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Placing the star on the top of the ladder, she took the hanger from his hand and reached up to paste it to the wall.

But, even stretching as far as she could stretch, she couldn’t reach the spot she wanted. So she took another step up, to get closer to the tree, and tried again. The ladder shimmied but she took another step up. This time it downright shook. Before she could catch her balance she fell backward.

Luckily Chance caught her. Their gazes met and they both burst out laughing. But within seconds their laughter faded. His arms were wrapped around her. Her arms had looped around his neck automatically, instinctively, because she didn’t want to fall. But it felt so right to be in his arms and to have her arms around him that she didn’t want to pull them back.

His head began to descend. Slowly. From the flash of heat that came to his eyes she knew he intended to kiss her. By the time she told herself to pull away his lips had touched hers. Softly. Sweetly.

The brush of his lips was a balm to her hurting, weary soul. The well of emptiness inside her began to fill, and instead of jerking back she answered him. Her lips pressed against his every bit as softly, every bit as sweetly, as if experimenting. It had been a long time since she’d intentionally kissed a man. Though she’d expected it to feel odd, it was as natural as breathing.

Dear Reader,

Every once in a while a story comes along that surprises me. Nanny for the Millionaire’s Twins is one of those stories. I started out intending to write a book about a hero who has a chip on his shoulder. He’s had a horrible life, with a demanding, frequently dishonest dad, and he’s been running from years of emotional abuse—until his ex-girlfriend dumps their twins on him and he can’t run any more.

Enter Tory Bingham. Chance might think he has it hard, but Tory has it a hundred times harder. Still, she doesn’t flaunt her misery, or even look for understanding. Instead she helps him get through the trauma of being left by his ex-girlfriend and helps him become a daddy to his twins.

She’s loyal and honest and wonderful—and when Chance discovers she has so much more trouble in her life than he has, he’s humbled.

She changes him in a way he doesn’t expect to be changed. She challenges him in ways he doesn’t want to be challenged—even though they are star-crossed, and even though it looks as if they might not get their happily-ever-after. And if they do it will come at a great price …

In the end Chance Montgomery becomes the man he’s supposed to be. His choices are gut-wrenching and powerful. So are Tory’s. But I hope their story will inspire you.

Enjoy.

Susan Meier

About the Author

SUSAN MEIER spent most of her twenties thinking she was a job-hopper—until she began to write and realised everything that had come before was only research! One of eleven children, with twenty-four nieces and nephews and three kids of her own, Susan has had plenty of real-life experience watching romance blossom in unexpected ways. She lives in western Pennsylvania with her wonderful husband Mike, three children, and two over-fed, well-cuddled cats, Sophie and Fluffy. You can visit Susan’s website at: www.susanmeier.com.

Nanny for the
Millionaire’s
Twins
Susan Meier

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For the hospice patients and their wonderful families

who have taught me in my years of volunteering

that the truth about life and death, love and hope,

is sometimes very simple.

CHAPTER ONE

CHANCE MONTGOMERY PULLED his SUV up to the big black iron gates that protected his mother’s estate. He punched in the code she’d given him, and, after the gates opened, drove along the winding lane, not surprised that nothing had changed. The leaves on the tall trees that lead to the mansion had turned red, yellow and orange, the way they always did in October in Pine Ward, Pennsylvania. The brown and gray stone mansion, his childhood home, looked exactly as it had on his eighteenth birthday, when he’d run away.

He’d left because his life was a mess. A rope of days, months and years braided together with betrayal and lies. Ironically, he was returning for the same reason. The woman he’d thought was the love of his life had left him when she realized she was pregnant with his twins. She’d never loved him, only used him as a stepping stone to get where she wanted to be in her career. Nine months later, she’d had their babies and seemed to mother them adequately for six or so months. Then suddenly two weeks ago, she’d brought them to his house and said she didn’t want them back.

Odd that it took her giving up the kids to reinforce the valuable lesson he’d learned when he’d discovered his adoptive father was actually his biological father. People couldn’t be trusted. Most looked out for themselves. He should have remembered that when she told him she’d only been with him to use him. But, no. He’d actually held out hope that even if she didn’t love him, she could love their kids.

He was an idiot.

He pulled the SUV in front of one of the garage doors, clicked off the ignition and jumped out. As if she’d been waiting for him, his mom hurried over.

“Chance, darling!” Her snow-white hair was cut short in a neat and elegant style. Her black trousers and black turtleneck with pearls made her look like the socialite that she was.

She enfolded him in the kind of embrace only a mother can pull off without looking foolish. When she stepped away, her eyes were filled with tears. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

He cleared his throat. He wished he could say the same, but the truth was he wasn’t happy to be here. He wasn’t happy he couldn’t handle his twins. He wasn’t happy his babies’ mother didn’t want to be in their lives. He wasn’t happy that every person in his life hurt him, cheated him or lied to him.

Except Gwen Montgomery. The devoted wife his father had tricked into adopting him. A woman who, even once she’d found out he was her husband’s illegitimate son, hadn’t stopped loving him.

“It’s good to be home.”

Okay. That was a bit of a lie. But how could he tell the happy woman in front of him the truth? That this house reminded him of a dad who couldn’t be trusted. That his life sucked …

He couldn’t.

She clapped her hands together. “So let me see them!”

He reached for the back door of the SUV just as a tall redhead walked out of the mansion. He would have been lying if he said he didn’t notice her face was pretty. Big brown eyes, a pert nose and full, lush lips always added up to pretty. But she wore a plain white blouse, gray pants and ugly—truly ugly—black shoes.

His mother said, “By the way, this is Victoria Bingham. She likes to be called Tory. I hired her to be your nanny.”

Normally, he would have reached over and taken the hand she extended to shake his. Instead, he turned to his mom. “I told you, Mom, I want to raise the kids myself. I came here for help from you, not an outsider.”

Gwen straightened as if he’d mortally wounded her. “Well, of course, I’ll help you. But you also need a nanny for things like diapers—”

“I can change diapers. I’ve changed thirty thousand in the past two weeks. These kids were abandoned by their mom. They’re not going to lose their daddy too.”

She laid her hand on his cheek. “Oh, darling. We are not going to let these kids go without love. You had a nanny until you were four. And you don’t think I love you any less than a baby raised without a nanny, do you?”

He shook his head. Gwen’s love had been proven a million times over when she accepted her husband’s infidelity a lot better than Chance had.

“So, you see? Nannies are perfectly suitable help.”

He mumbled, “I suppose,” turned to the SUV door, opened it and revealed his two true pride and joys. Little bruiser Sam yelped indignantly as if he resented being stuck in his car seat while everybody else talked. Cindy gurgled happily.

“Oh, darling! They’re gorgeous!”

They were gorgeous.

