The Nanny's Plan

A scowl had his facial muscles tensing. He shouldn’t be noticing Amy’s bare toes. Or any of her other physical attributes, either. Like those shapely calves and thighs, and that nicely curved fanny.

But the wet silk had clung to her like the skin on a ripe plum. The sight had been just as enticing as a juicy piece of fruit, too, and he’d ended up feeling like a man who’d been starved for that particular food group.

His frowned deepened. He pushed himself from the chair and stalked to the window. What had gotten into him?

The reason he’d been so discombobulated by the woman, he guessed, was that he’d been expecting a plain Jane…but what had arrived was a stunning Stella. However, there had been more to it than merely her looks.

From his sister’s accounting, Pierce had imagined Amy would be an average, regular, normal young woman—a barely grown kid, really, from the way Cynthia had described her. But the woman he’d seen when he’d gone down to the water’s edge was polished and professional. Even standing up to her waist in the bay, she’d exuded a calm, no-nonsense air. When he’d questioned her methods of rescuing his nephews, she’d been quick to fire back a logical explanation that had exonerated her of any unsound decisions.

Although Pierce wouldn’t have admitted this to anyone, he’d been a tad intimidated by the magnitude of her poise. He couldn’t be sure, but at one point he suspected she’d actually chuckled at his handling of the whole situation. Of course, she’d explained away her sudden humor by expressing how cute the boys were, so his suspicion that she’d been laughing at his expense could be all in his head…

The knock on his study door made him turn. Amy stood at the threshold wearing a gold blouse that set off her rich brown eyes. Her skirt was short enough to show off her perfect knees. Her feet were clad in high heels that accentuated her narrow ankles and shapely calves. His gaze rose to her face, and when he noticed that her light brown hair was still swept up off her shoulders, he couldn’t help but wonder how long it was and what it might look like in a tumble.

His mind was suddenly besieged with the image of him pulling the pins free himself, combing his fingers through those dark tresses. His gut tightened.

“Come in,” he said, doing his damnedest to shove the alluring picture from his head.

“Is this a good time?” She entered the room, her shoulders square, her head high.

“Yes,” he told her. “Have a seat. Would you like a glass of wine?”

Amy smiled. “That would be nice, thanks.”

He went to the bar cabinet to pour their drinks. “I played a board game with the boys after dinner, gave them their baths and then tucked them into bed. They’re settled for the night.”

When he handed her the glass of merlot, he said, “They’re in the room next door to you, by the way.”

She took a sip, swallowed and then gazed off for a second. When she looked at him again her expression glowed with pleasure. “Delicious,” she said, then her tongue smoothed over her lips.

Something happened down low in his belly. An odd fiery sensation sprouted to life.

“I’m ready to take over responsibility of the boys tomorrow morning.”

She shifted in the seat, and Pierce was aware of the swish of her skirt fabric against the leather couch cushion. When she crossed her legs, the whisper of flesh against flesh had his breath stilling in his throat.

It was silly, really, this sudden fascination he found with that sound.

He took a drink—and a deep breath—desperate to clear this strange fog from his head.

“I’d like to gently recommend,” he began, his gaze traveling down the length of her, “a change in your wardrobe.”

A tiny crease appeared between her deep-set eyes.

“What I mean is,” he rushed to explain, “Benjamin and Jeremiah are rambunctious boys. They run and jump and dig in the dirt and heaven only knows what else they’ll have you doing.”

“I see.” Her smile was easy as she evidently realized he was only offering some friendly advice. “So I guess I’d be better off in pants.”

“Exactly.”

The tension in the room seemed to slacken then and the two of them spent some time talking about their situation—his work schedule and hers, and what each expected of the other.

As he refilled her glass, she commented, “This is a wonderful thing you’re doing, letting the boys stay here. When Mrs. Winthrop and I met in Lebo, she was so excited about this trip to Africa.”

Pierce topped off his own glass and then set the bottle on the marble-topped side table. His mouth screwed up in a grimace as he admitted, “I turned down her request at first.”

“Oh?”

