Almost Midnight (sweet contemporary romance) (Colorado Clearbrooks)

by Teresa McCarthy

  A nervous sweat began to break out on her forehead. She hoped Candy’s brother had meant what he’d said about the job in Chicago, because if things didn’t work out in Clearbrook Valley, Alex Richards would be her next contact.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Tanner parked his black Jaguar at the far end of the library parking lot and stared out the windshield. A row of fluorescent street lamps shone down on the cracked blacktop directly outside the library’s doors, the lights seeming to attract every insect known to mankind.

  Tanner immediately thought of Hannah and her pull over him. If he got too close he’d be zapped, too. He couldn’t believe he’d almost kissed her there in the library, as if he were some seventeen-year-old kid running on hormones.

  Those insects had no idea they would be branded the closer they flew, but he knew. The closer he moved to Hannah, the more chance he would begin to feel again for another woman, and that wasn’t about to happen, not after Julie had died. He needed Hannah as a tutor, and also as a positive female influence on his son. That was all.

  Tanner checked his Rolex and grimaced. The library closed fifteen minutes ago and neither Hannah nor that blue-haired monster had left.

  He had driven his father and Jeremy home over half an hour ago, giving strict orders for Fritz to put Jeremy to bed. Late night poker games had become a habit between grandfather and grandson, and it seemed to Tanner that a mother, Fritz was not.

  When Julie died, Fritz insisted that Tanner hire a cook and housekeeper, while Fritz offered to fill in for Tanner when he was gone. They had hired an older lady named Mable to take over the housework. She showed up a few times a week and did her job well, but when she was done, she went home to her own family.

  Guilt filled Tanner’s mind. Jeremy needed a woman’s touch, and right now that woman was Hannah. The boy didn’t have an aunt. Tanner’s brothers were bachelors with no sight of them getting married in the near future, or ever for that matter, and Julie had been an only child, her parents having died two years before she had passed.

  Tanner frowned, recalling the flash of pain he’d seen in Hannah’s eyes back at the house. For some reason he wanted to erase that, make amends after the stupid way he’d acted, not just at home, but especially for the way he’d acted at the library with that big gorilla. He would have to ignore his attraction for her. He had to. That was the only way he could live with himself and take care of his little boy.

  The library door swung open and Tanner looked up. Hannah stood beneath the parking lot lights, her fingers clutching a flimsy sweater to her breast. A blanket of moths fluttered about her golden head while she seemed to be deciding which way to go.

  Almost ready to scold her for even thinking of walking home alone or even to that darn bus stop, Tanner jerked open his car door and strode toward her. “Miss Elliot?”

  Hannah didn’t have a chance to ask Candy for a ride, so she decided to walk to the bus stop. Her friend was long gone, and although Hannah thought about calling Candy from the library, she knew her friend had to be at the hospital early in the morning and was probably already in bed.

  But as soon as Hannah exited the library, she heard her name called from across the parking lot.

  Alarmed, she looked up at the tall shadow approaching her.

  “Mr. Clearbrook?”

  “Tanner,” he said. “I said to call me Tanner.”

  Her pulse leapt, from fear or excitement she didn’t know which. His long legs ate up the blacktop, and in no time he stood beside her.

  “Tanner,” she said, smiling. Maybe he wasn’t going to fire her after all. His actions in the library certainly seemed to support her hope in keeping her job. And the possibility of his kiss had been her imagination, that was all.

  “I thought you could use a drive home since your car’s in the shop.” The warmth of his smile shot straight to her heart. “I happened to notice that it was Will’s Auto Service towing it away. He’ll steal you blind if you let him.”

  “I’ve got nothing else to steal. So it would be his loss.”

  A mischievous look came into his eyes as he batted away an annoying moth, but to Hannah it was impossible not to notice the appreciative glance he sent her way.

  “I wouldn’t say it would be a total loss,” he explained. “Old Will might ask you for a date like he does the other women in this town.”

  She was not about to tell him that old Will had already asked for a date that very night when he had given her a ride home. She had barely managed to scrape up the money to pay the sleazy old man for the tow.

  “What about the ride?” he asked. “My dad already gave me directions to your apartment.”

  She shivered, then sneezed as a chilly breeze whipped through her sweater. She wondered what he wanted. Was he afraid that as his employee, she would sue him?

  He seemed pretty cold to her back at his house, but at the library, things seemed to have changed. Or was this when he was going to fire her?

  She was a bit confused, but she wasn’t going to turn down his offer to drive her home. “I could use a ride. Thanks.”

  “My car’s over there.” He gently took hold of her elbow and led her across the parking lot. “You shouldn’t even been thinking about walking.”

  She stiffened beneath his grip. “Excuse me?”

  “You shouldn’t be walking anywhere by yourself. Never know what kind of creatures you may meet at night.”

  Obviously, he was referring to the night on the mountain. But the amusement in his voice did nothing to calm her anger. Though she was still in this man’s employ, he had no right to tell her what to do. No man would tell her what to do again.

  “What I do after work is none of your business.”

  “I beg to differ. However, at this point, I won’t go into a lengthy explanation, so let’s just get into my car before you die of a chill.”

  Before she had a chance to retort, she sneezed again, then swatted a moth flitting about her face.

  “Bless you.”

  She giggled, realizing the entire conversation was bordering on the ridiculous.

  “I say something funny?” he asked.

  “No.” Her eyes lit with amusement.

  “What is it then? My hair? Something on my face?”