Standing off to the side, Tory Bingham stared at the two blond-haired, blue-eyed babies. She hadn’t wanted this job. After years of surgeries and the resultant therapies to repair her left leg, which had been shattered in a motorcycle accident, she could finally walk with the support of orthopedic shoes. She could also drive. Her plan had been to spend her days with her fiancé, who hadn’t fared as well as she had after their accident. But her parents had other ideas.

They wanted her to get a job. Worse, they wanted her to get on with her life. While her fiancé lay in a personal care facility struggling, they wanted her to move on. It wasn’t just ridiculous; it was horrific.

But she was twenty-five years old. She didn’t have any money. She didn’t have health insurance. All of her medical expenses had been picked up by Jason’s motorcycle insurance, but she was reaching even those limits. Her parents might be friends of the Montgomerys but they didn’t have the money the Montgomery family had. She had no choice but to take the job Gwen had offered.

And now the prodigal son didn’t want her.

Fine with her. She would find work somewhere else. Except …

Well, his babies were adorable. The two sweet angels sitting in bear-print car seats caused an unexpected tumble of her heart, and she couldn’t stop staring at them.

Chance ducked into the SUV. “Here, I’ll get them out.”

“That’s okay.” Gwen scurried around the trailer hitched to the back of the SUV—the trailer hauling a big black motorcycle. “You get Sam. I’ll get Cindy.”

She opened the door and leaned in to get the little girl, but within a few seconds, she pulled out again. “Tory, can you help me with these strap things? I can’t seem to get them unbuckled.”

Tory said, “Yes, ma’am,” and hurried around the trailer. Apparently she wasn’t being fired after all.

But even staying as far away as she could from the black beast on the trailer, her chest tightened with terror as she maneuvered around it. She remembered her motorcycle accident as something like a soundless blur that flashed into her brain at the oddest times of the day and night. A blur that had all but destroyed her leg and nearly taken the man she loved.

“Hurry, Tory!”

Tory scooted to the SUV door, dipped in to undo the buckle and found herself six inches away from the most adorable face in the universe. Big blue eyes blinked at her. Cherubic lips blew spit bubbles. “Well, hello, there.”

The baby gurgled with happiness.

“Aren’t you just the sweetest little thing?” She undid the last buckle and lifted the baby out of her seat.

For the first time since the accident, Tory’s chest expanded with delight. The baby patted her face and she laughed. But Gwen eagerly waited to hold the little girl and Tory handed her over.

“Well, my goodness,” Gwen said. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Cindy. I’m your grandmother.”

Tory’s eyebrows rose. Gwen had never met her own grandchildren? She knew Chance had been away for a while, but she’d thought they’d reconciled.

Gwen walked around the trailer again. “Come on. Let’s get them into the house.”

“Actually, Mom—” Chance winced. “One whiff of Sam and I can tell he needs to be changed. Maybe we should just take them directly to the cottage?”

His mom’s face fell. “Oh.”

“It’s been a long drive and once I change them I should feed them.”

Gwen smiled as if she was so happy to have her son home she would agree to anything. “Okay. Tory and I will come with you.”

He glanced over at Tory and she looked back at him. She’d already noticed he was tall and lean. That his hair was black and his eyes were blue. That a red flannel shirt suited him and so did butt-molding jeans. But holding the gaze of his blue eyes, she saw other things. Subtleties. Those pretty sapphire eyes had the wariness of a man who didn’t trust.

Which was just perfect. She hadn’t ever worked fulltime beyond the job of watching kids for three summers when she was in high school, and now her first real nanny job came with a distrustful father.

Well, she wasn’t going to beg him to keep her or even defend herself. She didn’t really want to work for a grouch. Especially not a grouch she didn’t know. Nannies lived with the family who employed them. If he kept her, she’d be spending twenty-four hours a day with him.

“Just think, Chance,” Gwen said teasingly. “If you have a nanny, you don’t have to get up with the twins in the middle of the night—and, even if you do, you only have to change and feed one baby.”

He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, as if bone tired and finding it hard to refute that argument. “All right. You both can come.”

After they strapped the kids into their seats, Tory sat between the twins so Gwen could ride in the front with her son.

As they made their way down the slim brown brick lane that wound through the forest behind Gwen’s mansion, Tory began to see just how private their living arrangements would be. The trees were thick enough that it was nearly dark. Only occasionally did light pierce the red, yellow and orange leafy overhangs and create shiny beams that sparkled to the ground.

She swallowed. Maybe her first instincts had been correct? Maybe she should have held her ground with her mom and told her she didn’t want a job. She wanted to be with Jason, to take care of him, to help him recover. Not trapped in a secluded cottage with a man she didn’t know.

They stopped in front of a one-story house too big to be called a cottage. Though it was stone and had adorable windows and a roof with several peaks, it was obviously roomy and modern.

Gwen led them through the great room to the bedroom she’d had redesigned and furnished as a nursery. Two oak cribs, two changing tables and two rockers filled it.

Chance laid chubby Sam on the first changing table. Gwen set Cindy on the second. “Tory, darling, while we’re changing the diapers, could you make the babies some cereal?”

“Sure.” Happy to escape, she raced outside to the SUV, assuming she’d find baby supplies there. But all she saw were two duffle bags. When she brought them into the kitchen and rummaged through them, she found nothing but clothes.

“See anything you like?”

Her heart just about leaped out of her chest at Chance’s question. His voice was low and deep, and the sexy way he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the center island of the kitchen caused her pulse to scramble.

Annoyance skittered through her. Why did she keep noticing things about this man? She was engaged. She shouldn’t be looking at his handsome face or noting the way he moved. Plus, at first blush, she didn’t even like him.

Presenting him with what she hoped was a professional smile, she said, “I was looking for cereal.”

He handed her the diaper bag. “It’s in here. Mom said she had the refrigerator stocked with supplies, including milk. Use that since mine’s been sitting in this diaper bag for hours.”

With that he turned and walked away, and Tory let out the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. He might be good-looking but he was crabby. Even if she wasn’t engaged, she shouldn’t be interested—attracted, whatever the devil she was—to him.

She quickly prepared the cereal. By the time she carried it into the nursery, Chance and his mom were on the rocking chairs, each holding a baby. She put the two small bowls on the round table between the rockers and stepped back. Chance fed little bruiser Sam and Gwen fed Cindy.

With nothing else to do, she stood by the door and watched them. Though the babies were twins and looked a bit alike, they weren’t identical. Aside from their disparate size, they had different hair. Sam’s was short and fine, but Cindy’s was thick and longer. Yellow curls fell to her forehead and along her nape.

When they were done, Chance rose from his rocker. “I think we should put them down for a nap. They’ve eaten and now they’ll be tired.”

“So it’s not their regularly scheduled nap time?” Gwen asked.

