the morning and a goodbye before she left in the evening, and that would be it.
“Nice kitchen,” she said.
Her voice pulled him out of his reverie. “Thanks. Let me know if we’re out of anything.” He thought about the nearly bare cabinets and refrigerator, and added, “I’ll make a trip into town for groceries later. There’s plenty of meat in the extra freezer, out in the garage, but Brayden likes peanut butter and jelly.”
“I noticed,” she said with a throaty chuckle.
He wasn’t sure whether to be embarrassed or laugh with her. “Yeah, I figured you did,” he said, giving in to the latter and adding his own chuckle. From the kitchen area, he walked to the attached family room and pointed to the corner, crowded with toys. “Brayden usually plays in here. We both spend more time in here than anywhere else. Except maybe outside.”
She looked around, as if assessing the place. “Having the kitchen close by while he plays makes it handy.”
He wasn’t about to admit that they didn’t spend all that much time in the kitchen, so he checked his watch and realized that he needed to get busy. “I’ll show you the upstairs, before I go.”
“Is that where Brayden’s room is?” When he nodded, she turned back, obviously headed for the living room. “You go on, then,” she said, over her shoulder. “I can find my way. I’ll just put the toys I brought with his others and then check on him.”
Luke felt like he was being a lousy employer, if he couldn’t even spare the time to properly show her around. “Well, I—”
“No, it’s all right. Really. I’ve probably made you late.”
He stood in the doorway staring at her, stunned by her self-assurance. She reminded him of his sister, but she wasn’t nearly as bossy as Erin. This woman didn’t seem to let anything daunt her, and he begrudgingly admired her for it.
Great. One more thing to admire her for, when he was having enough trouble keeping his attention away from those long legs and those blue eyes and those—
“Will you be wanting dinner at noon?”
Luke quickly dragged his thoughts from where they shouldn’t be and shook his head. “I’ll just come in and grab a quick sandwich or something. Too much work to stop for anything, with Dylan gone.”
But instead of hurrying off to start his workday, he settled on the arm of the sofa and watched her neaten the room he’d spent a good hour straightening before she arrived. He didn’t mind, though. He liked the fact that she was tidy, and he’d make sure he didn’t cause her any more work than was necessary.
With a throw pillow cradled to her chest, she turned to face him. “This is a very nice house. Comfortable and...nice. Brayden’s mother must have very good taste.”
Luke stiffened. He’d been working on not letting the past bother him so much and wished he’d found a way to avoid what needed to be said. Besides, if she was going to be his son’s nanny, she deserved to know at least some of what had happened.
“Kendra left,” he answered, the words as stiff as his body. “Almost a year and a half ago. And hasn’t been back since.”
“With no explanation?”
“None.” But he knew that was a lie. There’d been Kendra’s form of an explanation—a tantrum in the middle of the night. One of many that had come on not long after Brayden’s birth. But he didn’t think Brayden’s nanny needed to know about that.
“She hasn’t contacted him? A phone call? Note?”
Ready to put an end to the subject, Luke got to his feet. “Nothing. And I don’t expect she ever will.” He fervently hoped she never would. Brayden was his now. Kendra had even signed the papers, giving him full and complete custody, and relinquishing all parental rights.
“I’m sorry,” she said, standing. “That’s sad. For all of you.”
He didn’t agree at all, but he didn’t say so. He didn’t miss his ex-wife at all, and Brayden didn’t remember her. They did fine without her or anyone. One mistake was enough, and he didn’t have plans to repeat it.
He walked on to the door, and she followed. When he opened it and stepped out onto the porch, he noticed the suitcases on the ground by her car. “What are those?” he asked, turning back to find her standing in the doorway.
“My things.”
He looked again at the suitcases and then at her, totally confused. “What kind of things?”
Her expression was one of complete surprise. “Why, my clothes and...and other things.”
Nothing was making sense to him. “Why?”
She was now standing in front of him, plainly as confused as he was. “Because I can’t wear the same thing every day, now can I?”
Every day? Why would she need— When it hit him, he couldn’t believe he’d been so distracted by everything going on that he hadn’t made himself clear. “You thought the job was for a live-in nanny?”
Her face paled and she took an unsteady step back, one hand going to her throat as her eyes widened. “It isn’t?”
Chapter Two
Hayley was afraid her legs weren’t going to hold her, but somehow she managed to continue standing. Her face began to burn with the heat of embarrassment, while she tried to make sense of what had gone wrong. She’d assumed her position would be that of a live-in nanny. Apparently that’s not what Luke had in mind. Why hadn’t they discussed it the day before, during the interview? There was no excuse, except that he’d been distracted, and she’d needed the job to help pay for her college tuition.
Glancing at her new employer, she realized he looked as if he’d been punched, and she wished she could think of something to say that would make everything all right. Absolutely nothing came to mind.
He glanced at his watch, then over his shoulder before turning his attention to her. “I know this is something we need to get settled, but—” He looked down, shaking his head. “It’s not like it isn’t important, because it is, but I need to get the chores done.”
In the distance, she could hear the bellowing of cattle, obviously waiting to be fed. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to let him walk away without settling the question of her employment, but she knew the importance of feeding livestock on time. “It’s all right,” she told him, hoping he didn’t pick up on her insecurity. “We can settle it later.”
He visibly relaxed, although his smile was shaky, at best. “Great. I mean, thanks. We’ll do it at lunch.” He started to move away, but stopped. “If that’s okay.” When she nodded, he let out a long breath. “Then I’ll be back around noon.”
Seeing that things were as settled as they could be for the time being, she turned for the house. She was nearly inside when she heard him call to her.
“I’ll just put these suitcases on the porch, until we decide what we’re going to do.”
“That’s
