by Renee Ryan
“It was a logical conclusion.”
Eyes blinking very slowly, his gaze unfocused, Connor flexed his fingers beneath Olivia’s.
Olivia gripped his hand tighter.
“I should have insisted she get a checkup. I...” He shook his head and for the first time since beginning his story, his eyes took on an angry glint. “Her death was unnecessary.”
His expression was unguarded, projecting an emotion she understood on a deep, personal level. Grief mixed with anger.
Olivia had suffered similarly when her parents died. And yet she didn’t have the words to ease Connor’s pain.
Maybe she wasn’t supposed to give him words. Maybe grief that deep shouldn’t be brushed aside with a handy speech.
Still, she felt compelled to say, “You can’t second-guess yourself like this.”
He continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard her. “If I’d paid better attention, maybe I would have seen the physical changes in her for what they were.”
The guilt in his voice touched a part of Olivia she didn’t want to examine too closely right now.
This moment wasn’t about her.
“Even if you’d have caught the cancer early, she still might have died.”
“Perhaps.” His voice was low and raw and Olivia knew her words had done nothing to help him.
Desperate to offer him the comfort he’d once given her, she chose her next words carefully. “I know this may sound empty to you right now, and you’ve probably heard it a million times, but God hasn’t abandoned you. He’s walking right beside you, waiting for you to turn to Him for healing.”
Connor blinked at her, absorbing her words in silence.
She let him process them without interruption.
Words, no matter how logical or truthful, could only take Connor so far. The rest would be up to him. Only he could take the necessary steps toward making peace with himself and God.
As he lowered his head in thought, Olivia had a revelation. Connor’s daughters weren’t the only family members who needed her. Connor needed her, too.
And Olivia needed...
She didn’t know what she needed. But she felt a sense of purpose growing inside her, a purpose that went beyond herself, beyond starting a new business, something powerful that included this man and his precious daughters.
Connor unbuckled his seat belt. “I’ll pick you up in the morning, say seven-thirty?”
“That should work.”
Saying nothing more, he exited the car but he took his time coming around to her side.
While she waited, Olivia gazed at her reflection in the passenger-side window. The image staring back at her looked determined, ready to fight for what she wanted.
Olivia wanted it all. Her own business where she got to call the shots. A man in her life to love with all her heart, a man who loved her with equal intensity. She wanted children, too, and a few dogs, maybe a cat and—
Her door opened and there Connor stood, hand outstretched, the streetlight wrapping him in its golden glow. She placed her palm in his and he helped her out of the car.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“No problem.” Hooking her arm through his, he escorted her up the walkway.
“You’re walking me to me door?”
“What gave you the first clue? The walking part? Or my steering you in the direction of your house?”
She laughed. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I want to.” He stopped, swallowed a few times, drew in a sharp breath. “I’m sorry I unloaded on you like that.”
She hated that he regretted sharing his pain with her. “I’m honored you told me about your wife. Thank you for trusting me enough to share.”
His lips curved in a smile and he leaned a little closer. “You’re really something, Olivia.”
He sounded a bit in awe. And maybe a little smitten.
Her pulse picked up speed. If he bent his head the slightest inch to the right, if Olivia shifted a bit to her left, and both leaned in a fraction more, their lips would meet.
Her heart did that strange stuttering thing it did whenever she was near this man.
She told herself to step back. Away from Connor.
She remained frozen in place, staring straight into those golden-amber eyes.
A heartbeat passed.
She took a very tiny pull of air and closed her eyes.
Was she really inviting Connor to kiss her, on her front doorstep, where anyone could watch them?
Someone was always watching in Village Green.
Her eyes flew open.
Nervous again, she reached behind her, found the door handle at her back and twisted.
“Thanks, I...” She laughed self-consciously. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you in the morning.”
She scrambled into the house like a guilty teenager. She made it two full steps before she reminded herself she’d been raised with manners.
Stepping back outside, she closed the door behind her. Connor stood in the exact same spot as before. His eyes skimmed over her face. “Back so soon?”
She laughed. “Just so you know, I’m glad I came home when I did, glad I get to watch your daughters this summer.”
He smiled.
“And I’m really glad we’re...”
She wasn’t sure how to say the rest.
A look of tender understanding filled his gaze. “I know, Olivia.” He knuckled a curl off her cheek. “Me, too.”
It was ridiculous how well he could read her. She looked away, gathered her thoughts, then forced her gaze back to his.
“I like you, Olivia.” He smiled around the words, looking very much like the boy that had once instilled silly teenage hopes and dreams in her heart. “And I think we have something special growing between us. But before this goes any further, we have several things to discuss.”
Boy, did they ever! “Agreed.” She pumped up her smile. “But maybe we should give it a few days, think things through individually before we...talk.”
