Czytaj książkę: «The Nanny Clause»

Chapter One

Daniel Sutton studied the stack of file folders on his desk. Since he was the only lawyer in Spring Forest now, he hardly had time to schedule all of his appointments, let alone interview prospective nannies.

If only his wife and his law partner hadn’t run off together. It had been over two years and that amount of time certainly should have settled any regrets he had.

Raina Clark, his secretary, knocked softly on his office door and then opened it. Raina kept his schedule on track. A widow in her late thirties, she was a good role model for his girls. She was always pleasant even when he added to her workload.

In the doorway, she announced, “Your daughters are here.”

The next second Paris, Penny and Pippa burst into his office. Even his oldest, Paris, who was hitting puberty and was usually moody and sullen, seemed to be bubbling with excitement. Since he was standing, she made a beeline for his office chair and swung herself around into it. Her dark brown ponytail swayed across her shoulder.

Penny, his middle daughter who hated school and loved softball and soccer, announced with her arms spread out before her, “We’re done, Dad! We’re done. School’s over for three whole months and I can go outside as much as I want.”

Penny’s light brown hair was always disheveled when she wasn’t wearing her baseball cap. Yes, their private school was over for the summer, but he would have to remind Penny that she would have to choose a summer camp to keep her occupied during the day.

His youngest, Pippa, ran to him with her blond pigtails flying and wrapped her arms around his legs. “Can you come home now, Daddy, can you?”

Pippa had finally stopped crying herself to sleep at night, but she still needed a night-light. Their mother’s abandonment had affected his sweet girls in so many different ways. He had to start interviews to find another compassionate nanny/housekeeper who was willing to deal with all of them. It was hard to hire a nanny who could keep up with his daughters.

In the meantime, he was becoming an expert at negotiation and compromise with his kids. They were all staring at him, waiting to see if he would leave work for them. He wished the decision was that easy.

Since all three were focused on him, he had their attention. That was rare. “How about if you give me five minutes to make a call before we go home?” Immediately he could see the disappointment on their faces so he added, “You can hang out with Raina or go outside to the yard.”

The choice was easy for Penny. “Let’s go to the yard. Come on.”

A door at the back of the offices led outside. Penny opened it and ran down the three steps. Pippa quickly followed her. Paris begrudgingly went along.

As Daniel made the call and waited for his client to come on the line, he considered Paris and her sullenness. She was eleven. Were hormones her problem? He certainly hoped not. And Penny, at nine...when would her tomboy days end? Or would they? And darling Pippa, at seven, just seemed lost sometimes. He never thought he was doing enough. He felt he had to be a mom and a dad, whether he liked it or not. Sometimes that just didn’t work.

Fifteen minutes later, he was ending his call when Penny rushed in. “Dad, you have to come. You have to come right now.”

He jumped to his feet and ran to the door. “Has someone gotten hurt?”

“No, but come on.” She took his hand and dragged him outside and around the side of the porch of the craftsman-style house where his offices occupied the first floor. On a side street, he was a short distance from everything in the historic district of Spring Forest. His daughters—even Paris—were on their knees trying to stretch inside the broken latticework surrounding the porch.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice louder than he intended. If there was a raccoon or something worse under there—

“It’s a cat,” Paris said with a little more excitement than he’d heard in her voice in a long time.

“She’s a calico, Dad. She must be scared because she ran under there,” Penny added.

“Of course, she’s scared,” he said. “The three of you are strangers to her.”

Penny looked up at him, her hair flopping over her eyes. “Really, Dad? Do you think we scare her?”

Leaning closer to him, Paris whispered, “I think she’s pregnant.”

“You can tell that she’s pregnant?” he asked in a tone matching his daughter’s.

Pippa backed out from the latticework, too. Sitting cross-legged, she rounded her arms in front of her. “She’s this fat. She has to be pregnant.”

So much for keeping that fact quiet. Daniel knew nothing about cats. He imagined the feline could have some disease that caused swelling in her stomach. But if she was pregnant...

Just what was he going to do with her if she did come out of hiding? Looking at his three daughters, who were so eagerly staring at him, hoping he’d find a solution, he remembered the animal shelter on the edge of town. He sent a check to them every year so the least they could do was take this cat. But he’d have to capture her first. If she wasn’t friendly and fought him, he’d need something to confine her.

“I think I have an idea,” he answered. “I’ll find food in my refrigerator to tempt her out. I’m sure there’s a carton in the storage room that we can poke holes into so she can breathe and we can put her in that to take her to the animal shelter.”

