works for me, too. Harold, my butler, has a house on the ranch and his wife cooks for the people who work here.” Cade took Erin’s arm lightly to lead her out, and was surprised when the faint contact sent tingles up his arm. Yes, he thought, the woman was certainly tempting. Thank goodness once he had her situated and familiar with her charge and his staff, he could throw himself into work and see her less.
But how could he do that?
He needed to learn how to cope with Amelia. He needed to follow Erin around and see how to care for his charge. He also needed to bond with Amelia and when he did, Erin would be present, too. They were going to be thrown together, living together in his ranch house, spending a lot of time together with Amelia. And he had to remain cool and professional, the boss and his nanny.
He clung to the knowledge that even though Erin was gorgeous, there were other beautiful women who were far more lighthearted, ready to party, wanting the same freedom he did and who hadn’t lost a baby or been hurt badly in a recent broken engagement. There were so many reasons to remain professional and distant with her, so why did they seemed to evaporate when he looked into her big, green eyes?
They entered the kitchen where a slender woman with braided blond hair wiped the countertops. “Ahh, hello, there,” she said. “You must be Luke’s younger sister. I can see a family resemblance.”
Erin laughed. “I’ve heard that before, but not often.”
“Erin, meet Maisie Elsworth, my cook and the person who keeps this place going. If you have questions about Amelia, the job or the ranch, or need help, Maisie is the person to ask.”
“Absolutely,” Maisie replied, smiling. “You’ll love little Amelia and maybe you can teach this Wild West cowboy how to calm her. She’s adorable.” Maisie looked away and wiped her eyes, turning her back. “You’ll have to give me a moment. I feel as if I lost one of my own boys when we lost Amelia’s dad. The same for the little one’s mother. So sad, and sometimes it hits me out of the blue,” she said, still wiping her eyes.
Cade stepped up to put his arm around her and give her a squeeze. He stood quietly while she became composed again and turned to Erin.
“Sorry,” Maisie said. “Moments come without warning when I realize they’re gone forever and I think of little Amelia.”
“Don’t ever apologize because you love someone,” Erin said. Cade thought about her miscarriage and how much she must have hurt over losing her baby, and how much she was still hurting.
“Ahh, you’ll be a good nanny for our little baby,” Maisie told her. “I hope your brother is fine. I miss seeing him. They were fun boys, but now they’re grown men and busy and I don’t see them.”
“You see me plenty, Maisie,” Cade said with a grin. “You’ll see more of me today, but right now, I want to show Erin where she’ll be staying when she moves in.”
“It’ll be good to have you with us,” she said to Erin and Cade wondered whether he had just complicated his future while making Amelia’s more secure.
Next, Cade took Erin to a suite that held four rooms. She walked into the center of the living area, turning to look at the room that had oak floors, a thick area rug in two tones of blue, watercolor paintings of horses on the walls, and glass and teak furniture.
Cade watched her turn to look around, his gaze running over her. He was still amazed by the changes in her appearance, even though common sense told him she wouldn’t look the way she had at ten.
“Go ahead and look at the bedroom, the closet and the adjoining bathroom,” Cade urged, wanting her to be happy with the job and where she would live. “There’s also a small office with computer equipment.”
He watched her thick red hair swing slightly across her shoulders as she walked out of sight into the bedroom. When she returned, she smiled—another friendly, dimpled smile that under other circumstances he would have accepted as an invitation to flirt.
“This is marvelous,” she said. “I’ll go back to the office and give notice today. They won’t mind letting me go because I’m temporary anyway. I’ll just leave sooner than I had planned.”
He suspected they were going to mind letting her go, but he merely nodded. “Good. We’ll stop by my office and I’ll write a check to you for your signing bonus.” They fell into step and he was aware of her close beside him. When they entered his office he hastily wrote the check, his fingers brushing hers when he handed it to her.
Every physical contact, no matter how slight or how much he tried to ignore it, was noticeable—all red flag warnings that he would have to deal carefully with her.
What made the feathery brushes of their hands noticeable besides his reaction was awareness that she responded, too. Her reaction showed in tiny ways: a surprised look, a flicker in her eyes, a deep breath. Some kind of chemistry existed between them, an attraction that he could not pursue and she didn’t want.
When they walked to his front porch, she turned to face him, offering her hand.
“Thank you for this fantastic offer. I’m going to love taking care of Amelia and now I won’t have to worry about finances so much,” she said, withdrawing her hand that was soft and slender.
“Even though you’re on a full scholarship, I know your brother has offered to pay your college expenses and you’ve always turned him down.”
“He put himself through school and I want to do this on my own, too, the way he did. I have my undergraduate degree now, so I’m making progress and I see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Congratulations. That’s commendable,” Cade said, realizing she had a streak of independence that was so like her brother. “For the present, you have my phone number in case you need anything. And the offer of help to move still stands. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Thanks. I never dreamed I’d be in a business arrangement with you someday. And I’m sure you wouldn’t have thought it possible to be in one with me,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “I might as well have been wallpaper for all the attention you ever gave me back then.”
He smiled and held back a reply that came to mind instantly, that he definitely noticed her now and she wasn’t anything like wallpaper. He glanced at her full lips and wondered again about kissing her. More forbidden thoughts plagued him, thoughts that he would have to squelch. How many times would he have to remind himself?
“Cade, thank you again so very much for this job. I’m thrilled and looking forward to getting started,” she said.
With an effort, he stepped back. “See you Monday,” he said, taking a deep breath.
“Sure,” she said, giving him one more long look before she hurried to her small black car. She waved as she drove away.
He had an excellent, trustworthy nanny—and a nagging worry that he might be bringing trouble home in a big way. Was he going to be able to ignore the chemistry that smoldered between them today? Was he going to be careful to avoid trying to seduce his nanny? He had to or he’d lose his best friend forever. Besides, he wasn’t interested in commitment and Erin was the marrying kind. She had already been hurt badly and was vulnerable. He couldn’t hurt her more.
Cade watched her car go down the ranch drive,
