“I don’t have any plans to leave.”
Joshua sighed and rolled over onto his side. “Good. All the others did.”
As she backed out of the room, Annie’s heart constricted at the need and longing in his voice. The best thing Ian could do to help his family was to find a wife. The kids needed a mother. As much as she could see that as a solution for him, she couldn’t visualize him with a wife. The thought bothered her.
Chapter Five
The next morning, as Annie took the breakfast casserole out of the oven and placed it in the center of the table, Jade and Joshua came into the kitchen.
“It smells great. What is it?” Jade asked as she sat down.
“It’s a recipe along the idea of French toast minus the syrup.”
“Can I put syrup on it?” Joshua took his chair, staring at the dish.
“Try it first without. If you need syrup, then it’s fine with me.” When Joshua reached for the serving spoon, Annie added, “Wait until everyone shows up.”
“Jasmine probably won’t be down for a while. She’s having trouble with her hair. I told her we need to shave it off, then she won’t have any problem.” Jade poured milk into her glass and Joshua’s.
Joshua giggled. “That would be funny.”
“No, it wouldn’t be.” Annie headed back to the counter. “Jade, could you help me put the rest on the table?” When she handed the girl the pitcher of orange juice, she said, “Jasmine used to let Aunt Louise help her with her hair. Do you know why she doesn’t want help anymore?”
Jade nodded and took the drink. “The first nanny we had kept pulling her hair. When Jasmine screamed, she didn’t care.”
“Why didn’t Jasmine say anything to your dad?”
“We just started pranking her. She didn’t stay long.”
“If you have a problem, you should tell your dad. I may have something to deal with the tangles.” Annie followed Jade to the table and set down a tray of cut fruit.
When Ian came into the kitchen with Jeremy, Annie retrieved from a counter a spray bottle and brush she’d brought from her apartment and walked toward the door. “Start without me. I’m going to check on Jasmine.”
“Jasmine’s not ready. I told her we would be leaving in twenty minutes,” Ian said.
“I know.”
Annie found Jasmine in the bathroom, struggling again with her hair. “I got something for your hair. It was great for my sister. She had the same problem.”
When Annie put the bottle on the counter, Jasmine scrunched up her face as if she wasn’t sure about it.
“Try it and see. It works best when your hair is wet, but it still helps in dry hair to get the tangles out without a lot of pulling.”
Jasmine tried brushing the back. She winced and cautiously reached for the bottle.
“Do you want me to spray the back and make sure it’s all covered?”
The girl studied Annie in the mirror. “I guess, but I don’t want you touching my hair.”
“I won’t unless you ask me, but it might make it better if I lift the hair and spray underneath, too. Okay?”
Jasmine clutched the brush but nodded warily, keeping her stare on Annie in the mirror. “It didn’t used to be this bad.”
“The longer it gets, the more tangles.”
Jasmine’s eyes grew round. “I love my long hair. No one is going to cut it.”
With the patience she’d learned to cultivate as an aunt, Annie said, “I love your long hair, too.”
“You do? Jade told me I should shave it off.”
“She was kidding. Each person has to find what works for her. Shorter hair can be easier to manage, but as you see, my hair is long.” She captured Jasmine’s look in the mirror. “So here I go.”
She sprayed the liquid on Jasmine’s hair then took the detangling brush out of her pocket. “I got this, too, for you. Between the two you should be able to manage.”
Jasmine looked stunned. “When did you get this?”
“This morning at the twenty-four-hour drugstore.”
“For me?”
Annie smiled. “No sense pulling your hair out. If you need any help, I’ll be downstairs eating breakfast. We leave in fifteen minutes.”
The child stood still as Annie left. She hoped this helped Jasmine because she would have more important battles to fight with her.
When she reentered the kitchen, the kids and Ian were halfway through their breakfast. Ian saw her first. “How did it go?”
“We’ll see.” Annie sat, dished up part of the casserole then scanned the nearly empty plates at the table. “Do you want me to make this again sometime?”