“Furever Paws?” Penny asked.

“Yes. They’re good to animals and have adoption events, so I’m sure they can find her a good home.”

Pippa piped up. “We can keep her, Dad.”

He quickly stomped down that idea. “No, we can’t. I know nothing about cats, especially not pregnant cats. The shelter will know how to care for her best. But the first thing you have to do is back off a little and talk to her softly, to try and lure her out.”

“What should we talk about?” Penny asked.

“Just tell her you want to make sure she’s all right, and we’re going to take her to a place where she’ll be cared for. I’ll find food and that box.”

So much for getting work finished today. On the other hand, he’d be spending much-needed time with his daughters before he tackled the problem of hiring a nanny.

* * *

Emma Alvarez loved volunteering at Furever Paws Animal Rescue. The problem was...she needed a real job that paid. She’d made an impulsive decision and recently relocated to North Carolina from Pennsylvania—a wrong decision. She’d come because of a man. But she’d stuck around because she liked Spring Forest and the people here. The other reason she’d stayed had to do with her pride.

Emma smiled as she passed a blue-gray wall that was decorated with framed paintings from local artists. Their subjects were all breeds of cats and dogs. She headed to the front desk for a list of the latest foster parents who were available. After removing a colorful scrunchie from her shoulder-length curly dark brown hair, she refastened her ponytail. The North Carolina humidity curled her hair until she couldn’t control it. Around the shelter and working with animals, keeping it tied back seemed to be the best style.

Glancing at the desk in the front lobby, Emma noticed the chair was vacant. Possibly the volunteer had gone into the gift shop off the lobby to help a patron.

Suddenly Emma’s attention swerved toward the double-glass front doors. Three children charged through the door in front of a tall man carrying a carton. A tall handsome man. She diverted her attention to the holes that had been cut into the sides of the box. Emma suspected an animal was contained inside.

The newcomer, with dark brown hair cut short and neat, wearing a businesslike white oxford shirt, had a commanding presence as his deep voice advised the girls, “Slow down until we know where we’re going.”

His daughters, perhaps?

Emma suspected he might be a professional man, not only because of the crisp button-down shirt—though he’d rolled up the sleeves—but also because of the pressed charcoal-gray slacks he wore along with the leather loafers. She hadn’t seen him here before.

Two of the girls were chattering away. The middle one, who looked about nine, wore a baseball cap backward and pulled on her dad’s elbow. “What will they do with her? Where will they put her? How long will they keep her?”

The smallest child seemed to be enamored with the paintings on the walls. “Isn’t that cool?” She was pointing to a photo of a cat that had been color-blocked with digital photography.

The oldest child didn’t seem to be reacting to anything. Eleven or twelve, maybe, Emma guessed. All three girls were dressed in colorful skirts and blouses.

The man raised his gaze to Emma’s. His eyes were green. To her dismay, she couldn’t seem to look away.

Thank goodness, he finally did, as he moved toward her. “Are you the person in charge?” His gaze ran down her outfit—a white T-shirt with the red logo of the shelter that was a profile of a dog and a cat in a heart—and jeans. Her wardrobe was minimal because she’d come to Spring Forest on an impulse, a very bad impulse. When she remembered that, she knew she couldn’t let herself be mesmerized by a man’s eyes or his words or his smile. Not ever again.

“I guess you could say I’m in charge at the moment. How can I help you?”

The three girls crossed to her. The smallest explained eagerly, “We found her at my dad’s law office under the porch. We think she’s pregnant.”

“It’s a cat,” the middle child explained. “She’s white with spots of black and gold and brown on her back.”

“Then she must be a calico,” Emma suggested.

Finally, the oldest spoke. “That’s what my dad’s phone said. I researched photos of cats.”

The smallest one again piped up. “Paris can’t have a phone ’til she’s twelve, and that’s only if she’s ree-spon-si-ble.” The little girl drew out the word as if it was very important.

“Girls, let’s introduce ourselves before you overwhelm this nice lady. I’m Daniel Sutton,” he said. “And these are my daughters—Paris, Penny and Pippa.”

“I’m Penny,” the middle child added, raising her hand.

“I’m Emma Alvarez,” Emma returned.

“Who painted these pictures hanging on the walls?” the youngest one asked.

Emma smiled at the child, who looked totally interested. “They’re all done by local artists. Do you like to draw?”

“Yes. But I’m not very good. I like to look at paintings.”

With a smile—a smile that really did make her stomach quiver a bit—Daniel Sutton asked, “Where would you like me to take the cat? I don’t know much about your facility. This is the first I’ve been here since the tornado hit in March.”

