by Annie Seaton
“Okay, Madeleine, can you climb out and help Uncle Blake get the boys out?”
Madeleine smiled sweetly at Ana and opened the door. The dog chose that moment to take a flying leap over two rows of seats and make a break for it.
“Get the dog!” Ana yelled at Blake, grabbing helplessly at the dog’s collar as it pushed past her. Blake jerked out of his stupor and tackled the dog before it could take off down the hill.
Ana opened the back door and undid the baby’s seat belt before lifting her out. She wrinkled her nose at the aroma of a dirty diaper.
One of the boys giggled. “That’s why he’s crying. He hates sitting in poop.”
“He?” Ana asked. “I thought he was a girl.”
The two boys, who Ana now realized were identical twins, giggled in unison. “Maddy dressed him. She wants a little sister and all she got were us brothers.” Obviously they both thought this was a subject of great mirth. Maddy glared at them as she stood quietly next to the car, clutching a book in her hand.
“Come on, guys. Let’s go inside.” Blake attempted to brush the dirt and wet grass off his trousers with one hand while he clutched the dog’s collar with the other.
“Ah, he speaks,” Ana said, trying to lighten the mood. She looked up at Blake and tried to give him a reassuring smile. Settling the baby on her hip, she took the hand of one of the boys. “I’ll help you get everyone to the house, Uncle Blake, and then you can introduce me to these lovely children.”
Blake mouthed a silent thank-you to her before turning to the gate, the dog’s collar in one hand and the small hand of one twin in the other. Ana followed him, stepping carefully in her stocking feet. The last thing she wanted was to slip on the wet path and do a face-plant into the hedge, baby and all. She and the kids traipsed up the narrow stairs and crowded onto the porch.
“I think it would be better if you take them in and get them settled. They don’t know me, so I’ll unpack the car.” She passed him a diaper. “This was on the seat. You change the baby while I get the food. That’ll be the first thing they need, I guess?”
“Thanks. I’ve never changed a diaper in my life.”
Ana grinned at him as she held her hand out for the car keys. “Time to learn. Don’t worry, I’ll help you out.” She ran lightly down the stairs to the driveway. The afternoon sun had dried the steps and path, and she took a deep breath, appreciating the salt-tanged breeze drifting up from the bay. A mix of emotions ran through her. When he’d stood by the car looking overwhelmed, she’d crossed her arms to push away the compulsion to wrap them around him and tell him everything would be all right. She was here to talk business, not to let any feelings for Blake rekindle.
She’d help him out and he’d be indebted to her, and less inclined to close down the business of an old friend who’d given him a helping hand when he’d been in a fix. She knew she could keep the kids entertained. Not to mention fed and clean, which Blake obviously didn’t have a clue about.
So she’d help him get them sorted and then they could talk about why she was here.
Ana opened the back of the SUV and surveyed the crates piled in front of her.
Where to start?
She reached forward to a crate jammed with groceries and jumped when the blanket to her right shifted and the music from Angry Birds blared out.
“Hello.” A pair of large brown eyes peered out from beneath the blanket.
Ana placed her hand on her chest. That explained the empty booster seat in the third row of the SUV. He must have unbuckled himself during all the commotion.
“Oh my goodness, another one. Who are you?”
“I’m Billy. B-I-L-L-Y. I can spell my name and I’m only four and this is Fred and Wilma.”
My God, how many children are in this family?
He lifted the blanket and Ana exhaled a sigh of relief at the sight of two tiny kittens curled up together in a box.
“Okay, Billy, let’s get you inside.”
“No. I’m going to wait here for Mommy. She’s going to get my Daddy.”
Ana’s eyes pricked again and she thought for a moment, for anything she could use to entice Billy out of the car. “I think the kitties would like a drink. Can you come and help me?”
“No.”
“How about we go in for something to eat in Uncle Blake’s house?”
“No.”
