The Single Dad’s Virgin Wife
Susan Crosby

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

About the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Copyright

Susan Crosby believes in the value of setting goals, but also in the magic of making wishes, which often do come true—as long as she works hard enough. Along life’s journey she’s done a lot of the usual things—married, had children, attended college a little later than the average co-ed and earned a BA in English, then she dived off the deep end into a full-time writing career—a wish come true.

Susan enjoys writing about people who take a chance on love, sometimes against all odds. She loves warm, strong heroes and good-hearted, self-reliant heroines, and will always believe in happily ever after.

More can be learned about her at www.susancrosby.com.

To Renée Garcia, mom and home-school teacher

extraordinaire. Your value is beyond measure.

And to April Bastress, Education Specialist,

for the passion you bring to your valuable work.

Chapter One

Tricia McBride came to a quick stop a few feet from the interview room of At Your Service, a prestigious Sacramento domestic-and-clerical-help agency. She stared in disbelief at the owner, Denise Watson, who’d been filling her in on the details of a job opening.

“Hold on a second,” Tricia said. “Let me get this straight. I’m not being interviewed by the person I would be working for, this Noah Falcon? I would be taking the job, boss unseen?”

“That sums it up,” Denise replied. “It happens all the time, Tricia.”

“It does?”

“Remember, I screen all my potential employers, just as I do my employees. If you find yourself in an impossible situation, you’ll leave, but I don’t think that’ll be the case. Noah’s a successful business owner, a widower with four children. Pillar of the community.”

“Yet he’s not doing the interviewing.” Tricia didn’t like how two and two were adding up. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Denise hesitated. “Well, to be honest, he doesn’t know his current employee is quitting. She told Noah’s brother in confidence, and he decided to take matters into his own hands and do the hiring himself.”

“Why’s that?”

“You can ask him yourself.” Denise opened the door, leaving Tricia no choice but to follow her inside.

An attractive man about her own age stood. Denise made the introductions. “Tricia McBride, this is David Falcon.”

Greetings were exchanged, then Denise left them alone.

“Your résumé is impressive,” David said, taking his seat at the conference table again.

It is? Tricia thought, but she said thank you then sat. “Why me, Mr. Falcon?”

He raised his brows at her directness. “Why not you, Ms. McBride?”

“I’m sure Denise told you I’ll be leaving Sacramento in January to move to San Diego to start a new job. I would be in your brother’s employ less than three months. That seems unfair to the family.”

“And you’re absolutely committed to this other job?”

“Yes, absolutely, unequivocally. I’ve given my word.”

“Just checking,” he said with a smile. “You know, it’s obviously not the ideal situation for us. But the important thing is that we’ll have that three-month cushion to find someone perfect, someone who will stay. Who knows, it could happen next week, and you’d be on your way. We’re not guaranteeing the job for the whole three months, either. But in the past Noah has been forced into making expedient choices. You’ll be giving him the luxury of time to find just the right person.”

“By that you mean he loses employees frequently?”

David hesitated. “My brother tends to hire people fresh out of college who don’t have a clue about life yet, not to mention how to handle four children. You were a kindergarten teacher, which leads me to believe that you like children, certainly a necessity for the job, plus you have actual experience working with them. You’re thirty-four, so you have life skills, as well. Denise has done a thorough background check on you, and I feel comfortable that you’ll be an asset.”

She eyed him directly, not easily fooled. “And what’s the real reason you’re doing this behind his back?”

He half smiled. “Truth? Noah’s children are in need of a woman like you, even if it’s only for a few months. Their mother died three years ago. The house is…quiet. They need laughter. And someone who will stand toe-to-toe with Noah.”

“Why?”

“He needs help, but he usually resists suggestions. Noah is still grieving. He doesn’t know how to deal with his children.”

“Deal with them?”

“Wrong word, I guess. He loves them. He just doesn’t know how to show it.”

He sounded to Tricia like a man out of his element and on the edge. “When Denise called me yesterday to talk about the job she made it seem like a nanny position, but after the details she gave me today, I’d say it’s beyond that.”

“It’s more teacher than nanny. The kids are homeschooled, so your teaching background is important.”

“Homeschooling four children is a far cry from being a nanny.”

“Which is why the salary is so high. But the kids are bright and eager to learn.”

“How old are they?”

“The boys are nine and the girls are twelve.”

“Twins? As in two sets?”

He gave her a dry, apologetic smile. “Which is the other reason the salary is high. Yes, two sets of twins, who aren’t nearly as intimidating as you might imagine. Just the idea of them tends to scare off the prospective help, which is why I asked Denise not to mention it.”

“I’m really not sure about this….”

“I understand your reservations, but if you’ll just give it a chance…” He leaned forward. “Denise is good at what she does, finding the right person for the job. In fact, she’s downright uncanny at it. Why don’t I just take you to Noah’s house now, while he’s at the office? You can meet the children and see the environment.”

The children. Tricia pictured them, sad, and lonely for a father who didn’t know how to show he loved them. She blew out a breath, trying to dispatch the heart-tugging image. “Where does he live?”

“About an hour’s drive north of Sacramento, a little town called Chance City, although not within the town itself.”

“You mean it’s in the country?” Tricia couldn’t contain her horror at the idea. She’d spent her entire life in the city. She liked concrete and grocery stores and fast-food restaurants.

“Depends on what you mean by country. It’s in the Sierra foothills,” David said. “His home is large and comfortable, on ten acres of property.”

“As in no neighbors for ten acres?” This was getting worse and worse.

“Or thereabouts.”

“So, I’d have to live in? What about my house? I’m getting it ready to put on the market.”

“You could get Saturdays and Sundays off. He can hire weekend help locally, if he wants to,” David said.

Silence blanketed the room. Living in, with weekends off. Not exactly what she’d signed up for. Or expected. Then again, it was only for three months, and her mantra of the past year kept repeating in her head: Life is short. Make it an adventure. She just needed to keep her usual safety net in place, too.

“Okay,” she said at last. “Let’s go check it out.”

Claws of tension dug into Noah Falcon’s shoulders as he turned into his driveway and followed it to the back of his property. He drove into the garage, shut off the engine and sat, trying to shift out of work mode and into parent mode. The demands of owning a company were a breeze compared to being with his children each night. Somehow during the past three years they’d become almost strangers to each other.

Lately he’d found himself coming home later and later, knowing they would be ready for bed, if not already asleep, thus avoiding contact beyond a query about how their day had gone and what they’d learned. When he did manage to make it home for dinner, he tried to carry on a conversation at the table, but unless he continually asked questions, they were almost silent. He didn’t know how to breach that silence, to get them to open up on their own.

And this was Friday, which meant another whole weekend with them.

At least tonight he didn’t have to worry about what to do, since it was past their bedtime. But as he walked toward the house he saw his daughters’ bedroom light on and realized he’d come home too early, after all. The rest of the second-floor rooms visible from the back side of the house were dark—the master suite and the bedroom the boys shared. Although there was a bedroom for each child, both sets of twins remained doubled up, choosing not to be separated.

He understood their need to be together and hadn’t pushed them to split up, even though he remembered having to share with his middle brother, Gideon, when they were young, and begging to have his own space, not getting it until he was a teenager.

But twins were different. Closer. At least his twins were. And Adam and Zach were only nine, so they probably wouldn’t be ready for individual rooms for a while yet. Maybe Ashley and Zoe never would.

Noah let himself into the kitchen through the back door. As usual, a plastic-wrap-covered dinner plate was in the refrigerator, along with instructions on how long to heat it in the microwave. He peered through the clear wrap and saw meat loaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. His stomach growled. He shoved the plate into the microwave, set it and headed upstairs to say good-night.

As he neared the landing he heard a woman speaking, her voice dramatic. The girls must be watching a movie, because it wasn’t their nanny, Jessica.