From what Emma understood, the shelter had been renovated since the tornado. Some renovations were still in progress. “Are you sure the cat you found doesn’t belong to a neighbor?” Emma asked.

“I checked with neighbors on both sides before we brought her in. They don’t have cats and didn’t recognize the description of this one. You are going to take her, aren’t you? I’ve made donations over the years...”

Donations were important, Emma had to admit, but that had nothing to do with whether they took an animal or not. “I’ll have to take her back to the quarantine area.”

Pippa asked, “What’s quarantine?”

Paris didn’t give Emma time to answer. “That’s a place where the animal has to stay all alone to see if she has any diseases.”

“I don’t want her to stay all alone,” Penny said with a scowl.

“She won’t exactly be all alone,” Emma explained. “She’s separated from the other animals so that we can make sure she’s healthy. We’ll scan her, too, to see if she’s microchipped. If she is, that would help us find her owner.”

Daniel Sutton’s eyes held a myriad of questions, probably tough ones about what they’d do if the cat was seriously ill. Emma didn’t want to answer them around his daughters.

“Can we go with her?” Pippa asked.

Emma crouched down to Pippa in order to make eye-to-eye contact. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you and Paris and Penny come part of the way with me. You can look through the glass wall at the other cats we have who are waiting to be adopted.”

“Do you have pups, too?” Paris asked.

“We do. You can see those also. Meanwhile, I’ll take this calico back to the quarantine area and I’ll talk to our vet tech. She’ll have to check her and see what might have to be done to care for her.” Emma’s gaze returned to Daniel’s. “I have paperwork you’ll have to fill out. If you want to wait with your daughters, I’ll collect it and bring it out.”

She reached for the box that the lawyer held in his hands. It looked as if it had once held reams of paper and it had handles on either side. After she took the box, she set it on a nearby table. “I just want to take a peek. I’m sure your girls probably want to wish her well, too.”

Pippa, Paris and Penny all gathered around the box as Emma removed the lid. “Oh, aren’t you a pretty girl,” Emma said. Her white fur was a bit dirty but her colors were vibrant.

“Are you going to give her a bath?” Pippa asked.

Emma laughed. “I doubt that. When she’s cared for and has enough to eat, she’ll groom herself. That’s what cats do. My guess is she’s tired from running here and there, trying to find a place out of the weather and get something to eat.”

The girls seemed to be hanging on her every word.

When Emma glanced up at Daniel Sutton, he was watching her. His expression was...curious, if she had to put a word to it. She was curious about him, too, but had no right to be. He was probably married.

There wasn’t a ring on his finger, but she knew better than most that the symbol of marriage might not mean anything.

Reminding herself that her only interest was the cat in front of her, and maybe the girls, she asked, “Did she give you any trouble when you handled her?”

Daniel shook his head. “She was compliant, even purred a little when Penny petted her.”

“Did you give her anything to eat?”

“I had roasted chicken in my office refrigerator. I cut off a piece and chopped it up. She gobbled it down.”

“Really fast,” Pippa added.

Paris said quietly, “She rubbed against my legs, too, over and over again, like she wanted to be friends.”

The cat was looking at Emma as if asking what was going to happen next. Emma wished she knew and hoped for the best.

* * *

Daniel felt shaken after Emma Alvarez walked away. He hadn’t been attracted to a woman since Lydia had left. What was this?

Obviously, Emma was compassionate, not only with animals, but also with children. Before Lydia left, he hadn’t even seen that compassion in his ex-wife toward her own offspring, much less strangers.

Don’t compare anything. Don’t be interested in anyone, he charged himself. He finally felt as if he was whole again and that had taken two long years.

The other stray thought he’d had about Emma Alvarez was that she’d make a wonderful nanny. He’d interviewed two women last week and neither of them had given him the impression they’d be this good with his girls.

Too picky...or too cautious? Both were true on many fronts. But Emma gave him a feeling he just couldn’t ignore, especially as he watched his daughters respond to her. Yeah, he was definitely going with his gut on this.

He watched Emma speak with a volunteer, who was caring for the cats behind the plexiglass window. That woman asked Pippa, Penny and Paris if they wanted to come in and pet a few. They did. He watched them curiously as he waited for Emma. Paris obviously had a caring streak, too. He hadn’t seen that side of her since Lydia had left.

Emma returned from the office down the hall with papers that were attached to a clipboard in hand. She said, “Why don’t we sit in the lobby while you fill these out. If you have any questions, I’ll be here to answer them.”