All of them, even Jeremy, said yes.
“Great. It’s easy because I make most of it the night before.”
Jade finished first and hopped up.
“Jade, don’t forget to take your plate to the sink.” Annie ate a bite of the casserole.
“But I never—”
Ian scooted back his chair and picked up his dishes. “That’s a good idea. Isn’t it, kids?”
A few mumbles followed his question. Each one took his or her plate to the counter next to the sink and shuffled out of the room while Ian poured some more coffee.
“It was almost civil this morning except for a couple of outbursts from Jeremy.”
“Is he concerned about going to school?”
“Hopefully when I talk to his teacher, he’ll feel better.”
“I hope so.” Annie noticed Jasmine standing in the doorway, dressed, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. “You have a little time for something to eat.” She remembered the child complaining all the way to school the second time yesterday that she was starving. “Five minutes.”
Jasmine hurried to the table and looked at the casserole. “It’s cold.”
“There’s fruit if you don’t want to eat it cold. You should have been here on time, when the casserole was hot,” Ian said.
While his daughter stared at the slices of fruit, Ian went to the intercom and announced they were leaving in four minutes. Suddenly she stuck a fork into a slice of pineapple and scooped up some grapes, then began stuffing them into her mouth. She never sat but started toward the hallway.
“Jasmine, please take your plate to the sink.” Ian took a sip of his coffee.
“It’s practically clean. All I put on it were some grapes.”
“It will still need to be washed.”
Jasmine snatched it up and rushed to the counter, then into the hallway to get her backpack and jacket.
“I haven’t seen her move that fast in a long time. Did she let you do her hair?”
“No, but I gave her a couple of things to help with the tangles, and they obviously worked.”
“Why didn’t I think of that? Aunt Louise used to sit patiently and work her way through the tangles, but once, when she drove the kids to school, she got a ticket for speeding.”
Annie chuckled. “They’re girlie products—a detangler spray and brush. Most guys don’t have hair long enough to tangle like hers.”
“Jade’s hair never tangles as bad as Jasmine’s, but then Jasmine is a restless sleeper. I should take her to get it cut. Jade’s been talking about cutting hers.”
Typical of a man to think of the practical solution. “I wouldn’t advise you to do that. Jasmine loves her long hair. All she needs to do is learn to handle it.”
“That’s why it’s good to have a woman around. My solution would have been taking her in for a cut.”
“Kicking and screaming all the way.” Annie chuckled.
Ian finished his coffee and set the mug on the counter. “Why can’t she be more like Jade? Jade isn’t nearly as dramatic as Jasmine. My biggest concern for her is getting a sports injury.”
“I notice Jade’s going to softball practice this afternoon.” She pointed to the schedule she had put up on the kitchen wall. “You might take a look at that and make sure I’ve included all the activities.”
As the four children poured into the kitchen, Ian said, “I’ll take a look at it tonight and add anything of mine I need on it.”
“Everyone ready?” Annie led the siblings to the garage.
* * *
Except for Joshua, everyone was silent on the trip to Will Rogers Elementary School. Ian took his own car.
After parking, Annie felt Ian’s youngest clasp her hand and tug her toward the building. “I wanna show you my room.”
Annie glanced back at Ian and the other three walking behind her. What Joshua had said to her last night still touched her. And yet there would come a time when she would have to leave. She felt a heaviness in her chest.
After Annie met Joshua’s teacher and saw where he sat in his room, the next stop was Jade’s class then Jasmine’s across the hall.
Jasmine’s teacher smiled and said to her, “So glad you’re here early today, Jasmine. But you don’t have to come to the classroom until the last bell rings. I know some of your friends are in the hallway by the back door.”
Jasmine put her backpack at her desk and hurried out of the room, passing Ian, Annie and Jeremy in the corridor making their way to his class.
Suddenly the boy stopped, looked away and said, “Dad, I don’t want anyone to know about what happened. I’m taking the medicine. I won’t have another one.”