She reached out and tried to take the little boy’s hand, but he whimpered and backed into the corner and pulled the blanket over his head, drumming his heels on the floor of the car. Ana climbed into the back of the wagon and hitched her skirt down, while racking her brain for any ideas to persuade him to get out of the car. She settled in next to Billy before gently lifting the blanket and peeking beneath it. He ignored her, playing his game intently with his little fingers flying over the touch screen.
“Oh no!” Ana exclaimed. “Your iPad’s running out of battery. Do you think we’d better go inside and plug it in?”
“Oh yes…only nineteen left,” he said. Billy clasped the iPad to his chest and slid out of the car past her, pushing the gate open just as Blake ran through the door with a worried look on his face.
“Oh, thank goodness, I just remembered Billy.”
Ana swallowed a smile as she climbed out of the car and held up the cat box. “I found him—and Fred and Wilma.”
“Wait, Billy.” Blake reached for the small boy’s hand as Billy headed for the gate. “Anastasia?” He stared at her and his brow wrinkled. “Do you mind helping out?”
Billy tried to pull away from his uncle. “I want to plug in.”
“In a minute.” Blake held the small boy firmly against him and looked at Ana as she clutched the cat box to her chest. “Why did you come to visit me?”
She thought quickly. He could say no to her whole proposal before she had time to use this situation to her advantage. Maybe he would take her more seriously after she’d helped him out.
“I had an appointment with you, but look, now’s not the time to talk. Let’s get these children sorted and fed, and then we’ll sit down and I’ll fill you in. Okay?”
She turned away and busied herself dragging more boxes out of the back of the car.
“My appointment?” He frowned as she passed him a couple of plastic bags.
“You take Billy inside and get the iPad plugged in and I’ll see what food your sister has packed.” Ana plastered a smile on her face. “Don’t worry. We’ll catch up over a cup of coffee before I leave.”
Relief filled Ana as Blake took Billy and a few of the larger bags inside and she went back to the car. She rolled her shoulders, letting go of the tension filling her, and tried to relax. It took her a few minutes to carry an assortment of soft bags, plastic crates, a portable crib, and toys and put them on the front porch. It amazed her that Jeannie had been able to remember to pack all that after getting the phone call about her missing husband. All was quiet inside and she assumed that Blake was changing the dirty diaper. Ana slid the bags and crates into the double parlor off the formal entry and looked around at the room with admiration.
The worn carpet and mismatched furniture of her college days were gone. As were the smell of sweaty shoes and the hockey sticks and basketballs that had once littered the floor. The clinical smell of housecleaning products now pervaded the room. The perpetual chaos of their college house had driven Blake crazy and he’d spent much of his time picking up after everybody. The house was very different from the cottage-type interiors Ana preferred, but the minimalist decorating suited Blake. The pristine white leather lounges and the gleaming hardwood floors complemented each other. The soft afternoon light streaming in through the sheer curtains reflected off the burnished mantelpiece of the wood-burning fireplace.
The change in the house helped her block out the memory of the past. As she walked past Blake’s old bedroom, she glanced in the door and let her breath out. It had been turned into an office.
Blake came in from the back of th
e house, a harried look on his face. “I owe you big-time. Thanks so much for unpacking the car.” His gaze ran over the piles of bags and crates and she could have sworn he blanched.
What the hell was Blake going to do with five children, a dog, two cats—not to mention the goldfish she’d found in a large screw-top jar in one of the crates—in an elegant home like this? She grinned at him and fought the chuckle that was rising in her throat. “I suggest you find one room and keep them contained, otherwise these five little whirlwinds and their assorted pets are going to put their stamp on your house very quickly.”
“I’ll cope with them the best I can. Jeannie needs me.”
Ana hesitated as guilt rose to her throat.
Is it the right thing to do, to turn this situation to my advantage?
She turned away from him and closed her eyes and focused on an image of Sienna and Georgie working on one of the old houses.
Yes, it is. It’s for the community, too. Not just me.
It wasn’t only to make Blake indebted to her; she would help him out for the sake of old times, and their friendship.
