“Back to the smart mouth,” Cole muttered. “What a relief.”
Shep stretched his neck to either side. His muscles were still stiff but otherwise his body felt much improved. “Did you know I got hurt?” he asked quietly, glancing at Cole without making actual eye contact.
His brother let out a long sigh. “There was a twinge of something.”
“A twinge?” Shep asked with a laugh.
“It felt like a sledgehammer slamming into my skull.”
“Yeah,” Shep agreed. “That about sums it up.” He wasn’t sure if all twins had it or if it was just an urban myth, but he and Cole, despite their differences, had always had an undeniable physical connection. It made sense in a way. As identical twins, they shared a bond neither of them could explain.
When they were seven, Cole had broken his arm falling off the jungle gym at recess. Shep had been across the playground, but he’d felt a corresponding pain lance through him for an instant.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Cole told him. “It was a close call.”
“Keep that tidbit to yourself.” Shep stood and walked to the window, relieved his head had stopped pounding. Another clear summer day in Crimson. “I’m already fielding calls from California about the accident. Go figure but a malfunctioning ski lift isn’t great press for a ski mountain that’s looking to reopen.”
“Word travels fast,” Cole murmured.
“Yeah,” Shep agreed. “So my priority is—”
He broke off as the door to the room opened and Paige came in, carrying Rosie.
“There’s my girl,” he said with a smile, putting all thoughts of the resort to the back of his mind.
“Dada,” Rosie shouted, reaching for him. He took her from Paige, holding her against his side to avoid his injured chest, and kissed each of her cheeks. “Hello, sweetheart. I missed you.”
When Paige started to move away, he took her hand. “Both my girls,” he whispered and kissed her on the mouth, even though his brother and Rosie were watching.
“I’ve got to head back to work,” Cole announced after clearing his throat. “Take it easy, Shep. Your head might be rock hard, but you need to rest.”
“Got it,” Shep said then felt his mouth drop open as Rosie leaned forward and held out her arms to Cole.
To his credit, Cole didn’t miss a beat. He took Rosie from Shep with a huge grin. “Well, isn’t this a nice surprise for Uncle Cole,” he said.
Rosie patted his cheek with one chubby hand. “Co,” she murmured before turning back to Shep. “Dada.”
Shep took her again. “That just made my day.”
“It made my whole week,” Cole agreed.
“She let Sienna hold her for a few minutes today,” Paige added. “She’s coming out of her shell.”
The doctor entered the room at that moment, and Cole exited. Dr. Stevens, an older man with thinning hair and wire-rimmed glasses, went over Shep’s discharge instructions and what he could expect from his recovery.
“Make a follow-up appointment in a week,” the doctor told him. “Just to confirm everything is stable.”
When the man left, Shep turned to Paige. “Thank you.”
Paige frowned. “I didn’t do anything.”
“A week with you in her life and Rosie is interacting with people more than she ever did before.”
“Now, if I can just find my replacement,” Paige said as she led them down the hall toward the elevator.
Shep inwardly cringed. He knew Paige’s involvement in Rosie’s life was temporary, but he didn’t want to consider what might happen after. It was too easy to rely on Paige, to hope she’d choose to be a part of his world even when their deal was over.
“I’m interviewing someone new this afternoon,” Paige said, oblivious to the effect her words were having on him.
“What about the woman yesterday?”
The elevator doors swished open, and Paige hit the button for the ground floor before glancing up at him. “She’s working for me now.”
“You poached my nanny prospect?” Shep couldn’t help but laugh at the idea.
“Not exactly.”
The elevator dinged, and Rosie clapped her hands in response. “We’re almost out of this place,” Shep told her. “Definitely cause for celebration.”
“Carly Maldero wanted to meet me so she came to the house under the guise of interviewing for your position.” She made a face. “Turns out she doesn’t really like kids.”
“But she wants to work for you?”
Paige nodded. “She’s got an amazing background in technology. I talked to Olivia early this morning and she went into even more detail about Carly’s accomplishments. She’s a bit of a genius when it comes to software and online marketing. If she helps with the website and online reservation system, I might actually be able to make The Bumblebee a success.”
“Lucky you,” Shep murmured.
“You’re not having second thoughts about our arrangement?” Paige pulled out her keys as they left the hospital.
Shep shaded his eyes against the bright morning sunlight. “No,” he answered even though he wasn’t certain how he felt about this change to Paige’s plan.
She winked. “Great. Because I actually believe I have a chance of winning back my inn.”
“What does your mom think of you hiring someone?”
Paige unlocked her car, and Shep carefully strapped Rosie into her car seat.
“I haven’t talked to her. Why?”
“Just curious,” he said and lowered himself into the passenger side.
“I didn’t exactly hire her,” Paige admitted. “I don’t have the money for that. It’s more like an unpaid internship.”
“Why does a woman with so much experience want to help you?”
She pulled out of the parking lot, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. “I don’t know. She’s a nice person, I guess. She says I’m her version of a fresh start.”
“Interesting.”
“You didn’t think I’d be able to handle it on my own.”
“I never said that.”