He’d almost reached the doorway to the girls’ room when he spotted all four of his children reflected in Ashley’s floor-to-ceiling ballet mirror on the bedroom wall. They wore pajamas. The boys were nestled in beanbag chairs they’d dragged into the room from their own. The girls were lying on their stomachs on Ashley’s bed, chins resting on their hands. All of them were focused on a woman standing off to the side a little, an open book in her hand.

She was tall. He was six-four, and he figured she was five-ten, maybe taller. Her hair was a wild mass of golden-blond curls that bounced as she dramatized the story. She used a different voice for each character and put her whole body into the performance—her whole very nice body. Blue jeans clung to long legs; her breasts strained against a form-fitting sweater. Incredible breasts.

She would look magnificent naked, like some kind of Amazon. A warrior woman—

Noah scattered the image. She was a stranger in his house, in his children’s bedroom. Who the hell was she? And where was Jessica?

He moved into the room. The children turned and stared but said nothing, just looked back and forth between the woman and him.

“Good evening,” he said to them.

“Good evening, Father,” they answered almost in unison.

He saw the woman frown for a moment, then she came forward, her hand out. Brilliant green eyes took his measure. “Hi. You must be Noah Falcon. I’m Tricia McBride, your new schoolmarm.”

Chapter Two

“My new…schoolmarm?” he repeated as he shook her hand. “But, where’s Jessica?”

“Watching television in her bedroom. We can do an official changing of the guard on Monday.” Tricia leaned close to him, sympathetic to his shock. “You need to call your brother David.”

His mouth hardened. “In the meantime, may I speak to you in the hall?” he said, more a command than question, then he left the room without waiting for a response.

Tricia steeled herself for the discussion. She’d expected surprise and resistance, based on David’s comments, as well as Jessica’s. But having spent the afternoon and evening with his children, she’d decided she would make him hire her. They needed her. Period.

She set down the book and smiled at the children. “I’ll be back to finish it with you. Why don’t you have a pillow fight or something in the meantime?” She grinned as they looked at each other in astonishment.

She crashed straight into her new boss as she left the room.

“What took you so long?” he asked.

“Ten seconds is long? I was assuring your children that I’d be back to finish reading the story.”

“Aren’t they kind of old for bedtime stories? They do know how to read.”

She was definitely going to have more problems with the father than the children. And, really, someone should’ve told her how incredibly attractive the man was, with his rich dark brown hair and eyes, and all that height and broad chest and shoulders. Too bad he didn’t have a funny bone.

“Personally, I still love a good bedtime story,” she said, realizing he was waiting for her to answer.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I take it Jessica is quitting.”

“That’s the scoop.”

“And my brother found out and intervened and hired you.”

“Yes. I imagine he’s waiting to hear from you.”

“Oh, he’ll hear from me, all right.”

She wouldn’t want to be on the other end of that call.

“What’s your background?” he asked.

“Kindergarten teacher.” She figured he didn’t need to know yet that she hadn’t taught for five years. “Jessica showed me the curriculum. It looks doable.” Just needed a little shaking up to add some fun to the program.

He angled away from her. “I’m going to talk to Jessica, then call David. Please come to my office when you’re done reading to the children. Do you know where it is?”

“Jessica gave me a tour.” Seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, three stories. The tour lasted half an hour.

“Good.” He started to walk away.

“I’m sorry. I must have interrupted your saying good-night to your children,” she said cheerfully.

He gave her a long look then sidestepped around her and went back into the room. She followed, wanting to watch them interact.

No pillow fight going on, but that wasn’t a surprise.

“So. Another change,” Noah said, standing in the middle of the room between the boys and girls. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Ashley said with a smile.

“No, it’s not okay,” Noah said after a long moment. “I’ll fix it.”

The girls were sitting cross-legged on the bed. He ruffled their long, strawberry-blond hair and said good-night, then did the same with the boys, who were so similar in coloring to their father, dark hair and eyes. They each said, “Good night, Father,” in return. He nodded at Tricia as he left the room.

She picked up the book again. She only had three pages remaining to finish the story and figured he would need some time to take care of his business. She started reading, noted that the children got caught up in the story again instantly, their expressions rapt.

Ashley applauded at the end. She was easy to distinguish from her twin, Zoe, because Ashley almost always smiled, while Zoe rarely did.

“I guess it’s time for bed?” Tricia asked them, thinking it was early for twelve-year-olds, but they didn’t complain.

The boys grabbed their beanbag chairs and headed for the door.

“I’ll come say good-night,” she said to them.

They looked at each other. “Why?” Adam asked. Tricia had noticed that Adam often spoke for Zachary, too, after exchanging a look. But Adam and his sister Zoe were also similar in that they were constantly moving. Even if they were sitting, their feet were rarely still.

“Because I like to,” Tricia said to Adam. “I think it’s a nice way to end the day.”

Again the boys looked at each other. The overly quiet Zachary shrugged and left. Adam followed.

“You’ll be here on Monday, right?” Ashley asked as she climbed under her blankets.

“Your dad will make the final decision, but I sure hope so. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Why?” Zoe asked from her side of the room.

Zoe was easily the most intense of the four, the one to question why.

“Because I like you,” Tricia answered.

“You don’t even know us,” Zoe scoffed.

Ah, yes. Definitely not one to just go along. “That’s true, Zoe. And you don’t know me yet, either, but I really like what I’ve seen already.” She tucked Ashley’s blankets around her. “Good night. Sleep tight.”

Ashley clung to Tricia’s arms for a moment, smiling sweetly. Zoe was resistant to being tucked in, so Tricia didn’t try.

“Do you leave your door open or closed?” she asked. She’d already noted a nightlight on in their adjoining bathroom.

“Closed,” Ashley said, quickly adding, “but not the bathroom door.”

The slight tremor in her voice told Tricia all she needed to know. “Okay. Good night.”

She went down the hall to the boys’ room. The door was already shut, no slit of light under it. She smiled. They had a lot to learn about Tricia McBride.

She knocked. No answer. She opened the door wide, letting the hall light guide her way. Neither boy spoke. The lumps in their beds remained motionless. In the dark she couldn’t differentiate between the boys and didn’t know which one slept in which bed, either. She took her cue from what surrounded them. One side of the room was military neat. The other was a maze of sports equipment. She headed there first, tripping over a basketball.

“Good night, Adam,” she said, rubbing his shoulder for a second. He lifted his head in a hurry.

“How’d you know it was me?”

“You are one of a kind, young man.”

A moment of silence, then, “I am?”

“You sure are. Sleep tight.”

“Will you be coming back?”

“I hope so.”

She moved to Zachary’s bed and repeated her good-night and quick touch to his shoulder. He didn’t say anything until she’d reached the door.

“I don’t remember your name,” he said in the darkness.

“Tricia McBride. ’Night.”

After shutting the door, she leaned against it for a moment, grateful she’d been able to tell them apart, hoping that impressed them in some way.

Then she headed downstairs to beard the lion in his den.

Noah drummed his fingers on his desktop, phone to his ear, as he listened to his brother defend his decision to do the hiring this time around.

“Doesn’t hurt that she’s easy on the eyes, either,” David said, a wink in his voice.

“That’s about the dumbest thing you’ve said. I’ve never gotten involved with an employee, nor do I intend to start.”

“You should take a page out of my book. Worked for me.”

“You took a huge risk by getting involved with your housekeeper. She could’ve quit, or filed a lawsuit, or—”

“Get engaged to me,” David interrupted. “Turned out great.”

“You were lucky.”

“Damn straight.”

“I didn’t mean it in a good way, David.”

David laughed. Noah settled into his chair. Actually, he was glad not to have to deal with interviewing and hiring yet another nanny, but he didn’t want David to think he had free rein to interfere.

