He chuckled. “Been there as well.”
They both smiled.
The sound of raspy coughs made them both look toward the hallway that led to Annalise’s room.
“I’ll go check on her.” Daniel stood and made his way out of the room.
Franchesca leaned back and ran her hands through her hair. Muffled voices echoed down the hall. Daniel came back into the room.
“She’s burning up. Where’s the thermometer?”
Franchesca jumped up from the couch. “I’ll get it. I moved it to the kitchen where I took her temp earlier.”
He nodded and headed back to his granddaughter’s bedroom.
Franchesca found the thermometer on the kitchen table then went to the bathroom for a new cover for it. It was one of those high-tech ones that only needed to be placed in Annalise’s ear for a reading. She thanked whoever invented it that the old-school mercury filled glass ones were a thing of the past.
Annalise’s little body was curled against her grandfather who sat beside her. She was so lethargic. Always bubbly and energetic, the sweet child now lay limply, her cheeks rosy against her fair skin. Her blond locks looked like a river of gold against her hot pink pillow case. Mr. Bearkins was held tightly in her arms. Franchesca wrapped her arms around her middle, frightened at the sight of Annalise so ill.
Annalise coughed, her chest heaving with the effort.
The rough sound sent a chill through Franchesca. “She’s worse.”
Daniel nodded his agreement.
Franchesca sat on the other side of Annalise and put the thermometer in the child’s ear. She blinked, but made no other movement.
The Olaf clock ticking on the wall was the only sound, as they waited for the temperature reading. The soft beep let Franchesca know she could take it out of Annalise’s ear.
Her heart rate accelerated as she looked down at the number.
“It’s almost 103 degrees,” she whispered to Daniel over Annalise’s head.
“I’ll call the doctor.”
As he stood, he took Annalise’s limp form and gently moved her to Franchesca’s open arms. The child whimpered and eagerly accepted Franchesca’s embrace. Her skin was hot to the touch as Franchesca ran her hand over Annalise’s forehead and hair.
She placed a kiss on top of her head, the coconut scent from the child’s shampoo lingering in her nose. Her heart raced in her chest.
At that moment, she’d give everything she had to take away Annalise’s pain and carry it herself. She’d do the same for Mike. Her mind accepted what her heart had known all along.
She was head over heels, madly in love with Mike St. Claire and his little girl.
Chapter Eighteen
Franchesca sat in a rocking chair in the corner of Annalise’s room watching her sleep. As she rocked, Franchesca found the rhythmic sound soothing, Olaf fast becoming her good friend as he ticked away the minutes. Daniel had spoken to the doctor the night before, explaining her high fever and raspy cough. Franchesca was shocked that they hadn’t wanted her brought in to see someone, but the doctor had recommended over-the-counter medications and monitoring.
She’d stayed with Annalise all night, lying beside her in the bed, then moving to the rocking chair at around six o’clock in the morning unable to sleep. The sun was beginning to peek through Annalise’s window, casting orange hues along the floor through the slats of the blinds.
Race day.
In a mere few hours, Mike would step into a car and drive at ungodly speeds, a fact that wrenched at Franchesca’s heart every time he did it. She closed her eyes tight for a moment then opened them again, her head resting against the back of the chair as she rocked forward and back. Yesterday she was sure an audition in New York was what she wanted, something she wanted to prove to herself. But now?
She looked at the small form in the bed near her, the tiny child curled up under a comforter with the princesses from Frozen on it. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Watching Annalise struggle through the night, holding her while she coughed, comforting her when she whimpered. She hadn’t dreamed her feelings for Mike and Annalise could grow deeper, but they had. And that didn’t scare her. Not anymore.
What did scare her was to see Annalise so sick. Not being a mother, Franchesca had struggled to trust the doctor, but she’d followed Daniel’s lead. They’d given Annalise the medications, and Franchesca watched over her. Daniel had offered to stay, but Franchesca knew she would only sit up all night and worry anyway. She wanted to be as close as possible in case the child needed anything.