He held her stare. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.” She needed time to gather her thoughts, to decide if she wanted to take a chance, to risk heartache again. She turned to go.
He caught her gently by the arm.
“Come here.” He tugged her slowly to him.
Hope whispered through her. Connor was going to kiss her good-night.
But she needed to keep her head firmly planted in reality, needed to remember they’d only taken a small, tentative step toward each other. “Maybe we should...”
“Hush, Olivia.” He touched his lips to hers.
She shut her eyes and told herself to stop thinking so hard, to enjoy the moment. A moment that ended all too quickly.
Connor stepped back. “See you tomorrow morning.”
“Oh. Yeah. Okay.” He was almost too attractive to look at this close up. “See you tomorrow.”
He kissed her gently on the forehead and then was gone.
Speechless, fingertips pressed to her lips, she followed his progress down the walkway back to his SUV. She continued watching him as he climbed in the driver’s seat with the long-legged agility that was all his own.
It wasn’t until his taillights disappeared around the street corner that Olivia realized she was holding her breath. She let it out slowly. Very slowly.
And reentered her house in silence.
She had a lot to think about between now and when Connor picked her up in the morning. They’d crossed a line tonight. And now nothing would ever be the same between them.
Maybe that wasn’t such a terrible thing.
Olivia predicted a long, sleepless night ahead of her. Noth
ing about her upcoming conversation with Connor was going to be easy.
Apparently, some things just weren’t meant to be easy.
Chapter Fifteen
Connor didn’t pick Olivia up the next morning. Avery did. And she wasn’t alone. The twins were in the car with her. As was Samson, his stubby little tail wagging in a tight circle, his puppy face grinning from perked-up ear to perked-up ear.
Olivia settled in the front seat, greeted the girls, patted the dog on the head then looked over at Avery. “Where’s Connor?”
Avery grimaced as she pulled away from the curb. “One of his elderly patients was rushed to the hospital early this morning. He wanted to check on her before he went in to the office.” She gave Olivia an apologetic look. “He asked me if I could pick you up this morning.”
The moment Avery finished her account of the morning’s events, Olivia’s phone vibrated in her purse. She pulled it out and checked the incoming text. It was from Connor. GOT HUNG UP AT THE HOSPITAL.
Despite the serious nature of his absence, Olivia felt a rush of pleasure, overwhelmingly pleased he’d bothered to text her at all, and a little surprised at her strong reaction to six small words on a cell phone screen.
But still...
Even in the midst of his concern for one of his patients, Connor had taken the time to let Olivia know where he was.
Olivia felt a sharp tug at her heart when a second text came through. REALLY WANTED TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING.
Again, she found herself unexpectedly moved and quickly thumbed her reply with unsteady hands. ME 2.
There was a brief moment of nothing. The girls whispered together in the backseat, heads bent over a handheld video game. Avery concentrated on the road. Samson bounced between the twins.
Olivia continued staring at her cell phone, willing Connor to reply. His answer finally came through, leaving her mildly breathless with anticipation
SEE U TONIGHT AFTER WORK.
She took a risk and typed what was in her heart. CAN’T WAIT. Feeling especially bold, she sent another text with nothing more than a smiley face.
He responded in kind.
Uh-oh—her heart went zing again. As it had last night in Connor’s SUV.
Sighing, she sat back in her seat and looked out the passenger window. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She wasn’t supposed to fall for Connor Mitchell. She had plans for her life, plans that would require every bit of her focus. Even if she didn’t get the funding and had to take another job before opening her own tearoom, hadn’t she learned her lesson with Warner?
Didn’t she know the dangers of falling for another hardworking, single dad?
Then again, Connor wasn’t anything like Warner.
He’d proven that on several occasions. More important, he seemed to value Olivia for herself, as the person she was. Not the person he wanted her to be, or even needed her to be so his life would go smoother.
What had started out as a temporary nanny position was fast becoming more. A situation full of a whole lot of...real.
Olivia was in trouble here.
Avery’s throaty laugh cut through her growing panic. “Got something you want to share with the class, Miss Olivia?”
“No.” Annoyance hiked her chin up a notch.
“Are you sure? Because you’re looking awfully—”
“Still no.” She stuffed her phone back in her purse, patently ignored Avery and swiveled around in her seat to address the girls. “Want to bake a chocolate layer cake this morning?”
Heads tilted at identical angles of interest, they answered as a single unit, “Yes!”
“You’re making chocolate cake?” Avery groused. “I miss all the fun.”
“We’ll save a piece for you,” Molly offered.
Avery shook her head. “I was hoping to lick the bowl.”
“We can save you some icing. That’s almost the same thing.”
Still pouting, Avery turned onto Main Street. “I guess.”
Olivia stifled a smile. But then inspiration struck as they approached the medical offices on the right side of the road. “Or we could make a special delivery later today.”