“The kids seem to like her,” Noah said. “They’ve had to adapt way too many times. I hope this one sticks.”

David was quiet for a few seconds, then, “That’s my hope, as well.”

Noah heard someone coming down the stairs and assumed it was Tricia. “I have to go. We’ll talk more at the office on Monday.”

“I guess I can wait until then for my thank-you gift.”

Noah shook his head as he hung up. David wanted everyone to be as happy as he was, now that he’d found the right woman. Noah had already found and married the right woman, once upon a time.

A knock came at his door. “It’s Tricia,” she announced.

“Come in.” He tried to take in her tall, curvy body again without her noticing his interest. Easy on the eyes, indeed, he thought, remembering David’s comment. He indicated the chair across from his desk.

“They’re all tucked in,” she said, crossing her legs, her foot bouncing. “They are sweethearts.”

He leaned back. “Thanks. It’s been hard on them since losing their mother.”

“I’m sure it has. That was three years ago, right?”

“Right, but don’t give me any pop psychology about how they should be over it by now.” He was so damn tired of hearing that.

Her foot stopped bouncing. “In some ways it gets even tougher as time goes by. They’re probably not able to bring up her face so easily now, and I imagine that bothers them a lot. It’s scary when the images fade, and you want so much to keep them near.”

Her observation struck home hard with him. He was going through the same thing, even with pictures as reminders. He couldn’t hear Margie’s voice anymore, except that Ashley and Zoe laughed like her. “You sound like you’ve had experience with it yourself.”

“My father died when I was eleven, so I do understand their loss.”

He appreciated that she had that in common with the children. It could only help.

“Shall we discuss the job?” she asked. “Did David fill you in on me?”

“He said you want weekends off and would live in during the week. Cora, the woman who cooks and cleans for us, also only works Monday through Friday. That leaves me without anyone on the weekend.”

She smiled in a way that said she wasn’t biting. “Since you don’t need the house cleaned or the children schooled on the weekend, you only have to feed and play with them. I assume they make their own beds? And you must be able to cook by now.”

Apparently she was going to be difficult. “Is there a particular reason why you can’t live here full time?”

Her brows went up. “Do I have the job description wrong? David said I was mostly to be your children’s teacher. That’s a Monday through Friday job, as far as I’m concerned. And everyone is entitled to time off, you know.”

“The rather lucrative salary I pay,” he said, “has always included the general care of the children. A nanny as much as a teacher. That means weekends, too.”

“Then you’ll have to cut my salary proportionately, because I don’t want to live here 24/7. I live in Sacramento. Is there some reason why you can’t parent your children on the weekend?”

She’d touched a nerve. He was already aware he was failing as a father. He didn’t need someone who didn’t know anything about him or his history telling him that, too. “Sometimes I have work to do,” he said.

“Then we’re at an impasse. If you can’t watch your children yourself, you’ll need to hire weekend help. David must have told you I’m fixing up my mother’s house to sell it.” She cocked her head. “And I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but you seem to be in a good position financially. You could hire a full-time, live-in staff.”

“I haven’t always been in that position. It’s made me careful. Too careful, David tells me. I do what I feel is right for me, my family and my business.” He had children to provide for now and in the future. He also had employees who depended on him, on the business he brought in and the solvency of the company. He lived up to his own personal standards, was proud that he did.

“Father?”

All four of his children stood in the doorway, crammed shoulder to shoulder.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Noah asked.

Ashley took a step into the room, her hands clasped. The others huddled around her. “We want Miss Tricia to be our new teacher.”

He leaned back and steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. “I see. Well, I can’t say for sure yet that she will be. Miss Tricia and I are still in negotiations.”

“What’s that mean?” Adam piped up.

“It means we’re trying to figure out what would work best for all of us.”

“The best is for her to live here,” Zach stated, his voice quiet but strong.

Silence filled the room as the least talkative of the bunch announced his wishes.

“You just need to pay her a lot of money,” Ashley said.

“It’s not about the money,” Tricia said, looking pleased at the children’s insistence. “Your father pays a very good salary. The issue is that I need weekends off.”

The children all looked at each other. Ashley seemed to take a silent vote. “We’re not little kids anymore, Father. We don’t need to have a nanny all the time.”

“I’ll take it into consideration. Right now you all need to go back to bed and let us discuss it.”

Zach went up to Tricia and shook her hand, one big up-and-down shake, his expression serious. Adam followed suit, grinning.

Zoe came next. “Do you know how to play soccer?”

“I sure do.”

“Okay.” Zoe stuck out her hand for a shake, then left the room bouncing an imaginary ball from knee to knee.

Ashley finally approached. “Please say yes, Miss Tricia,” she said, then gave Tricia a quick hug before she hurried out.

Noah saw how the children affected her. If she could become that attached after just a few hours, she was definitely the right one for the job. It would be a great weight lifted from his shoulders, too.

“So,” Noah said after a long, quiet moment. “Saturday morning to Sunday evening off. And you’ll be here this Sunday night.”

She smiled. “Jessica’s not leaving until Monday.”

“Jessica will be gone by Sunday afternoon.”

“I see.” Tricia nodded. “Is five o’clock okay with you, Mr. Falcon?”

He stood. “Noah. And yes, that’s fine.”

She stood, as well. “I’m curious why you don’t send them to public school.”

“I made a promise that I would continue what my late wife started.” He paused. “I’ll walk you to your car. Where is your car, by the way?”

“Next to your garage. You didn’t notice it?”

“I was preoccupied. Let me go tell the children that you’ve agreed to take the job. They won’t go to sleep until they know. I’ll be back in just a couple of minutes.” He extended his hand, as his children had. “Thank you.”

“I’m very happy we came to an agreement.”

Her handshake was firm, one sign of her character. She seemed straightforward. She obviously could and would speak her mind.

The Falcon household was about to change.

As Tricia stepped outside with Noah ten minutes later, the chilly late October evening cooled her warm face and cleared her eyes and mind.

So. It was official. She was employed. She would have enough money to tide her over until she started her new job.

Peace settled over her at the thought, then the quiet around her struck her. Country life. It was going to take some getting used to. No. A lot of getting used to. But she was probably noticing the quiet even more because Noah hadn’t spoken since they’d left the house.

“Have your children always called you Father?” she asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“You just don’t hear it much these days. Did you call your father that?”

“No. Most of the time I called him a son of a bitch.”

Tricia stumbled. He reached for her, caught her. She grabbed hold, steadying herself, then looked at his face, as he held her upright by her arms. At odds with the coldness in his eyes, his hands were warm, his heat leeching through her sweater. “Thank you,” she said quietly, sorry when he let go. There was something comforting about his large and gentle hands. “Your words caught me off guard.”

“No sense hiding the truth. I made it my goal to live as differently from him as possible.”

“And you called him Dad, so you don’t want your kids to call you that?”

They’d reached her SUV. She pressed the alarm button to unlock it.

“You haven’t been here long enough to criticize,” he said coolly. “Or analyze. I grew up in total chaos. It’s not what I want for my children.”

She opened her car door, wanting to escape. He was right. She should mind her own business. “I apologize, Noah. I was just curious. Everything seems kind of formal between you and your children.” She didn’t add what she wanted to—that they were all distant from him, physically and emotionally. And that they were starving for his affection. Anyone’s affection, which was probably why they’d latched on to her so easily.

“Is there anything you’ll need to start the job?” he asked, very directly changing the subject.

She sensed in him deep, unrelenting pain, and she wondered if he would ever break through it to embrace life again. Or maybe he never had. She shouldn’t presume what she didn’t know. Maybe she could carefully ask other people how he was before his wife died.

“If I think of something, I’ll let you know or just go ahead and buy it in Sacramento,” she said, getting into the car and sliding the key into the ignition. “I’ll review their classroom work Sunday night so that I’m ready to go on Monday.”