He snorted a laugh. “Scheduled nap time? I don’t tell them when to sleep or eat. They tell me.”

Remembering the trouble she’d had her first summer with the Perkins family, wealthy lawyers with kids who ran roughshod over them, Tory couldn’t stifle the, “Oh, dear” that escaped her lips.

She instantly regretted it. Chance’s pretty blue eyes narrowed at her and his mouth thinned into an angry line.

He patted Sam’s back a bit, then laid the drowsy child in the crib. Following Chance’s lead, Gwen did the same with Cindy. The babies fell asleep instantly and Chance headed for the door, his mom on his heels.

Tory followed them out of the nursery, wanting to kick herself. The guy already didn’t like her and she didn’t exactly like him. Did she have to make things worse with her big mouth?

When they reentered the main room, Gwen turned to Chance. “Since the babies are sleeping, there’s no point in us hanging around. Plus, you and I could use a little catch up time.” She smiled at him. “Why don’t you drive us back to the house and we’ll go to the den where there’s good brandy? We can have Cook make us a snack.”

Chance pulled his keys from his jeans pocket again. He caught Tory’s gaze. “Watch the kids.”

She nodded, as relief washed over her. Hopefully, he and his mom would chitchat long enough that she could figure out a way to quit gracefully since their mothers were friends. He didn’t want her and she didn’t want to work for him. This wasn’t rocket science. But she also wouldn’t put her mom or Gwen in an uncomfortable position over a failed nanny assignment.

After they left, Tory relaxed and roamed the cottage. She’d been so preoccupied with Chance and the cereal, that she hadn’t really taken a good look at the house. The three bedrooms were in the back, but the living space had an open floor plan. Standing in the yellow kitchen with maple cabinets, beige ceramic tile floor and brown and beige granite countertops, she could see the entire family room and the mini-library/reading area behind it. A table and chairs sat off to the left of the kitchen in a little space that looked like a sunroom because of all the windows.

It was the perfect home for a young family—or newlyweds. She ran her hand along the granite countertop. She should be married right now. Living in a cute little house like this. Raising her own babies. But one day … one hour … No, one minute had changed everything. Instead of being married, being a mom, or having a career, she spent hours on end in a hospital room, talking to a fiancé who couldn’t talk back.

She wasn’t even really sure he could hear her.

Forcing herself out of her dark mood, she walked to the sitting area with the oversize leather sofa and recliners and big-screen TV, and turned in a circle. For a “cottage” this was unbelievable.

“So now you’re dancing?”

She spun to face Chance as he walked in the front door. “I was just exploring a bit.” Pressing her hand to her galloping heart, she tried to level her breathing. “I thought you were visiting with your mom.”

“I’m not leaving my babies indefinitely with a stranger.”

“I’m not a stranger. Our mothers are friends. Plus, I’ve been living with your mom, working with the household staff for a week.”

“And one would think you would have learned your place.”

She sucked in a breath. Oh, boy. The moment of truth. She might not have to figure out how to quit gracefully. He might fire her before she could.

He motioned for her to sit on the sofa. “You and I need to talk.”

Resigned, she walked over and sat on the couch as he’d requested.

He plopped down on one of the recliners. “You crossed a line when you questioned me about the kids’ nap time.”

She winced. “Technically, I didn’t question you. I said, ‘oh, dear.’”

“Which is worse. You might as well have come right out and said, ‘Hey, Chance. You’re doing everything wrong.’”

“Sorry.”

“These are my kids. I’ve spent two weeks with them all by myself. And though I’m not perfect, I don’t want to be constantly reminded that I don’t always know what I’m doing.”

Her head snapped up. He didn’t know what he was doing? He had twins and he didn’t know what he was doing?

“I didn’t hire a nanny because I want my kids to be raised by me. But I’m willing to give you a shot because quite honestly I could use some help. Plus, I’m not staying here forever. Only for a visit.”

Only for a visit? Her attention perked up even more. If he wasn’t staying forever, only for a visit, then this job was temporary. She wasn’t making a life decision or a life choice or even abandoning Jason. She was working temporarily.

Giddy relief swamped her.

“But I have to tell you, if you’re going to criticize me, we can end this right now.”

With her situation in perspective, she studied him as all the puzzle pieces of his situation began to fall into place in her head. Gwen had told her that the twins’ mother had left his babies with him, saying she didn’t want them back—which explained his trust issues. He didn’t want a nanny. He wanted to raise these kids on his own. Admirable. But he didn’t know how. And because he was sort of failing he was supersensitive.

He wasn’t a grouch. Just a supersensitive daddy who needed somebody to help him.

Suddenly being that person didn’t seem so god-awful.

“Are we clear?”

Crystal. “Yes.”

“Great.” Even as he said the word, one of the babies began to cry. He rose from his seat.

Tory also rose. Okay. She might not be quitting. But the job was far from perfect. She still wasn’t sure she could advise him without insulting him.

Walking to the nursery he said, “Here’s the only reason I might not—and I stress might not—mind having you around. I can’t seem to get Sam and Cindy to sleep for more than twenty minutes, and when they get up they’re like little cats climbing all over me. I don’t get a minute’s peace.”

“You’ve been holding these kids for two weeks?”

“Sort of. Sometimes they play on the floor.”

“What about your job?”

“I own a construction company so I could pretty much do what I wanted for the first week. But once I realized I had my hands full with the kids, I turned everything over to my general manager.”

She carefully caught his gaze. His blue eyes were no longer angry, but cautious. “You can’t live like that forever.”

He sniffed a laugh. “No kidding.”

“Yet, you don’t want a nanny.”

“I don’t want to be like my dad.”

“He never had time for you?”

He sighed, ran his fingers through his short dark hair. “These kids are just adjusting to losing their mom. I can’t leave them too.”

Gorgeous or not, grouchy or not, deep down inside Chance Montgomery was a nice guy. And he genuinely loved his kids. Surely she could put her own problems on hold long enough to help him. Especially when she needed to earn a little money as much as he needed assistance with his kids.

She cautiously said, “So you want suggestions about some things?”

He sighed. “When I ask? Yes.”

“Are you asking?”

His sigh turned into a growl. “The fact that you think I should be asking means I should be, so, yes, I’m asking.”

“I didn’t see a baby swing or a walker in your car—”

“A walker?” His brow furrowed and he looked at her as if she were crazy. “Like an old person’s walker?”

If he hadn’t been so serious, she might have laughed. But if he didn’t even know what a swing and a walker were, then chances were he hadn’t forgotten to pack them for this trip. He didn’t have them. Which heaped another layer of trouble onto his already troubled daddyhood.

Not wanting to insult him, she carefully said, “A walker is a seat with wheels that you put your babies in. It helps them learn to walk, but it also entertains them.”

“You mean they don’t have to spend every waking minute crawling on me?”

