The Texas Billionaire's Bride / The Texas Bodyguard's Proposal: The Texas Billionaire's Bride. Crystal Green

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СКАЧАТЬ Howe and Scott applauded, but as the synthesized strings began to play, the child just stood there, staring at them.

      “Livie?” Melanie stage-whispered.

      The child fixed her doe eyes on her nanny, as if forgetting everything Melanie had taught her about any of the dances they’d tried so far. They hadn’t even come up with a routine for this performance, because Melanie had just encouraged her to do whatever the song inspired at any given moment, whether it was ballet or contemporary or even a few tap moves.

      Maybe that had been a mistake.

      Maybe Livie did need that firmer structure she was so used to. Maybe she couldn’t depend on anything else.

      Heart contracting, Melanie took the girl’s hands and began to dance with her. Livie reacted immediately, still looking into her nanny’s eyes as if nothing else existed, and laughing as she imitated everything Melanie did.

      Soon the song was over and the audience clapped again, shouting out their “bravos” as the performers took their curtsies.

      Livie’s cheeks were flushed while she kept smiling up at Melanie.

      The breath caught in Melanie’s throat. No one had ever looked at her that way—not even the other children she’d cared for—and without thinking, she bent to wrap her arms around Livie.

      The girl hugged her back, resting her head on her nanny’s shoulder.

      For a moment the world seemed to stop, to clarify everything about what Melanie wanted: being needed and being able to give as much as she got from just one simple embrace.

      Her imagination kicked into motion, picturing another pair of arms around them, hugging them all close together, creating the cocoon of a family that Melanie had never truly had.

      Zane Foley’s arms.

      The sound of hammers against the back of the house knocked Melanie out of the moment. It was the maintenance crew, getting Tall Oaks in shape for the charity event that would take place here on the Fourth of July. Obviously, their break was over.

      At least Livie would get to see her father then, Melanie thought, drawing back from the girl and smoothing a dark, wavy strand of hair away from her face.

      As if she could read Melanie all too well, Livie got that sad look in her eyes, then hugged her nanny once more before backing away and going to Mrs. Howe and Scott, who congratulated her with their warm gestures.

      It was nice while it lasted, Melanie thought. Maybe she was just as starved for affection as Livie.

      When Mrs. Howe’s phone rang with a chirping tone, Livie listened to Scott as he told her about his favorite part of the dance. In the meantime, the woman extracted the device from her pocket, checking the ID screen, and her relaxed demeanor altered as she answered the phone.

      “Good afternoon, Mr. Foley,” she said.

      A burst of adrenaline jolted Melanie from head to toe, warming her—no, heating her—through and through.

      She shut off the boom box, lending the attic silence as she noticed that Livie had gone bright-eyed and hopeful, watching Mrs. Howe talk to her dad.

      Once again, Melanie hurt for her, because she knew that he’d just called Livie yesterday and he wasn’t yet scheduled to do so again.

      Darn it all, what could she do to take care of this situation?

      Mrs. Howe kept talking to him, nodding, assuring him that the maintenance crew was making headway with the exterior of the mansion. In the meantime, Livie grabbed the manager’s skirt, as if to get her dad’s attention through Mrs. Howe.

      Unable to stand it anymore, Melanie went to Livie, resting a hand on the girl’s head.

      “Can I talk to him?” the little girl whispered to Mrs. Howe.

      Something like a heartfelt reaction overtook the manager’s face. She looked at Melanie almost regretfully, while tacitly asking her to usher Livie out of the room so Zane Foley could conduct business without interruption.

      Anger boiled in Melanie, taking over—or maybe even mixing—with the surge of awareness she’d been feeling before.

      She got down to Livie’s height. “Maybe we should try calling him later,” she whispered, “after business hours?”

      That sorrow—so familiar, so gut-wrenching—consumed Livie’s gaze.

      Scott shook his head while wandering out of the room, and Melanie thought that he might’ve been expecting more of her—the woman who’d taken Livie under her wing.

      And shouldn’t he?

      Mrs. Howe signed off, silent, as if not knowing how to react or what to say to the little girl who’d been all but forgotten here at Tall Oaks.

      Forgotten. Melanie knew exactly what that felt like—to live in a place where there were people crowded all around you, but you didn’t seem to exist in any significant way.

      It was the last straw.

      “Know what?” she said, tweaking Livie under the chin, trying to distract her, even though it was so tough, with her throat choking every word.

      Livie’s mouth formed around a silent “What?” She was trying hard not to cry.

      “I’m going to make sure you see your daddy soon,” Melanie said, skimming her fingers over the girl’s hair.

      She heard Mrs. Howe gasp but ignored it, because Livie’s eyes had already gotten that gleam of hope in them, and Melanie would move mountains to make her promise come true.

      Too late, she wondered if she was crossing a line—if this vow would get her fired. Flying in the face of Zane Foley’s wishes might take away all the security she’d won by landing this job.

      But no one had been fighting for Livie.

      “Really, Ms. Grandy?” the little girl asked, as if she couldn’t believe any promises when it came to her dad.

      “Really.” Melanie stood, facing Mrs. Howe. “Father’s Day is just around the corner, isn’t it?”

      She wasn’t so used to celebrating the holiday, but she knew it was sometime near mid-June.

      “Ms. Grandy…” the manager began in a warning tone.

      Brushing that aside, Melanie took Livie’s hand and squeezed it. “We’re going to make a present for him. And we’re going to be hand-delivering it.”

      As Mrs. Howe closed her eyes and sighed, Melanie smiled down at her charge, who was already hopping up and down.

      “Yay!” Livie danced in front of a cautious Mrs. Howe. “We’re going to Dallas!”

       Yes, they were going to Dallas.

      And somewhere in the back of Melanie’s mind, СКАЧАТЬ