“You have my phone numbers?”

“Yes, thank you.” She started the engine then glanced up at him as he rested an arm on the top of her door and leaned toward her a little. He really was an extraordinarily attractive man, even tightly wound as he was. She wanted to tell him that things would get better, that his life was going to change, that she would see to it, especially for his children. But did he want to hear that?

“Do you space out often?” he asked, his voice laced with surprising humor. “Should I worry for my children’s safety?”

Her eyes were dry from not blinking. “You won’t regret that your brother hired me,” she said, wondering if it was true.

“David may have done the prelims, but I hired you. And my children. If any one of us had objected, you wouldn’t be coming back.”

“Of course,” she said, then shifted into reverse. “Until Sunday.”

He backed away, but he was still standing in the driveway when she looked in her rearview mirror before she turned onto the road. Maybe she’d been lying when she’d told him he wouldn’t regret hiring her, because he may well be sorry. She was pretty sure she was different from any other teacher he’d hired before.

And she knew he was different from any boss she’d had.

Chapter Three

Standing in the kitchen, Noah watched his children say goodbye to Jessica, who had been their nanny for several months. Usually a changing of the guard, as Tricia had called it, was cause for moping and silent recrimination from the kids, but not this time. This time they said their goodbyes and let her leave, rather than following her outside to wave to her as her car pulled away.

They always liked their nannies. That was never the issue. The problem was that the nannies didn’t usually like him. It hadn’t been any different with Jessica, apparently, although she’d never indicated any problem before quitting. Even then she’d told his brother, not him, that she was leaving.

Noah knew he had a problem dealing with his help. He’d been giving it a lot of thought the past couple of days, analyzing the situation, trying to figure out how not to lose another nan—teacher. He should get used to calling Tricia that, since she seemed to prefer it.

He wondered why none of the other nannies had said anything about the job title. Maybe because they’d just graduated from college and hadn’t taught in a classroom yet. He liked that Tricia had classroom experience. If she could handle twenty kids at one time, she must be able to handle four. Especially four, quiet, easygoing, uniformly bright children.

Not that he was biased or anything….

Margie would’ve liked her. Probably would’ve been a little intimidated by her, too, but his late wife would’ve liked Tricia’s easy way with the kids and her refusal to back down—something he wasn’t sure he liked. He was used to being in charge, at work and at home. There was room for only one boss in any situation. He didn’t tolerate clashes of authority.

“She’s gone,” Adam announced, looking out the window as the car disappeared, then he glanced at Noah. “When will Miss Tricia be here, Father?”

Father jarred Noah now, since Tricia had brought it up. “She said five o’clock.”

Which meant he had to figure out what to do with his children until then. Well, technically after then, too, since she wouldn’t be on the clock. He hadn’t even planned dinner.

He realized all four children were watching him, waiting. “Did you have something to say?” he asked, his gaze sweeping across them then landing on Ashley.

“We would like to have a family meeting,” she said, her expression serious.

He shifted into head-of-the-family mode. “All right. Why don’t we go into the family room?”

Their footsteps sounded behind him, seeming loud in their conversation-free trek. Even Adam was quiet, a rarity.

Noah sat in what was considered his chair, an oversize lounger that faced the television he rarely had time to watch. Each child took his or her usual seat on the sofa and other chairs.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked the room at large.

“We think it’s time for some changes around here,” Ashley answered, all business.

“What kind of changes?”

“We counted up the nannies we’ve had. Seven.”

That many? He knew there’d been a lot. And that didn’t include his mother-in-law coming to stay for the first few months after Margie died.

“We’re kind of tired of figuring out someone new all the time,” Ashley said.

“I understand that. What do you think can be done about it?”

“We think you should smile more,” she said without smiling.

“Smile more?” he repeated, confused.

“Not at us, Father. At Miss Tricia. Miss Jessica was scared of you.”

Scared? Really? He liked order but was surprised he was feared. “I’ll try,” he said, adding it to his mental list of things to be aware of if he didn’t want to lose Tricia as an employee. “What else?”

Ashley continued. “We want Miss Tricia to eat dinner with us, not in her room like Miss Jessica and the others.”

Noah was fascinated with this new, mature daughter of his. “Why?”

“Because we think if she feels like she’s part of our family, she’ll be happier.”

“You like her that much?”

“She seems okay. We just don’t want another change.”

“Yes, I know you’re tired of it all.”

Her hands folded in her lap, Ashley sat up a little straighter. “We also don’t think you should argue with Miss Tricia about anything.”

An improvisation, he decided, trying not to smile. “I can’t guarantee that. We are bound to disagree on some things. And you are my children, not hers. I know what’s best for you.”

They all looked at each other. Had they always done that or was it something recent? They seemed to be more attuned than before. Each set of twins shared a connection that had always been obvious, but not in combination with the other set. He figured they must be desperate, to face him like this, presenting a united front.

“Then please be nice and smile at her when you argue,” Zach said, fixing Noah with a stare.

Laughter rose inside his chest. He couldn’t let it escape or they wouldn’t believe he was taking their concerns seriously. “I’ll be nice.”

“Thank you.”

Noah leaned his arms on his thighs and looked at each of them until they each looked back. “Now. Is there something you’d like different for yourselves, not for Miss Tricia?”

Zoe raised her hand. “I want a swimming pool.”

“Basketball court,” Adam added.

Noah did smile then. How easily their focus changed. “Nice try.”

Zach jumped out of his chair and raced to the window at the sound of a car coming down the driveway. “She’s—Nope. It’s Uncle David.”

“Alone?”

“No. Valerie and Hannah, too.”

Three of the children raced off to greet their uncle, his fiancée and her eight-year-old daughter, Hannah. Ashley lingered, moving more slowly with Noah toward the kitchen.

“Something else on your mind?” he asked.

She shrugged.

“Talk to me,” he said, stopping just outside the kitchen door, his hand on her arm to keep her there, too.

“Can we watch the videos of Mom again sometime soon?”

“You know where they are. You’re welcome to watch them anytime.”

“I mean as a family.”

He didn’t know if he wanted to bring back all that pain. He’d stopped watching the videos when he realized they hurt more than helped. “Do the others want to watch, too?”

“Not Zach.”

Which didn’t surprise Noah. Zach kept the most inside.

“Okay. We’ll do it tonight.”

“Not tonight,” she said in a hurry as the kitchen door opened and everyone came in, talking and laughing. “I’ll tell you when, okay?”

“Sure.” He was grateful for the reprieve.

Suddenly the kitchen teemed with people, then the kids all took off upstairs with their cousin-to-be Hannah in tow.

“We brought dinner,” Valerie said, as David set a covered casserole in the oven and a bowl in the refrigerator.

“I chauffeured. Valerie brought dinner,” David said. “She made everything.”

“Thanks,” Noah said, surprised. “But why?”

“To welcome your new nanny,” Valerie said.

“Teacher,” he corrected, looking over David’s head to try to see what was in the bowl, guessing it was salad. David had lucked out when he’d hired Valerie through At Your Service. She was the calm, competent woman Noah had been looking for, too. He didn’t think that description applied to Tricia. Well, competent, maybe. But calm? Probably not. Lively. That was a better word. “I hope you’re staying for dinner, too,” Noah said.

David made clucking sounds.

“What’s that for?” Noah asked. “I’m not a chicken.”

“You don’t want to make small talk with your help.”

“So? I’ve never liked to. It’s no different with Tricia.”

David stood. “She’s just your type.”

“She’s on the other side of the world from being my type.”

“Leave him alone,” Valerie said to her fiancé, slipping her hand into his, firing a heat-seeking caution look with her eyes. “Yes, we’ll stay for dinner. That was our goal, although David was supposed to call and alert you. I want to meet Tricia myself. I expect we’ll become friends.”

