Nanny for the Millionaire's Twins

by Susan Meier

  Sam squealed, slapping his hands on the highchair tray.

  “Did you not hear the part about best behavior? Your dad is exhausted and we’re letting him sleep in.”

  She spooned a helping of cereal into Sam’s mouth. He smacked his lips in innocent enjoyment.

  She laughed, wanting to pinch his chubby little cheek. Instead, she fed Cindy a spoon of cereal. “But I’m also sort of trying to butter him up. We never talked about days off and we have to because—”

  She paused, cleared her throat, not sure why she couldn’t quite bring herself to talk about Jason with two babies who probably wouldn’t understand a word she said.

  Except that the situation with Jason was sad and they were happy. Sam was a chubby, giggly little guy and Cindy was petite, demure. Probably someday she’d be exactly like Gwen. It seemed wrong to tell them about something so tragic when they were so cheerful.

  So she wouldn’t tell them, but she had to tell Chance. She had to ask for days off.

  * * *

  Chance stretched lazily when he woke. His back didn’t hurt. His head was clear. And his muscles felt great. He was almost energetic.

  He bounced up in bed and his gaze flew to the clock. It was almost nine!

  The kids!

  Why weren’t they screaming?

  He rolled to get out from under the thin sheet that covered him and saw the blue drapes on the big window.

  Not his house. His mom’s guesthouse.

  And he hadn’t gotten up with the kids in the middle of the night because they now had a nanny.

  A godsend nanny.

  Well, the woman who would be a godsend if she weren’t so damned good-looking.

  He passed his hand down his face, reminded himself that Tory was a drama-free employee whom he wanted to keep and headed for the bathroom. He didn’t hear any crying and he also had a meeting that morning, so he stepped into the shower in his private bathroom and scrubbed himself off.

  Alone.

  No kids sitting in front of the glass shower door, in the little basket-like seats Liliah had dropped them off in, crying as he took one of the shortest showers in recorded history.

  For this and this alone, he could keep his hormones under control around the nanny. Because the other thing he’d figured out—before he drifted off to sleep the night before—was that she wasn’t the problem. She hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, she’d more or less told him she wasn’t interested in him by her behavior at the discount department store. Which meant anything he’d taken to be attraction on her part, he’d misinterpreted.

  So he was the one who had to get in line. And that should be a piece of cake. He’d been ignoring women for fifteen months now.

  He dressed in trousers and a white shirt and tie and walked through the great room into the kitchen area. Tory had the babies in the two highchairs, and was alternating feeding them. Her auburn hair had been caught up in a long ponytail that made her look about twenty, but she wore baggy jeans and a blousy top that hid all of her curves.

  Still, when he saw her, his stomach jumped. Nerve endings he didn’t even know he had bounced to attention.

  She smiled at him. “Hey, good morning.” Her gaze tumbled from his head to his toes and her smile grew. “Well, look at you.”

  His mouth went dry. He tried to say good morning, but when the words came out they were more like a jumble of mush.

  “I have coffee.”

  “Great.” He walked to the pot, scolding himself for being ridiculous. Yes, she was pretty. And, yes, it had been a long time since he’d really looked at a woman—and since one had looked at him. But she was dressed in clothes obviously not meant to attract him. So the once-over she’d given him was nothing more than a friendly acknowledgment that he looked better in a shirt and tie than blue jeans.

  He had to stop reacting to her. He needed her.

  As a nanny.

  He found a mug, poured himself some coffee and took a swallow before he said, “Are you okay being alone with the kids this morning?”

  She smiled at him. A big, beaming smile that made her brown eyes sparkle. “That’s sort of my job.”

  His hormones jumped again. Every fiber of his being wanted to flirt with her. But, again, she might be friendly, but she wasn’t flirting. Any attraction he thought he saw was strictly in his head or maybe wishful thinking.

  He sucked in a breath. “Great. Because I actually have a meeting with my brother.”

  “Ah. That explains the tie.”

  He flapped it away from his shirt, and let it fall down again. “Dead giveaway, huh?”

  “Well, I didn’t think you’d need one to go to your mom’s for breakfast.”

  He caught her gaze. “She doesn’t require a tie for breakfast, but she does for dinner.”

  Tory winced. “Sounds fun.”

  “It’s a pain in the butt. Just like this meeting with my brother is going to be.” He finished his coffee, walked back into his room and grabbed his suit jacket.

  Striding through the great room to the front door, he said, “I don’t expect to be back for a few hours—probably two.”

  “Okay.” She turned to Cindy and Sam. “Say goodbye to your daddy, kids.”

  Both kids squawked happily.

  He groaned in his head. She had him so tripped up that he’d forgotten to say goodbye to his own kids.

  After a quick kiss to the top of each twin’s head, he left the cottage and jumped into his SUV, blowing his breath out on a long sigh. He told himself to think of Liliah, to remember relationships were always trouble. To remember he didn’t want to be hurt. To remember he didn’t want his kids to be hurt by another woman who abandoned them.

  He started the SUV and headed up the lane to the street. Twenty minutes later, he stood outside the yellow brick Montgomery Development building. Quiet and dignified, it sat among buildings older and taller and yet it still somehow intimidated him. How could four measly stories project such an air of power?

