Bombshell For The Boss

“Right.” He looked over the aisles they had just been picking clean and said, “You know, the chocolate business makes billions, but turns out, that’s just peanuts. The real money is in baby junk. How can someone who can’t even talk possibly need so much stuff?”

She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. This was a huge disruption in the placid lake that was his life. But hey, sink or swim. “It’s a mystery. Come on. Baby clothes.”

He followed after her, grumbling under his breath, and Sadie looked into Emma’s eyes and grinned. In the five years she’d worked for the man, Sadie had never seen Ethan completely out of his element. And it was sort of endearing. She didn’t need another reason to be drawn to him, though, so she really tried to dismiss what she was feeling.

Then he did it to her again when he picked up baby pajamas and discarded the penguins in favor of the ones covered in teddy bears. When he caught her looking at him quizzically, he shrugged and tossed the jammies into the cart. Then, pointing at the baby now chewing fiercely on the stuffed bear’s ear, he said simply, “She likes bears.”

Sadie took a deep breath to still the jolt of her heartbeat. He didn’t want the baby, but he was doing everything he could to make sure she was cared for. He didn’t like change, but he was so far accepting a huge one in his life. He didn’t belong in Target, but here he stood. And God knew he shouldn’t look so damn sexy, but there it was. Even as she thought it, she spotted a woman staring at Ethan with open admiration.

Sadie told herself to get past it. Get over it. She was going to leave Ethan behind so she could find the right man for her. No matter how she felt about Ethan, no matter how her blood burned when she looked at him, going after him was a catastrophe waiting to happen.

He wasn’t the man for her and trying to pretend otherwise was just setting herself up for a crash. So she busied herself by concentrating on the shopping and promising herself that one day, she’d be doing this for her own family.

The sad part of that dream was Ethan wouldn’t be a part of it.

Three

By the time they were finished and checked out, Sadie was stunned by just how much Ethan had bought—and that wasn’t even counting the baby furniture ordered and hopefully already delivered to his house. Sadie took Emma in her car while Ethan loaded all the bags and boxes into his. They’d taken both cars so Sadie could leave once he was settled in with his new charge.

With Emma in her car seat, Sadie headed for Dana Point, barely keeping up with Ethan as he hurtled down Pacific Coast Highway. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought he was trying to lose her. But that couldn’t be true, because she already knew where he lived.

Sadie had been to Ethan’s house before, bringing him papers or running one of the parties he threw for distributors, but today felt different. They weren’t there for business and it sort of colored how she looked at the house itself.

It was Spanish-style and gigantic, even by mansion standards. The red tiled roof made the white walls seem even brighter than they normally would have. The grounds, from the sweeping lawns to the flower beds and climbing roses over the pergola in the backyard, were lovingly tended by a team of gardeners and the floor-to-ceiling windows glinted in the winter sunlight. Behind the house, she knew, was a sloping yard that ran down to the cliffs where waves beat a constant rhythm against the rocks.

The view was majestic and the house itself was breathtaking. Every room was huge, open and appealing in an earthy, masculine way. Brown leather furniture and burnished wood decorated every room and the dark red ceramic tiles in the halls were a dramatic statement. Sadie’s favorite spot was the Spanish-style, enclosed courtyard. Three sides of the house surrounded an outdoor living area, complete with comfortable furniture, a bar and kitchen. Terra-cotta pots held a wide variety of plants and the area provided a wonderful view of the ocean.

Today, though, she really didn’t have the time to luxuriate in the place itself. She had a cranky baby in the backseat and a ton of things to unload.

Ethan came around and opened her car door. The baby chose that moment to scream her fury and Ethan winced. “How does she hit those notes?”

“It’s a gift.”

“Why don’t you take her inside? I’ll get the gardener and some of his guys to empty out the cars.”

Huffing out a breath, Sadie accused, “You’re just trying to avoid touching her, aren’t you?”

“See why I hired you?” he countered. “You’re smart.”

“Right.” This did not bode well for Ethan and Emma. If he avoided the baby every chance he got, he’d never adapt to the new situation. Yes, he’d paid Sadie a lot of money to hang around until he got things settled. But she was going to make sure that he did at least half the baby care.

She got the little girl out of the car seat, plopped her on one hip and headed for the front door. Ethan wasn’t too far behind her, but when she opened the front door and walked inside, they all stopped dead.