“Mrs. Haskell needs to know. We won’t know about the medication’s effectiveness until you’ve been on it awhile.”
Jeremy’s mouth dropped open. “You mean I could have a seizure at school?”
Ian nodded. “Not all your tests are back yet, and even then seizures can be unpredictable.”
“Then, I don’t want to go to school. Not until we know what’s going on.”
“You only have six more weeks, Jeremy. Nothing may happen during that time.”
Fear washed over Jeremy’s face. He backed away from Ian and Annie then whirled and raced down the hallway and out the door.
When Ian started forward, Annie touched his arm. “Let me see if I can find him. You need to talk to his teacher without Jeremy. He’s scared.” She knew that feeling well. Pain from her burns and fear of the unknown had flooded Annie when she woke up in the hospital after the fire. “I need to get some rapport with Jeremy. Let me try. We’ll find you in a few minutes.”
Later Annie found Jeremy in the parking lot by Ian’s car. With his hands crossed over his chest, he slouched back against the Explorer. He saw her and turned away, but he didn’t run.
Annie took that as a good sign. “I told your dad I would find you because he needs to talk with your teacher.”
“Why? It’s none of her business.”
“Yes, it is. You’re scared, but—”
He folded his arms over his chest. “No, I’m not. I just don’t want other people knowing my business.”
“I know how that feels.”
“No, you don’t. I saw a kid at school have a seizure once, and there were a couple of boys laughing.”
“Did you laugh?”
Jeremy shoved off the car, his arms ramrod straight at his sides, his hands fisted. “I’d never do that. You don’t know me.”
“You’re right. I don’t, but I’d like to, Jeremy. I’m here to help you and your family.”
“Yeah, until you find something better. Then you’ll be gone just like that.” Jeremy snapped his fingers in her face.
“I’m not leaving. I had five other job offers and chose to be with you all.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have. I’d rather you leave now than later.” Jeremy charged past her and hurried toward the building.
Annie followed, hoping he’d at least go to class. She was a little disappointed at how the conversation had turned out because she knew it wouldn’t be easy for her to establish a connection with Jeremy. But she would keep trying. If Amanda hadn’t with her after the fire, no telling where she would be today.
At the door into the school, Ian stopped Jeremy and talked quietly to him. Annie stood back, praying Jeremy would go into the building. She could remember how she had built up in her mind all kinds of scenarios if someone saw her scars. She could take a lot of different reactions, but pity was the worst.
When Jeremy stomped toward the entrance, angry but going in the right direction, Ian signaled for her to join him. At Jeremy’s classroom door, Ian paused for a few seconds, nodded his head then went inside.
“Mrs. Haskell, I wanted you to meet Annie Knight. She’ll usually be dropping off and picking up my kids. I’ve given you her number in case you can’t get hold of me.”
Annie shook the middle-aged woman’s hand. “I’m so happy to meet you. I want you to know I can be here in twenty minutes if there’s a problem.”
“I’m glad to meet you, too, Annie. I’ll talk with Jeremy and reassure him,” the woman whispered. “I’ve had other students with seizures, and I know what to do. We have a nurse who will be summoned. He’ll be fine.”
As Annie walked with Ian to the car, he said, “I guess all we can do is wait and see. I would like you to check into Caring Canines, if you don’t mind, since you know one of the trainers.” He paused at the trunk of the Explorer. “My family needs help.”
“You’ve got it. I can set up a meeting with Emma Tanner.”
“Let’s keep it quiet. Until I know if this is going to be the best thing for Jeremy, I don’t want to say anything to him. I’ll have my receptionist call you with times I have available. I do know that noon to one is usually free because my staff goes to lunch.”
“I should know something tonight.”
After Ian drove away from the school, Annie decided to pay Amanda a visit. She had met Emma at only a couple of combined family gatherings. Besides, she needed to talk to her sister.
* * *
A few days later, Ian shook Emma’s hand. “I’m so glad you could meet with us.”