His hopeful tone broke her heart. “Nope.”

“And I suppose the swing is something every bit as useful?”

She winced then nodded. “I’m amazed your ex-wife didn’t give you those things when she gave you the kids.”

“Liliah wasn’t my wife. She isn’t going to be anybody’s wife. And as you can see, she took real well to mothering too.”

He turned and headed for the nursery and Tory squeezed her eyes shut in misery.

Just when it looked like they might have been starting to get along, she said something stupid.

This was never going to work.

CHAPTER TWO

REACHING IN TO lift Sam out of his crib, Chance stopped the anger rolling through him. He shouldn’t be surprised that Liliah hadn’t given him all the things the kids needed. But with a screaming baby on his shoulder and a woman who seemed to know what she was doing standing right behind him, this wasn’t the time to let his brain tumble to his anger with Liliah.

“So why do you think they woke up?”

Tory walked to Cindy’s crib. Chance’s sobbing little girl raised her arms, begging to be held. “Did they sleep on the drive here?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. So they probably just nodded off after you fed them because their tummies were full. They don’t need a nap.” She lifted Cindy out of her crib. “Hey, sweetie.”

Cindy’s sobbing subsided, and Chance watched as a look of wonder transformed Tory’s features. Her brown eyes lit with joy, and for the first time in weeks he felt himself begin to relax. Not only did she know what to do, but she truly seemed to love babies. Maybe a nanny wasn’t such a bad idea after all?

“So they want to play?”

She rubbed her cheek against Cindy’s. “Probably.”

But as soon as she said the word, she winced. “You know, with these two up, and us really not having a whole heck of a lot of toys or anything to entertain them, maybe we should take a drive into town and get some supplies.”

“Like that walker thing?”

“And a play yard and swings.”

New guilt welled up in him. He was such an idiot. Couldn’t he at least have thought of some of this stuff? Was he that dumb that he couldn’t draw some commonsense conclusions?

No. Actually, he wasn’t dumb as much as tired. So tired from being up most of the night every night for the past two weeks that he hadn’t been thinking straight.

“If we get them what they need and even a few toys, we’ll be able to tire them out, and they’ll actually sleep for longer stretches of time.” She smiled tentatively. “They’re old enough that we might even be able to train them to sleep through the night.”

He looked longingly at her. “Really?”

She laughed and the soft sound hit him right in the gut. He told himself that was only because he wanted to be able to laugh again too. But she was pretty. Maybe even prettier than the women he used to date because she didn’t seem to be wearing makeup. She didn’t need it.

“Yeah. So grab your wallet and I’ll get the diaper bag and we’ll make a quick run to the store.”

Thinking only of a full night’s sleep, Chance buckled the kids in their car seats and headed for the mall on the outskirts of town. When they arrived, he flicked the switch signaling a turn into the mall parking lot, but Tory tapped his forearm and pointed at the discount department store.

“Let’s go there. The quality is as good and you’ll spend less money.”

He did as she asked but as they got the kids out of the SUV, he sneaked a peek across the backseat at her. Usually, most of the women he met flirted outrageously with him and were impressed by his money. This one barely tolerated him and was now showing him how to save rather than spend?

Of course, she was an employee.

She wasn’t interested in him as a man, or potential date, just as a boss.

That gave him a tug of something he couldn’t quite identify. He suspected it was disappointment. But at this point he’d much rather have somebody good with the kids, than somebody to sleep with.

He almost laughed. Having two babies to care for certainly changed a man’s priorities.

Automatic doors welcomed them into the store. Tory instructed him to get a cart and put Sam in the baby seat. Then she got a cart and put Cindy in that baby seat. They strolled past the rows and rows of everything from clothes and underwear to home goods and gardening tools until they came to the baby section.

She stopped her cart. “The most important things today are two walkers, two baby swings, a stroller for twins and one really strong play yard.”

“Play yard?” She’d mentioned that before, but he didn’t know what it was.

“Back in the day, moms called them playpens. We’ve gotten more politically correct and call them play yards now. It’s a square thing like a box with mesh walls that you put the babies in so that they can play together but not crawl around and get into trouble.”

He said, “Ah,” and watched as she loaded a compact box into his cart. “I take it there’s going to be some assembly required.”

She winced. “Unfortunately. Maybe we can call Robert?” she said, referring to the groundskeeper.

He gaped at her. “I worked in construction for ten years before I started my own company, and even then I had to work with the crew sometimes.” For some unknown reason his chest puffed out with pride. “I think I can handle putting together a playpen.”

“Play yard,” she corrected, as she loaded another big box into his cart.

“Play yard.”

Unexpected happiness stole over him, loosened his tight chest, relaxed his stiff muscles. Not only would he get a reasonable night’s sleep tonight, but his kids would be well cared for.

Not that he was a bad dad. If effort alone counted, he was daddy of the year. But effort hadn’t counted. Otherwise, he’d have known about the walker, play yard and swing.

He paid for the purchases and loaded them into his SUV as Tory put first Cindy, then Sam, into their car seats. She explained more about the walker as they drove home. When they arrived, she had him assemble the swings as she popped two jars of baby food and fed the kids, using highchairs his mother had bought for the kitchen.

He had the swings together by the time she was done feeding and then cleaning up the kids, and they slid both inside. She wound what looked to be a music box for each one and voilà, suddenly both kids were swinging and happy.

“Wow. That is amazing.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t know about swings.”

He gaped at her. “Who was I going to ask? I’ve only been talking to my mom again for a week and when she found out I had kids she just wanted me to come home.”

“And she’d hired you a nanny.”

“And she’d hired a nanny.”

“So maybe your mom’s a lot smarter than you give her credit for?”

He laughed.

She smiled.

And the room got quiet. The only sound was the music coming from the boxes and the creak of the kids’ swings. The happiness and relief Chance had been feeling suddenly disappeared and were replaced by tightness and anticipation. He liked her.

He struggled with a sigh. Of course he liked her! She was helping him with his kids. And she was beautiful and he hadn’t been around a woman “that way” since Liliah—which, counting her pregnancy was fifteen months ago. Fifteen months without a date? Sheesh. Liliah had really done a number on him.

But because she had, he wasn’t interested in a relationship. If he was going to have a woman in his life, it would strictly be for fun. No more potential heartaches. No more bitter fights. Just … fun. And a smart man didn’t get involved with his nanny just for fun.

Especially not when he desperately needed her.

He moved his gaze away from hers and pointed at the swing. “So they’re good for what? Twenty minutes in this thing?”

“They can actually stay in longer. I’ve heard of moms letting their kids nap in there.”

“It’s like a miracle.”

“Well, spending hours in a swing can’t be good for a baby’s back. But once they’re out of the swing—” She bent and grabbed some plastic toys. “You put them in the play yard with a few of these and see what happens. Lots of times babies will entertain themselves if you let them.”

