Deadly Competition. Roxanne Rustand

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ mother left—especially if they had red hair.

      “Wow.” He walked into the orderly room and settled on the love seat, wishing he had a camera in hand to photograph the two of them together, Sarah’s white-blond pigtails in such dramatic contrast to Mandy’s darker hair. “It’s great seeing the carpet again. This is amazing.”

      Mandy looked at him over the top edge of the book, but kept reading until she reached “The End”—something else that impressed him. “Sarah first” had been his own mantra since January, and it needed to be any babysitter’s as well.

      “Sarah is a really good helper,” Mandy announced gravely. “And she’s a good eater, too. She ate a whole peanut butter sandwich while you were on the phone.”

      Clint felt the heavy weight on his chest start to lighten. Sarah was watching Mandy with a rapt expression, instead of the wariness she usually exhibited around strangers.

      Mandy had certainly shown her abilities, and she radiated a gentle wholesomeness that could make her the perfect nanny. Did he dare take a chance?

      “What brought you to Loomis?”

      Mandy stiffened almost imperceptibly. “I decided to do some traveling after a relationship didn’t work out. Just needed a change of scenery, I guess.”

      “Where are you from?”

      “I don’t really have a home state. We moved every few years while I was growing up,” she said with a vague wave of her hand. “Since then, I’ve done the same. I enjoy trying new places.”

      “College?”

      “Started twice. The second time, I got within a semester of graduating in education.”

      “Do you have references?”

      “Y-yes, I do.”

      Was that a flicker of hesitation? “You’ve got them with you?”

      Handing Sarah the storybook, Mandy retrieved a backpack that she’d left at the front door. She withdrew several folded documents and handed them over. “I…had some childcare experience with the Reynolds family, but they’re in the midst of a cross-country move right now. The other two are personal references.”

      He flipped through the papers, then studied her for a long moment, wondering if she’d intentionally skated past his questions about her background or if it was just his imagination.

      Perhaps she was just nervous, coming into a strange town, being in a stranger’s home. Maybe any prudent young woman on her own would feel the same. Still…

      “Before I can consider hiring you, I’d need to follow up on your references.” Did her gaze waver at that, or was it just the light?

      “You won’t find anything wrong, I can promise you.”

      He glanced at the clock on the mantel. He was due at the office soon, and he already knew Sarah wasn’t going to be cooperative during the long meeting ahead. “The fact that Nonnie loaned you her truck is a personal reference in itself. She’s a pretty tough old bird, and she doesn’t take guff from anyone. You must have made quite an impression.”

      A glimmer of hope shone in Mandy’s eyes.

      “I’ll tell you what. Wait right here while I do some checking. If everything seems square, we can have a one-week trial to make sure both of us are satisfied. Deal?”

      “Deal.” The relief in her voice was palpable. “The…the job still comes with lodging?”

      “An efficiency apartment over the garage. It isn’t fancy, but it’s clean, quiet and private. We’re on the edge of town, so there’s a long walk to downtown shopping. You could use one of my vehicles whenever necessary. If you get the job, that is.”

      “Perfect,” she breathed.

      “And I need to explain…” He hesitated, with Sarah in the room. “Honey, could you go get your favorite dolly, so you can show it to Mandy?”

      When the child obediently raced off to her room, he lowered his voice. “Sarah is my niece. Her mother went missing in January, so she’s been having a hard time with that.”

      “Nonnie mentioned that.” Mandy’s voice trailed off, the hint of worry unmistakable. “Is she…?”

      “I believe my sister Leah was taken against her will, but that she’s still alive.” He hesitated over just how much to say. “Her husband was murdered two days before she disappeared, so Sarah is dealing with the loss of both parents.”

      “The poor child.”

      “Earl wasn’t a very loving father, but the double loss has been devastating for her. She doesn’t talk as much now, and has lost a lot of the happy exuberance you’d expect in a child her age. Her grief is an issue you would be dealing with.”

      “I…I’m so sorry about your loss. And hers.”

      A woman traveling alone might hesitate to stay in Loomis if she knew the full story, but it was only fair to tell her the truth. “This is a peaceful, quiet town, usually. But there were two other murders in January.”

      “That’s what Nonnie said. She…” Mandy hesitated. “She said the killer hasn’t been found.”

      Clint sighed heavily. “Some folks think my sister Leah was responsible, but she’s a wonderful, caring mother, and she has strong faith in the Lord. There’s no way she could’ve killed her husband or anyone else.”

      “O-of course.”

      “And something else…” He cleared his throat. “There was a kidnapping attempt on Sarah in January as well, but that man is in jail. The woman who hired him was Angelina Loring, one of the murder victims. Neither of them poses a threat to Sarah any longer, but I’m very careful about watching her. There’s still a killer on the loose who might think she knows too much.”

      Mandy blinked.

      “I’m not trying to scare you off, but you’d hear all of this around town anyway.” He felt his sudden tension ease when she didn’t race out the door. “If you’re still game, we could have a one-week trial.”

      “I’d like that,” Mandy said, noticing for the first time how ruggedly handsome—but definitely burdened—her new employer was.

      “Sarah’s safety and care will be your priority, but the job also entails some cooking and light housework. If it doesn’t work out for some reason, either of us can end the arrangement with no questions asked.”

      “Understood.” A faint glimmer of a smile tilted the corners of Mandy’s mouth.

      Doubtful as he’d been at first, now he hoped everything in her background would check out. Sarah apparently accepted her. And if he didn’t get back to his construction business full-time, it would go belly-up. Then where would he be? With a little girl to take care of, plus his efforts to find Leah, he needed childcare help more than ever.

      But though his heart told him Mandy was a decent, well-bred young woman, his СКАЧАТЬ