“She’s here!” came a shout from upstairs, followed by the rush of footfalls scurrying down the staircase. As a group they ran through the kitchen and out the back door, Hannah grinning as she came last—following just to follow, Noah supposed.

“That’s quite a reception,” David commented, wandering to the window to watch.

Noah went to take a look. Ashley and Zach got up close to her. Tricia hugged Ashley, her face alight with pleasure, and said something to Zach that caused him to smile then look down at the ground. Adam and Zoe didn’t allow her close enough to hug. She held out a hand to Hannah, an outgoing, happy girl who was just as caught up in Tricia’s arrival as the rest of them.

Tricia opened the back of her SUV and started passing things to each child, then they marched toward the house like safari porters, carrying bags, boxes and garments on hangers, with Tricia bringing up the rear with the largest box.

“Aren’t either of you big, strong men going to help her?” Valerie asked as the back door flew open and the children tramped through.

Criticized into action, Noah met Tricia at the back door and took the box from her.

“A welcoming committee. How fun,” she said. “Hi, Noah. I’m glad to see you again, David.”

“I’m more glad to see you,” he said with a grin. “Tricia McBride, this is my fiancée, Valerie Sinclair.”

The women shook hands. “Hannah must be yours. She looks just like you. She’s darling.”

“Thank you, yes, she’s mine.”

“They brought dinner,” Noah said, balancing the box on the edge of the counter.

“Oh, how nice of you. And since you’re not running off, would you mind if I excuse myself for a few minutes and go make sure the children haven’t just heaped all my clothes on the floor?”

David and Valerie encouraged Tricia to go.

“Be right back,” Noah said, then trailed her up the stairs. As he eyed her from behind he started to rethink the idea of putting in a pool, as Zoe requested. Getting a chance to see the teacher in a skimpy bikini—

“Maybe you should just come up beside me,” Tricia said, stopping and turning around.

He kept his expression blank. Okay, she’d caught him. He was a healthy male who’d been without female companionship for three years. So sue him for admiring her very sexy body.

“I got it!” a child yelled from down the hall.

“I brought it up here!”

“I think the troops need a mediator,” Noah said, hiding his surprise at the fact any of them were yelling, something that almost never happened. They all got along eerily well.

Tricia’s mouth tightened, but she continued up the stairs again, and he allowed himself the pleasure of watching her hips sway until they reached the landing.

She stopped there instead of heading toward the yelling down the hall. “Do we need to have a discussion?” she asked him.

“About what?”

“Appropriate employer/employee behavior.”

“I’m familiar with the laws,” he said. “But why do you ask?”

“You know why.”

“Enlighten me.” He figured she was only speculating that he’d been eyeing her rear as she climbed the stairs. He’d painted her into a corner. Either she had an accusation to make or she didn’t.

“I’m telling Father!” Zoe came charging out of the room. “Ashley won’t let anyone help.”

Noah moved past Tricia and Zoe. When he reached Tricia’s bedroom, he set the box on the floor and looked around. The closet door was open. Clothes hung neatly on the racks, with shoes lined up like little soldiers on the floor below. Ashley and Adam were elbowing each other trying to put books onto shelves. Zach was perched on the bed, thumbing through a photo album. Hannah sat cross-legged on the floor, out of the way, wide-eyed. As an only child, she hadn’t been exposed to sibling rivalry.

The tension was abnormally high, each child intending to make Tricia feel at home, but being pushy about it.

“Miss Tricia can put away her own things, and, in fact, probably prefers to. Everybody out,” Noah said.

“But thank you for your help,” Tricia added from the doorway.

Zach hadn’t lifted his head. Noah slid the photo album out of his son’s hands and pointed toward the door. Before Noah closed the album, he caught a glimpse of a photo of Tricia and a man wearing an army uniform, their arms around each other. She looked young and in love.

He set the album on the dresser. “I apologize for my children,” he said to her. “They’re trying to help. Obviously they went a little overboard.”

“It’s no problem.”

“It is as far as I’m concerned.”

She waited a beat. “You’re the boss.”

He remembered how Zach had told him to be nice, and how Ashley said he needed to smile. He wasn’t doing what he’d promised his children he would. And none of them could afford to lose Tricia.

“I apologize,” he said, purposely relaxing his shoulders, trying to seem more accessible. “I wanted them to be on their best behavior for you. All of us, actually. Myself included.”

“Why?”

“It’s your first day. We didn’t want to scare you off.”

She laughed. Her face lit up when she smiled. Green eyes sparkled. “I’m not easily intimidated.”

“Good. Is the room okay? Big enough?”

“It’s beautiful. Since my time here will be limited, it’ll do just fine.” She hitched a thumb toward the door. “The children have put most of my things away, so we can get back to your guests. How long has your brother been engaged?” she asked as they left the room.

“Less than a week. He hired Valerie through At Your Service as his housekeeper and administrative assistant about two months ago. He’s also adopting her daughter.”

“How nice for all of them.”

“Yes.”

She cocked her head. “I hear a but….”

Should he voice his concerns out loud to someone he barely knew? Would she keep quiet about his reservations or tell David? Something about her invited trust. “They haven’t known each other long, that’s all. And David has said forever he wouldn’t get married, so it’s hard to feel comfortable about his decision.”

They’d almost reached the bottom of the stairs. Tricia leaned close to say, “But they’re just engaged, right? They’ll have more time before the wedding to learn more about each other. They could change their minds.”

He’d been prepared to hear her say the opposite—something about him being too jaded, or not a romantic or something. Instead she’d seen his point about how little David and Valerie knew about each other. He liked that she seemed practical.

He also liked how her hair smelled….

“We’ve been waiting for you,” David said as they came into the kitchen, a hubbub of conversation. Everyone held a glass of something pale and bubbly. David passed Noah and Tricia champagne flutes. Noah assumed the children’s flutes held sparkling cider.

“What’s going on?” Noah asked.

“I’m making a toast.” David lifted his glass toward Valerie. “To my beautiful bride-to-be—for agreeing to marry me, and for not making me wait. You’re all invited to our wedding, two weeks from yesterday.”

Chapter Four

Tricia exchanged a look with Noah as they sipped the celebratory champagne. After a moment, he shrugged, apparently accepting the inevitable. She decided to make it a point to get to know Valerie and see for herself that Noah could relax about the quick marriage. She considered herself a pretty good judge of character.

Valerie shooed the men and children off to the family room while dinner was reheated.

“It’s a good thing they’re not depending on me to cook,” Tricia said as Valerie opened a couple of loaves of buttered sourdough bread and put them on a baking sheet.

“You don’t enjoy it?”

“My mom and I opened cans exceptionally well. And I make a mean PB and J sandwich.” She smiled at Valerie, who smiled back.

“The reverse is true for me. My mother was a housekeeper and cook for a family in Palm Springs,” Valerie said. “She taught me everything.”

“Does Hannah cook?”

“She’s not quite as into it as I was, but yes. But, you know, I couldn’t do what you do, Tricia. Teachers amaze me.” She gestured to a cupboard. “Plates are up there.”

Tricia grabbed plates, salad bowls, glasses and silverware and carried them into the dining room. “Tablecloth or place mats?” she called out to Valerie.

“Take your pick. They’re in the hutch.”

As Tricia set the table, she could hear the men and children playing video games in the family room. “They’re having a good time,” she said to Valerie, who was grating fresh parmesan cheese. Tricia leaned against the kitchen counter. “Can I ask you some questions about Noah?”

“You can ask, but I don’t know a whole lot. I haven’t spent much time around him.”

“Do you know if he’s always so serious?”

