but see-through white nightgown.
“Mr. Stockwell, can you handle it?”
He looked up at her then. “Where were you born, Ms. Miller?”
She hesitated, but then she did tell him. “Oologah. That’s in—”
“I know where Oologah is. Birthplace of Will Rogers. Have I got it right?” She nodded. He asked, “What did your daddy do?”
Another hesitation. Then a sigh. “He ran a gas station. I was pretty little, but I still remember those gasoline trucks pulling into our station to fill up the tanks. They had your name on the side of them. Stockwell Oil.”
“Your folks still live there, in Oologah?”
Something happened in her face, a barrier descending behind those green eyes. “No, Mr. Stockwell. They do not. And you haven’t answered my question. Do you think you can put Becky to bed by yourself?”
“Yes, Ms. Miller. I believe that I can.”
“The monitor’s on the windowsill. I’ve got the receiver in my room. Just speak up if you need me.”
He held her gaze for much longer than necessary before he answered, “Thanks. But I’m sure I can manage just fine on my own.”
She turned for the door. He glanced down at Becky. Looking at his daughter kept him from watching the bit of white gown that fell below the hem of her robe, and the outline of Ms. Miller’s calves beneath it, not to mention the unconscious invitation in her gently swaying hips as she walked away from him.
Chapter Five
Kate Stockwell called Hannah on the house line at eight the next morning. “Is she awake? I thought I’d stop in before I go down to breakfast.”
Hannah smiled. “Yes, she is.”
Not five minutes later, Kate breezed into the nursery. “Okay, I’m here. Do I get to hold her?”
Hannah passed the baby over, and Kate gathered her close. Whatever shadows Hannah had seen in those deep blue eyes the evening before had been banished, apparently, with the new day.
Kate sat in the rocker and cooed to her niece. She was wearing a silk pantsuit that must have cost more than Hannah brought home in a month. However, like her brother, Kate didn’t seem to care in the least if Becky drooled all over her designer duds.
Eventually Kate spared a glance for Hannah. “Interviewing for your replacement today?”
Hannah lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “Maybe. I should at least get the ads in the papers and call the agencies. The agencies might manage to get some applicants over here today—and they definitely will by tomorrow. I’m expecting this to go real quickly. In a few days, the new nanny will start work and I’ll be out of here.”
Kate grinned. “You said that yesterday. Are you trying to convince me…or yourself?”
“Just stating the facts.”
Kate wasn’t buying. “Don’t think you can fool me, Hannah Miller. I spend my workday digging out what’s going on beneath the surface. You love this baby. You don’t want to leave her. Ever.”
What could Hannah say? “You’re right. I love Becky. And the last thing I want is to leave her. But I will. And very soon.”
“Cord told me he asked you to take the job yourself.”
“Yes, he did.”
“So why won’t you?”
“It’s best that I go.”
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