He took a breath, said the word that had been choking in his chest all afternoon. “Thanks.”

She glanced up at him with a smile. “You’re welcome.”

But her smile quickly faded. So did his. Those male feelings swept over him again. She was so pretty. And the babies were so quiet, he felt like himself again. A man. Not just a daddy. She was attracted to him. He knew she was attracted to him. Her face told the story. It would be perfectly natural to start flirting right now …

He stopped his thoughts. Stepped back.

He’d already thought all this out. He didn’t want a relationship. He absolutely wasn’t going let another woman get close enough to hurt him—or the twins. And if he had no intention of getting close, then the only thing flirting would lead to was a fling.

That was just wrong.

He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “Your supper never did come down from the main house.”

She took a pace back too. “I know.” She cleared her throat. “Think you’ll be okay while I go up and check on that?”

He nodded. “Yeah. We’re good. In fact, if you want to stay up there and eat, you go ahead.”

“Okay.” She pivoted and all but ran to the front door.

He scrubbed his hand down his face. If he really wanted to keep himself in line around the nanny, he didn’t need to formulate a plan for the place of women in his life. All he had to do was remember how badly his last relationship had turned out. The pain of realizing he’d been used. The pain of discovering Liliah wanted nothing to do with his babies. She had been a boatload of trouble and drama.

He frowned. Liliah had been a boatload of drama and trouble. And that was probably why Tory was so attractive to him. She was Liliah’s polar opposite. Nice, sweet and kind to his babies, Tory didn’t bring an ounce of drama to his life.

But, after Liliah, even if Tory were his soul mate, a relationship wasn’t worth risking his trouble-free, drama-free household. And being involved with the nanny would certainly bring drama.

He’d had his share of drama with Liliah.

He didn’t want any more. No matter what form it took.

The next morning, Tory carried both babies into the kitchen. She slid them into their highchairs and began mixing cereal. “So, I take it everybody slept well.”

Cindy giggled and Sam yelped.

“Hey, hey, Sammy! I get it. You’re hungry. And I’m hurrying. But there’s only one of me. So you have to be patient.”

She took the two bowls of cereal to the table, pulled out a chair and arranged it between both highchairs. “Okay. It’s just us now. So everybody has to be on best behavior.”

Sam squealed, slapping his hands on the highchair tray.

“Did you not hear the part about best behavior? Your dad is exhausted and we’re letting him sleep in.”

She spooned a helping of cereal into Sam’s mouth. He smacked his lips in innocent enjoyment.

She laughed, wanting to pinch his chubby little cheek. Instead, she fed Cindy a spoon of cereal. “But I’m also sort of trying to butter him up. We never talked about days off and we have to because—”

She paused, cleared her throat, not sure why she couldn’t quite bring herself to talk about Jason with two babies who probably wouldn’t understand a word she said.

Except that the situation with Jason was sad and they were happy. Sam was a chubby, giggly little guy and Cindy was petite, demure. Probably someday she’d be exactly like Gwen. It seemed wrong to tell them about something so tragic when they were so cheerful.

So she wouldn’t tell them, but she had to tell Chance. She had to ask for days off.

Chance stretched lazily when he woke. His back didn’t hurt. His head was clear. And his muscles felt great. He was almost energetic.

He bounced up in bed and his gaze flew to the clock. It was almost nine!

The kids!

Why weren’t they screaming?

He rolled to get out from under the thin sheet that covered him and saw the blue drapes on the big window.

Not his house. His mom’s guesthouse.

And he hadn’t gotten up with the kids in the middle of the night because they now had a nanny.

A godsend nanny.

Well, the woman who would be a godsend if she weren’t so damned good-looking.

He passed his hand down his face, reminded himself that Tory was a drama-free employee whom he wanted to keep and headed for the bathroom. He didn’t hear any crying and he also had a meeting that morning, so he stepped into the shower in his private bathroom and scrubbed himself off.

Alone.

No kids sitting in front of the glass shower door, in the little basket-like seats Liliah had dropped them off in, crying as he took one of the shortest showers in recorded history.

For this and this alone, he could keep his hormones under control around the nanny. Because the other thing he’d figured out—before he drifted off to sleep the night before—was that she wasn’t the problem. She hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, she’d more or less told him she wasn’t interested in him by her behavior at the discount department store. Which meant anything he’d taken to be attraction on her part, he’d misinterpreted.

So he was the one who had to get in line. And that should be a piece of cake. He’d been ignoring women for fifteen months now.

He dressed in trousers and a white shirt and tie and walked through the great room into the kitchen area. Tory had the babies in the two highchairs, and was alternating feeding them. Her auburn hair had been caught up in a long ponytail that made her look about twenty, but she wore baggy jeans and a blousy top that hid all of her curves.

Still, when he saw her, his stomach jumped. Nerve endings he didn’t even know he had bounced to attention.

She smiled at him. “Hey, good morning.” Her gaze tumbled from his head to his toes and her smile grew. “Well, look at you.”

His mouth went dry. He tried to say good morning, but when the words came out they were more like a jumble of mush.

“I have coffee.”

“Great.” He walked to the pot, scolding himself for being ridiculous. Yes, she was pretty. And, yes, it had been a long time since he’d really looked at a woman—and since one had looked at him. But she was dressed in clothes obviously not meant to attract him. So the once-over she’d given him was nothing more than a friendly acknowledgment that he looked better in a shirt and tie than blue jeans.

He had to stop reacting to her. He needed her.

As a nanny.

He found a mug, poured himself some coffee and took a swallow before he said, “Are you okay being alone with the kids this morning?”

She smiled at him. A big, beaming smile that made her brown eyes sparkle. “That’s sort of my job.”

His hormones jumped again. Every fiber of his being wanted to flirt with her. But, again, she might be friendly, but she wasn’t flirting. Any attraction he thought he saw was strictly in his head or maybe wishful thinking.

He sucked in a breath. “Great. Because I actually have a meeting with my brother.”

“Ah. That explains the tie.”

He flapped it away from his shirt, and let it fall down again. “Dead giveaway, huh?”

“Well, I didn’t think you’d need one to go to your mom’s for breakfast.”

He caught her gaze. “She doesn’t require a tie for breakfast, but she does for dinner.”

Tory winced. “Sounds fun.”

“It’s a pain in the butt. Just like this meeting with my brother is going to be.” He finished his coffee, walked back into his room and grabbed his suit jacket.

Striding through the great room to the front door, he said, “I don’t expect to be back for a few hours—probably two.”

“Okay.” She turned to Cindy and Sam. “Say goodbye to your daddy, kids.”

Both kids squawked happily.

He groaned in his head. She had him so tripped up that he’d forgotten to say goodbye to his own kids.