“I think I can safely say yes to that. According to David, Noah’s a workaholic. He never takes a vacation. He’s pretty much in charge and in control at all times. Doesn’t have a great deal of patience. Very action oriented. And he doesn’t like change.”

“Yet I heard he’s had a whole lot of nannies for the children. That’s change.”

“That’s where the lack of patience comes in, I think. The whole interviewing and hiring process is too tedious, so he takes the quickest route.”

“Does he date?”

“Not that I’ve heard.” Valerie had just taken the salad out of the refrigerator and set it on the counter. She half smiled at Tricia. “These Falcon men are hard to resist, aren’t they?”

Tricia straightened. “What do you mean?”

Valerie peeked around the doorway, making sure they were alone. “I started falling for David the first day I worked for him, too.”

“‘Too’? Oh, no. Not me. Uh-uh.” Tricia held up both hands. “I’m out of here in three months.”

Valerie frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I’m temporary. David hired me to buy time for Noah to find someone who will be permanent.”

“Does Noah know that?”

“I’m sure David told him.” And she’d mentioned she was selling her house, and that her room here was fine for the short term. He hadn’t flinched at either point. “So, tell me. What’s this about you falling for David on the first day?”

“I didn’t want to, but there it was. He makes me very happy. My daughter, too.”

“Why the rush to get married?”

Valerie took out the fragrant, bubbling lasagna and slid the bread under the broiler. Almost immediately the pungent scent of garlic filled the air. “Why wait? It’s right, and we both know it. Plus I won’t move into his bedroom until we’re married. I want to set a good example.”

“You mean, you haven’t slept together?” Tricia couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

Valerie laughed. “Well…David often works from home. And Hannah does go off to school.”

“Oh. Okay. Good.”

“Good?”

Tricia nodded. “I’ll tell you why some other time.”

“I hope you’ll come to the wedding.”

“I’m not going to be here on the weekends.”

“Make an exception, please? I don’t have many girlfriends here. I’d like for us to become that. I’ll introduce you to my friend Dixie, too. She’s my maid of honor. You’ll love her. And there’s the bachelorette party, of course. You have to come to that.” She poured dressing on the salad. “Maybe you could tell the gang that dinner’s on? I’m sure it’ll take them five minutes to actually get to the table.”

Tricia stopped just outside the family room door and observed the activity. Noah sat with his back to her, watching David and Adam play a video game, complete with hoots and hollers and threats of maiming. Ashley and Hannah were intent on a second television, but Tricia couldn’t see the screen, so she didn’t know what held their interest. Zoe bounced a soccer ball from knee to knee, not an indoor activity, but Noah wasn’t objecting, which seemed odd.

Then there was Zach, who sat cross-legged at his father’s feet, not communicating with any of them, but taking in everything.

He spotted her and smiled. She smiled back. “Dinner is served,” she said to the room at large.

“You’re doomed!” Adam shouted to his uncle, who shouted back, “Not yet, I’m not!”

Noah got up. Ashley stood right away, too, and turned off the television. She and Hannah made their way to the door, grabbing Zoe by the arm and pulling her along. Zach held back, putting himself between Tricia and Noah.

“Dinner smells good,” Zach said.

“Looks like your uncle got himself a chef in the bargain. Do you like lasagna, Zach?” Tricia asked.

He nodded.

“We eat a lot of pasta dishes and casseroles,” Noah said. “It’s an easy thing for Cora to fix that will keep and reheat well. Sometimes my other brother, Gideon, comes over on the weekend and we barbecue.”

They came into the dining room. It was obvious Noah sat at the head of the table, with David at the other end for tonight. Zach found his place farther down. Which left one empty seat, next to Noah.

Tricia expected at least a small amount of chaos with so many people, but it was all very…civilized. As an only child, Tricia had craved the noisy family dinner table she observed at some friends’ houses. Here there were five children and four adults and little conversation. David asked questions, and the children answered, but no one took it further.

After the dishes were done, Tricia excused herself to put away her things and then to look over the children’s past work. The third-floor classroom was huge. Each child had a desk. A computer workstation held two computers, but only one was connected to the Internet and was password protected so that the children couldn’t log on privately. Areas were set aside for art and music, and worktables for science projects or other messier tasks. The room was tidy and spotless.

The view was spectacular, as the room was made up almost entirely of windows that faced the surrounding woodlands, and no neighbors in sight.

After a while, Ashley came up the stairs, dressed in her pajamas.

“We’re going to bed,” she said. “If you’d like to say goodnight,” she added hesitantly.

“Yes, I would, thank you.” She put an arm around the girl’s shoulders and walked down the stairs with her. “I’m looking forward to starting class tomorrow. Do you enjoy your schooling?”

“Sometimes. It kind of depends on the teacher.”

“I’ll do my best to make it interesting and fun, Ashley.”

“I know you will,” she said with a smile as they walked into her bedroom. Zoe emerged from the bathroom, her strawberry-blond hair damp and tousled, a dab of toothpaste above her lip. She hopped right into bed and pulled the blankets up to her nose.

“What time do you get up in the morning?” Tricia asked Zoe.

“When Ashley pulls the covers off and won’t let me have them back.”

Tricia smiled. “Who wakes you up?” she asked Ashley.

“My head. I wake up early on my own around seven. Then I wake up everyone else. We go to the classroom at eight. Zoe’s usually the last one there.”

“Do you make your own breakfast?” Tricia knew that Cora didn’t come until eleven-thirty.

“I don’t like breakfast,” Zoe said. “It makes me sick to my stomach.”

Ashley rolled her eyes. “We eat cereal or peanut butter on toast. And a banana or apple. We fix our own.”

“What time does your father leave for work?”

“He’s gone before we get up.” Ashley climbed into bed and settled the bedding over her.

Tricia leaned down for a hug from her, then moved on to Zoe, whose body language said, “Don’t come too close,” so Tricia just smoothed back her hair and said good-night.

She encountered the same situation with the boys. Adam hugged her. Zack retreated from contact. She wondered where Noah was. She couldn’t hear any sounds within the house.

How did he spend his evenings? Working? Watching television? Should she track him down and find out?

She decided to return to the classroom and finish reviewing the children’s previous work. Thank goodness none of them were in high school yet and taking chemistry or something else she hadn’t studied in years.

After a while she heard someone coming up the stairs, the footsteps heavy enough to be only Noah’s. He called her name, alerting her that he was about to enter the room.

“How’s it going?” he asked, standing at the top of the staircase, his hands shoved into his pockets.

She leaned back in her chair. “I’m making headway. At least it’s early in the school year. They seem to stick to a fairly rigid schedule.”

“That’s my preference.”

So, it was his doing that the children’s class work was so highly structured. “I’ll make an appointment to see their—What is the title of the person who oversees the children’s schooling?”

“Educational Specialist, but everyone calls her an E.S. Cynthia Madras is her name.”

“Thanks. I’ve read the rules and regulations on homeschooling, but I’d like her input on the children individually.”

He dragged a chair closer to her desk and sat. “She’ll tell you that Ashley is a visual learner who studies more than the others and worries if she doesn’t do very well on tests. Zoe and Adam are kinetic learners who have a hard time sitting still and like to have a noisy environment, which drives Ashley crazy. And Zach is an auditory learner with an exceptional memory. He studies the least and absorbs the most.”

Tricia liked that he knew so much about his children’s learning styles. “I appreciate the summary.”

“I keep a close watch on their education. I meet with each of them individually every evening to—” He stopped, hesitated. “I used to meet with each of them. I’ve been working so late the past year that I haven’t gotten home in time most nights to have one-on-one time with them.”

“So, you’re not home for dinner?”

“Rarely.”

“I see. Well, maybe you’ll be able to incorporate the individual time into your schedule again soon.”

“Maybe.”

A long pause ensued. She knew she needed to change the subject. “Who cleans up the dishes at night?”

