Nanny Wanted (A Bad Boy Romance)

by Mia Carson

  “Reider.” Tommy, the guy sitting next to him and his friend of ten years, nudged his arm. “If you hadn’t been so late, I would’ve warned you.”

  “You saw her come in?” Reider said, his eye twitching. “Why the hell didn’t you text me or something?”

  Tommy cringed. “Sorry, man.”

  “Yeah, sorry,” he muttered. “Whatever—it's not like I have to talk to her.”

  And he wasn’t going to. He didn’t want anything to do with a Chadwick, not after all the shit her family put his through. He’d have to be sure not to tell his family about them being in a class together. His mom would throw a fit, and his dad would drive up and cause a scene.

  Ashford glanced their way with a raised brow as Reider’s quiet conversation with Tommy apparently wasn’t as quiet as he thought. “And you Mr. Marquette? Did you do the reading?”

  Reider narrowed his gaze. Did he do that on purpose? “No, afraid I don’t do schoolwork before the semester actually starts,” he said and tried to put a polite smile on his face.

  More whispers than before echoed around the room, so loud that Ashford rapped his knuckles on the board to draw their attention. Reider didn’t want to turn around but couldn’t stop himself, just to see Johanna’s reaction, but she was slumped too far down in her seat. Not that it mattered if she could see him or vice versa. They’d get through the class without saying a word to one another, and that would be the end of it. He’d have to be more careful next semester when he picked his final classes before graduating.

  Ashford propped himself on his desk as he turned to face the class and briefly explained what the tiny one-page reading assignment was that only two students appeared to have done. “Now, you’re all here because this is the one class that will make a difference in your lives the second you graduate and become proper adults. You might think this is simply one more business class to tuck under your belt, but you’re wrong.”

  Reider straightened with most of the students around him and watched as Ashford pulled out more papers from his bag. He set them on the desk and tapped his fingertips on them.

  “At the end of class, I will be assigning your semester project. Until that moment, let us delve into the world of business and psychology. You see, you cannot simply run a business and hope for the best without understanding either your clientele or even those you work with. That includes partners, employees…”

  Reider tried to listen and flipped open his notebook, ready to scribble down something so it appeared he was paying attention, but his mind drifted. His life, a few weeks ago, had been simple. And, in one fell swoop, everything had changed. He stifled a yawn behind his hand and rubbed the heavy bags under his eyes. He used to live on campus, but this year, at the last second, his parents told him he’d be staying at home. His dorm room was still available on campus so he had a place to go, but for the majority of the time, he’d be home.

  His younger cousin, Micah, had lost his parents in a tragic accident and had nowhere else to live except with Reider and his parents. So far, his cousin was lost in a world of grief and wasn’t talking to anyone but Reider. He felt bad for his cousin, he really did, and he missed his aunt and uncle, but this was his senior year of school and he didn’t want to be worrying about his little cousin. His mom wasn’t giving him a choice, though, and from now on, he was going to have to be there when Micah needed him.

  He was being selfish, but he was used to being an only child and not having to deal with anyone besides himself.

  Ashford jotted a few words on the board, and though Reider had no idea what the man was talking about, he quickly copied them down before letting his mind drift again. He’d hoped this class would be somewhat exciting, but so far, it was like all the others he’d been forced into. Boring, pointless, and having nothing to do with what he wanted to do someday soon. His family had owned land in Nebraska for generations and had their hands in the biggest cattle ranches and even in the rail system. The family money was old and had created a lavish life, but that wasn’t where Reider wanted to be.

  Since he was little, he had worked on the ranches, rode the horses, and took care of the cattle that passed through. That was where he desperately wanted to be, not in some stuffy mansion, looking down on everyone around him.

  He wanted freedom—true freedom—and a wide-open field to ride through.

  “Now, your main assignment for this class will last the entire duration of the sixteen weeks,” Ashford said loudly, and Reider perked up. “I will hand out the syllabus, and then I’ll tell you who you will partner with.”

  Partner? Reider glanced around the room. Tommy nudged his arm. “Good, maybe I’ll actually earn a decent grade in this class if we’re together,” he teased.

  “Don’t lay that on me,” Reider muttered. “I have enough crap to deal with as it is.”

  A partner. Why did they have to work with someone else? He didn’t have time for the irritation of working with someone he might never have met before. He doubted Ashford knew who had friends in this class and probably didn’t care. For all he knew, Ashford put all the names in a hat and drew them out at random before coming to the lecture hall that day. When the stack of syllabi made its way to Reider, he took one and passed it along, frowning at the thick packet of information.

  “This is one project?” he mused.

  Ashford chuckled, standing a few feet from him. “Yes, Mr. Marquette. Don’t worry, you’ll see the value of it in the end.”

  Reider frowned. “Yes, sir.”

  Ashford gave him a long look Reider couldn’t read before he returned to his desk and picked up a piece of paper. “Now, when I call out your names, jot them down and you can find your new buddy for the semester when class is over. I advise you to exchange numbers, e-mails, whatever so you have plenty of ways to contact each other. This project is the entirety of your grade and credit for this class. I hope I’ve made myself clear.”