He eased himself back into the chair. “Yes. Cynthia came to me to explain that John had been offered the opportunity of his career. Six weeks as a missionary in Africa. Having the chance to do missionary work has always been my brother-in-law’s dream, she said. She asked if I’d keep the boys for eight weeks, as the position required two weeks of studying the language and customs. I gently but firmly refused.”

Pierce chuckled, remembering his well-reasoned denial.

“I reminded her,” he continued, “that I wasn’t the one who’d pined for hearth and home. That had been her. That I wasn’t the one who’d been certain that parenthood would be the experience of a lifetime. That, too, had been her. And besides that, as she explained to you, I was just about to land a huge contract with one of the largest perfumeries in France. I couldn’t afford to be away from the lab, away from my work…not for a single week, let alone two months.

“Cynthia seemed to understand.” His smile widened. “But my sister is pretty stubborn. And it wasn’t long before she returned with a whole new plan. A plan that involved you. She made it all sound so…workable. In the end, I agreed to take my nephews for the summer. As long as you were here to look after them during my working hours.”

Amy set her empty glass on the table. “A reluctant hero is still a hero in my book.”

Pierce had never thought of himself as a hero, reluctant or otherwise. The very idea unsettled him. He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. The atmosphere stiffened up.

A few moments passed, and she stood. “I think I should head off to bed. If those boys are as rambunctious as you say, then I’m going to need a good night’s sleep.”

Her tapered fingers shot out and she tipped up her chin, and it took him a second to realize that she wanted to shake his hand. He stood and slid his palm into hers.

Her skin was warm against his. Smooth. And soft.

It was as if his every thought gurgled right out of his head.

“I want to assure you that I plan to do a good job,” she proclaimed, giving his hand several good pumps. “We won’t interrupt your work. In fact, when I’m with the boys you won’t even know we’re here.”

Even though his gaze was riveted on the gentle sway of her bottom as she left his study, he did have enough of his wits about him to doubt her promise.

You won’t even know we’re here.

Her words echoed in his head. But he had serious doubts that he could be oblivious to the fact that Amy Edwards had invaded his home.

Chapter Two

“I’m so glad you told me about that tiny scar on your chin, Jeremiah,” Amy said as she combed the child’s hair neatly into place.

“It’s the only way to tell me and Benjamin apart. I guess it’s kinda lucky that I was jumpin’ on the bed and fell on the bedpost.”

Amy’s nose scrunched. “I don’t know that I’d call it lucky.”

Benjamin looked up from where he was fussing with a stubborn button. “He had to get three stitches. With a needle and everything.”

“I’ll bet that hurt,” Amy said.

“Nah. Not even a little bit.” But Jeremiah’s chest puffed as he scoffed at the experience. Then he added, “The doctor numbed my chin.”

His brother’s eyes widened. “With a needle.”

“Mom still teases me about it,” Jeremiah added, “because I started snorin’ while the doctor was puttin’ in the stitches.”

“When did all this happen?” Amy asked.

“A couple of years ago,” he told her. “When I was really little.”

She wrestled with the grin that tugged at one corner of her mouth. One thing she’d learned in the past five days of caring for the boys was that there was nothing quite like experiencing life through the eyes of a child.

“Ah, so it happened when you were a petit garçon.” She did her best to implement a perfect accent when she spoke the last two words.

“What’s that?” Jeremiah asked.

Amy chuckled. “That means ‘little boy’ in French.”

“You can talk in French?” Benjamin looked to be in awe.

“Don’t be too impressed.” She grinned. “I’m not very good. When I was a little girl I had teachers who were trained in France.” She didn’t think the boys would understand about the Oblate Sisters and the life of spiritual devotion they chose, so she just stuck to a simple explanation. “They introduced me to the language. All the students had to take French lessons, from the youngest to the oldest. I’ve tried to keep up with it by listening to audio tapes.”

“Cool,” Jeremiah said.

“Can you teach us some?” Benjamin’s gaze lit with curiosity.

“Sure I can,” she told them. “If you really want to learn.” She ruffled Jeremiah’s head of dark hair. “I think the luckiest thing about your ordeal with the bedpost is that your scar is so small. I have to squint to see it. But it is good to know I have a way of knowing which one of you I’m talking to.” She smiled as she tapped the boy on the tip of his chin with the pad of her index finger, and then she reached to help Benjamin fasten his button.