Daniel gently rapped on the window and Paris looked his way. He pointed to the clipboard and to the lobby, and she gave him a thumbs-up sign to indicate that she understood.

As they walked toward the lobby, Emma said to Daniel, “The feline you brought in was not microchipped. She will have to have an FIV and a feline leukemia test. I didn’t want to say anything around your girls.”

“What do you mean? What if one of the tests is positive?”

Emma gave him a sad look and he knew what that meant.

“Why?” he asked, surprised that he cared.

“There’s research being done to determine if an FIV-positive cat can be included in a multi-cat family, but for now FIV and feline leukemia are both considered highly contagious.” She gently touched his arm.

He couldn’t believe the heat that simple touch generated. When he glanced at her, he saw an almost surprised look on her face. Was she affected, too?

They’d reached the lobby and Emma cleared her throat and motioned to two chairs. After they sat, she handed him the clipboard and pen. They were sitting side by side, his knee practically touching hers. He didn’t move it away because that would be too obvious. Obvious that he was attracted? Or obvious that he wanted to remove himself?

He rested the clipboard on his thigh. The realization brought on by Emma’s words struck hard. “If you can’t save that cat and her kittens, my daughters are going to be heartbroken.”

“I do understand,” Emma empathized. “And you shouldn’t lose hope—the tests might come back negative. As soon as the vet tech is free, she’ll draw blood. The test will take about twenty minutes. I suggest you take your daughters home and I’ll call you later with the results.”

He made a quick decision. “Let me give you my cell number, then you can reach me no matter where I am. Do you have your phone on you?”

She did. She plucked her phone from her belt and tapped Daniel’s cell number into her contacts.

Thinking he should be filling out the forms, not watching Emma tap in his contact information, he felt startled when she raised her gaze to his and didn’t quickly turn away.

He did look away. The forms had become more important than Emma Alvarez.

* * *

Daniel sat in his study that evening listening to his girls play a video game in the family room across the hall. The floor plan of this house was one of the reasons he and his ex-wife had bought it after Penny was born. The house had been on the market for over a year without a buyer. The owners, a couple whose family had grown and left, had wanted to move closer to their children. He’d gotten a great deal, and he knew that. Lydia had been over-the-moon pleased.

Pippa’s laughter rang out from the family room. He glanced around his man cave at the bookshelves, at the massive desk, at the computer-and-printer setup. Neither his house nor his law degree would mean anything to him without his daughters.

He returned to looking for summer-camp selections for his girls at the community college. He hoped it wasn’t too late to enroll. As he began reading the selections, his cell phone buzzed. Picking it up, he saw on the screen that the caller was E. Alvarez. His heart began beating just a little faster.

“Mr. Sutton?” she asked.

“Call me Daniel,” he suggested. That wasn’t too informal, right? He always told his clients that, didn’t he?

Emma hesitated and then said, “All right, Daniel. The calico tested negative, and we’re taking care of her. I named her Fiesta because of all of her colors. She needs good nutrition for her babies.”

“I’m so glad she has a place where she’ll be safe,” Daniel responded.

“She’ll be safe for a time. Momma cats with babies aren’t very adoptable. The kittens will be, though, once they’re born.”

“I don’t think I’m going to tell Pippa, Penny and Paris that.”

“We can’t give Fiesta a whole lot of attention at the shelter because of all of our animals. I’ll do my best to keep an eye on her. It really would be better if she could go home with you and your girls, though.”

“No.” The word popped out of Daniel’s mouth before he even thought about the idea.

“Can I ask why?” she inquired gently.

After a moment, he told her the truth. “I’m a divorced single dad with three girls who are active, smart and sometimes needy. I really can’t see adding a pet to that mix.”

She paused, then said quietly, “I see. If you can’t adopt Fiesta, why don’t you bring your daughters back to the shelter for a visit. I’m sure they’d enjoy it and so would she. I’m certain she’ll want all the attention she can get. She’s a very friendly feline.”

“I’ll consider a visit,” he assured her, maybe because he wanted to see Emma Alvarez again and not the cat.

“Whenever you have time. Do you know our hours?”

“I do. I looked them up before we came to the shelter. Are you always on the same shift?”

“My schedule varies depending on when the shelter needs me to be here.”

He hadn’t thought about that.

“We hope to see you soon at Furever Paws,” she said politely. “You have a good night and say hello to your girls for me.”

“I will.”

After Daniel ended the call, he wished it had gone on a little longer. Should he visit again with her at Furever Paws when he was attracted to her?

His better judgment told him no.