  He eyed everyone, and many of the students squirmed in their seats. He sighed and hunkered back down again. Too bad he couldn’t shove the work onto his partner. If this was to be the only assignment they had the entire semester, he’d have to put in full effort. Tapping his boot on the floor, he waited for Ashford to call out names.

  “Johanna Chadwick and Reider Marquette, you will be partners,” Ashford said a few minutes later.

  “What?” a female voice snapped from the back of the room.

  Reider’s lip twitched at Ashford as he grinned. “You heard me correctly, Ms. Chadwick. Now, if you’d please remain quiet so I can get through the rest of the names?”

  Reider tapped his pen angrily on his notebook. Partnered with a Chadwick for the entire semester? It couldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen. Her family was the enemy, and if his parents heard about him socializing with her outside of normal, high society events, they’d throw a fit. He couldn’t afford to drop the class either, or let himself fail, so there was no other option except to ask Ashford to change his mind. He’d been in this town long enough to know of the feud between the elite families. Why the hell would he stick the two of them together? No good would come of it except more drama that neither family needed.

  “I suggest you all do as I said before,” Ashford announced after he called out the final two names. “Meet with your partner between now and Wednesday and start going over plans for the semester. Good day to you all, and try to stay dry,” he added with a wink, the rain battering loudly against the windows.

  Reider shoved his notebook and pen back in his leather messenger bag and picked up his jacket. Several other students approached Ashford first so he grunted while he waited for them to go away.

  “Man, you have to work with a Chadwick?” Tommy said, shaking his head. “How are you going to handle that?”

  “I’m not, that’s how,” he spat. “My name means something in this damn town. I’m not letting a professor think he can do whatever he wants to me. I’m not working with her. I refuse. He’ll have to switch us wit
h other people.”

  “There are a few other hotties in the class,” Tommy said, tilting his head to study several of those girls’ rears as they exited the class. Reider’s brow lifted, and his lips twitched in a grin. There were quite a few good-looking ladies he’d be more than happy to spend quality time with. Anyone except—

  “This is total bullshit,” an angry voice snapped nearby, and Reider turned to see Johanna moving towards the front of the room, a girl at her side. “I can’t believe he would be so stupid as to pair us together!”

  Reider slung his jacket on, wondering if she realized he stood so close. When she finally did turn his way, his body paused and his mouth slackened. He’d seen Johanna before, numerous times at functions, but had never really paid much attention to her. The last one had been nearly six months ago, but he’d be damned if he didn’t notice how different she looked, glaring openly at him.

  Her curly hair hung long over her shoulders, framing a soft face with smooth skin. He felt a sudden, ridiculous urge to reach out and run his fingers down it. She gripped one hand tightly around the strap of her tote, and the other held a pen in her fist, the cap looking like it’d been through hell and back. But it was her damn eyes that drew him in and froze his body in place. They were filled with anger, but beneath that was a simmering fire burning a hole right through him.

  “Can I help you with something or do you want to keep staring?” she snapped when she reached the ground level beside him.

  He forgot how tall she was, not matching his six-foot-three frame but tall enough she didn’t have to tilt her head back too far. He leered at her. “No, nothing at all. Just wondering how I got stuck in this class with you.”

  “Likewise,” she seethed. “A problem I’m going to soon remedy.”

  “Right behind you,” he said and followed her up to Ashford’s desk.

  The other four students left, and the bald professor stared at Reider and Johanna over his glasses. “Ah, and what can I do for you today?”

  “I’m not working with him,” Johanna stated before Reider could even open his mouth. The vehemence in her words made his jaw drop, and he shifted on his feet. “I refuse to do it.”

  Ashford nodded once, glancing from her to Reider and back again. He removed his glasses with a sigh and tucked them into his suit jacket pocket. “And Reider? You feel the same?”

  Reider gritted his teeth as Johanna shot him another burning glare. He was willing to admit he didn’t want to work with her, but he was at least trying to be civil in his refusal to do so. He shoved one hand deep in his pocket and glared just as hotly back at Johanna. “Yes, I do.”

  “Then I guess you both leave me with no other choice,” Ashford said and let out a heavy breath. “You either work together, or I fail you both—right now.”

  2

  Johanna’s hand tightened painfully around the pen. “What did you say?”

  Ashford crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. “I said, work together or fail. Those are your two options, Ms. Chadwick. I think I made myself clear.”

  She sputtered for words, not used to anyone being ignored, and glowered at Reider. “I can’t work with him! It’s impossible. You do realize who we are, right? There is no way in hell we can even remotely make this successful for sixteen weeks! He’ll purposely screw it up so I fail.”

  “That’s stupid,” Reider snapped. “Who says you won’t do the exact same to me? You are a Chadwick. Everyone knows your whole family are liars and con-men.”

  “They are not! Those accusations were never proven, and you know it!”

  “Says your family,” Reider replied tightly.

  Johanna cursed and shook her head, sending her curls flying. “I won’t do it. I won’t work with him. Please, Professor Ashford, you’ve been here long enough to know we can’t possibly do this.”

  “I don’t understand why not,” he said, and his smile widened. “There is absolutely no reason the two of you cannot partner for the semester. I actually think it will do you some good, give you an edge over the other students.”