  He sucked in a breath. It was no wonder he was tired of drama. Not only had Liliah made him miserable, but with the exception of Gwen, his family life had been trouble too. He’d thought all that was over when his dad died, but his brother had relentlessly followed him for the past few years, trying to get him to come home. He’d always managed to give him the slip, until last week when he couldn’t take the babies and run.

  So after Max called, he’d called their mom to talk things through with her, and he’d come home. Not to placate his brother and certainly not forever. He would always call Gwen Mom, and now that the truth was out about his dad, he would always have a relationship with her. But he wasn’t sure he wanted a relationship with the brother who’d kept their dad’s secret. And he had a feeling the only way to stay away from persistent Max would be to go back to Tennessee.

  Blowing his breath out on a long sigh, he headed for the entryway. He would let his brother have his say, thank him for any offers he made and refuse them. He wouldn’t start trouble. He wouldn’t open old wounds. There didn’t need to be any arguments. He would calmly ask his brother to let him alone—for good this time—and be done with this.

  He stepped through the glass double doors and stopped, totally surprised. Vaulted ceilings soared to the roof. Sunshine poured in through skylights and fed the potted trees that sat on each side of the two white sofas in the reception area. A polished yellow wood reception desk sat in the center of everything.

  Wow. His mom had said Max had changed things, but he hadn’t expected that would mean even the building.

  Dark brown travertine tile led him to the reception desk. The pretty twentysomething brunette greeted him with a smile. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes. I have an appointment with Mr. Montgomery.”

  She glanced down at a small computer screen. “Your name?”

  “Chance.” He paused. “Montgomery.”

  The young woman glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow. He scowled at her. If Max thou
ght he would jump through hoops to get to see him, he was sadly mistaken.

  “If it’s that much of a bother to see my big brother, even with an appointment, I’ll just go.”

  The receptionist held up a hand to stop him. “No. No problem! I’m sorry. Just give me a second to announce you.” She pressed two buttons on her phone then turned away.

  He heard the receptionist say his name, then give his description.

  Then there was silence.

  Annoyance flooded him. This was what he’d hated about being a Montgomery. The pretense. As if he were the king of England, Max screened his visitors.

  The receptionist faced him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Montgomery. You may go up.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  Obviously recognizing how insulted he was, the receptionist grimaced. “Take the third elevator in the back of that hall.” She pointed to the left. “By the time you get there, a security guard will be there to punch in the code.”

  He ambled to the last elevator, the temptation to leave tickling his brain. He’d told Max he wanted no part of this pomp and circumstance, yet the first thing he did was run him through a lineup.

  Before he knew it, he was at the elevator. The security guard said, “Good morning, Mr. Montgomery.” Punching a few numbers into a keypad, he opened the elevator, motioned Chance inside and stepped back as the doors closed.

  The ride to the fourth floor took seconds. The elevator doors swooshed open. More potted trees accented a low, ultramodern green sofa and chair. A green print rug covered part of the yellow hardwood floor.

  Sitting at the desk in front of a wall of windows, Max looked up and instantly rose.

  When they were kids, everyone would comment on how cute it was that they both had dark hair and blue eyes, even though Chance had been adopted. Now, everyone knew why.

  “Chance. Sorry about that mess up downstairs. I told them you were coming. I also told them to give you the code for the elevator.”

  He flopped on the sofa before Max invited him to sit down. “Well, they didn’t.”

  “And you’re mad.”

  “No, actually, they made my case about why I don’t want to work here. Dad would be so proud.”

  “Dad had nothing to do with just about everything that goes on here now. I changed how we do business with subcontractors and vendors. We don’t make backdoor deals with unions. We don’t cheat employees out of bonuses. And I won’t lock you out of a company that’s as much yours as mine.”

  Chance said, “Humph. Mom said you were different.”

  Max sat on the chair across from him. “Losing your wife, admitting you’re an alcoholic and going to AA will do that to you.”

  Chance sat up. The alcoholic thing floored him, but Kate leaving shocked him so much he forgot he was angry. Though Max and Kate were older, the trio had been like the Three Musketeers before he ran away. Chance had loved Kate like a sister. “You and Kate split up?”

  “For eight years. She kept my daughter, Trisha, from me. She just left and didn’t even tell me she was pregnant.”

  “Holy cow.”

  “It took a while, but we reconciled.”

  “And the alcoholic thing? Was that because she left?”

  Max shook his head. “I became an alcoholic after you left, Chance.”

  He froze. “Me?”

  “I loved you, kid. Still do. You’re my brother. I was sorry for everything that happened and I shouldered all the responsibility and the blame. And started drinking. But after Kate left, I realized drinking wasn’t helping and once I got sober, I saw how bad Dad really was. I learned every department, read every lease, talked to every contractor and vendor. And ultimately took over.”

  Chance gaped at him. “You kicked Dad out?”