Annie stepped forward. “It’s nice seeing you again.”
“Please have a seat.” Emma indicated two chairs across from her in the training room. “Amanda told me you’d like to look into getting a seizure dog for your son.”
“Since I asked Annie to contact you—” Ian glanced at Annie and smiled “—I’ve done some research on it. I want to give Jeremy everything that can help him. He isn’t dealing well with the idea of having epilepsy.”
“So he’s been diagnosed?” Emma asked.
Besides Annie, whom he told on the way to Caring Canines, no one else knew, not even Jeremy, that the doctor had confirmed it this morning. “Yes. It appears he’d been experiencing a series of petit mals before he had his grand mal.”
“What do you want from a seizure dog?”
To cure his son, but that wasn’t a possibility. Seeing Jeremy even more vulnerable the other night when he’d had his seizure heightened Ian’s own feelings of helplessness. “One that can alert people if Jeremy has a seizure, stay with him, help him adjust and be a companion, because right now Jeremy needs that. His life, especially in the past six months, has been disrupted again and again. He needs a dog to calm him down. Stress may have been a factor in what triggered his grand mal.”
“I have a dog I’m training, but he needs a couple more weeks with me. I could use Jeremy helping me if you think he would like to do that. After school? What do you think?”
Ian grinned, excited at the prospect. “That would be great. Annie, will you be able to bring him here?”
“Sure. Emma, do you think the other three children could play with the other dogs? They’re a four-year-old boy and twin girls who are eight.”
“Sure. It would be nice if the dogs could interact with different people, especially children.” Emma gestured around the large training room. “Our clients have doubled in the past few years. Abbey, my partner, and I are thrilled at all the interest.”
“Then I’ll be here with the kids, supervising,” Annie offered.
“Madi, Abbey’s sister-in-law, is often here with the dogs, as well. I’m tea
ching her to train. She’s a natural.”
Ian sat forward. “Do you ever have dogs you start to train but they don’t work out?”
“Yes, but we also train therapy dogs and a lot of them can do that. A therapy dog is often used to help people through difficult or stressful times. Are you looking for another dog besides the service one?”
When Emma mentioned therapy dogs, Ian wondered if his family would benefit from an animal like that. “I’ve been thinking about getting a dog for my other three children. They’ve gone through two deaths in the family in the past two years. Would that interfere with Jeremy’s seizure dog?” Ian hadn’t thought about the two dogs clashing until now.
“Not necessarily, but if it’s all right with you, I’d like to find a dog that’s compatible with Rex, the black Lab I think might be a match for Jeremy.”
“That’s fine as long as it’s good with children.” Ian rose. “When do you want Jeremy to start?”
“Tomorrow is Saturday. Why don’t you all come out here and let Jeremy meet Rex, take a look around?” Emma got to her feet.
“I can come in the afternoon. I have several patients I need to see in the hospital in the morning.”
“That’s fine with me.” Emma shifted toward Annie. “Every time I see you I think you’re Amanda. I’m so glad you two wear your hair different or I might never tell you apart. Thanks for coming.” Emma gave Annie a hug.
As Annie and Ian left Caring Canines, he glanced at her. “I need to meet this twin of yours. Does she work with children, too?”
Annie chuckled. “No, not yet. She wants to have children, but right now she works as an accountant. I’m glad someone in the family has a good sense of numbers. I struggled through algebra.”
“Whereas my forte was math and science.” Ian opened her car door for her.
“Well, I hope so since you went into medicine.”
Ian rounded the hood and got in. Soon they pulled out onto the highway, heading into Cimarron City. “Since we live on the opposite side of town, you’ll be driving a lot after school, especially when Jade goes to softball and Jasmine to ballet.”
“I met Jasmine’s teacher this week. A remarkable lady.”
“Jasmine loves Miss Kit and ballet. They started rehearsing for their big end-of-the-year recital. That’s all Jasmine talks about.”
The Nanny's New Family (Caring Canines) Page 6