After a quick kiss to the top of each twin’s head, he left the cottage and jumped into his SUV, blowing his breath out on a long sigh. He told himself to think of Liliah, to remember relationships were always trouble. To remember he didn’t want to be hurt. To remember he didn’t want his kids to be hurt by another woman who abandoned them.

He started the SUV and headed up the lane to the street. Twenty minutes later, he stood outside the yellow brick Montgomery Development building. Quiet and dignified, it sat among buildings older and taller and yet it still somehow intimidated him. How could four measly stories project such an air of power?

He sucked in a breath. It was no wonder he was tired of drama. Not only had Liliah made him miserable, but with the exception of Gwen, his family life had been trouble too. He’d thought all that was over when his dad died, but his brother had relentlessly followed him for the past few years, trying to get him to come home. He’d always managed to give him the slip, until last week when he couldn’t take the babies and run.

So after Max called, he’d called their mom to talk things through with her, and he’d come home. Not to placate his brother and certainly not forever. He would always call Gwen Mom, and now that the truth was out about his dad, he would always have a relationship with her. But he wasn’t sure he wanted a relationship with the brother who’d kept their dad’s secret. And he had a feeling the only way to stay away from persistent Max would be to go back to Tennessee.

Blowing his breath out on a long sigh, he headed for the entryway. He would let his brother have his say, thank him for any offers he made and refuse them. He wouldn’t start trouble. He wouldn’t open old wounds. There didn’t need to be any arguments. He would calmly ask his brother to let him alone—for good this time—and be done with this.

He stepped through the glass double doors and stopped, totally surprised. Vaulted ceilings soared to the roof. Sunshine poured in through skylights and fed the potted trees that sat on each side of the two white sofas in the reception area. A polished yellow wood reception desk sat in the center of everything.

Wow. His mom had said Max had changed things, but he hadn’t expected that would mean even the building.

Dark brown travertine tile led him to the reception desk. The pretty twentysomething brunette greeted him with a smile. “Can I help you?”

“Yes. I have an appointment with Mr. Montgomery.”

She glanced down at a small computer screen. “Your name?”

“Chance.” He paused. “Montgomery.”

The young woman glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow. He scowled at her. If Max thought he would jump through hoops to get to see him, he was sadly mistaken.

“If it’s that much of a bother to see my big brother, even with an appointment, I’ll just go.”

The receptionist held up a hand to stop him. “No. No problem! I’m sorry. Just give me a second to announce you.” She pressed two buttons on her phone then turned away.

He heard the receptionist say his name, then give his description.

Then there was silence.

Annoyance flooded him. This was what he’d hated about being a Montgomery. The pretense. As if he were the king of England, Max screened his visitors.

The receptionist faced him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Montgomery. You may go up.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Obviously recognizing how insulted he was, the receptionist grimaced. “Take the third elevator in the back of that hall.” She pointed to the left. “By the time you get there, a security guard will be there to punch in the code.”

He ambled to the last elevator, the temptation to leave tickling his brain. He’d told Max he wanted no part of this pomp and circumstance, yet the first thing he did was run him through a lineup.

Before he knew it, he was at the elevator. The security guard said, “Good morning, Mr. Montgomery.” Punching a few numbers into a keypad, he opened the elevator, motioned Chance inside and stepped back as the doors closed.

The ride to the fourth floor took seconds. The elevator doors swooshed open. More potted trees accented a low, ultramodern green sofa and chair. A green print rug covered part of the yellow hardwood floor.

Sitting at the desk in front of a wall of windows, Max looked up and instantly rose.

When they were kids, everyone would comment on how cute it was that they both had dark hair and blue eyes, even though Chance had been adopted. Now, everyone knew why.

“Chance. Sorry about that mess up downstairs. I told them you were coming. I also told them to give you the code for the elevator.”

He flopped on the sofa before Max invited him to sit down. “Well, they didn’t.”

“And you’re mad.”

“No, actually, they made my case about why I don’t want to work here. Dad would be so proud.”

“Dad had nothing to do with just about everything that goes on here now. I changed how we do business with subcontractors and vendors. We don’t make backdoor deals with unions. We don’t cheat employees out of bonuses. And I won’t lock you out of a company that’s as much yours as mine.”

Chance said, “Humph. Mom said you were different.”

Max sat on the chair across from him. “Losing your wife, admitting you’re an alcoholic and going to AA will do that to you.”

Chance sat up. The alcoholic thing floored him, but Kate leaving shocked him so much he forgot he was angry. Though Max and Kate were older, the trio had been like the Three Musketeers before he ran away. Chance had loved Kate like a sister. “You and Kate split up?”

“For eight years. She kept my daughter, Trisha, from me. She just left and didn’t even tell me she was pregnant.”

“Holy cow.”

“It took a while, but we reconciled.”

“And the alcoholic thing? Was that because she left?”

Max shook his head. “I became an alcoholic after you left, Chance.”

He froze. “Me?”

“I loved you, kid. Still do. You’re my brother. I was sorry for everything that happened and I shouldered all the responsibility and the blame. And started drinking. But after Kate left, I realized drinking wasn’t helping and once I got sober, I saw how bad Dad really was. I learned every department, read every lease, talked to every contractor and vendor. And ultimately took over.”

Chance gaped at him. “You kicked Dad out?”

“He resigned—sort of happily, really. His last two years he and Mom traveled.” He shrugged. “I’m not just blowing smoke when I say things have changed. The company is different. I am different. You can trust me.” He rose from his seat. “Rather than talk about what I’ve done, let me give you a tour of the place.” He motioned to a richly detailed, double-door entrance. “And you can see for yourself how different the company is and see for yourself that I’m not running it like Dad.”

Chance also rose, but he rose slowly, without any enthusiasm. He might have a strange sympathy for his brother rattling through him now, but that didn’t mean he wanted to work for him. “I don’t know, Max.”

“Come on. What can it hurt to look?”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to. I’ve distanced myself from you and the company.”

“And you hate me?”

“No more than you hate me.”

Max frowned. “Why would I hate you?”

“Because you grew up as the favorite son. The ‘real’ Montgomery child, while I was adopted. Then we all found out I’m as much of a Montgomery as you are. That had to sting.”

“Not really.” He sighed. “Look. I don’t think we hate each other. I think we had one ugly family fight. I’m not going to let that stand in the way of our being a family. Mom wants this.”

A warm feeling flowed through him at the mention of their mom, the woman who loved him even though he was the product of her husband’s affair. So did the reminder that in some respects he owed her.

Max turned him in the direction of his office door. “I’m not going to browbeat you into coming to work for me. We can give Mom a family without you working for me. Hell, you can move back to Tennessee and we can still be a family. But if you like what you see, why wouldn’t you want to work here?”

Chance laughed. “Because I have my own company?”

“Who’s running it while you’re away?”