  “He resigned—sort of happily, really. His last two years he and Mom traveled.” He shrugged. “I’m not just blowing smoke when I say things have changed. The company is different. I am different. You can trust me.” He rose from his seat. “Rather than talk about what I’ve done, let me give you a tour of the place.” He motioned to a richly detailed, double-door entrance. “And you can see for yourself how different the company is and see for yourself that I’m not running it like Dad.”

  Chance also rose, but he rose slowly, without any enthusiasm. He might have a strange sympathy for his brother rattling through him now, but that didn’t mean he wanted to work for him. “I don’t know, Max.”

  “Come on. What can it hurt to look?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to. I’ve distanced myself from you and the company.”

  “And you hate me?”

  “No more than you hate me.”

  Max frowned. “Why would I hate you?”

  “Because you grew up as the favorite son. The ‘real’ Montgomery child, while I was adopted. Then we all found out I’m as much of a Montgomery as you are. That had to sting.”

  “Not really.” He sighed. “Look. I don’t think we hate each other. I think we had one ugly family fight. I’m not going to let that stand in the way of our being a family. Mom wants this.”

  A warm feeling flowed through him at the mention of their mom, the woman who loved him even though he was the product of her husband’s affair. So did the reminder that in some respects he owed her.

  Max turned him in the direction of his office door. “I’m not going to browbeat you into coming to work for me. We can give Mom a family without you working for me. Hell, you can move back to Tennessee and we can still be a family. But if you like what you see, why wouldn’t you want to work here?”

  Chance laughed. “Because I have my own company?”

  “Who’s running it while you’re away?”

  “I have a manager.”

  “Who I am sure would be happy to continue running it.” Max slapped him on the back. “Wait until you see what we’re doing, little brother. You’re going to want to be part of this.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  SOMETIME AFTER TWO, Chance rushed into the cottage as if late for his own wedding. Tory wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign, but it didn’t matter. When he’d come out of his bedroom that morning, she hadn’t talked to him about days off because he seemed so nervous. But whether it was convenient or not, she had to talk to him now—tell him about Jason—so she could at least visit him two days a week.

  Bouncing chubby Sam on her hip, she said, “Whoa! Where’s the fire?”

  “I’m so sorry for leaving you with them for so long! I didn’t expect to stay with my brother all morning.” He shook his head as if confused. “I didn’t expect to talk more than twenty minutes let alone have lunch with him. I’m so sorry.”

  She pointed at her chest. “Nanny.” Pointed at him. “Boss. You call the shots. It’s my job to stay with the kids while you do anything you have to do.” She kissed the top of Sam’s head. “Besides, they’re so adorable. It’s hardly a job to stay with them. More like playing.”

  “That’s because they’re good when they’re with you.” He tossed his keys to the table behind the sofa. “I’m seeing a whole new side of them around you.” Leaning down he plucked Cindy from the play yard. Kissed her cheek. “How’s Daddy’s good girl today?”

  She cooed a laugh. He kissed her again.

  And Tory’s heart swelled. In the years she’d been undergoing surgeries and therapies, she hadn’t really thought about kids. She hadn’t thought about anything but visiting Jason and repairing her own damaged leg. But suddenly these two—feisty Sam and sweet Cindy—brought out longings in her that she couldn’t deny. And she was so afraid she was about to jeopardize being in their lives by asking for time off. But she also had responsibilities to Jason.

  “So do you want to go up to the house for your lunch? I apologize that it’s so late. You’re probably starving.”

  She ambled toward the sofa. “Actually, Cook had Robert make a delivery today. But I would like to talk to you about something.”

  A panicked express
ion flitted across his face. “Okay.”

  She motioned to one of the two chairs near the sofa. “Don’t worry. It’s not really a bad thing.”

  He sat, arranging Cindy on his lap. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”

  “I just need a day or two off every week.”

  He looked at her. “That’s it?”

  “Well, I’ve never been a nanny before, but it seems to be a twenty-four/seven job. And I need two days off because I usually—” She cleared her throat. “It’s just that I have to—” She paused, once again floundering about how to explain her situation. She didn’t want his pity. She also felt odd sharing something so personal with a man she barely knew and she couldn’t do it.

  “There’s someplace I like to go twice a week.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

  She settled Sam on her lap and he happily gurgled up at her. “Just a girl thing.”

  He studied her face for a few seconds, then said, “Honestly, Tory, I’ve never employed a nanny and I don’t remember the nanny my mom says cared for me, but I do know that everybody’s entitled to a day off every now and again. So if you want two days, you just tell me which two days and I’ll make do.”

  “I hate to ask because I know this job is only temporary. A few days or weeks—”

  Cindy started to fuss and Chance said, “Hold that thought,” as he rose from his chair. “How long has it been since their last bottle?”

  She rose too. “Actually, it’s nap time.”

  He turned. “It is?”

  “Yes. I decided this morning that we should try to put them on a schedule.” She winced. “I probably should have run that by you.”

  “No. That’s fine. You know more about babies than I do. I want you to change whatever needs changing.”

  “Good.” She headed for the kitchen, got two bottles and followed him into the nursery.

  “They’re drinking them cold?”

  “I tested that this morning too. They didn’t seem to mind cold milk. It saves a step in all the processes. Plus, it makes it easier if you’re somewhere that you can’t heat the bottles.”