I can’t believe this. He’s being so thickheaded. I’m right here and I’m willing to help with Abby. “It really seems you can’t afford to be picky about who you hire right now. Maybe try swaddling her.”
He frowns at me. “Swaddling.”
I gesture for him to pass me the crying child. He hesitates until her volume grows then he finally relinquishes her to me. I drop to my knees on the rug and settle her on top of the blanket before quickly swaddling her. She’s quiet within seconds, her eyes already starting to drift closed.
“How did you know to do that?” His voice rumbles in my ear. I didn’t even hear him come around the desk or realize he was leaning over us. For some crazy reason, I like the feeling. I like the idea that he’s over both of us, protecting me and Abby from the scary world.
“Secrets of being a nanny,” I answer with a wink. I hope he can’t hear how loud my heart is racing.
“The job.” His cheeks flush slightly beneath his beard. “You were looking for the nanny job, not the one I posted this morning. Sorry. Sleep deprived dad here.”
“I thought stacking firewood would be an unusual task.” I continue holding Abby because he hasn’t asked for her back. “Swaddling is thought to remind babies of life in the womb. It probably comforts her to feel close to her mother.”
Sadness flickers across his face. “She isn’t around.”
I lean out and put a hand on his arm, feeling his strong muscles tense underneath my touch. “I’m sorry, Micah. That must be hard on you.”
There are a million questions I want to ask him about her. Were they close? Are they still in touch? Was it a one-night thing or a long relationship? Why aren’t they together anymore? But it doesn’t seem like the place or time to ask anything.
He nods to his sleeping daughter. “Consider yourself hired. And maybe forget about the mix-up.”
I can’t help the smile. This job is exactly what I needed. The fact that my boss is the best-looking cowboy in all of Courage County has nothing to do with my excitement. Not even a little bit.
“How soon can you move in?”
3
MICAH
All right,so it wasn’t supposed to be a live-in position. But I’m a greedy bastard. I’ll say and do whatever it takes to get Chloe living under my roof. If that makes me a monster, I can live with that.
I just need to know she’s safe. She’s been losing weight; those precious curves are fading. I thought I noticed it in the grocery store, but I couldn’t be sure. Now I’m absolutely positive. She’s losing weight and she looks tired. Even a little discouraged.
When she first came in here, asking about the job, I could barely see past the blinding rage I felt toward Ledger. Call me an asshole but I don’t want any man around Chloe. I want to be the only one she sees, and when she looked at him, it felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
“Move in?” She sputters the words.
“It’s a full-time position,” I answer as if I haven’t been making this whole thing up on the spot. Her hair looks so soft. Would it be weird if I leaned close to sniff an employee’s hair? Probably. Definitely.
She’s barely been hired two minutes and I’m already in danger of losing my fucking mind. This is not going well.
When Abby lets out a contented sigh in her arms, Chloe’s expression softens. I want to lean over and give my kid a high five. She may not realize it, but she just sealed the deal for me.
“For how long?”
“A year,” I say because telling her forever is probably a bad idea.
“I would save on rent.” Dammit, is that why she’s losing weight and looking so tired, because she’s under financial pressure?
The thought makes me sick. I don’t want Chloe to be worried about anything. It’s time to sell her on this. “My spare bedroom has a private bathroom with its own shower and tub.”
Fuck, now I’m thinking about Chloe naked and that’s not good. I need to be thinking professional thoughts. Nanny thoughts. “Plus, you’d be close to Abby. Not that I expect you to watch her every night.”
“Maybe we could trade off nights.”
“Sure,” I answer, already knowing that even if I have the night off, I won’t take it. My brain is different these days. Everything is about Abby and if she so much as sniffles at night, I’m awake. I used to be able to sleep through a hurricane. Now she makes the tiniest squeak and I’m fully alert.
She beams at me, a relieved smile on her face. “I can move in tomorrow, if that’s good.”