Annalise stirred. Franchesca moved to the bed, sitting next to the sweet girl, stroking her hair. She didn’t wake, just rolled to her other side. Franchesca took the chance to take her temperature again.
The door to Annalise’s room creaked. Wes and Noelle poked their heads in. Franchesca looked up and motioned them into the room.
“How’s she doing?” Noelle whispered.
Franchesca shook her head and shrugged.
“Let’s talk outside.” Wes led Noelle from the room. Franchesca read the thermometer, set it on the nightstand, and followed.
Once in the hallway, Franchesca left the door open just a crack and turned to her friends.
“She had a rough night.”
“I hadn’t heard from Dad this morning so we headed over.”
Daniel joined them. He and Wes were always well dressed, but based on the bags under their eyes and their rumpled appearance—rumpled for them anyway—it looked as if none of them had had much sleep. Franchesca guessed she probably looked as if she’d wrestled a bear all night.
“I just took her temp. It’s still over 101, but down from last night. I’m guessing that’s a good sign.”
“It is.” Daniel nodded, his furrowed brow relaxed.
“That’s still pretty high though.” Noelle wrapped her arms around her middle. Wes stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders.
Seeing the two of them together made Franchesca miss Mike. A wave of loneliness unlike anything she’d ever had swept through her. She looked at Annalise’s door then back to them again.
“I’m gonna go call Mike.”
“No.”
Daniel’s reply stopped her short. “What? Why not?”
“He’s racing today. He needs to keep his mind on that.”
“But...” She pointed her thumb over her shoulder toward Annalise’s room.
“I agree.” Wes looked at his dad and then Franchesca. “Annalise is going to be fine. We can handle this. He needs to keep his mind clear. He can’t be worried about what’s happening here.”
“Are you sure about that?” Noelle looked up at her husband.
“Yes,” Wes and Daniel answered in unison.
Franchesca wanted to disagree, but in the end, it wasn’t her call. Annalise was their granddaughter and niece. As much as she loved the little girl, and Mike, the decision wasn’t hers to make.
She nodded. “Okay. But I don’t want to leave her.”
“You’ve been with her all night. You couldn’t have gotten much sleep.” Noelle rubbed Franchesca’s arm. “Why don’t you let us take a shift with her?”
“No, thanks. I don’t think I’d sleep anyway.”
“Will you take a break to watch the race?”
Franchesca shook her head. “I’m fine. You guys watch.”
“We’ll watch here in Mike’s suite so we’re close if you need anything,” Daniel said.
She nodded in agreement.
“But we don’t want Annalise to know Mike’s racing again,” Noelle offered.
“We’ll keep the volume low and change the channel if she comes in.” Wes wrapped his arms around his wife.
“Believe me, she won’t be getting out of bed. And if she does, I’ll help her. She won’t see anything.”
Noelle rubbed Franchesca’s arm again. “Try to get rest if you can. And seriously, we are right here. Just call. One of us is happy to sit with her.”
“T
hanks. I’m good.”
The three of them turned and went into the main room. As she went back into Annalise’s room and placed a hand on the child’s forehead, she heard them moving around, putting the television on, getting settled in. Annalise slept deeply, her tiny chest moving up and down with each breath.
Franchesca took her place once more in the rocking chair. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this tired. Before she could stop it, a tear ran down her cheek. Not only had Mike and Annalise moved into her heart, but the whole family had as well. Sure, she wasn’t a St. Claire, but she loved them. And she knew in that moment, no matter what the future might bring, she would always love them.
That day and night was filled with a pattern of Annalise waking, giving her water, a few sips of broth, medicine, getting her to go to the bathroom, then back to bed. Those things alone exhausted her, but Franchesca could see she was getting better. Slower than Franchesca would like, but better. In the middle of the night, she’d taken her temperature again and almost wept when she realized her fever had broken.
