“You’re good? I’m freezing.” Ryan laughed and waved his gloved hand. “See you.” He drove off before I even turned around to head up the two broad stairs to the cabin’s porch. With a deep breath to steady my nerves, I climbed up and knocked on the door.
The thump of approaching footfalls answered my knock, but it was the cute squeals of a baby that made me smile. She sounded like a happy kid, at least at the moment, which would make my job much easier for the next week of full-time nannying. Of course, no baby was sunshine all the time, but starting out on the right foot always helped.
The door swung open, and any thought of the baby vanished.
Mr. Barron held a white shirt balled up in one hand. He had a distinct smear of something orange down one cheek, and drops of it across his collarbone, but he was still one of the hottest men I'd ever seen. The bare chest with the pelt of dark hair sure didn't hurt. I caught myself scoping out his firm pecs and trim abs – wildly unprofessional -- and forced my gaze back to his face. It wasn't hard to look at either. Tussled sandy blond hair flopped every which way, but his dark scruff was neat. His amber eyes widened as they met mine.
"Mr. Barron," I said with what I hoped was a professional smile. "I'm Sam Burkhart from the childcare agency. I'm here to help you out for the next week."
In the background, his daughter squealed again. He shot a glance over his shoulder before stepping back. "Yes, yes of course. Sorry. Come on in." He stepped back and waved his free hand to usher me into the pleasant main room. A deep maroon couch sat against the wall, and a pile of silky fabric scraps covered the coffee table. A tiny girl with brown hair tied up in two little tails and a toothy grin smacked her hands on the table and pushed the material around.
"Hello there!" I let go of my suitcase handle and waved at her.
She picked up a scrap of pale blue fabric and waved it at me. The enthusiastic greeting made her overbalance, and she plopped down on her butt on the other side of the table. In a flash, she crawled over to grab her daddy's jeans and haul herself back to her feet.
"This is Evelyn. Evie." He reached down to pat her head, but seemed to realize he still had his t-shirt in his hand. "Oh, crap. I mean... sorry." He carefully detached his daughter from his leg and hurried into one of the bedrooms.
Would it be unprofessional for me to tell him that I didn't mind at all that he answered the door half naked, and as far as I was concerned, he could stay that way for the duration of my work there? Absolutely, and I was nothing if not professional.
For the brief moment my client was out of the room, the baby didn't seem too bothered by her daddy leaving her with a stranger. Another good sign. She crawled back to the table and reached up to pull the fabric down on herself to play some more.
Mr. Barron hurried back out, running a hand through his hair, his lovely body now covered with a dark blue henley, and his face clean. "Sorry about that. Evie took offense at the carrotsshe had with lunch. I didn't even realize she got half of them on me until I heard you knock." He scanned downward, pointed to my suitcase, and then turned toward the opposite bedroom door. "You can put your stuff away. I took the bigger room since I have Evie."
My smile grew. "That makes sense. I'll be right back." My room for the next week was as attractive and comfortable as the shared portion of the Cardinal Cabin. The queen-sized bed had a quilt with subtle brick-red stripes against charcoal gray, and a dark wood nightstand and wardrobe completed the cozy room. I'd stayed in worse during other nanny jobs in the past. I slung my bag on the bed planning to unpack later and headed back out to the main room.
Evie had moved on to a pile of soft blocks with cute animals on them. My client sat on the couch with a laptop on his knees. He looked up and set the computer aside when I approached.
"Okay, Mr. Barron. If you have a moment, I'd like to go over your expectations for my time here. I'm ready to help, but there are also some boundaries we should discuss to keep the contract terms clear." I started every job this way. Some clients tried to take advantage of their nanny and make them work 24/7 or provide services not included in the contract.
His eyes were such a pretty shade of amber brown, and I got lost for a moment as they shot wide under his dark brows. "Of course. Sit down. Make yourself comfortable. And call me Gil, please. Or Gilbert. Mr. Barron's way too formal."
I settled on the other end of the couch. "Gil. You can call me Sam. And this is Evie, yes?"
He glanced at his daughter with obvious affection and watched her play for a moment.
Any doubts I had about taking this full-time job over break disappeared. Gone were the fears of a workaholic parent and a fussy baby who only wanted their attention. The Barrons werenot a problem family. I watched Gil smile at Evie for a long moment before he seemed to remember I sat there and spun around.
“Oh, sorry. Yes, we should discuss your boundaries.”
In a split second, a thousand possibilities ran through my head. What boundaries? With a man who looked like Gil… I shook my head to banish the incredibly unprofessional thoughts. “You spoke to Talisha about the standard contract terms, I’m sure. Since this is essentially a live-in position, albeit at the inn instead of your home, it’s important to understand that the contract only covers daytime hours.”
His dark brows rose. “Of course. She sleeps through the night, and I have her pack-n-play in my room. That’s not a problem at all.” His warm smile broke through again. “I don’t let my clients bug me at night either. No matter how particular they are.”
“Talisha told me you’re a wedding planner?”
Evie kicked her feet and sent a few blocks tumbling across the rug before turning over onto her knees and crawling closer. Her tiny fingers clung to Gil’s jeans as she pulled herself up to standing. “Da!”
He pulled her onto his lap, where she bounced and patted his cheeks. “Yes, my smart girl. Daddy’s got you.” He gently turned her around so she could see me. “This is Mr. Burkhart.” His warm brown eyes met mine. “Sam. He’s going to take care of you when Daddy’s working with the groomzillas.”
My laugh made Evie smile and kick her feet. I offered my hand, and she leaned forward to grab my fingers. “Nice to meet you, Evie.” I turned my attention back to her handsome dad. “Be careful, or that might be the next word she learns.”
“It might be with how often I mutter it under my breath.” She wiggled to get down, and he set her carefully back on the floor. “I have a meeting with them, Christopher and Bradley,over lunch. Winter is a slow wedding season, so…” His voice trailed off, and he turned away to look at his daughter again.
He didn’t owe me an explanation, and I certainly didn’t need to know everything about him or his life. I wasn’t at all curious about where Evie’s mother was, or if there was another parent in the picture at all. Most of all, I didn’t care one bit if I ever got the chance to see him without his shirt on again. Nope. Strictly professional.
Chapter 2
Gilbert
