Romancing The Nanny. Cindy Kirk

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СКАЧАТЬ it ’bout time for dinner?” The petite six-year-old bounded into the kitchen, a streak of dirt on her cheek and a grass stain on one knee. “I’m hungry.”

      Amy couldn’t help but smile. Dan often joked that the little girl’s stomach was a bottomless pit. Emma could eat and five minutes later be hungry. “Once your father gets home, we’ll have dinner. He shouldn’t be too late.”

      Amy opened her arms and the girl ran to her. When Amy had been Emma’s age, hugs had been in short supply. She’d vowed when she had children, she’d make sure they knew they were loved.

      Amy couldn’t imagine anything better than having a family of her own—a husband to love, a child to cherish.

      Her arms tightened around Emma. One day she’d be a mother. But for now, she had Emma to love.

      Emma laid her head against Amy’s chest. “I love you.”

      Tears sprang to Amy’s eyes at the child’s sincerity. “I love you, too, pumpkin.”

      Yes, for now this would most definitely do.

      Chapter Two

      Out of the corner of his eye, Dan Major saw a stylish young woman across the bar and realized he knew her. He smiled and she waved.

      “Another Dan fan?” Jake Stanley’s lips curved upward. “How in the world do you do it?”

      “Stuff it, Jake.” Dan grabbed some peanuts from the basket in the center of the table and popped them in his mouth.

      Seeing old girlfriends only reinforced why Dan found it hard to date. He liked the companionship but women always seemed to want more. Bree was a perfect example. Though she’d professed to being devoted to a singles’ lifestyle, after a couple of months, she’d changed her tune.

      Dan sighed and glanced around the bar. Although it was only Thursday night, the place was crowded with women from nearby businesses. He suspected that was why Jake had insisted on coming to this bar.

      Looking for love in all the wrong places…

      For some reason the words to the vintage song popped into Dan’s head. But the lyrics didn’t fit his life. The last thing Dan was looking for tonight, or any other night, was love.

      Jake shot Dan a speculative gaze. “Speaking of Dan fans, how’s it going with Miranda?”

      “Her name is Melinda.” Dan kept his tone deliberately offhand. “And we’re not seeing each other anymore.”

      “Let me guess.” Jake lifted a finger to his lips and pretended to think. “You broke up with her.”

      Dan grabbed another handful of peanuts, strangely irritated by the knowing look in his friend’s eyes. “What does it matter who decided to end it? The point is it wasn’t working.”

      “It wasn’t working because she wanted more than sex,” Jake said conversationally, resting his arms on the table. “Things heat up, you back off.”

      “You don’t know squat.” Dan’s tone was sharper than he’d intended but it had been hard losing Melinda. Just like Bree, she was a nice woman and he’d enjoyed her company. But he refused to promise more than he could deliver.

      Jake placed his drink on the table and lifted his hands. “Whoa, buddy. I wasn’t saying there was anything wrong with playing the field—”

      Dan ignored the envious look in his friend’s eye. The truth was Dan didn’t like being on the dating merry-go-round. But the longer he was with a woman, the more they seemed to want, the more they seemed to need. He’d yet to find a woman who was content to keep it casual. “I made it clear from the very beginning that I didn’t want to get married again. Why is that so hard for women to understand?”

      “Because regardless of what they say, they want that ring on their finger.” Jake lifted a hand and motioned for the waiter to bring him another drink. “I know you’ve got this thing against marriage but I think you should reconsider.”

      Dan took a sip of beer. Jake had it all wrong. He didn’t have anything against marriage. He’d loved being married to Tess. From the time he’d first laid eyes on the perky blonde, he’d known she was the one. When they’d said “I do” he’d happily planned on spending the rest of his life with her. His heart twisted.

      “You’d have someone to warm your bed and that little girl of yours would have a mother,” Jake continued.

      Dan shoved aside his memories and smiled at the thought of his daughter. Of all the things he valued most in his life, his six-year-old topped the list. “Emma is coping with the loss of her mother. Amy takes good care of her.”

      Amy had been his daughter’s nanny for three years and Dan knew she loved Emma as if she were her own. She’d made the house a home for both of them.

      “Which is all well and good,” Jake said. “Until ‘nanny’ finds a man and decides to get married and leave you.”

      Amy wouldn’t leave me.

      Dan bit back the words, shocked at the strength of emotion the thought evoked. He started to say Amy didn’t even date, but stopped himself again. There had been one guy recently…

      He’d been surprised—stunned would actually be closer to the truth—when Amy had casually mentioned she was going to the movies with someone she’d met at her cooking club. In all the years she’d lived under his roof, Dan couldn’t remember her dating before. Amy just never seemed like the dating type.

      Not that she was ugly or anything. Far from it. With her brown hair, green eyes and a smattering of freckles across her nose, Amy had that natural, all-American look that any man would find attractive. And she was smart. While she always had an opinion on the latest current events, she also liked to listen. Any man would be lucky to have her for a girlfriend or wife.

      A tightness filled his chest. Jake was right. If she left, he’d be stuck. He’d never find another nanny like Amy. He might even have to do what Jake suggested and remarry. A chill traveled up Dan’s spine.

      Since he’d been fifteen, Tess had been the only woman Dan had ever wanted in his life. His wife had been beautiful, smart and a rising star in the fashion world with her innovative clothing designs. For the first five years of their marriage, life had been wonderful. Their careers had flourished and the old house they’d purchased in Lincoln Park was perfect for a growing family.

      But after Emma was born, Tess had decided there would be no more children. She loved her daughter but her pregnancy had been difficult and Emma was a fussy baby. And when her new line took off like a skyrocket, her career began demanding more of her time and energy.

      Dan had reluctantly put away his dream of a large family, but he hadn’t given up completely. When Emma was two he’d convinced Tess to have one more, promising her a full-time nanny. That’s when Amy had come to live with them. But the second baby he’d wanted so much had died along with Tess.

      Guilt washed over him, mixed with an overwhelming sense of loss. He’d give anything to be able to go back and tell Tess he didn’t care about having another child or a playmate for Emma, he only cared about СКАЧАТЬ