“You’ll be fine.” Ana opened her eyes and turned back to him. “You used to be able to cope back in our college days. Remember those crazy house parties? You used to spend the whole day afterward tidying up while we all slept in. Now, I’ll just go out and lock Jeannie’s car.”
Blake reached out and grabbed her arm. “Wait. You’re not leaving?”
Mr. Hotshot CEO had disappeared. She had a feeling he was about to transform into Mr. Mom.
“No, I’m not leaving.” Ana ignored the flutters in her belly as the warmth from his touch lingered on her skin.
…
Relief coursed through Blake as Anastasia headed out to lock the car. He would have someone to help out, as well as have time to talk to her. If he’d heard her correctly in all the confusion, she’d said she was his appointment. His hopeless secretary must have messed up his schedule even more than he’d realized—she hadn’t mentioned a second appointment. He had no idea what Anastasia wanted and there was no way she was going anywhere until they had a talk and he found out why she’d turned up on his doorstep, all dressed up and sophisticated. Maybe she wanted a job in the new office.
Two small arms grabbed his legs.
“Unca Blake, it’s bath time.” He looked down at the earnest little face of his nephew and groaned. Billy’s mouth and cheeks were smeared with peanut butter. Taking a small hand in his, he led his nephew into the family room and kept a hold on him while he scooped baby Jake up from the floor. He didn’t want peanut butter all over the house.
“Come on you guys, Billy says it’s bath time.” He headed upstairs, shaking his head as the small entourage of children followed him.
He felt like the Pied Piper.
I can deal with this. As long as Rod is okay.
But a frisson of anticipation curled in his stomach as he held the baby in one arm and filled the bath. He waited for Anastasia to come back into the house. Heat filled him and he closed his eyes, remembering how her blond hair had been spread over his pillow that morning. He’d watched her sleep before he’d had to leave for his class. It was as clear in his mind as though it had been only yesterday. There was unfinished business between them, and he intended to sort it out.
“Why are you smiling, Uncle Blake?” Maddy looked up at him from a sea of bubbles as Blake gingerly placed the baby in the large tub with the other children.
“Just happy to be home and have you all visiting,” he said.
And very happy that Anastasia’s turned up on my doorstep…for whatever reason.
Chapter Three
Ana spent a few minutes on the porch to gather her thoughts after she locked the car. How she handled the next couple of hours could make or break the future of their business.
She looked in the kitchen after she came inside but there was no sign of anyone. The sound of children giggling drew her upstairs. A trail of clothes led to a large bathroom and she peeked around the open door. Blake had discarded his tie and stood next to the bath with his sleeves rolled up, and water dripped from his hair onto his white business shirt. The black-and-white tiled floor was awash with soapsuds and Blake ducked as a stream shot out at him from a water pistol that appeared from beneath a huge mound of bubbles in the center of the bath.
He noticed her peering around the door and grinned. Her mouth dried at the sight of his unbuttoned shirt, dark hair peeking through the vee, and his chest clearly outlined by the wet silk.
She cleared her throat. “What’s going on here?”
A chorus of voices from the bathtub greeted her as four little heads popped up through the deep bubbles. Ana looked around the room curiously as she walked across the floor.
“Where’s the baby?”
“The poor little guy was exhausted and he fell asleep on me when I lifted him out of the bath. He’s wrapped in a dry towel and on the floor in my room. I didn’t want to wake him.”
Blake smiled at her, looking quite pleased with himself.
“I’ll get the others out of the bath while you go down and get the portable crib. He should probably be dressed and not left asleep on the floor.” She shot him a teasing smile and he grinned at her.
“I’m getting the hang of this kid business.”
Ana reached over to slide a towel from the warming rack beside the bath. She slipped on the soapy floor and bumped into Blake’s hard chest. He grabbed her arms to steady her and her cheek brushed the wet silk of his shirt.
“Thank you.” She straightened and pulled away before she stared too much at the wet shirt in front of her nose. “But why are you bathing the rest of the children?”
She fought another chuckle as he looked at her with confusion.
“They asked for a bath,” Blake said.
