Pierce.’
‘It’s not noble,’ he said. ‘At least, it wasn’t supposed to be noble. I’m paid ridiculous amounts for the work I do. I thought I’d house the kids, employ a housekeeper, someone to run the farm and come down here on weekends.’
‘But?’
‘Have you any idea how hard it is to find a housekeeper for five kids? In this community? I found a woman who did intermittent babysitting for a while, but the kids hated her and she quit two weeks ago. And now we’ve had chicken pox followed by school holidays. I’m going round the twist.’
‘I see that you are.’
‘And then Ruby said she’d contacted you and persuaded you to give us a try. Hence I’ve had one day of child care, a clean kitchen and a sparky clean fridge. And kids who weren’t taken away from me today. For which I’m eternally grateful.’ He hesitated. ‘Shanni, dare I ask that you’ll stay?’
‘I’m not a housekeeper.’
‘You’re excellent at scrubbing.’
‘That’s only because I’m suffering severe loss of pride. I need to vent my spleen. Scrubbing works.’
‘Ruby says you’re an artist.’
‘I’m not.’
‘No?’
‘I love dabbling with paints. Did you see my cow this afternoon? Perfect, except for one leg looking longer than the others. I measured it. It’s not. It’s perspective, but I can’t work it out.’
‘So you’re an abstract artist?’
‘I did a degree in fine arts. I worked as a curator for a tiny gallery here and an even tinier one in London. Then I scraped up enough money to open my own. It was miniscule, but it was devoted to one particular kind of art that I love. My parents lent me money. I didn’t eat. I put everything into it that I had.’
‘And?’
‘And like I said, I caught my artist boyfriend in bed with one of my models. I tossed ice water on them, and he retaliated by using my credit card to spend a fortune. I had the choice of risking my parents’ money and keeping on trying or bailing out. I bailed out.’
‘Ouch.’ He hesitated. ‘You never tried recovering your money?’
‘He said he’d have me for assault.’
‘I see,’ he said cautiously. ‘So you fled home.’
‘Yep. To you.’
‘And now?’
‘I’ll go to Ruby’s. I’ll get a job somewhere and move on.’
‘But it’d help if you could stay here for a bit while you regroup?’
‘It might,’ she admitted. ‘But I don’t intend to fall in love with these kids.’
‘Of course not.’
‘So don’t even think I might be a long-term proposition.’
‘I’m not looking for a long-term proposition.’
‘I don’t fall for kids. I don’t fall for you.’
Uh-oh. Why had she said that? It had come from nowhere but suddenly it was important that she say it.
He so needed a shave. He looked so vulnerable.
Stop it. She gave herself a sharp metaphoric slap to the side of the head. Do not fall for Pierce MacLachlan because you feel sorry for him.
‘Just because I’m a soft touch…’ she whispered, and he smiled.
‘Two of us. Two soft touches. We’re doomed.’
‘Speak for yourself.’
There was another whimper from above his head, but this time it didn’t stop. It built fast to a wail. He winced, set his coffee mug down with a sigh and rose. ‘She slept for three hours. I can’t expect much more.’
‘What will you do now?’
‘Cuddle her until she goes back to sleep.’
‘Ruby said you’re not getting work done.’
The yells from upstairs were getting more insistent. ‘Define “work”. But I guess it doesn’t matter. I just take one day—one moment—at a time.’ He walked to the door and then paused. ‘Shanni, you’ve helped me enormously today and I’m deeply grateful. If you leave right now I’ll still be grateful. I won’t put any more pressure on you. But you do need a bed for at least tonight?’
‘Wendy showed me her mother’s bedroom. She’d already made up the bed.’
‘Wendy wants you to stay.’ He put up his hands in mock defence. ‘I know. I said no pressure.’ He raised his gaze to the ceiling. ‘Okay, Bessy, I’m coming. We’ll leave Shanni here to make up her mind.’
‘I…I’ll think about it.’
‘Please.’
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