Alice, Ethan’s housekeeper, was standing in the entryway, arms folded across her abundant chest and a frown etched deeply into her features. Really, Alice defied stereotypical logic. Looking at her round body and bright blue eyes, most people would have guessed her to be as kind as Mrs. Claus. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sadie had never understood why Ethan kept such an unpleasant woman working for him. It probably helped that he was rarely at home and so wasn’t exposed to her much.

Alice’s eyes narrowed accusingly on the baby. “I’m the housekeeper,” she said flatly. “I don’t take care of children.”

“Fine,” Ethan said, pushing Sadie farther inside so he could step past her.

“I mean it.” Alice lifted her chins and sniffed. “I’ve got my routine and I won’t have it upset by an infant.”

Sadie had never really liked Alice. No surprise there, since the woman was cold and distant. On those rare occasions when Ethan was here, in his own house, Alice behaved like he was an interloper. Normally, she had the run of the mansion on the cliffs. She was alone here more often than not and Sadie had a feeling it was only Ethan’s inherent hatred of change that had kept him from firing the woman.

“I said fine,” Ethan repeated. “Fernando and some of his guys are bringing the baby’s food and—” he waved a hand to indicate everything else they’d dragged along “—stuff to the kitchen. Did the furniture for her room show up?”

“It did,” Alice said, her mouth flattening into a grim line of displeasure. “Those men tracked dirt all over my floors and made a racket for nearly an hour.”

Ethan just looked at her. “So her room’s ready.”

“It is, just don’t expect me to clean up after an infant.”

Sadie took a breath and clamped her mouth shut to avoid telling Alice exactly what she thought of her. Holding the baby a little closer as if to protect her from the nastiness, she watched Ethan and saw a flash of anger in his eyes. It was a wonder Alice didn’t bother to notice it, as well.

“I’m a housekeeper, not a babysitter,” Alice said again.

“I heard you the first time,” Ethan said, and Sadie heard the warning in his tone.

“As long as you remember it,” the woman snapped. “Now, I’ll be having my dinner in my kitchen. As I didn’t know you’d be home, or bringing along company—” her gaze swept over Sadie and the baby dismissively “—I didn’t prepare a meal for you. I’m not a babysitter and I’m not a cook.”

“Here’s something else you’re not,” Ethan interrupted. “Employed.”

“I beg your pardon?” Alice bleated.

“You should,” Ethan retorted, “but I doubt you really are. You’re fired. Get your stuff and get out.”

“What?” Sadie said.

She couldn’t believe this. For years, she’d thought he should get rid of Alice. But to do it today? When everything was already in turmoil? What had happened to “change is bad”?

Alice’s whole body stiffened as if someone had shoved a pole down the back of her grim black dress. Clearly indignant, she lifted her chin and glared at Ethan. “I see no reason for this—”

Ethan took a step closer to her and the woman backed up. Alice was in no physical danger and she had to know that, but seeing Ethan’s temper was so rare, it was startling when it finally appeared.

“This is my house, Alice. Not yours,” he said. “Something you seem to have forgotten over the years.”

“I don’t know what you mean...”

“Yes, you do.” Ethan loomed over her, using his height as an intimidation factor. “Do you really think I haven’t noticed that you’ve crowned yourself queen of my house?”

The woman’s eyes darted from side to side as if looking for an escape—but she didn’t find one.

“I’ve been willing to put up with your attitude because, frankly, you didn’t matter enough to make a change. But that ends now,” Ethan told her. “This is my house. And I’ll run it however the hell I want to run it. And I’ll hire someone who’s more concerned with her job than she is with pretending she’s the lady of the manor.”

Alice sputtered and Sadie ducked her head to hide a smile. She really shouldn’t be pleased about this, but Alice had had this coming for a long time. Plus, Ethan was the sexiest show she’d ever seen. Anger rippled off him in hot waves, yet he spoke so quietly, so coolly. It was the contrast, really, that was making Sadie feel as if her nerve endings were electrified.

Well, that and the look in his eyes. The man was so hot that smoke should have been lifting off the top of his head. He was definitely her weakness.

“You owe me two weeks’ salary,” Alice snapped.

“You’re right.” Ethan started for the stairs, already putting the awful woman in the past. “Leave an address on the entry table and I’ll mail you a check and a severance bonus.”