Exhausted and overwhelmed with relief, Franchesca fell asleep in the rocking chair around four in the morning, smiling that the worst was over.
“Daddy!”
The voice was Annalise’s but it sounded far off.
“Hey, sweet girl.”
Mike.
Franchesca’s eyes popped open and she lifted her head. A zing of pain shot down her neck—the result of spending almost forty-eight hours in a rocking chair.
Mike sat on Annalise’s bed, his daughter wrapped in his arms.
Relief rolled over her body in a wave, not only because he was home safe, but because he was near her again. More than ever, she recognized she needed him in her life as much as she wanted him there as well.
“How are you feeling, sweets?” Mike rubbed the hair back from his daughter’s forehead then placed a kiss on her cheek.
“Much better. I had the coughs. And my head hurt something fierce.”
Franchesca smiled. The child was forever saying things that baffled them. Where she heard such phrases, none of them could figure out.
“I’m so glad you’re home, Daddy.” Annalise threw her arms around Mike’s neck and squeezed.
“Me too, little one.”
“Can I have some more Jell-O?”
“Sure. If you’re feeling up to it.”
“I am.” She scrambled off the bed with more energy than she’d had in days and padded toward the door. Glenna was there and took Annalise’s hand. “I’ll take her to the kitchen.”
Mike nodded then turned to Franchesca.
“Hey you.” She smiled.
He didn’t smile in return. Her stomach dropped at the look in his eyes. It wasn’t the warm chocolate on a cold winter day kind of welcome she previously received when he came home from a trip. No. This was something she hadn’t seen from him before. His jaw tight, his eyes cold.
“What’s wrong?”
He stood from the bed and glared at her. She stood as well, for whatever reason, feeling the need to face him head on.
“What’s wrong?” Anger blazed in his eyes. “My daughter was so sick she almost went to the hospital and you didn’t once think to call me or let me know?”
“Actually, I did.” She folded her arms across her chest, tired a few minutes ago, but now ready to spit nails. “And who said anything about a hospital?”
“Dad told me when I called that her fever almost hit 103!”
“That’s true.”
“Well, if you had a child of your own, you’d know that when that happens, you head to the hospital. Annalise is my daughter, not yours.”
Franchesca stepped back as if he’d slapped her. “You know what? I’m exhausted. I’m sure you are, too. I’m gonna go.” She grabbed her purse that was on the floor by the door. “We can talk about this later when we’re both more clear headed.”
“No.”
His answer stopped her cold. “What?”
“No. I don’t want you to watch Annalise anymore.”
She spun and stared at him. Who was this person? And what the hell was his deal?
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Very. You’re relieved of your duties as her nanny.”
“I’m relieved of my duties? What the hell? I’m not your servant.”
“No. You were my employee. But not anymore.”
Fury raged through her system. Of all the nerve. The cold-hearted ass that stood before her was not the man she knew, not the man she’d fallen in love with. She didn’t know what had brought this on, but she sure as hell didn’t like it.
She wanted to chalk it up to fatigue, to being hit by the news that his daughter had been sick while he was gone. Was that it? She searched his eyes for answers, finding none.
“I don’t think this is going to work, Franchesca.” His tone had cooled, but he meant what he said.
“Somehow I sense you’re talking about more than my job as your nanny.”
“You’re not my...” He ran a hand through his hair. For a moment, he was her Mike again, but the moment was fleeting. “It’s just not going to work.”
This time she read his expression clearly. He wanted her gone. Out of Annalise’s life and his.
Anger ripped at her heart, tearing it apart. She left the room without another word. In her rush to leave, she almost ran into Daniel in the hallway. Whether his father had heard their exchange or not, she didn’t care. She fled the house without a backward glance, tears blurring her vision as she drove herself home, crawled into bed, and wept until she slept.
“What was that all about?”