“I have a manager.”

“Who I am sure would be happy to continue running it.” Max slapped him on the back. “Wait until you see what we’re doing, little brother. You’re going to want to be part of this.”

CHAPTER THREE

SOMETIME AFTER TWO, Chance rushed into the cottage as if late for his own wedding. Tory wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign, but it didn’t matter. When he’d come out of his bedroom that morning, she hadn’t talked to him about days off because he seemed so nervous. But whether it was convenient or not, she had to talk to him now—tell him about Jason—so she could at least visit him two days a week.

Bouncing chubby Sam on her hip, she said, “Whoa! Where’s the fire?”

“I’m so sorry for leaving you with them for so long! I didn’t expect to stay with my brother all morning.” He shook his head as if confused. “I didn’t expect to talk more than twenty minutes let alone have lunch with him. I’m so sorry.”

She pointed at her chest. “Nanny.” Pointed at him. “Boss. You call the shots. It’s my job to stay with the kids while you do anything you have to do.” She kissed the top of Sam’s head. “Besides, they’re so adorable. It’s hardly a job to stay with them. More like playing.”

“That’s because they’re good when they’re with you.” He tossed his keys to the table behind the sofa. “I’m seeing a whole new side of them around you.” Leaning down he plucked Cindy from the play yard. Kissed her cheek. “How’s Daddy’s good girl today?”

She cooed a laugh. He kissed her again.

And Tory’s heart swelled. In the years she’d been undergoing surgeries and therapies, she hadn’t really thought about kids. She hadn’t thought about anything but visiting Jason and repairing her own damaged leg. But suddenly these two—feisty Sam and sweet Cindy—brought out longings in her that she couldn’t deny. And she was so afraid she was about to jeopardize being in their lives by asking for time off. But she also had responsibilities to Jason.

“So do you want to go up to the house for your lunch? I apologize that it’s so late. You’re probably starving.”

She ambled toward the sofa. “Actually, Cook had Robert make a delivery today. But I would like to talk to you about something.”

A panicked expression flitted across his face. “Okay.”

She motioned to one of the two chairs near the sofa. “Don’t worry. It’s not really a bad thing.”

He sat, arranging Cindy on his lap. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”

“I just need a day or two off every week.”

He looked at her. “That’s it?”

“Well, I’ve never been a nanny before, but it seems to be a twenty-four/seven job. And I need two days off because I usually—” She cleared her throat. “It’s just that I have to—” She paused, once again floundering about how to explain her situation. She didn’t want his pity. She also felt odd sharing something so personal with a man she barely knew and she couldn’t do it.

“There’s someplace I like to go twice a week.”

His eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

She settled Sam on her lap and he happily gurgled up at her. “Just a girl thing.”

He studied her face for a few seconds, then said, “Honestly, Tory, I’ve never employed a nanny and I don’t remember the nanny my mom says cared for me, but I do know that everybody’s entitled to a day off every now and again. So if you want two days, you just tell me which two days and I’ll make do.”

“I hate to ask because I know this job is only temporary. A few days or weeks—”

Cindy started to fuss and Chance said, “Hold that thought,” as he rose from his chair. “How long has it been since their last bottle?”

She rose too. “Actually, it’s nap time.”

He turned. “It is?”

“Yes. I decided this morning that we should try to put them on a schedule.” She winced. “I probably should have run that by you.”

“No. That’s fine. You know more about babies than I do. I want you to change whatever needs changing.”

“Good.” She headed for the kitchen, got two bottles and followed him into the nursery.

“They’re drinking them cold?”

“I tested that this morning too. They didn’t seem to mind cold milk. It saves a step in all the processes. Plus, it makes it easier if you’re somewhere that you can’t heat the bottles.”

“Okay.”

They sat on the rockers in the nursery and fed the babies enough milk to put them to sleep, then gently laid them down for their naps and tiptoed out of the nursery.

For the first time since their little argument the day before, she and Chance were alone. Unsure of what to do, she stopped on the edge of the great room, the big open space that basically included the kitchen, the TV area and even the little reading cove. The only place to “hide” was her room. Or she could go outside. But they hadn’t finished their conversation about her days off.

He ambled into the kitchen. “Do we have any soda?”

“I think that’s the one thing your mom forgot to stock.”

“I’ll call Cook.” Retrieving a bottle of juice, he stepped away from the refrigerator. “She’s the shopper for both houses.”

She smiled. “That’s good.” She supposed. Her parents were blue-collar. She’d never run a home. She had no clue how the house of a rich family ran. God, suddenly she felt incredibly inadequate, unworldly.

He popped the top on the juice and plopped down on the recliner. In a white shirt, with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, he looked sexily rumpled, the way a husband would when he came home to his wife.

Oh, boy. Where had that come from?

But she knew where it came from. She was attracted to him. Not just because he was good-looking but because he was the daddy of babies she adored. That was wrong on so many levels, she wanted to run, but knew she couldn’t. Not only did she have to get adjusted to living with him, but also she had to get her days off locked in so she could go and see her fiancé. And then maybe she’d stop looking at Chance as if she were allowed.

“So two days off will be good?”

He chugged half his bottle of juice, then said, “You pick the days.”

“Okay. Give me some time to think about which days I want and I’ll let you know.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

The room got quiet again.

She glanced around.

Now what? She wanted to run again, but really, she would be living with this guy for at least two weeks. Maybe even a month. If she didn’t get herself accustomed to being in his company, she’d always be slightly on edge around him, like a silly schoolgirl. It seemed wise to try to get them both accustomed to being around each other. And if a little conversation would do it, then she’d converse.

She cleared her throat. “So how’d things go with your brother?”

“Same old. Same old. He wants me to come work for Montgomery Development.”

Relief skittered through her. He hadn’t thought it odd she’d asked him a question, and she really was interested in what was going on with him. Had to be. What went on in his life affected what went on in hers.

She inched her way over to the sofa. “You don’t want to work for Montgomery Development?”

“I already own my own company, remember? I don’t need a job.”

She stifled the urge to gape at him. What would that be like? To be so lucky in life that you didn’t need a job? She slid a little closer to the couch. “You said you have a manager running your company now.”

“Uh-huh. Max thinks I should just let him keep running it so I could help him with Montgomery Development.” He winced. “As president.”

She fell to the sofa. That went beyond lucky. “President?”

“He’s CEO and Chairman of the Board. Technically, he’d still be my boss.”

“Wow.”

“It is a great company.” His face grew thoughtful. “It was a crappy company when I left. My dad was a scoundrel. He nickel and dimed everybody. Out-and-out cheated others.” He snorted a laugh. “I wouldn’t have worked there on a lost bet while he was alive, but in the past years my brother changed things. The company’s more than reputable. And growing. Some of the things Max is into are mind-boggling. I think I’d like to be part of that.”