“A bonus?” Sadie said quietly, as she followed after him.

“It’s worth it,” Ethan muttered.

“See?” Sadie countered, her voice as quiet as his. “Like I told you. Not all change is bad.”

He shot her a look. “Save it.”

By the time they got the baby settled in her room, Ethan was even more on edge. He’d fired his housekeeper, been saddled with a baby and his assistant had resigned.

“Hell of a day,” he muttered.

“A long one, anyway,” Sadie agreed. “At least the baby’s room looks beautiful. Well, except for that beige paint. That should be changed to something a little more girlie.”

“I’m not having a pink room in my house,” he argued, walking down the stairs behind her. His gaze dropped to the curve of her butt and his hands itched to grab hold and squeeze. Actually, what he really wanted to do was get her out of her work clothes, stretch her out on the floor in front of the fire and explore every square inch of that tidy body.

“I didn’t say pink,” she said, tossing him a look over her shoulder. “That’s a little sexist, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t know a color could be sexist.”

“Well,” she quipped, “now you do. I was thinking something cheerful, bright. Pale yellow, maybe, or a soft green. With pictures and maybe a mural. Something to stimulate her.”

He snorted a laugh. “The way she screamed when you put her in the crib tells me she’s already plenty stimulated.”

At the bottom of the stairs, Sadie stopped and turned around to look at him. “She’s lost her parents, been thrown at people she doesn’t know and forced to sleep in a bed she doesn’t recognize. I’d like to see how well either of us would handle that situation.”

There were actual sparks in her eyes as she glared at him. Ethan held up both hands. “You’re right.”

Astonishment flashed across her features. “Wow. I’m right. A banner day indeed.”

“There’s that sarcasm again. What does it say that I’m starting to enjoy it?”

“That you’re a glutton for punishment?” She grinned, turned around and marched across the foyer to the front table, which held a massive crystal vase and a fall flower arrangement. She picked up her brown leather bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Suspicion washed over him as he demanded, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going home.”

A feeling he didn’t want to describe as “panic” washed over him. He glanced down at the baby monitor in his hand as if it were a live grenade. “You can’t leave.”

“Sure I can.” She gave him a smile that punched at his insides. “Don’t worry, thanks to that bonus, I’m staying for an extra month, remember? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He threw a quick look at the stairs behind him. There was a baby on the second floor and if Sadie left, he was the only one here to take care of it. Her.

Unacceptable.

How had this happened to him? He, who so carefully regimented the world around him. This morning, his life had been just as he wanted it. A successful business, an efficient assistant, no bumps or twists on a road that lay before him, straight and narrow. And now...everything was a tangled mess and damned if he’d suffer through this alone. “Stay.”

“I am.”

“No,” he said tightly, knowing she was referring to staying on at the office, and helping him find a damn nanny. He meant so much more. “Stay here. At the house.”

A flash of something interesting darted across her eyes and was gone again in a blink. “You want me to stay the night?”

“No,” he corrected, making sure she understood. “I want you to stay here at the house with me. Help me with that baby until I find a damn nanny or hire a housekeeper who isn’t allergic to children.”

She laughed a little and shook her head hard enough to send those loose blond curls into a dance around her head. “Not a chance.”

Her laughter was both erotic and extremely annoying. Sadie was about to walk out that door, leaving him alone in the house with a child. Cowardly or not, Ethan had no problem acknowledging that he did not want to be alone with that baby.

Earlier that day, he’d given Sadie a lot of money to get her to stay an extra month. Maybe all he really needed to do here was offer even more. Hell, money was easy for him—asking for help wasn’t.

“I’ll pay you fifty thousand dollars extra to move in here temporarily.”

“What?” She stared at him.

“You heard me.” At least he had her attention. She hadn’t left yet, and that was good.

“I did. I just don’t believe it.”

“Well, believe it.” Ethan pushed one hand through his hair briefly. “Look, I don’t like admitting this, but when it comes to that baby I’m out of my depth. I need your help.”

Her head snapped back and a small smile curved her mouth. At any other time, he would have enjoyed that soft smile.

“You’re saying that there’s something Ethan Hart can’t handle.”

He scowled at her. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“A little.”

This was new territory for Ethan. He was self-sufficient. In charge. Yet now, an infant had reduced him to admitting his failings. “Fine. Yes. I need your help. So what do you say?”

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