Life had fallen into a comfortable routine very quickly, and that had surprised Amy. She’d wake early and get herself ready for the day. She’d help the boys dress, feed them breakfast and then they would plan the day’s activities.

One day she’d taken them to Glory’s public library, where they had found a huge globe on which Amy had pointed out Africa and the wide expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Then they had read some children’s books about the area where the boys’ parents were serving as missionaries. They had spent another day exploring the small town of Glory together, and Benjamin and Jeremiah had been more than happy to point out the pizza place, the ice cream shop and the arcade. And yesterday she’d helped the boys pull out the fishing gear. Unable to deal with the idea of worms, she’d baited the hooks with bits of ham she’d found in the fridge. But they hadn’t gotten a single nibble, so the three of them had climbed on boulders at one end of the cove and watched the blue crabs shimmy sideways under the water.

Pierce had been right when he’d told her she needed to rethink her attire. The tailored skirts and dresses that had helped to bolster her confidence since her flight training simply weren’t appropriate for traipsing around after the twins. To be honest, even the slacks and leather flats she’d reverted to wearing were still not fitting for this job. What she needed was sturdier, more casual clothing. Jeans and shorts, sneakers and sandals. The stuff she used to knock around in back in Kansas. However, she’d purposely yet unfortunately left those items in her dresser back home.

During her flight attendant training, it had been stressed to her over and over again that if she wanted to garner the respect due a professional, then she must be perceived as a professional. She had to dress and act the part.

One day during her training something had clicked. She’d realized that if she looked and acted assured and capable, that’s what people would believe her to be—no matter what she felt inside, no matter how lacking her background. That had been the day she’d resolved to put on the armor that would protect her from her past: carefully applied makeup, hair that was styled, coordinated apparel and a cool, confident air.

She would make herself into what she was not. And no one would be the wiser. So far, her plan had worked like a charm.

However, climbing around on wet rocks wasn’t easy when you didn’t have a pair of rubber-soled shoes handy. Well, that was something she’d just have to deal with. Keeping her professional facade intact was more important than sore feet.

“What’s for breakfast today?” Benjamin asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“What would you like?” She reached out and straightened the collar of his red cotton polo shirt.

“I’d like pancakes!”

“Me, too.”

Amy grinned. “Then pancakes it is.”

The boys cheered and raced from the room.

“Don’t run,” she called after them. But she’d learned that while the boys might want to listen and obey, there was something in their small bodies that urged them to attempt to fly. Everywhere they went.

Hurrying down the steps, she paused in the front hall to answer the ringing phone.

“Dad!” Her heart warmed when she heard her father’s voice. “I’m just fine. Everything is going great. I’m so glad you called.”

They talked for only a couple of minutes before she told him she had to get the boys fed, but she promised to call him for a nice long chat on her day off. She set the telephone receiver into its cradle and headed down the hallway.

The kitchen was empty. In fact, the whole house felt still.

Amy stood in the quiet for the length of several heartbeats. Then anxiety washed over her as her pulse thundered and the fine hair on her arms stood on end.

The bay!

She remembered how panicky she’d been seeing the boys out on the water in the boat the day she’d arrived. She rushed out onto the sunporch, scanning the yard and the shoreline. Seeing the rowboat right where it was supposed to be, she gulped in a relieved breath.

Amy went out into the sunshine and called out the boys’ names. Where could they have gone so quickly?

That’s when she saw that the door to the greenhouse was open.

“Oh, Lord,” she murmured. She hurried across the lawn, knowing without a doubt that the twins had intruded on their uncle’s work.

Had something like this happened when she’d first arrived, she’d have been panic-stricken about how Pierce might react to being interrupted, how he might respond to her falling down on the job and losing sight of his nephews. However, she’d learned a thing or two about the doctor.

