Operation Nanny. Paula Graves

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      She fell silent again, her gaze wandering back to the résumé, as if she might find something new written in the words on the page. What was she looking for? Jim wondered. A reason to hire him?

      Or a reason not to?

      A tug on his pants leg drew his attention. Katie stood at his knee, her gray eyes gazing up at him with curiosity. When she saw him looking, her little face spread into a big grin.

      “Hey there, Katiebug.”

      At the sound of his voice, she lifted her arms.

      “May I?” He looked at Lacey for permission to pick up the child.

      “Sure.”

      He picked up Katie and set her on his knee. She grew instantly intrigued by his blue-striped tie, her fingers playing with the fabric. He couldn’t hold back a smile, which she returned with a giggle.

      She was at a very cute age, just a shade past two. Pretty steady on her feet, starting to build her vocabulary, curious about everything that crossed her path—she had probably already started becoming a handful before her parents suddenly and tragically disappeared from her life, leaving her in the care of her aunt.

      Her aunt, who was a single woman with a high-powered, very public career. Earlier, he’d wondered just how much Lacey Miles knew about taking care of a small child. He was becoming more and more certain she was clueless. No wonder she was desperate to hire a nanny.

      “Katie likes you,” she said. “A point in your favor.”

      “Ms. Taylor said you needed a live-in nanny. Does that mean you’ll be going back to work soon?”

      Lacey’s sandy brow notched upward. “What makes you think I haven’t been working?”

      “I haven’t seen you on air. I guess I shouldn’t have assumed you weren’t working behind the scenes.” It wouldn’t do for her to realize just how much he already knew about her. She was already on edge as it was, and the attack this afternoon had only made things worse for her.

      It had been a brazen attack, during daylight and out in the open. Although, if he hadn’t happened to be walking down that alley when he had, it might have been very easy for her attacker to kill her outright or carry her and the child away in the van that had been waiting for him.

      The big question was why. Why had someone gone after her today? Why had someone set a bomb under her car a couple of weeks ago?

      Just how much danger were she and her niece really in?

      “I guess you know why I have custody of my niece now. I’m all she has. Both sets of grandparents are dead, and Toby didn’t have any brothers or sisters.”

      He nodded. “I’m very sorry about your sister and your brother-in-law.”

      “They were killed in my car.” She spoke as if she had to force the words from her lips. She was clearly dealing with some pretty hefty guilt about her sister’s death. And he gave her points for being honest about the threat hanging over her head, too, even though it might be enough to scare a prospective nanny away in a heartbeat.

      “If you’re trying to tell me there might be a little danger involved in this job, I’d already gathered that much before I ever agreed to apply for the job.”

      Her sharp gaze met his. “And yet, here you are. Even after you had to chase away another attack on us just today.”

      “I did mention I was a Marine, didn’t I?”

      For the first time since they’d met, a genuine smile touched the edges of Lacey’s lips. “You did.”

      “Danger doesn’t impress me the way it might someone else.”

      “I’m not asking you to be a bodyguard,” she said sharply. “I don’t need a security detail. I think that would probably make things worse, not better.”

      He wasn’t sure why she felt that way, but he didn’t want to start asking questions that would make her even more reluctant to hire him. “I’m just saying, I’m not afraid to work for you. If you think I’ll suit your needs.”

      She gave him another long, sharp-eyed look. “You’d have to live with Katie and me at my late sister’s farmhouse in Cherry Grove, Virginia. It’s a small town about a forty-minute drive from here in Frederick. The house isn’t completely renovated, but enough has been done for it to be a comfortable place to live.” Her voice faded for a moment, and what was left of her faint smile disappeared completely, swallowed by a look of hard grief. “Marianne and Toby were hoping to have it finished by this summer, but they ran out of time.”

      Jim felt a dart of sympathy. “Were they living there when they died?”

      Lacey shook her head. “No. Why?”

      “I was just wondering why you choose to live there instead of in DC. I thought maybe it was to make things easier for Katie. Not wanting to take her away from the home she knows—”

      “No, that’s not it. Just the opposite, actually. See, I was keeping Katie at my apartment when... That night. Marianne and Toby were celebrating their wedding anniversary. New Year’s Eve.” Lacey’s lip trembled briefly before she brought her emotions under control. “I don’t want her watching my front door, waiting for them to come back and get her.”

      He looked over at Katie, who’d slid off his lap and wandered over to play with a stuffed cat hanging by a red ribbon from the push bar of her stroller. He felt a rush of sadness for the child, and also for her tough but grieving aunt. Neither of them had expected to be where they were, the only family either of them had left.

      Both of them in danger they couldn’t predict or easily prevent.

      “I want the job if you want to hire me,” he said flatly, meeting Lacey’s gaze. “I think I can help you. And I need the work.”

      She didn’t say anything for a long moment, and he began to worry that she was going to turn him down. It wouldn’t be a complete disaster if she did so, he knew. There were other ways to accomplish what he wanted to do.

      But it would be so much easier if she’d just give him the nanny job.

      She rose slowly, still looking at him through cautious gray eyes. “I’ll call your references today and see what they say. I’ll be in touch, one way or the other. May I contact you directly?”

      He rose, too. “My number is on the résumé.”

      She continued to look at him for a long, silent moment, as if trying to assess his character in that lengthy gaze. Finally, she extended her hand. “It was good to meet you, Mr. Mercer.”

      “Jim,” he reminded her, taking her hand firmly in his.

      She withdrew her hand. “Thank you again for your help this afternoon.”

      “I’m glad I was there. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to catch the guy before he got away.”

      “Two against one isn’t good odds. Even for a Marine.”

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