I find myself in a situation. I have a business to run.”

“I’ve heard of it. Garrett Industries is developing that huge project just off the 15 freeway, the one monopolizing all the construction cranes in the Southwest.” When he grinned again, her chest felt funny even before her pulse fluttered.

“There’s nothing I’d like better than to stay home and care for my son, but I have obligations. People are counting on me and I’m counting on you. I’m in great need of your services.”

“What about my references?”

“I understand that there’s no way to measure a person’s ability to do a good job, but it would reassure me to see something in writing that says you’re qualified to care for children. But I’d like to hire you right now, references pending.”

When Brady started to whimper harder, she really felt as if this was a father-son tag team. They were piling it on. His crying went from half-hearted to off the chart in a matter of seconds and Jason handed him back to her.

“Hey, sweetie,” she soothed, and tried stroking his palm again. After several heaving sobs he started to quiet.

“I think I’ve just seen all the references necessary,” Jason said. “He wouldn’t stop crying for me and I offered him a thousand dollars. The interview is over, you’re hired.”

Maggie wasn’t so sure this was a good idea, but she simply couldn’t walk out on this child. “Okay.”

“Brady is asleep.”

Jason looked up and saw Maggie in the doorway to his study. He’d been completely focused on the information in the envelope that Ginger Davis had messengered over. Reading about his new nanny was priority number one and he’d forgotten about asking her to join him when the baby was settled.

Sitting behind his flat oak desk in his home office, he held out a hand. “Have a seat.”

She picked the left wingchair across from him, then folded her hands in her lap as she met his gaze.

“Is Brady all right?”

“He’s an angel,” she said, smiling for the first time. “He’s bathed, fed and sleeping like a baby.”

“Good.” He nodded toward the stack of papers. “Ginger is very efficient.”

“I’ve always found her to be a woman of her word.”

Good to know because The Nanny Network charged a hefty amount of money for the service provided. Everything in life came with a price tag, but you didn’t always know if it would be worth what you paid.

In the case of his son, he wasn’t disappointed. He’d never known a love like he’d felt when he saw Brady for the first time. And the feeling had multiplied tenfold since he’d brought him home from the hospital. When Catherine had broken the news about the unplanned pregnancy, her next comment was that it would be history soon. Jason couldn’t accept that his child would be removed as if it were nothing more than an inconvenience, an annoyance, a stain on the carpet.

After intense negotiation and a large settlement, he had a son whose mother received a bonus for signing off all rights to him. He’d have paid her far more than she’d happily taken, but that had been enough to finance plastic surgery or any other physical enhancement to further her acting ambitions. What he hadn’t counted on was how complicated finding competent child care would be.

“So you finally have my references?” Maggie asked.

Her voice pulled him back from the memories, and he glanced at her before again scanning the résumé that included very thorough background information. “You’re an orphan?”

“That would assume my parents are dead. In fact, I don’t know where they are. I never knew them at all. As an infant I was left on the steps of the Good Shepherd Home for Children where I was found by Sister Margaret and Sister Mary.”

Her tone was so moderate and matter of fact it was several moments before the pieces formed a complete picture. She’d been no bigger than Brady when she was discarded, an annoyance, an inconvenience. “So Margaret Mary Shepherd—”

She nodded. “I was named after two nuns and a home for abandoned children.”

It wasn’t often that people surprised him, but he was surprised now. “Forgive me, I don’t know what to say.”

“That implies you pity me.”

“No, I—”

“It’s all right. I consider myself lucky. Everyone was good to me. No one turned me away when I asked for more gruel.” She smiled at her reference to the famous scene in the dark Dickens book. “I had a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in and people who cared about me. I’m healthy and privileged to do a job I love. I didn’t end up in a Dumpster or as a sensational, sad headline in the newspaper. It could so easily have been a story with a tragic ending, but someone cared enough to give me to the sisters.”

Catherine hadn’t cared, but for a price she’d given him Brady.

Maggie Shepherd met his gaze and her own was unapologetic, clear-eyed and proud. There was no sign that he intimidated her and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Considering his recent nanny problems he’d have preferred a healthy dose of fear.

At first sight he’d thought her plain, although her wide dark-blue eyes that sort of tilted up at the corners were very unusual. Her brown hair was pulled back in a long ponytail. If worn long, it would spill over the shoulders of her turtleneck sweater and down her back. For some reason, he wanted very much to see it loose, maybe so that she’d look older, less like a fourteen-year-old babysitter.

When she’d held his son and smiled, the mouth he’d thought a bit too wide was suddenly intriguing. The tender expression in her eyes when she looked at the baby made her beautiful. Not home-run-with-the-score-tied-in-the-ninthinning exciting, or touchdown-to-take-the-lead-with-thirty-seconds-left-in-the-fourth-quarter stunning. But the individual features blended on a canvas of pale, flawless skin mixed with an air of sweetness and formed a pretty picture.

He folded his hands and settled them on the desk as he leaned forward. “Do you wonder about your parents?”

Her serene look didn’t slip. “It’s a waste of energy.”

“But aren’t you curious about anything?” He couldn’t help wondering if Brady would have questions about where his mother was and why she’d disappeared from his life. The truth wasn’t pretty, and Jason wasn’t prepared to tell it. But at least he knew what the truth was. Maggie had no details about her parents and he wondered if that bothered her. “Do you ever think about where they are? What they’re like? Why you are the way you are?”