She frowned. “So you’d stay?”

He grimaced. “I think I’m talking myself into it. I know my mother wants me to stay. I know she wants to be part of the twins’ lives. And I hurt her enough by leaving when I was eighteen and staying away that I feel I owe her that.”

“That’s very nice.”

He shrugged and wouldn’t look at her. “But that means the nanny job could be yours permanently … if you want it.”

Her breath caught. It was only her second day of work, but she already liked it here. She had the run of the house when he was away, and if he worked he’d be away all day. And she had two adorable babies to play with to fill the aching hole in her heart that she didn’t even realize she had until she held them.

And Chance himself was kinda nice. Easy to talk to. For years, she hadn’t spoken with anyone beyond therapists and nurses and her parents—and Jason, who didn’t reply.

The only problem was her attraction—but surely she could keep that under control. After all, she had a fiancé. A fiancé she’d visit twice a week, now that Chance had agreed to two days off.

She licked her lips. “It would mean I’d have to take my days off on Saturdays or Sundays.”

He caught her gaze. “Or I could work something out with my mom.”

“You don’t have to accommodate me.”

“I like you.”

Her heart stumbled in her chest. With their gazes locked and the sounds of chirping birds in the backyard, she felt a million things at once, but the biggest one was happiness. She told herself that was because she liked this job, but staring into his blue eyes, she knew that wasn’t entirely true. She liked him. He was interesting and funny and appreciative of her help. He made her feel needed, useful. And pretty. He didn’t even have to say the words. She could see it in the way he looked at her.

“And I want to keep you as a nanny.”

“Of course.” Idiot. Did she think he liked her romantically after thirty-six hours? And what was she doing spinning fantasies? Hadn’t she said she could handle this attraction? Yes. She had. Because she could. Because being attracted to him was wrong. And she wasn’t stupid. “But I want to be fair too.”

He rose from his seat. “Why don’t we just give it a trial run and see how it goes? See if Saturdays and Sundays are good days off for you or see if we need to make other arrangements.”

He smiled at her, and that thing in her heart tripped again. This time it made her blood rush through her veins and her head feel light.

“Don’t forget my mom has a whole staff we can call upon for help when you need time off.”

So confused she couldn’t speak, she nodded.

“But right now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get out of these clothes and maybe take a short walk around the grounds before the kids get up from their naps.”

“That’d be great. I mean—fine. It’s my job to be here.”

He laughed and left the room, but Tory collapsed on the sofa. What the hell was wrong with her? Yes, he was good-looking. But he was out of her league. And her boss! He didn’t like her and even if he did, she couldn’t like him. She was committed to Jason.

The little slip about liking her had been the result of testosterone bubbling around again, so Chance had decided to leave the house to cool off. But he hadn’t gotten three feet into the woods before his head cleared, he began thinking logically again and he stopped dead in his tracks.

She had a secret.

That’s why she’d stumbled over her explanation for wanting days off. That’s why she wouldn’t exactly say where she would be going on those days. There was something about her life she didn’t want to tell him.

Not that she couldn’t keep her personal life private, but …

His life had been built on secrets and lies. After his dad and Liliah, he really needed honesty from the people in his life. Max had won back a lot of Chance’s trust that morning with simple language and truth rather than doublespeak, but now his otherwise perfect nanny was holding something back.

Still, that might actually be good, depending on her secret. She had a right to a private life and her secret probably pertained to something that wasn’t connected to him or the twins. But, more important, being as picky as he was about trust, finding out she was hiding something totally turned him off. So he didn’t have to worry about his runaway feelings for her anymore. They were gone.

That was the good part.

The bad part was the secret itself. Did he really want to leave his kids with someone who was keeping something from him?

With that in mind, he cut his walk short. He heard the kids fussing as he entered, and immediately went back to the nursery to find Tory changing Cindy while Sam cried in his crib. He changed Sam’s diaper and he and Tory played with the twins a bit before she walked to the mansion to have her supper.

Not only had his attraction suspended, but she hadn’t seemed nervous or upset in the time they spent together, so he decided her secret had to be personal. Something like a boyfriend she met twice a week.

Which was good. Let her have a secret love. All the better to help him keep his distance from her.

When she returned, Chance had the babies on the floor, letting them try to crawl.

Tory raced over and stooped down in front of them. “Well, look at you! Learning to crawl!” She clapped her hands together with glee and Chance smiled at her, but just as quickly as his lips quirked upward, they fell again.

She has a boyfriend. His stomach tightened as disappointment rumbled through him. If her secret was anything else—a bad job recommendation, a firing, a felony—something would have shown up when his mom checked her references before she hired her.

He tried to tell himself that he’d met lots of already-taken women in his lifetime and walked away from all of them as naturally as breathing, but that didn’t make the regret go away.

Why did having to keep his distance from this woman bother him?

“How about a snack and then bath time,” she said, taking Cindy with her as she rose from the floor.

“Sounds good.” He rose too, reminding himself she had a right to a private life—and a boyfriend—and he had to get over himself.

They fed the kids a bit of cereal and headed for the nursery bathroom. Because his mom had done her best to accommodate twins, there were two sinks in the counter.

“Too bad they’re too big to fit in these sinks.”

Carrying Cindy on her hip, Tory brought two plastic baby tubs over from the bathroom closet. “Yeah, but your mom did think of these.”

He pulled them apart, used the hose apparatus to fill them and then undressed Sam.

Loving the water, Sam slapped it with his chubby hands.

Nodding at him, Tory said, “Pretty soon he’s not going to fit that tub.”

Chance laughed. “No. He’s not.”

“Then we’ll have to use the big bathtub.”

“Is that dangerous?”

“Not if we never leave him.” She smiled at Chance. “Childcare is a matter of a little bit of knowledge and lots of common sense.”

He remembered all the things she’d already taught him. In a little less than two days, his kids were happy and he felt more competent.

Wistfulness stole through him. Even with a boyfriend, she could still be an excellent nanny, but they’d lost something. He wanted to like her. She was sweet and funny. The kind of woman he needed after Liliah.

Liliah. Just thinking her name caused anger to spiral through him. It reminded him of the humiliation he’d felt after she’d admitted she’d only dated him to use him. He’d known her weeks before they’d gotten romantically involved, and still she’d fooled him. Wasn’t it a tad stupid to be so quickly falling for Tory? A woman he really didn’t know? A woman with a secret? Probably a boyfriend.

God. Where was his brain around her?

Tory squeezed a washcloth full of water over Cindy’s head. Streams ran through her curls and made her giggle.

That’s where his brain was. On his kids. Tory was so good with his kids and his kids were so needy that he was taking his feelings of appreciation too far. Maybe he wanted a mother for his kids so badly that he was seeing things in her that weren’t really there.

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