He was a bona fide workaholic, yes. But although he often lost himself in his research, he genuinely loved Benjamin and Jeremiah. Whenever he saw them, his face lit up with pleasure. That thought made her smile even now. She’d arrived in this house expecting to face a daunting intellectual who would make her feel totally self-conscious. But Pierce’s tendency toward absentmindedness somehow made him…safe. It took away all reason for her to feel ill at ease. In fact, she’d started experiencing the peculiar sensation of wanting to take care of the man.

Take dinnertime, for instance. That first night they had talked in his study, he had told her that he’d like to join her and the boys for their evening meal. But Pierce apparently had become so wrapped up in his research that he’d worked straight through dinner the following two consecutive nights. So Amy had taken to making him a plate, wrapping it up so it wouldn’t dry out and slipping it into a warm oven so he’d have something to eat whenever he surfaced from his study or his lab or the greenhouse.

She stepped inside the building, cognizant that the air was warmer and more humid than outside. The greenhouse was long and fairly narrow, something you might find in a botanical garden rather than on someone’s personal property.

“Benjamin? Jeremiah?”

The foliage on the plants was thick and glossy and green, and the atmosphere took on a heavy feeling, rich with oxygen, as she made her way down one aisle.

“Over here,” she heard one of the boys call out.

“We’re helping Uncle Pierce,” the other said.

“Come join us, Amy.”

From the tone of Pierce’s voice he didn’t sound at all annoyed that the boys had invaded his space. When she reached them, she saw that the twins were standing on stools at a planting table. Both of them had dirt smeared up to their elbows. Jeremiah was tamping down soil in what looked to be a plastic seedling tray and Benjamin was accepting a palmful of tiny seeds from his uncle.

“These seeds are special, Amy,” Benjamin told her. “Uncle Pierce made ’em with cross-pollimation.”

“Cross-pollination,” Pierce corrected.

“And Uncle Pierce told us that seeds were first made like this,” Benjamin continued, “by a man who lost his mind.”

“Lost his mind? When did I say that?” Bewilderment bit into Pierce’s forehead.

Benjamin said, “You said he was mental.”

“Not mental.” Pierce chuckled as he shook his head. “Mendel. His name was Mendel. Gregor Mendel.”

“Oh.” The child looked momentarily confused. “I thought you were telling us that the guy was crazy to try to, you know…cross-pollimate plants.”

The sigh that issued from Pierce was brimming with good-humored surrender.

Jeremiah reached up and scratched his nose, smudging the bridge of it with soil. “Amy, I betcha didn’t know that there are mommy plants and daddy plants. Just like people. Uncle Pierce was telling us that when they rub on each other, they make seeds ‘steada babies.”

“Yeah,” Benjamin added without lifting his eyes from his work. “Plant sex.”

This completely unexpected detour in the conversation stunned Amy into silence. She lifted her gaze and saw that all the color had drained from Pierce’s handsome face. His lips parted in disbelief. Evidently he was having trouble finding his tongue, too.

What was so mind-blowing was not only what the twins had said, but also how they’d said it. They’d spoken as if the topic was no big deal, honestly detailing in their own words what Pierce had evidently explained to them.

The children didn’t even look up from the task at hand. Benjamin had passed his brother some of the seeds and their fingers were busy carefully sprinkling them over the soil in the seedling tray.

Her eyes locked on Pierce’s mortified green gaze. Heat flushed his face. He forced his jaw closed. He swallowed. Then he moistened his lips.

Finally he whispered, “That wasn’t quite how I put things. I never once mentioned the word sex.”

The situation struck a humorous chord in her all of a sudden, but the menacing look he gave her made it clear that he would not appreciate it if she surrendered to the laughter that bubbled in the back of her throat. So she did all she could to squelch it.

Evidently Benjamin noticed how quiet the adults had become. He lifted his chin, looked from Amy to his uncle.

“Oh, it’s okay, Uncle Pierce,” he said easily. “Me and Jeremiah know all about sex.”

His brother nodded, adding, “Daddy doesn’t know it, but our mommy watches soap operas.”

The candidness expressed by the children tickled Amy’s funny bone all the more. But Pierce didn’t seem to find any humor in the moment. He looked downright horrified.

“All done,” Benjamin announced. “Do we need to water the seeds, Uncle Pierce?”

“Yes. Go over there to the sink—” Pierce pointed the way “—and fill up the watering can.”