“No one. Cora takes care of it when she comes in.”

“Do the children have any chores to do?”

“School is their job.”

She decided not to start an argument with him on the value of responsibility through chores. Not yet, anyway. “Your future sister-in-law and I had a nice talk,” she said instead.

He was obviously happy about the change in subject, because his expression smoothed out. “What do you think?”

“I think Valerie is head over heels about your brother, and yet very down to earth. I like her a lot. I expect I’ll learn even more about her when I attend her bachelorette party.”

His brows went up. “I’m sure you will. I guess as his best man I need to figure out a bachelor-party plan myself.”

“Definitely. Next weekend. You don’t want to have the party the night before the wedding. Saturday night, since Friday is Halloween.”

“Right.” He stood. “You’re all set here, then?”

“Yes, thanks.” A little nervous, but excited. “Are you ever gone overnight? For work,” she added, realizing he might think she was wondering if he had a girlfriend or someone he visited when he had…needs.

“Not for the past few years.”

“Good.”

“Why?”

“I’ve always lived in the city. Being so isolated out here is kind of creeping me out.”

He watched her for a few long seconds. “Come with me,” he said, then he went down the stairs.

She followed because he gave her no choice. He waited at the foot of the last staircase, then they walked into the dining room, through the kitchen, into the utility room. He grabbed two jackets from the rack there, passed one to her, then he held the door open. She went down the stairs, putting on the jacket as she went. His jacket; she could tell from how the cuffs hung past her fingers.

The night was quiet and dark. Moonless. She couldn’t see the lights of another house or building, just stars. Millions of stars. She hadn’t paid attention to them Friday night, hadn’t paid attention to anything but him, and how he talked about his father.

Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked down the driveway to the four-car garage. She’d seen him drive a fancy black sports car, but had no idea of the brand. She figured it was his commute car. A large SUV was also parked in the building, a Cadillac.

“I’ll give you a garage door opener,” he said. “You can park in the garage. I want you to use the Caddy to drive the kids around.”

“Okay.” She tugged her collar up against her neck. “I don’t even know what you do for a living, except that you and David are in business together.”

“We own Falcon Motorcars, custom-made automobiles. We’ve been strongly in the European market for a long time but are moving more toward American business now. It’s a big transition for us—David’s brainchild, so that he can stay stateside more.”

“So that shiny sports car you drive is one of your own?”

“The latest model. At this point we only produce the two-seater sports car, a four-door sedan, and made-to-spec limos. I’d like to incorporate an SUV, but that’ll be a few years down the road, I think. We’re headed to the American LeMans circuit first.”

“You’ll be making race cars?”

He nodded, then cocked his head as they heard a noise. “That’s an owl.”

“I’m not a complete idiot,” she said with a smile. “What else is around?”

“Deer. Dogs and cats, wild and tame. Raccoons, fox, skunks, all the usual small wild animals. A variety of birds. Early in the morning you can sit at the kitchen table and see quail. There are grouse and mourning doves and hawks. None of them is your enemy, Tricia, although the deer eat the vegetation, which is annoying sometimes. And if threatened, any animal will protect itself. You really shouldn’t worry about them.”

At the moment she wasn’t worried at all, because he was there with her. But on her own? She really, really hated the great outdoors.

“Is that why you don’t have a garden?” she asked. “Because of the deer?”

He glanced toward the open space. “We used to have a garden. It was Margie’s thing. She was into organics.”

“Margie is your late wife?”

“Yes.”

“How long were you married?”

“Eleven years. We met in college.”

“You were happy,” she said, hearing it in his voice, even layered with grief.

“Yes. Very.”

“How did she die?”

“Pancreatic cancer. Very quick. Very painful.”

His brief answers indicated he was done talking about it. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks.” He touched the small of Tricia’s back, urging her toward the house.

That touch, that single, glancing touch through the layers of the jacket, rattled her. She was already worried about falling in love with the children and not wanting to leave in January. She didn’t want to be worried about falling for the father, too.

It’s just hormones, she decided. Long-repressed hormones coming out of years of hibernation, something she’d been hoping would happen—just not with her boss.

Inside the house, she slipped out of the jacket before he could help her, not wanting his fingers to accidentally graze her skin.

“Any questions?” he asked as they moved through the rooms to the staircase.

“Am I free to call you at work if I have any problems? Even ones that aren’t an emergency?”

“Of course. My assistant’s name is Mae. She’ll know to put you through. Better yet, just call my cell. I’ll always answer if it’s you.”

“Okay. I think that’s all for now. We’ll probably have things to talk about tomorrow. I would appreciate your letting me know if you’re joining us for dinner, so I know whether or not to wait for you.”

He looked annoyed. “I have business in many time zones. Sometimes I have to stay late for a call. I’ll try to be here. That’s all I can say.”

Based on what David had told her, and on her own observations so far, Tricia knew Noah did his best to avoid being at home. That needed to change. “Your children miss you, Noah.”

He looked about to fire back then smiled instead. Sort of. As if someone was making him. “I will try,” he said quietly but resolutely. The boss, after all.

She didn’t like his answer, but took it no further. However, she wouldn’t hesitate in a week to remind him again of his responsibility to his children.

Tricia waited to be dismissed. Since she hadn’t held this kind of position before, she wasn’t sure of protocol, but she figured he would be the one to end the discussion.

“All your questions are answered?” he asked.

“For now.”

“Then I’ll say good-night. I hope you’ll be happy here, Tricia.”

“I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun together. The children and I, I mean.”

“I know you’re used to kindergarteners, who mostly just play.”

“Please don’t insult me,” she responded. “You won’t find their education lacking because of my teaching skills.”

“I didn’t mean—” He stopped, took a step back. “Good night.”

As she climbed the stairs, she watched him walk toward his office. Sympathy rose inside her. For all that he was successful in his work and had four beautiful children, he was not a happy man. And not just because he still grieved for his wife, she decided. Maybe he’d never been happy. Obviously his childhood hadn’t been good, his father no kind of role model, although Noah didn’t seem to be anything like his own father.

Tricia shut her bedroom door and leaned against it. She was in a tough spot. Three months to help them as a family—because that had become her primary goal now that she’d met them—and still be able to walk away.

Get out now, she told herself.

The shouting in her head got louder and louder. She should heed it. She knew she should. But superimposed over it were the faces of the children, who needed her.

And Noah. Who perhaps needed her even more.

Life’s short. Make it an adventure. Her brand-new mantra began shouting even louder, reminding her of her own needs, which she’d promised herself she wouldn’t forget. She was entitled, too.

But for the moment, she needed to be here, with this family.

Having an adventure.

Chapter Five

Noah pulled into the driveway the next night at six-thirty. He hadn’t called when he left the office, and he could’ve called from his cell phone at any time, yet he hadn’t.

He didn’t know why. He wasn’t rude, generally. Oblivious, maybe at times, but not intentionally rude. And it hadn’t slipped his mind, because she hadn’t slipped his mind. Tricia. He hadn’t even been working, but reading trade magazines so that he wouldn’t get home until a half hour after the usual dinnertime, although it was two hours earlier than his norm for the past year.

If he really wanted to figure out why he’d deliberately stalled, he could call his brother Gideon, who wasn’t a psychologist but understood human nature better than most people.

Noah didn’t want to know why.

He made the long walk from the garage to the house. No one opened the back door to greet him, although the dining room lights were on, and they all would’ve seen his car turn into the driveway, his headlights arcing across the window. Maybe they were done eating.

Margie would have had the kids racing to the back door to greet him.

He reached for the door handle, then stopped and reminded himself that his world had changed forever. There was no Margie. No wife. Even though the At Your Service agency where David had found Tricia was nicknamed “Wives for Hire,” Tricia wasn’t his wife. Except she was doing an admirable job of filling many of Margie’s roles….