Following the direction of Olivia’s gaze, Avery sat up straighter in her seat. “Please tell me you’re thinking of making that delivery to a certain medical office.”
“Correct.” Olivia tapped her nose with her index finger, then frowned. “Except...my car will be in the shop all day.” She’d already called the garage this morning. The owner had agreed to pick up her car, but warned her not to expect it until later this afternoon. At the earliest. “No transportation. No field trip.”
“No problem.” Avery pulled into the parking lot of Connor’s building. “Because you’re going to drop me off at the office and come back this afternoon with a freshly baked chocolate layer cake, extra icing on the side.”
Giving Olivia no time to argue, Avery practically screeched to a stop, set the brake and hopped out of the car. She didn’t bother looking back.
Laughing, Olivia moved into the driver’s seat and smiled at the girls in the rearview mirror. “Let’s go bake us a cake.”
An hour later, after a side trip to the grocery store, Olivia decided two cakes were better than one. That way both girls could do equal the work, with the benefit of one for the house and one for the office.
Game plan set, Olivia put a large mixing bowl in front of each girl. “First, as with most cakes made from scratch, you’ll need to cream the sugar and butter until the mixture is light and fluffy.”
She showed them how. Then helped them measure and add the rest of the ingredients.
She showed them how to determine when the mixture was ready for baking. They then poured the liquid into cake pans, six in all, three per cake. Olivia put the pans in the ovens herself.
“Now, while the cakes cook, we’ll work on the icing.”
The twins waited patiently for her to guide them through the steps. Overwhelmed with affection, Olivia pulled them into a group hug.
You’re in too deep, she thought. Pull back before it’s too late.
It was already too late. Megan and Molly had become a part of her. Even if the Lord blessed her with more children in the future, these two would always be in her heart.
* * *
The moment Connor spied Olivia and the twins standing in the doorway of his office his heart tumbled in his chest. The picture they made personified family, a very loving family.
The girls, standing on either side of Olivia, looked happier than he’d seen them look in a long time. Maybe ever. Connor felt something move through him he hadn’t experienced in years himself. Inner peace. The kind he wasn’t sure he deserved, but wasn’t foolish enough to dismiss.
“What’s all this?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“We come bearing gifts,” Olivia declared, her eyes shining bright, as if she was having her own difficultly processing the moment.
Staring into that beautiful, mesmerizing gaze, Connor was tempted to pull her into his arms and kiss her as he’d done last night. How could anyone think she was a mere convenience?
Connor had never felt the urge to punch another man in his life. But now, when he thought about the pain and humiliation Olivia must have suffered from her ex-boyfriend’s callousness, he thought about it. Thought about it real hard.
Swallowing back his rising agitation, he lowered his gaze, locking it on the cake in her hands. Be still his heart. “Is that chocolate cake?”
Megan beamed. “There’s another one just like it at home.”
“We made them all by ourselves,” Molly told him. “Miss Olivia only helped a little.”
Olivia. She’d done this. She’d put that look of pride on his daughters’ faces. More than that, she’d turned a
temporary nanny job into something...more. Something lasting.
Done in, Connor ran a hand down his face, drew in a hard breath. He thought briefly of praying, but he wasn’t sure what he would lift up to the Lord. A prayer of thanksgiving for bringing this woman into his life, into his home, no matter how temporarily? A prayer for strength so he could remember Olivia had plans he couldn’t ask her to give up for him and his daughters?
Or perhaps he was overthinking this. Maybe he should just let down his guard for a few precious minutes and enjoy time with his girls. All three of them.
“You like chocolate cake, don’t you, Daddy?” Little worry lines dug between Molly’s eyebrows.
“Who doesn’t?” Even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t admit it now, not with his daughters’ eager faces staring up at him and Olivia’s encouraging smile warming his heart. He cleared his throat. “Let’s bring it to the break room so the entire office can enjoy a piece.”
Olivia’s smile amped up a notch. “Lead the way.”
Shouldering his way past them, Connor directed their small party down the hallway.
In that instant, if anyone asked him, he would have said there was nowhere else he would rather be than right here, directing his daughters and Olivia to the break room. The thought brought a moment of peace, followed by a sudden wave of alarm.
A burning throb knotted in his throat.
Ever since Sheila’s death, he’d been committed to creating a safe, healthy, happy home for his daughters. When he’d needed someone to care for them over the summer he’d done the logical thing. He’d hired a woman who met his initial requirements.
Yet today, as he watched Olivia set the cake on the table and begin cutting slices, he realized just how well she fit in his life, in his girls’ lives.
They needed more than a woman’s influence. They needed a woman’s love. The unconditional, sacrificial kind that was described in the Bible, the kind that Olivia gave them without even trying.
Olivia Scott was an extraordinary woman. Her heart was pure, her compassion strong, her natural capacity to love vast.