“We love Uncle Blake’s big deep tub,” Maddy said. “Mommy let us swim last time we stayed here before Uncle Blake came home.”
“Guess I got conned,” he said softly as his gaze locked with hers.
The heat rose in her cheeks and she turned away and picked up a towel. “I’ll get some of the bubbles off this crew. When you go down for the crib, dig out some clothes for them. I left the crates in the parlor.”
Blake laughed. “Parlor? I haven’t heard it called that since my grandmother was alive.”
Ana was indignant. “It would be a crime to call a beautiful room like that anything else. Now go and get those clothes and we’ll get these children dressed and fed, including the poor baby.”
She helped the children out of the bath one by one into the waiting towels. A pang of sadness pierced her chest as she looked down at the four shiny, clean faces looking up at her expectantly. Her biological clock was past ticking, it was ringing an alarm, but she hadn’t met anyone she wanted to have a family with. For a brief moment, she indulged herself and imagined what it would be like if these children belonged to her and Blake and they all lived in this beautiful home.
Don’t go there.
She kneeled beside the children and pointed first to Madeleine.
“Now I know Maddy…is it okay if I call you that?” A shy nod came in reply. “And I know this is Billy. I need to know three more names and we’re done.” She rocked back on her feet with a smile and waited for the answer, but she was met with dead silence.
Tipping her head to the side, she pointed to the first twin and then turned her palms upward. “Do I have to guess?”
“Yep…but you never will,” said the twin on the left.
“Come on then, we’ll go down and get you dressed, and if I haven’t guessed by the time dinner is ready, you’ll have to tell me.” She looked seriously at the twins and held out one hand to each of them. “Deal?”
Two little hands shook hers vigorously.
Twenty minutes later, with Blake’s assistance and after much giggling and sharing of clothes, the four children were dressed in their pajamas and settled in the living room. An
a was still going through the alphabet unsuccessfully guessing names and was up to Thaddeus, much to the mirth of the twin boys.
“Are you Uncle Blake’s girlfriend?” The twin standing closest to her looked from her to Blake. “Mommy says it’s time he was married.”
“And we want cousins,” the other twin piped up.
“Mommy needs to keep her opinions to herself.” Blake lifted Billy into his arms and smiled at Ana as he pointed at the twins. “Should I tell you the names of this pair?”
“Yes, please, I’m all out of guesses,” she said with a smile.
“Benjamin and Broderick, but they answer to Benny and Roddy.” His face broke into a huge smile and Ana’s heart skipped a beat as he held her gaze. “I never know which is which, or rather who is who, so you’ll have to work that out for yourself. The baby is Jake, and you already know Billy’s and Maddy’s names.”
Ana looked over at the small girl who was sitting in the large, upholstered chair in the parlor, legs tucked under her and reading her book. Reaching out to Blake, Ana gripped his arm and inclined her head toward Maddy. Blake casually strolled over and sat on the edge of the chair next to his niece as tears welled in the little girl’s eyes.
“What will happen to Daddy if his…if his plane fell out of the sky?” She gave a little hiccup and looked up earnestly.
Ana’s throat tightened with guilt. Her business problems seemed minor compared to the chance that these children might have lost their father. She looked across at Blake waiting for him to answer.
“We don’t know if Daddy’s plane even went up in the sky. Mommy sent a message before saying they think it is broken down at the camp and they are going through the forest to rescue them.” Her chest filled with warmth as he hugged the little girl.
“Like Dora and Diego,” Billy said.
The three little boys looked at him and only the noise of the game blaring from Billy’s iPad broke the silence until Blake nodded and replied, “That’s right, Billy. Like Dora and Diego.”
He’d make a great father.
At that moment, Blake looked up and smiled at her. Ana’s heart sank. He still had that killer grin that used to curl her toes, and it was like those ten years had never happened. She looked away. No way was she going to complicate matters by falling for him all over again. There was a lot of water under the bridge since then, and she’d moved on. And it would complicate matters way too much. If all went according to plan, he would be her boss.