“Your attitude speaks volumes.” Her full mouth was pressed tight, and he could almost feel the aggravation rolling off her.
“I don’t like this thing with the inn between us. One of us has to win at the end which means the other will lose.”
“You could take yourself out of the running,” she suggested, a little too sweetly.
“That’s not an option,” he said tightly then pressed two fingers to the side of his head.
“We won’t talk about it now.” Paige reached over and placed a hand on his leg, squeezing gently. “I’m living in the moment, remember?”
Shep sighed. “The moment,” he agreed, wondering how long he could make his moment with Paige last.
Chapter Eleven
“She likes you,” Paige murmured later that afternoon, watching Rosie hand another building block to the woman seated on the floor next to her.
Janet Dunham was in her early sixties, with thick salt-and-pepper hair cut into a chin-length bob and twinkling blue eyes. She wore a casual T-shirt and crisp twill pants and looked every bit the part of the retired librarian Paige knew her to be.
“I raised three babies of my own and ran the children’s department of my library for fifteen years.” Janet shrugged. “I love kids.”
“You don’t understand.” Paige inclined her head. “Lots of people love kids, but Rosie barely tolerates most of them.”
“She’s got discerning taste,” Janet said. “Don’t you, sweet girl?” She handed Rosie one of the board books she’d brought with her, which Rosie promptly shoved into her mouth.
“You’re going to be a reader,” Janet told the girl in a soft, singsong voice. Rosie babbled and chewed the corner of th
e book even harder.
Emotion clogged Paige’s throat. Janet Dunham was exactly the kind of nanny she’d hoped to find for Rosie. Janet and her husband, Joe, had recently moved to Crimson from California. Joe was retired military and loved to fish and hunt. Their kids were grown but had no children of their own as of yet, and Janet was clearly pining for grandchildren.
“If you retired from one job,” Paige said gently, “are you sure you want something else full-time?”
“You bet I do,” Janet answered, her gaze still focused on Rosie. “Especially if it involves this little one.” Rosie tossed the book aside and climbed into Janet’s lap. It was a miracle to see the girl so outgoing with anyone, let alone a woman she’d just met.
Janet glanced up at Paige. “I would have stayed on at the library, but Joe needed to get out of San Diego. He’s got all his outdoorsy stuff to do here, and I need to be busy. I like to have my own spending cash.” She winked. “I’m modern that way.”
“Right,” Paige agreed. “I spoke to your reference from the library so—”
“I also have references from a hospital where I volunteered,” Janet reminded her.
Not only had Janet raised kids, worked with them at the library but she’d also volunteered in a NICU, caring for newborns. Two ladies from the Crimson Gardening Club had already called Paige to tell her what a wonderful addition to the community Janet and her husband were. This woman was about as close to Mary Poppins as Paige was going to find.
“And the hospital.” Paige smiled, surprised to find it was difficult to make the ends of her mouth turn up at the moment. “I’ll call them and we can schedule a time for you to meet Shep. Obviously, he’ll make the final decision. I’m helping temporarily but...” She waved a hand around in the air. “I’ve got to start focusing on reopening The Bumblebee.”
“Speaking of that,” Carly said from the doorway. “When you’re finished here, I’d like to talk to you about an online coupon we could add to the website.”
“Sure,” Paige agreed. “I think we’re about done.” She rose from her chair. “I can take Rosie and—”
“Why don’t I stay with her?” Janet offered immediately. “Joe took the boat to the reservoir today so I don’t need to be home until dinner. We can call it a trial run, and maybe I’ll have a chance to meet Rosie’s daddy this afternoon.”
“I’m not sure—” Paige began.
“Great idea,” Carly interrupted, giving Paige a meaningful nod.
“If she gets fussy, I’ll come and find you.” Janet’s smile was reassuring. “We’ll be fine.”
“I guess it would be okay.” Paige crouched down and took Rosie’s hand. “Sweetie, I’m going to be in the kitchen and Miss Janet will stay with you. If you need anything—”
The girl babbled something that sounded a lot like Don’t let the door hit you... then waved at Paige.
“Such a good girl,” Janet murmured, dropping a kiss on Rosie’s head just the way Paige liked to do.
“Come on.” Carly hauled Paige up with a hand on her arm. “We’ve got tons to get done while the ankle biter is occupied.”
Rosie giggled.
“I think she likes you, too,” Paige muttered. “She’s suddenly a social butterfly.”
“Kids don’t like me,” Carly assured her, offering Rosie a quelling side-eye before dragging Paige from the room. “And why do you say social butterfly like it’s a bad thing? I thought the idea was finding somebody new to watch her.”
“Well, yes,” Paige admitted as she followed Carly into the kitchen. She plunked down in one of the chairs at the table. “But it made me feel...special when I was the only person besides Shep she’d bonded with. This is different, and not in a good way.”
“She still likes you.” Carly slid into the chair across from Paige, diamond studs sparkling in the sunlight that streamed through the nearby bay window. “Oh, wait. I get it. This is about bagging the hottie dad, not the kid.”
Paige’s eyes widened as she stared at the beautiful brunette across from her. “I’m not bagging anyone.”