She stared at him for a moment, then stood, serenity suddenly shattered. “If this is your way of saying you think I’m unsuitable for the nanny position…”

He stood, too, and noticed for the first time how small she was. Fragile, almost. He towered over her and now it made him feel like a bully until he remembered her fierce determination to comfort a distressed baby. She’d been like a force of nature.

“I didn’t mean to pry,” he said. “But I feel within my rights as a father to know the woman in whose care I’m leaving my son.”

“If you don’t trust me, I’d appreciate it if you’d simply say so.”

“There’s nothing in your background, personal or professional, that made me change my mind about hiring you.”

“Fine. Then, if it’s all right with you, I’ll go settle in while Brady is sleeping.”

“Will you stay for another moment? I have just a few more questions.”

She hesitated, then sat down again. “All right.”

“When did you first become aware that you’re a ‘baby whisperer’?” he asked, rounding the desk to sit on the corner closest to her. “I’m just curious.”

“I’ve always been around children. Everyone at the home was expected to help out, but it never felt like a chore to me. Then my first job while I worked my way through college was with a wealthy family who had four children, ranging in age from an infant to early twenties. He was in college.” Her lips pressed together for a moment before she added, “I found I liked babies.”

But she hadn’t liked something. Jason wondered about that and also about what she did after college graduation. Her background information had only said that she’d spent time in the convent without taking final vows.

“Why did you decide to become a nun?”

“I admired the sisters and wanted to be like them. It was important to me to give back, help people the way I’d been helped.” Her face was all innocence and sincerity that couldn’t quite hide the shadows.

“There are many altruistic professions that don’t require such a structured lifestyle,” he said.

“I knew what I was leaving behind in the secular life.”

So she’d dated and still chose to enter the convent. Or maybe dating drove her into the convent.

“You didn’t find what you were looking for with the nuns?” He was pushing the boundaries of this interview and he knew it. But she stirred his curiosity.

She sighed and thought for several moments before answering, as if choosing her words carefully. “It wasn’t a matter of not finding what I was looking for in the convent as much as I’m simply not good nun material.”

The corners of his mouth curved up. “Oh?”

“When you’re close to final vows, it’s a time for reflection and honesty. I simply had too many doubts.”

“About what?”

“Me.” She shrugged. “There was an expectation of sacrifice and commitment that I wasn’t sure of being able to sustain.”

“I see,” he said.

“And speaking of expectations—” she shifted in her chair, and met his gaze “—it’s time we discussed what you expect of me.”

“Take care of Brady. He’s your only responsibility. I have a cleaning service and a cook who also runs the household. If you need anything let Linda know.”

“Fine. But that’s not what I meant.” She blew out a breath. “It’s obvious to me that you’re not comfortable with Brady yet. Do you need me to teach you how to take care of him?”

“It’s your job to do that.”

“I’m not being sarcastic or judgmental,” she added quickly. “It’s just that this is different for me.”

“How so?”

“You’re a single father.”

“Is that a problem?” he asked, thinking about her first job and the oldest son. Did she get hit on? The thought made him angry. “Like I said before, if I could care for my son, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But I have a large company and need to work.”

“I understand. And are the people working for you entitled to scheduled time off?”

“Of course, but—”

“I require one day off a week. Saturday, until midday Sunday. That should be stipulated in the contract that arrived with the rest of the paperwork. Can you handle the baby for a day?” She met his gaze with a direct one of her own and when he hesitated, she said, “Since I’ve been with The Nanny Network it’s never been a problem. But I’ve never worked in a home where there wasn’t a father and a mother.”

“Like I said, the woman who gave birth to Brady is a nonissue. I’m paying you to—”

“To be his mother?” she asked.

“No—” He’d paid a woman to bring him into the world and was going to pay Maggie to take care of him. There was no need to put a finer point on it. “Why does this matter?”

“Because you’re a single father, it would make good sense for you to find a long-term situation. If I’d known that, I would have turned down the job.”

“Why?”

“I only stay for six weeks, then—”

“What?”

“That’s also in my contract. My assignments last no longer than that.”

Jason didn’t want a parade of strangers coming through. He didn’t want a revolving door on Brady’s care. Continuity and stability were the cornerstones of a well-adjusted childhood and he’d do whatever was necessary to give his son the best cornerstone money could buy. He wanted long term now. He wanted Margaret Mary Shepherd.

She watched him carefully, gauging his reaction. “Ginger will find someone else—”

“What if I don’t want someone else?”

From the moment she’d ignored everything but the need to protect a baby—his baby—she’d had him. No one else would do.

Shadows turned her eyes navy blue and she pulled her lips tight for a moment. “I won’t stay beyond what’s stipulated in the agreement. It’s important that you’re aware of that up front.”

“Are you already angling for a raise, Maggie?”

“This has nothing to do with money.”

Right. And he was Mother Goose.

“Look,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “This isn’t something we need to decide tonight. When the time comes, we’ll discuss new terms.”

She stood up. “Six weeks, Mr. Garrett.”

“Call me Jason.”

“All right, Jason. But I’m not budging on my deadline. I won’t stay more than six weeks.”

He watched the unconsciously sexy sway of her slender hips as she walked out of his office after issuing what could only be construed as a challenge. Obviously Margaret Mary Shepherd had never negotiated with someone who was willing and able to pay whatever it cost to have her.