She couldn’t shake the sensation of wanting to go run interference for him because he was starting out life with one strike against him. Like her.
Jason smiled tenderly at the boy. “Way to go, buddy. Getting bigger is your job.”
“Speaking of jobs,” Maggie said. “What did you do today?”
Thoughtfully, he chewed a bite of lasagna and washed it down with water. “I had a great day. In between nanny surveillance, I closed a billion-dollar deal, which will net enough money to make a significant donation to a prestigious university. It’s more than enough to ensure that my son will be accepted and get into whatever program he wants.”
“So you bought him a way into college?”
He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Let’s say I removed any doubt.”
He was a man who had the means to get what he wanted.
Twenty-four hours ago Jason had said he wanted her, and here she was. The thought set off a powerful quivering in the pit of her stomach as she recalled the dark and determined look on his face when he’d made the pronouncement.
He wanted her.
That was a heady notion, a thought she refused to take any further.
After Jason finished eating, he set his dishes in the sink, then took the baby from her. Murmuring tenderly, he settled Brady in the crook of his muscular arm, and Maggie barely managed to hold in a sigh.
Was there anything more appealing than the sight of a handsome man holding a tiny infant in his strong arms? If so, she’d never seen it.
She watched the two Garrett men walk away, although technically only one was walking. But that didn’t change the fact that she was alone. Along with the solitude, common sense came pouring in. She’d never felt a pull on her heart like this. Was it because she was a stand-in mom, being the only female on the premises? Is that why she was feeling so connected to the single father and his motherless baby?
Whatever the reason, she had to stop. She was an employee, a very temporary one, nothing more. Soon she would be a nanny to another baby. And darned if the thought of leaving was about as appealing as a header off the top of the Stratosphere. It must have something to do with the fact that they were a family without a mom and she was a woman without a family.
This strong reaction, with five weeks and six days to go, made her wish she hadn’t agreed to stay at all.
Jason wasn’t accustomed to concentration problems when he worked—either at the office, or at his home office, which was where he was now. The baby had changed his life in so many ways, and could be a distraction, but that wasn’t the problem. It had nothing to do with adjusting to his new situation and everything to do with the new nanny.
Maggie.
Margaret Mary Shepherd wasn’t the sort of woman who would normally capture his notice. She wasn’t classically beautiful nor did she have legs that went on forever. As a matter of fact, he’d never seen her legs except covered by denim, apparently the uniform of efficient nannies these days. Her appeal was all about character. She was dependable, efficient and sarcastically witty.
Admittedly, his taste in women left a lot to be desired. Case in point: his son’s biological mother who had required a large sum of money to guarantee Brady’s very existence.
Maggie wasn’t like that. If she was, it would have been easier to put her out of his mind.
A soft knock sounded on his study door. It couldn’t be Brady, so by process of elimination…His stomach tightened just a fraction with what felt like anticipation.
“Come in,” he said.
And there was his distraction in the flesh, wearing jeans and a yellow sweater, looking a lot like a slice of sunshine.
“Maggie. Hi.”
“Sorry to interrupt.”
“Not a problem.” He removed his glasses and turned off the computer, giving her his full attention—full, because she’d already had part of it since she arrived five days ago. “What can I do for you? Is Brady okay?”
“Fine. He was a little fussier than normal tonight. I hope he didn’t disturb you.”
“Never.” Thoughts of her had disturbed him, but that wasn’t her problem. Nor was it something he intended to share. “Any idea why he was restless?”
She stayed in the doorway. “Babies are a guessing game. He could have been overtired. Maybe gas. There’s no way to know. You listen to the various cries—”
“It all sounds the same to me.” Jason leaned back in his chair and linked his fingers over his abdomen. “They’re different?”
“Very.” She smiled. “There’s a frantic edge to it when he’s hungry. A sort of general dissatisfaction when he needs to be changed. Kind of a quiet mewling sound when he’s telling you off because his need wasn’t met in a timely fashion.”
“Fascinating.” As was the fact that she hadn’t moved any closer to his desk. “Where are my manners? Come in and have a seat.”
“Oh—I just wanted to remind you—”
He motioned her in and indicated one of the matching wing chairs in front of him. The smooth leather had gold buttons. Very pretentious. Very not her, but what could you do? “Please sit.”
“Okay.” She started to close the door the way it had been, then hesitated and opened it wide. “I need to listen for the baby.”
“Of course.” That was her job. She worked for him. At the office he didn’t find it necessary to remind himself that any woman was his employee. But it was different with Maggie. Must have something to do with the intimacy of living under the same roof.
She sat in front of him and the movement brought the scent of her wafting to him. It was sweet, which suited her.
“I just wanted to remind you that tomorrow is Saturday—my day off. And I won’t be back until noon on Sunday. You’ll have to get up with Brady if he needs anything. Should I notify Ginger to send someone to fill in?”
He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m looking forward to time with my son.”
“Okay.”
The smile she gave him was full of approval and he felt like he’d given the correct game-show answer that would make all his dreams come true. Her reaction shouldn’t be that important to him.
“Do you have plans for the day?” he asked, mostly to distract himself from the unsettling thought.
“I’m going to do what I do every Saturday.”
“And that is?”
“Volunteer at the Good Shepherd Home.”
“I see.” No shopping? Lunch with the girls? A manicure, pedicure or facial? He was lying. He didn’t see at all. “What do you do there?”
“I