Mike sat in the rocking chair, still warm from Franchesca. Elbows resting on his knees, his head hung down.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Dad.”
“Tough.”
Mike’s head snapped up. His father was a man not to be trifled with, but rarely in Mike’s adult years had his dad used that tone with him.
“How much did you hear?”
“All of it.” His father entered the room and stood at the foot of Annalise’s bed.
Great. Perfect. Just what he needed.
Mike ran a hand down his face. His race had gone well and once done, all he’d wanted was to get home to Franchesca and Annalise. But his heart had pumped like mad in his chest when his father had told him how sick Annalise had been. Guilt tore at his gut for not being there with her. And anger toward Franchesca for not letting him know what was happening.
“It wasn’t her call.” His father had read his mind. “She wanted to let you know. Wes and I thought it better for you to focus on your race. We had things handled.”
Mike scoffed. “You and Wes. I can always count on you two to do what’s best for me.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You got her the audition in New York. And Wes told me he’s flying her there in the family plane.”
“Is that what this is about?”
“Why can’t you two just tell me straight out you think she’s not right for me?”
His father laughed. He laughed! Mike could count on one hand the amount of times he’d heard his father do so in his lifetime. Most of them because of something their mother had said. But then it had been a happy sound. This laugh mocked.
“I thought for sure I hadn’t raised fools. But you are foolish, Michael. I shouldn’t have to say it but I will. That woman is the best thing that’s happened to you since Anna. My offering the audition was not to get her out of your life. It was to help her reach her dreams. Something she’s spent the past few months helping you do, but your head’s too far up your backside to see it.” His father toyed with the ruffles on a throw pillow that sat on Annalise’s bed. His voice softened to almost a whisper. “A woman like Franchesca is not to be contained, but rather given wings.”
Mike sensed his father not only talked of Franchesca in that moment, but his mother as well. Never one to complain of her
life, Mike wondered if there was something his father regretted. Had his mother wanted wings, but they’d been clipped?
“She loves that child as her own,” his father continued. “She didn’t leave Annalise’s side once she got sick. Not once. We all volunteered to take shifts, but she refused.” He pointed to the chair Mike sat in. “She spent the entire time in that chair, getting almost no sleep.”
Mike shook his head and let it hang once more.
“Her going to this audition is about her, not you.” With that, he turned and left Mike alone.
Chapter Nineteen
Franchesca looked around her bedroom. Her suitcase lay open on the bed, packed. She’d only be gone a few days, not even a week, so there wasn’t any reason to bring much. Even though she’d made a list, she never failed to get a sense that she was forgetting something.
The heaviness in the pit of her stomach that she’d battled since leaving the St. Claire home settled in. She sat on the edge of her bed, the mattress creaking as she did so. Her eyes wandered to the tire swing out her window. No amount of swinging there had brought her any comfort or peace of mind.
After Mike had booted her out of his life, she hadn’t spoken to any of the St. Claires. Daniel called to tell her she was still using the family plane to get to New York, something she was grateful for, but struggled with. She didn’t want anything from any of them. And yet, here she was, packing for a trip planned and coordinated by the St. Claires themselves. Noelle had texted, checking in on her, but Franchesca didn’t feel like talking. Not yet, anyway.
She still wanted to go. Now more than ever. She couldn’t believe she’d actually entertained the thought of not going the night Annalise was so ill. She was ready to put aside all she wanted thinking Mike and his family were her life.
How could she have been so stupid to think of a happily ever after would be in the cards for her? What a fool she’d been. She should have seen it coming that first day when Mike had “rescued” her from the side of the road. Life would be his way or the highway, right? Sure, he’d acted supportive about her going to New York that day in Bozeman when she told him, but her gut had told her he was only saying what he thought he should, and for once, she hadn’t listened to her gut. Which ended with her sitting on her bed, staring out the window, fighting back tears and wondering how the hell it could have all gone so wrong.
Winning his Heart Page 14