the New Year, she’d start over fresh.
She could do this.
So why did she already feel the stirrings of a headache?
Oh, right. Because the once-dubbed “Sexiest Man Alive” was clearly used to getting his own way.
A bundle of nerves curled tightly in her belly. He might be sexy, but that didn’t mean she had to put up with his attitude. Maybe he needed to remember that he was in a bind. He’d hired a nanny and Scarlett was it.
“Maggie, and everyone else at Nanny Poppins, is unavailable during the time frame you need.”
Scarlett tried like hell to keep her professional smile in place—she did need this money, and she’d never leave a child without care. Plus, she wouldn’t do a thing to tarnish the reputation of the company she’d worked for over the past several years.
She tipped her head and quirked a brow. “You do still need help, correct?”
Maggie had told Scarlett that Beau was brooding, that he kept to himself and only really came out of his shell when he interacted with his baby girl. That was all fine and good. Scarlett wasn’t here to make friends or ogle the superstar, no matter how delicious he looked early in the morning.
A baby’s cry pierced the awkward silence. With a muttered curse, Beau spun around and disappeared. Scarlett slowly stepped through the open door and shut it behind her.
Clearly the invitation wasn’t going to happen.
“I feel so welcome,” she muttered.
Scarlett leaned her suitcase against the wall and propped her small purse on top of it. The sounds of a fussy baby and Beau’s deep, calming voice came from the bedroom to the right of the entryway.
As she took in the open floor plan of the cabin, she noted several things at once. Beau was either neat and tidy or he didn’t have a lot of stuff. A pair of shiny new cowboy boots sat by the door and a black hat hung on a hook above the boots. The small kitchen had a drying rack with bottles on the counter and on the tiny table was a pink-and-white polka-dot bib.
She glanced to the left and noted another bedroom, the one she assumed would be hers, but she wasn’t going to put her stuff in there just yet. Across the way, at the back of the cabin, was a set of patio doors that led to another porch. The area was cozy and perfect for the soon-to-be dude ranch.
The lack of Christmas decorations disturbed her, though. No tree, no stockings over the little fireplace, not even a wreath on the door. Who didn’t want to celebrate Christmas? The most giving, joyous time of the year?
Christmas was absolutely her favorite holiday. Over the years she’d shared many Christmases with various families...all of which had been more loving and fulfilling than those of her stuffy, controlled childhood.
Scarlett continued to wait in the entryway, all while judging the Grinch’s home. She didn’t want to venture too far from the front door since he hadn’t invited her in. It was obvious she wasn’t what he’d expected, and he might ask her to leave.
Hopefully he wouldn’t because she needed to work these three weeks. Those extra funds would go a long way toward helping her afford housing when she left Stone River to start her new life.
Even so, the next twenty-one days couldn’t pass by fast enough.
Beau came back down the hall and Scarlett’s heart tightened as a lump formed in her throat. A full assault on her emotions took over as knots in her stomach formed.
She couldn’t do this. No matter how short the time span, she couldn’t stay with this man, in this confined space, caring for his daughter for three weeks and not come out unscathed.
She wasn’t sure which sight hit her hardest—the well-sculpted shirtless man or the baby he was holding.
Being this close to the little girl nearly brought her to her knees. Scarlett knew coming back as a hands-on nanny would be difficult, but she hadn’t fully prepared herself for just how hard a hit her heart would take.
She’d purposely given up working in homes only a year ago. She’d requested work in the office, even though the administrative side paid less than round-the-clock nanny services. She’d been Nanny Poppins’s most sought-after employee for eight years, but after everything that had happened, her boss completely understood Scarlett’s need to distance herself from babies and families.
Fate had been cruel, stealing her chance of having kids of her own. She wasn’t sure she was ready to see another parent have what she wanted. Working for Beau Elliott would be difficult to say the least, but Scarlett would push through and then she could move on. One last job. She could do this...she hoped.
The sweet baby continued to fuss, rubbing her eyes and sniffling. No doubt she was tired. From the looks of both of them, they’d had a long night.
Instinct had Scarlett reaching out and taking the baby, careful not to brush her fingertips against the hard planes of Beau’s bare chest.
Well, she had to assume they were hard because she’d stared at them for a solid two minutes.
The second that sweet baby smell hit Scarlett, she nearly lost it. Her eyes burned, her throat tightened. But the baby’s needs had to come first. That’s why Scarlett was here. Well, that and to get double the pay so she could finally move to Dallas.
She could’ve turned down this job, but Maggie was in a bind, the company was in a bind, and they’d been so good to Scarlett since she’d started working there.
Scarlett simply couldn’t say no.
“Oh, sweetheart, it’s okay.”
She patted the little girl’s back and swayed slowly. Maggie had told her the baby was a joy to be around.
“Madelyn.”
Scarlett blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Her name is Madelyn.”
Well, at least they were getting somewhere and he wasn’t ready to push her out the door. Scarlett already knew Madelyn’s name and had read all the pertinent information regarding this job, but it was nice that Beau wasn’t growling at her anymore.
Still, she wished he’d go put a shirt on. She couldn’t keep her eyes completely off him, not when he was on display like that. Damn man probably thought he could charm her or distract her by flexing all those glorious, delicious muscles. Muscles that would no doubt feel taut beneath her touch.
Scarlett swallowed and blinked away the erotic image before she could take it too far. At least she had something else to think of other than her own gut-clenching angst and baby fever. Hunky heartthrob to the rescue.
Scarlett turned away from the distracting view of her temporary boss and walked toward the tiny living area. The room seemed a little larger thanks to the patio doors leading onto the covered porch, which was decorated with a cute table and chair set.
The whole cabin was rather small, but it wasn’t her place to ask why a billionaire film star lived in this cramped space on his family’s estate. None of her business. This would just