The boys scrambled down from the stools and raced off.

“No running,” Amy called out. “You’ll fall and hurt yourselves.”

She was in a quandary. She was trying hard not to smile, but she also felt awkwardness pressing in on them.

Then he murmured, “I’m going to have to speak to my sister about her television viewing habits.”

Amy could stand it no more. Laughter gurgled forth. Her hand flew to cover her lips. But air rushed between her fingers, her cheeks stretched in a wide grin, her shoulders shuddered up and down.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted, but it was hopeless. “It’s just…funny.”

A corner of Pierce’s mouth quirked once, twice, and soon he was chuckling right along with her.

“It is pretty funny,” he agreed.

“What’s funny?” Jeremiah lugged the pail over, and it was so full that water sloshed over the rim.

Ignoring his nephew’s question, Pierce asked one of his own. “So you’ve decided to sprout those seeds hydroponically, huh?”

Benjamin’s whole face screwed up. “Hydro what?”

“In water,” he explained.

“But we’ve already planted ’em in dirt,” Jeremiah pointed out, confusion knitting his forehead.

“It was a joke,” Pierce told him. “Here, let me help you.”

He took the watering can and sprinkled the seeds.

Amy noticed how the muscles in his forearm firmed into long cords under his skin as he maneuvered the can. Like metal attracted by a magnetic current, she was helpless against the urge to move closer.

He smelled good. She didn’t want to notice the luscious heated scent of him, but she was helpless against that, as well.

“Are those seeds part of that new contract work you’ve started?” she asked, craning her neck to see around his shoulder.

“No, those are hybrids. I have several flats in different stages of growth, so I need to vigilantly protect them from any foreign pollen.”

After only a second, she gasped. “But I left the greenhouse door open.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “The seedlings are across the way in the lab, where I can monitor and control everything. Soil and air temperature, humidity, nutrient intake.”

Curiosity caught her in its grasp. “I’ve heard of hybrid plants. I’ve probably even seen them. But I’ve never been sure exactly what that term means.”

“Hybrid means heterogeneous in—” He stopped suddenly, twisting to face her as he seemed to rethink his explanation. “It means a plant or animal that’s the offspring of unlike parents.

“Hybrid plants are cultivated for different reasons,” he continued, his gaze becoming intense. “Sometimes people want flowers with variegated leaves or petals. Or bigger blossoms. Or a hardier root system.”

“And what are you going for?” she asked. “In your experiments, I mean.”

“I’m cultivating flowers for new scents. A perfumery in France has agreed to finance the experiments, and if I can cultivate something usable, they’ll get a portion of the seeds. I’ll get the right to patent the scent and publish the work in scientific journals.”

“So you’re going to grow flowers that smell different from any other flowers in the whole wide world?” Benjamin looked quite impressed.

“I’m trying. In fact, I’ve grown a small sample batch for their approval. They have those in their labs. And now I’m working on cultivating more seeds.”

“Cool.”

“Can we see your lab, Uncle Pierce?” Jeremiah asked.

“Not today, boys.”

They groaned and complained.

Amy wondered just how amazingly intelligent a person would have to be to take two different species of flower and create something brand-new, something that no one had ever seen—or smelled—before. There had been a passion sparkling in his gorgeous green eyes as he’d talked about his work, and she’d found that alluring.

“Some other time,” he told the boys. “I’ve got data books scattered about in there. I’ll have to clean up before you come look around. But I promise you can check everything out really soon, okay?”

Although they didn’t like it, they finally acquiesced. And as children usually do, they then quickly changed the subject.

“I’m hungry,” Jeremiah pronounced.

“Yeah.” Benjamin piped up, “I’m ready for some pancakes.”

“Both of you need to go get washed up before you do anything else,” their uncle told them.

“Let’s go!” They took flight down the row of plants.

“Slow down,” Pierce called after them. Then he directed his gaze at Amy. “What is it?” he asked her.

“N-nothing.” She was embarrassed that he’d caught her so deep in thought—about him. “I should make the boys their breakfast. I…I’m terribly sorry they barged in on you. I took a quick call from my dad.”