  “An edge?” Reider repeated. “Yeah, it’ll take me to the edge of insanity and throw me over a cliff! Or she’ll steal my work,” he added in an undertone.

  Her blood boiling, Johanna lifted her hand with the pen to point at him, but the second his eyes shifted to the chewed-on cap and the anger slipped away to reveal curiosity, she dropped it and shoved it in her tote. She didn’t want to admit having him so close to her was more thrilling than she believed possible with a Marquette. He’d bulked up over the summer, and his piercing green eyes would’ve had her fawning if he was any other man. But he wasn’t any other man. He was a Marquette, the sworn enemy of her family.

  “We did not steal anything,” she finally managed to scoff. “Your family simply did not know how to hold onto their land.”

  “Maybe your family should’ve used legal and ethical business practices,” he shot back, straightening to his full height. To anyone else, it might’ve been intimidating, but Johanna was tall and she didn’t step back an inch. “Everyone knows it was your family that started the feud, amongst other things.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped and poked him hard in the chest.

  “Alright, that’s enough,” Ashford said and, gripping both of their arms, gave them a gentle shove away from each other. “Do you hear yourselves? You’re not behaving like adults.”

  Johanna sniffed hard and crossed her arms over her chest, biting back the urge to say he started it.

  “Now then, I have assigned you as partners for the entire semester,” Ashford continued. “And unlike everyone else in this town, I will not baby you simply because of your last names. Either accept the inevitable and find a way to cooperate or drop the class. I have a feeling your parents would not be happy with the latter,” he added.

  Johanna knew this class was not offered in the spring so if she did drop it, she’d have to wait until the fall to take it, meaning she’d be there longer than she was supposed to be. That would not go over well at all.

  “I suggest you both look at this as an opportunity to learn something from one another—and yes, Mr. Marquette, I’m being serious, so I advise you not to scoff at me again. I am your professor and the almighty controller of your grade,” Ashford said, picking up his leather bag. “Act like the adults I know you can be and figure it out. I expect to see you both in class, sitting together, on Wednesday. Good day.”

  Professor Ashford hurried out of the lecture hall, leaving Johanna to glare at Reider. “You could drop, you know,” she suggested. “Take the class next fall.”

  “So could you,” he retorted. “Go on, you know you want to. This is only going to make you miserable.”

  She stared him down and frowned as her gaze drifted to his sharp cheekbones and stoic chin and the way his black hair revealed the intense green of his eyes. Shaking her head and cursing, she tugged on her tote strap.

  “This is ridiculous. He’s right,” she stated. “We are adults, and if we have to work together, then so be it.”

  His face went blank, and he rubbed his hand over his jaw, scratching at his beard stubble. “You’re agreeing to this? An entire semester of working with me? Why?” he asked suspiciously.

  “I need this class to graduate, and I’m assuming you do, too.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So, he’s not going to give, and it’s not offered again until the fall,” she said, biting her lip. “We don’t have a choice, and honestly, we can’t let our feud keep us from surviving one damn class together. We’re seniors. Now is not the time to screw things up.”

  He paced away from her, his boots stomping heavily across the floor. He muttered under his breath and hung his head. “Fine,” he said, turning back around. “Fine, we do this, and we work through it the best we can.”

  “Agreed. But,” she said, holding up a finger as thoughts of her family finding out hit her hard, “we can’t let our families
know. The drama this little project would cause is not worth it. Agreed?”

  She held out her hand without thinking, and Reider didn’t hesitate to shake it. His skin was warm against hers and his palm rough, nothing like what she expected. She knew he worked on the ranches, but it had to be more than she thought for his hands to be so calloused. She waited for him to let go first, but he didn’t, and a strange look passed over his face until he cleared his throat roughly and stepped back.

  “Agreed,” he added quickly. “See you Wednesday. We can discuss our plans then. I’m late.”

  “Right, me… too,” she said lamely as he ducked out the door and let it slam shut behind him. Johanna sagged against the desk, staring at her hand. She felt his in hers still and wondered at the sensation twisting in her gut. “It’s nothing, absolutely nothing,” she told herself and walked out the door. If she kept her brothers waiting too long, they’d come looking for her, and unlike their little sister, they despised the rain. She didn’t want to hear them bitching the whole ride home.

  James Ashford whistled as he wandered down the hall to the faculty offices, not surprised to see the headmaster sitting in his chair, waiting for him. “Ah, good evening, Greg.”

  “Don’t good evening me,” the old man stammered, his white hair combed back from his face and his beady eyes narrowed behind thick glasses. “It’s all over campus what you did. Are you insane? Do you have any idea what those two families could do to us?”

  “Not you, too? Come on, you’re too old to give a shit what their families think,” James scolded as he set his leather bag on the desk. “I didn’t do anything except partner two students together, completely at random.”

  Greg’s penetrating stare over his glasses said he wasn’t buying it. “Undo it. Now.”

  “No,” James said definitively. “I’m not going to let them dictate my classroom, for God’s sake. They’re adults, they’re in college, and sooner or later, they will have to know what it’s like to work with someone they despise.”