of rapt fascination on his children’s faces since well before their mother’s funeral. Had he failed them so miserably that a virtual stranger could waltz in and steal their affection with little more than a sandwich and a bag of marshmallows?
And why hadn’t anyone bothered asking him to partake in this makeshift celebration?
While Hawk felt deeply grateful to Ella for her skill and inventiveness in entertaining his children and cleaning up the weekend’s accumulation of clutter, on a purely visceral level, he felt fear welling up inside the pit of his stomach as he studied his children’s beaming faces through a plate glass window. He took a closer look at the amazing young woman he’d managed to hire to look after Billy and Sarah. In a pair of jeans and a pale lemon sweater with her thick russet tresses unfurled around her shoulders, she presented a much less ridiculous figure than she had the day before. Here was Gidget and Ann Margret and every adolescent boy’s fantasy prom date all rolled into one.
The involuntary stirring in the lower part of his body at the sight of her falling down upon the blanket to instruct his children in the art of cloud gazing was tempered by a jolt of guilt. Why, she was but a child herself! Far too young and naive to have a grown father figure panting after her like some silly pup that didn’t know any better. Like someone who hadn’t already had his heart ripped out and stomped upon until it almost stopped beating entirely.
He hoped it hadn’t been a mistake bringing Ella here. The truth of the matter was Hawk didn’t need such a luscious complication in his life right now. Having buried his passion with his wife, he had no desire to resurrect it again. Certainly not with a younger woman in his employ.
A litter box was uppermost on Ella’s list of supplies that she was going to pick up in town. She had survived the first night in Hawk’s home, and though her employer had been clearly displeased that his new nanny came with a box of kittens, he hadn’t insisted that either the kittens or Ella be put out. To have done so would have risked the wrath of his children who had promptly fallen in love with their new pets. Though Holstein and Sly remained loyally attached to Ella, Chin and Chilla were fickle creatures who seemed to instinctively understand which side of their bread was buttered with gourmet cat flavors. They purred with delight in the new masters’ little arms, giving Ella a look that as much as said there would be no more Spartan table scraps in their future. Thank the gods of universal justice, their lives as paupers were over. Indeed, Hawk had instructed her to pick up all the amenities their new pets would need.
One white puff ball, dubbed Hissy Face, demanded her fair share of food without so much as a gracious exchange of allowing anyone to pick her up and pet her. If anyone so dared, she would unsheathe her claws from their velvet scabbards and spit in alarm. For some inexplicable reason Hissy Face affixed herself to the one person in the house who made it exceedingly clear that he wanted absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with her or any of her siblings. Hawk swore the beast purposely set out to trip him whenever he crossed a room. Ella assured him it was merely “puppy” love and advised him not to fight it.
At this choice of words, Hawk turned hooded gray eyes upon her. Ella seemed not in the least intimidated by his look of censure. She merely grinned as she stuffed his checkbook in the back pocket of a pair of cut off jeans that showed off the length and curve of legs that apparently remained stubbornly pale no matter how much they were exposed to the sun.
“Are you sure you trust me with several blank, signed checks?” she asked.
Hawk considered the question from a business perspective. If she ran off with his money or squandered it on luxuries for herself, it wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to take advantage of his generosity and his means. What was it about those wide emerald eyes of hers that encouraged Hawk to put his faith in this indomitably perky young woman?
“If I trust you with my children, how could I not entrust you with my money when one is so insignificant compared to the other?” he asked honestly.
Startled by the sincerity and wisdom with which Hawk had responded to her inquiry, all teasing left Ella’s eyes. Had she so grievously misjudged him? She had been under the impression that he had been desperate enough that day she had stumbled into his life to hire anyone with a pulse. Perhaps the same instincts that made him an extraordinary businessman made him a good judge of character as well. It had never occurred to Ella that capitalists might be driven by anything other than a provable bottom line.
“I want you to get whatever you want at the store,” Hawk told her, ignoring the look of surprise on her pretty face. She looked utterly enchanting with her glorious mane of russet hair pulled back and captured by a green ribbon that matched her eyes. “Please don’t feel the need to pinch pennies. Buy whatever is convenient to stick in the oven. We’re not picky eaters. Make things easy on yourself.”
Ella fingered the coupons in her front pocket. Never before had she had carte blanche with someone else’s money. She wasn’t sure whether she was capable of shopping without mentally tallying the bill as she put each item into her cart.
“Go ahead and take my car,” Hawk said, tossing her the keys.
Ella looked at him doubtfully. She had seen that expensive foreign job parked out front and wasn’t convinced she wanted to be charged with such responsibility. Realizing that Hawk probably didn’t think her rusty, old pickup was reliable enough transportation for his children, she bit her tongue. He was probably right. Ella’s mechanic maintained the only thing holding the vehicle together was bailing wire and a prayer.
Reading the doubt upon her features, Hawk assured her, “Don’t worry. I’m amply insured.”
Ella gave him a grateful smile. His red sports car was parked out front. The epitome of opulence in sports cars, this particular model nonetheless held four comfortably. She loaded the children into their seats, buckled them safely in, and turned the ignition. It purred like one could only imagine Hissy Face might some day under perfect conditions. The seats were low to the ground and took some getting used to. Settling down into the butter-soft leather upholstery, Ella told herself that given half a chance she could easily adjust to such luxury.
Hawk walked out to the car and answered any questions Ella had about how the BMW sports car handled. Like a dream, she suspected. It didn’t take long for Hawk to familiarize her with all the buttons and gadgets on the dashboard. As the children blew their father farewell kisses, Ella rolled down her window and tried to look at ease behind the wheel of a fifty-thousand-dollar vehicle.
Hawk thought she could have well posed for a glamour shot sitting behind the wheel looking as lovely and carefree as someone born to such extravagance. In her worn cutoffs and sleeveless cotton shirt, she looked the fresh-faced all-American girl. That her makeup was minimal simply added to her allure. Physical attributes aside, Hawk decided, it was Ella’s animated response to life in general that made her so appealing. Looking back on it, he couldn’t believe he had found her less than stunning the first time he’d set eyes on her. Just remembering her ragtag appearance of flaming hair and righteous outrage that day was enough to make him smile.
Glad to see the genuine affection between Hawk and his children, Ella returned his smile. Having spent time in any number of homes, she knew how truly rare such demonstrations of love were. Indeed, experience had taught her that sometimes the most elegant homes housed the coldest families.
Nonetheless Ella could not keep the look of chastisement from her face as Hawk gave his children twenty dollars each for whatever “trinkets” they might find on their excursion in town. She had definite ideas about spoiling children and teaching them the value of hard work by attaching it to earnings. It was her considered opinion that most parents needed to spend less money and more time on their children. While it may be spare change for Hawk, the forty