“But you want to,” Carly suggested with a cheeky grin, tapping her pen against the edge of the laptop she’d opened on the table.
Well, duh, Paige thought. She was only human. Plus she’d all but propositioned Shep and his junk last night at the hospital. Talk about taking advantage of a man when he was down. But she wasn’t about to admit that to Carly, who was equally scary in her energy and her level of perception.
“I want what’s best for Rosie and Shep.”
“Which you believe is you.”
Paige narrowed her eyes. She could barely keep straight in her own mind her jumble of feelings for Shep. She had no interest in a heart-to-heart with her gorgeous volunteer or intern or whatever Carly wanted to be called. Carly was the kind of woman who could stop traffic with one well-timed hair flip. “Don’t you have a coupon to show me?”
“I do.” Carly proudly turned her laptop toward Paige so the screen was visible to both of them. “I revamped the website design but stayed with the logo.” She lifted a brow. “To be honest, that was the only decent part of your whole deal.”
“Oh.” Paige shifted in her seat. “I didn’t think it was that bad.”
“Nor was it that good.” Carly tapped a few keys. “As you can see, I changed the color scheme to be more reflective of nature and that classic rustic, mountainy feel. Right now I only have the content updated, but I’d like to get started on a reservation system and my idea for an early booking coupon.” She used the computer’s trackpad to hover the mouse over the rates and activities page. “We also need to talk about income.”
“I could use some,” Paige said under her breath, glancing over her shoulder toward the kitchen door. No sound came from down the hall where Janet had stayed with Rosie.
Was that a good or bad sign? Should she go check on the two of them? Would Shep approve of her leaving Rosie in the care of a nanny he hadn’t yet met?
How was he doing today? She’d hoped he’d stay home after they returned from the hospital but instead he insisted on driving himself to the ski resort after lunch. He had a meeting scheduled with Logan Travers and Bob McConnell, wanting both contractors’ opinions on progress.
“Earth to innkeeper,” Carly said, waving a hand in front of Paige’s face. “Are you with me?”
Paige nodded. “Yes, but maybe I should—”
“The woman with your little charge is the nanny of every frazzled working mother’s fantasy. You aren’t even that girl’s mother and you’re acting more protective than a grizzly with her cub.”
“I liked being needed,” Paige admitted with a watery smile. “I know you probably think that makes me weak and wimpy, but I can’t help it.”
Carly sighed, patted Paige’s arm. The touch was stiff and awkward, like Carly didn’t have much experience offering comfort. “You’ve got a soft heart,” she said, her tone gentle as if she were offering absolution from some unnamed sin. “The rug rat will still love you, and I’m sure big daddy’s feelings won’t change.”
“Big daddy?” Paige choked out a laugh. “His name is Shep, and I don’t exactly know what his feelings for me are so I can’t say if I want them to change.”
“Well, forget him then.”
Paige laughed again, and Carly’s smile widened. “Visitors at the inn will also love you if we can get the word out and bring them here.”
“Why are you doing this again?” Paige asked lightly. “I get the impression you’re not just some marketing Good Samaritan.”
“I need to be busy,” Carly said then turned her attention back to the computer.
“But why?”
“I wasn’t expecting to quit my job without another one lined up. I’m good at what I do, Paige, but people don’t exactly take me seriously in the world of technology.” She leaned
in closer. “It’s my boobs.” She waved a hand in the general vicinity of her face. “And my eyes and lips and the fact that I don’t look like a computer nerd.”
“You’re drop-dead gorgeous.”
“I hate it.”
Paige gave a disbelieving laugh. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t feel too sorry for you.”
Carly nodded, one side of her mouth curving. “Understandable, but I still hate it. I wrote clean code and I understood how it drove the overall business. I spearheaded a huge project that we finished last month, and one of my coworkers took credit for it.”
“That’s not fair.”
“But it was typical for me. I should have spoken up or fought for myself. But it wasn’t the first time it happened, and I started to believe the negative things they said. I let the men I worked with have power over me, Paige. I was humiliated and angry and I did nothing about it. Instead, I quit. This is the first time I haven’t had something to work for in my entire life. I don’t quite...know what to do with myself.”
“I’m sorry. You’re so talented, Carly. You don’t deserve that.”
“I’m not going to let it crush me.” She wrinkled her nose. “Does that make me sound like I’m writing the lyrics to a pop song?”
“It sounds like you’re strong and brave,” Paige said and wrapped her arm around Carly’s thin shoulders. “I could use more of that in my life.”
“Am I interrupting?”
Paige turned to see Shep standing just inside the doorway to the kitchen. “You’re home,” she whispered.
“Is he?” Carly asked under her breath.
Paige dropped her hand from the woman’s shoulders. For now, she thought to herself.
She rose from her chair, flashing Shep a bright smile. “How are you feeling? Did you meet Janet? Where’s Rosie?”
“Fine,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Yes, and getting her diaper changed upstairs.”
Paige felt her mouth drop open. “She’s letting Janet change her diaper? That’s huge.”
“And stinky,” Shep confirmed. “The nanny is amazing, Paige. Thank you for finding her. I owe you so much.”
Anything for His Baby Page 12