very happy, and he is a great guy,” Angie said firmly. “Now come on, let’s get your things inside so you can meet him.”
Charlene followed Angie up the sidewalk, towing a rolling suitcase behind her.
What am I going to do now? The question made her feel totally selfish in light of her mother’s transparent happiness. But Charlene’s practical side told her the situation required a change of plans. She couldn’t stay at the condo with her mother and Lloyd during what was surely the honeymoon stage of their relationship.
She needed a new plan. And fast.
What the hell was I thinking?
Nick strode away from Charlene and didn’t look back. The airport wasn’t crowded and it was a matter of moments before he reached the exit doors and walked outside. He knew it was the worst possible time to meet a woman who interested him. And Charlene London was too pretty to hire as a nanny.
He was going to have enough problems dealing with the sea change about to happen in his life. He didn’t need to move a sexy, gorgeous woman into his house to complicate life even more.
He spotted a uniformed driver holding a sign with his name in big block letters, and changed direction to reach the black Lincoln Town Car. During the drive to Andrew Sanchez’s office, he scanned a file with information about Stan and Amy’s estate the attorney had asked the driver to give him.
Andrew Sanchez was a rotund, balding man in his mid-fifties. Businesslike and efficient, he still exuded an air of concern and sympathy.
“Do you have family or friends available to help with the triplets?” he asked Nick as they concluded their meeting.
“No, but I’m planning to find a nanny. Until then I have a housekeeper, and she’s agreed to work longer hours until I can find someone.”
“You might want to consider two nannies,” Mr. Sanchez commented. “Those three little girls are dynamos.” He grinned with wry affection. “I’m glad you’re a younger man, because just spending an hour with them at their foster home wore me out. You’re going to need all the energy you can muster.”
Nick nodded. He didn’t tell the older man that he had no clue how much energy one little girl required from a caretaker, let alone three of them at once. “You’re continuing to search for Amy’s sister?”
The attorney nodded. “I’ve hired a detective agency to look for her. They told me they can’t give us a time frame, since she’s out of the country, but at least Amy’s e-mail files gave us the name of the mission organization in Africa that employed her. It’s a place to start hunting.” He sighed. “The e-mail records on Amy’s computer indicate her sister stopped communicating a month or so ago. Also that Amy had been trying to contact her but had no success.”
“Any idea why?”
“Lana and her husband apparently resigned their positions with the relief agency where they were employed. But we don’t know where they went after that. And given that the two are working in a remote area of Africa, well…” Sanchez spread his hands and shrugged. “It’s anyone’s guess where they’ve gone or how long before they surface. As I said, the detective agency warned me they can’t guarantee a time frame for locating the couple.”
“Let’s hope they find her soon. I have to believe Amy’s sister and her husband will be better at caring for three little girls than I am.”
“The important thing is that you’re willing to try.” The attorney shook his head. “The interim foster home where the girls are staying is a good situation, but they can’t stay there indefinitely. They’ll be much better off with you while we’re searching for their aunt.”
“I hope you’re right.” Nick wasn’t convinced.
It was after 6:00 p.m. before the attorney and Nick finished going over the will and other documents.
“I took the liberty of booking a room for you in a nearby hotel,” Sanchez told him as they pushed back chairs and stood. “I understand the triplets are in bed for the night by 7:00 p.m. I thought you might want to wait until morning to see them.”
“I appreciate it.” Nicholas held out his hand. “Thanks for everything.”
“You’re welcome.” The attorney’s clasp was firm. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you. And I’ll notify you as soon as I receive any information as to the whereabouts of Amy’s sister.”
Nick walked to the door. “It seems odd to pick up the girls and leave Amarillo without saying goodbye in some way.”
“I know.” The attorney nodded. “But their wills were very specific. As the closest living relative, Amy’s sister will organize a memorial service so friends can pay their respects when she returns.”
“I’m damned sure neither of them ever thought they’d die together and leave the kids,” Nick muttered, almost to himself.
“No one ever does.” Sanchez shook his head. “It’s a hell of a situation. We’ll just have to do the best we can and search diligently for the children’s aunt.”
“Right.” Nick said goodbye and left the office to climb into the town car once more.
The conversation with Andrew Sanchez had driven home the unbelievable fact that Stan and Amy were gone. Nick barely noticed the streets the limo drove down as they headed toward the hotel.
Despite his conviction that Charlene wasn’t the best choice for an employee on a purely personal level, he definitely believed her experience made her the perfect woman to care for Stan’s daughters. Before he unpacked his bag in the hotel room, he called his office in Red Rock and asked his assistant to run a preliminary employment check on Charlene London.
Just in case, he told himself, she called and said yes to the job offer. He knew the fact that she hadn’t given him her contact number made the likelihood a million-to-one shot—but he was a man who believed in luck.
And he was going to need a boatload of luck to get through the next few days, or weeks, or however long it took before the triplets’ aunt showed up to claim them.
Chapter Two
The following morning, the same limo driver picked Nick up promptly at 9:00 a.m.
“We’re here, sir.” The driver’s voice broke Nick’s absorption in memories and he realized they were parked in front of a white rambler with a fenced yard and worn grass. It looked lived-in and comfortable.
“So we are,” he muttered.
“Mr. Sanchez told me to wait and drive you all to the airport when you’re ready, sir.”
“Good, thanks,” Nick said absently, focused on what awaited him within the house.
A round young woman in jeans and green T-shirt answered his knock, a little girl perched on her hip.
“Hello, you must be Nick Fortune. I’m Christie Williams. My