But no sex, of course. That was in the contract they both signed, although he wouldn’t have gotten involved with an employee, anyway. It hadn’t been an issue with any of the other nannies, contract or not. Tricia was the first one to even tempt him.

Noah entered the kitchen just as they were carrying their dirty dishes in, Ashley leading the way. Accusation and disappointment hit him full force from her expression alone. Why? He hadn’t made it home on time for at least a year.

“Hi,” he said, setting his briefcase on the counter.

“Hello.” She turned on the faucet and rinsed her plate. She opened the dishwasher and slid her dishes inside then left the room.

“Dinner was good,” Adam said. He put his dishes in the dishwasher without rinsing.

Zoe followed suit. “Beef stew,” she said in way of greeting.

Then Zach, whose expression was even more accusatory than Ashley’s. Why? What had he done?

Zach took his time rinsing his plate, using a cloth to get every bit off the plate and silverware, then loaded them. Finally he looked at Noah. “You promised to be nice,” he said, then left.

Ah. So part of being nice was being home for dinner. Okay. Noah understood now.

“Hello, Noah. Did you have a good day?” Tricia said as she brought her own dishes in.

He was not in the mood to be chastised, directly or indirectly, and her tone indicated she was doing exactly that. He was especially annoyed because she’d been intruding into his thoughts all day already. “This is your doing, I assume.”

“My doing?” She rinsed her dishes, avoiding looking at him. “Your children seemed to think things were going to change. I have no idea what or why. All I know is, you didn’t call to say you were on your way home, so we ate without you. What’s wrong with that?”

“I meant having the children doing dishes.”

She looked startled. “That’s what you’re mad about?”

No. He was angry that his children were barely speaking to him, but he couldn’t blame Tricia for that. “I don’t want them doing chores.”

“Why not?” She propped a hip against the counter and crossed her arms.

“Because you only get to be kids once.”

“Home is where we are prepared for life. Doing chores is part of life.”

“Not in my house.”

“Noah,” she said quietly, “the children want chores. They want responsibility.”

“How do you know that?”

“They told me.”

He didn’t know what to say to that. He’d only meant to save them from the kind of childhood he’d had—babysitting his two younger brothers while his father and one stepmother, then another, worked full time. He was ten years old when he was first put in charge of seven-year-old Gideon and three-year-old David. As the years passed, Noah had supervised homework and cleaned the house, including doing laundry. The only way he’d gotten out of cooking duty was to be really bad at it, on purpose.

“I assume they didn’t tell you without prompting?” he asked, heading to the dining room to eat.

She followed. “Not exactly.” She made a move to grab the pot of stew. “I can heat this for you.”

“It’s fine.” He served himself the remainder of the salad, rolls and stew, then glanced up as she hovered. “Not exactly?” he repeated.

“One of the things we did today was discuss their schedules, not just their academics but extracurricular activities. In the grand scheme of things, we talked about responsibility. I sort of tossed out the idea that they could make their own beds and do their own dishes rather than letting them sit in the sink all night.”

He gestured she should sit. “And they jumped at the chance to assume that responsibility?”

She hesitated. “Not all of them.”

“Let me guess. Ashley and Zach were gung ho. Zoe got huffy. And Adam…”

“Said they’d be putting Cora out of work, and how could we live with that?”

Noah laughed, which made Tricia laugh, too. “That’s my boy.”

“Is he the most like you, out of all of them?”

The stew was lukewarm but tasty, the salad lukewarm and wilted, and the rolls cold but still crunchy. “I think Zach’s the most like me. How’d your day go?”

“Great,” she said. “They’re certainly all individual, and yet the twin thing is strongly at work.”

“They used to have secret languages when they were very young, but not anymore.”

“Maybe not spoken, but they know how the other feels. I’ve never had a sibling, so I have nothing to compare it to.”

“And I only know my brothers and I didn’t have it. So, everyone got all their work done?”

“Yes. If you’d like to see it, I can bring it to your office later. Or I can meet you in the classroom.”

“I’d like a summary, but I don’t need to see the actual work. If you can come to my office right after the children go to bed, that would be great. I won’t take up much of your time.”

“All right.” She stood. “For now I’d like to go to my room. I’ve been on duty for almost twelve hours.”

He hadn’t considered how long she worked. No wonder he lost nannies all the time. But Cora was supposed to keep an eye on the kids during lunch, giving the nan—teacher a break before afternoon activities. “Cora didn’t relieve you for a while?” he asked.

“She offered, but I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of the day. I’ll let her from now on. I hadn’t realized how tired I would be without a break.”

“Good.”

With a quick goodbye, she left. She hadn’t looked tired. Her blond hair still held its curl, her eyes were as clear as ever. She wasn’t slouching. In fact, her posture was perfect, her shoulders back, her breasts a tempting sight he tried to ignore, which was hard to do since her form-fitting T-shirt showed off every curve.

Noah usually ate dinner alone, which was fine with him. Tonight it bothered him. Maybe because he was sitting at the dining room table instead of standing at the kitchen counter. He finished up in a hurry, then debated what to do about the dishes. There were no leftovers. He should’ve left some stew so he could just put some foil on top and stick it in the refrigerator.

In the end, he put his dishes in the dishwasher but left the pot soaking in the sink.

He wandered into the family room. Zoe was playing a soccer video game on the small television. Adam was intent on his handheld Game Boy. Zach and Ashley were watching something on the Disney Channel, a movie about teenagers and basketball, with a lot of singing and dancing involved.

Noah sat on the couch next to Ashley, who moved a few inches away, her lips pinched. He didn’t know what to do with her. It seemed like everything he did these days was wrong, and she was so quick to judge him. And vocal. That was new. Before, he could guess by her expression when she was upset with him. Now she told him, as well. He should be grateful not to have to guess anymore, but it left him confused, too.

“When this is over, would you come to my office, please?” he asked her.

She waited a few seconds, then nodded.

He wanted to escape, but he made himself sit there, trying to be part of their world. He didn’t have a clue how they usually spent their evenings after dinner. Like this? Watching TV, playing games?

What did they used to do, as a family?

Well, really, did the past have any bearing on now? They were older. Life had changed.

“Where’s Miss Tricia?” Zach asked during a commercial.

“In her room,” Noah answered.

“Why?”

“I guess she had things to do.”

Zach eyed Noah like he was responsible, like he’d ordered her to her room, or something.

“Oh,” Zach said glumly. “Will she come down later?”

“I don’t know. She’s off duty as soon as I get home.”

All four of the children turned and looked at him for a few long seconds before they went back to watching television and playing video games without uttering their opinion.

“Would you like to play a game?” he asked the room at large. He knew the cabinet held tons of board games.

“Why?” Adam asked, not looking away from his Game Boy.

“To spend some time together as a family. Having fun.” He tried not to sound defensive.

“It’s too close to bedtime,” Ashley said. “We probably couldn’t finish.”

No one else commented. No one made a move to play a game. So he sat and watched the rest of the movie with Ashley and Zach, trying to seem interested.

“I’m ready now, Father,” Ashley said, getting up and heading out.

“What’s she ready for?” Adam asked.

“I want to talk to each of you individually,” Noah answered, including all of them in the answer. “It’s nothing bad. I just want to know about your day and what you learned.”

“Like you used to,” Zoe said, not taking her eyes off her video match.

“Yes.” So they remembered. Guilt came to sit on his shoulder.

“Are you going to test us?” Adam asked.

Noah almost sighed. “No. Just talk.”

“For how long?”

“For as long as it takes. Ashley’s coming first.”

“Ashley always goes first,” Zach muttered.

What happened to his agreeable, obedient children? When had he lost control? Or maybe it wasn’t a matter of control but that they felt he’d abandoned them.

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