  “Your face?” Hannah said, trying to swallow another chuckle as she suddenly recalled the way Mrs. Gould went on and on about the three Clearbrook brothers and their wild bachelor ways, especially Tanner Clearbrook and that sinfully handsome face of his.

  Tanner Clearbrook may be the richest man in town, the older woman had said, but there would be no sashaying his women in her library.

  Hannah wondered what the woman would say if she knew that Tanner smelled of ginger and vanilla, all because he wanted to make his little boy happy.

  Tanner stood, waiting impatiently for an answer.

  Without thinking, Hannah laughed and shook her head. “It was my boss, Mrs. Gould.”

  She sobered quickly, knowing that she would not be seeing Mrs. Gould again. “That is, my ex-boss.”

  Tanner mumbled something and plowed a hand through his hair. “You lost your job?”

  Hannah avoided his gaze and nodded, wrapping her hands tighter around her waist, trying to keep warm.

  “I take it the lady didn’t like me attending to you while you worked?” he asked in an irritated tone.

  Didn’t like him? Even tough she had lost her job, Hannah eased out a smile. “Like you? She told me you were the worst kind of rogue, gallivanting over the globe, with females on every arm, spending money like it was going out of style. You were trouble and she wanted none of that in her library.”

  Hannah wasn’t about to divulge the rest of Mrs. Gould insinuations about her and Tanner. Knowing the man’s temper, it might send him to the moon and back, taking Mrs. Gould along for the ride. At this moment, Hannah realized she still seemed to have her job as tutor. She couldn’t blow it now.

  Tanner’s lips thinned as he smoothly took
her arm and led her to his car. Opening the passenger door and guiding her to her seat, he asked, “And you agreed with her, of course?”

  She cleared her throat, shocked at the way her body reacted to his touch. “No. I told her you were a wonderful father. I think the woman wants you for herself and only made up those horrible stories about you because she wanted something to gossip about at the next Bingo Party.”

  “Wants me?” he asked hoarsely, straightening. “The thought never crossed my mind. I thought it was my father she had her eye on.”

  A rumble of laughter suddenly erupted from Tanner’s throat and Hannah laughed along with him, almost forgetting about her money woes. But when the laughs died down, they found themselves staring at each other. Hannah swallowed hard and averted her gaze, suddenly finding the library entrance terribly fascinating.

  Tanner closed her door and made his way around the Jaguar and into his seat. “I can’t say I’m a wonderful father,” he said roughly, turning lightly to stare at a moth caught on the windshield wiper. “At times, I feel I’ve failed Jeremy.”

  The sudden emptiness that sounded in his voice moved Hannah. “You haven’t failed him. You only need to be with him more. What you did tonight was a start. At least you have a son.”

  She felt her throat begin to tighten. “Most people never have the chance.”

  Why in the world had she said that?

  A hushed silence filled the Jaguar. Hannah wished she could leave the close confines of the car. Tanner Clearbrook was making her feel things she vowed never to feel again. She put her hand on the door handle and jumped in shock when his hand brushed her cheek in a light caress.

  “Never have the chance?” His words were said with such warmth, she felt her heart melt.

  She shrugged and fingered the window, trying to force a smile. “Well, some people never have a chance to have a child.”

  His hand reached out and grasped hers in a gentle grip. “I have a vague feeling there’s something you’re not telling me.”

  Why was this man stirring the deepest emotions from her? Emotions she wanted buried forever. A lump rose in her throat when she turned to face him.

  His words touched her. And even though she hardly knew the man, she could tell that he truly cared.

  “I just lost my job and I have no idea what you want to do with me either.” She hadn’t meant to blurt out the words, but she had.

  His body leaned toward hers and their gazes locked. His reaction was swift and gentle. He brushed her lips. As soon as the kiss started, it stopped. But by that time, Hannah felt as if she had been tipped upside down, ground and shaken like a pepper mill.

  She stared back in shock. Why had she let him kiss her? Because she had wanted the kiss, that’s why. She was more mad at herself than at him.

  He smiled, but the grin never seemed to reach his eyes. “Feeling better?” he asked, turning away and starting the engine.

  “Better?” Hannah blinked. Better than what? A cold fish?

  But he didn’t seem to hear her, or didn’t want to. Maybe Mrs. Gould had been right all along. Maybe he was a man without a heart. Maybe he had driven his wife to her death.

  Guilt instantly assailed her. No, Tanner Clearbrook was just a man who expected women to fall at his feet, but she wasn’t going to be one of them. Not now, not ever.

  “Since I was part of the reason you lost your job, I was wondering if you could come all day tomorrow. I’d like to hire you as full-time nanny for my son as well as a tutor.”

  Hannah stared at him, speechless.

  He seemed to avoid her shocked gaze as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I’d offer you three times as much as the library was giving you.”

  Her chest hurt when she thought about how he’d used her. The kiss had meant nothing to him, nothing but securing her as a tutor. But she needed the money and would have to accept the job...for now. And she sure as heck wouldn’t give him anything else but her time, not a kiss, not her heart, nothing but time.

  “I think I can handle that,” she said stiffly, turning to look out the window.

  “Good. It seems I’m no cook in the gingerbread department. Hope you’ll remember to make it for Jeremy tomorrow. He’s counting on it.”

  “I said I would bring it to Jeremy. I keep my promises, Mr. Clearbrook. If I say I’ll make it, I will.” Her tone had become edged with anger. She turned and saw the determined clench of his jaw, but she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was go to bed - after she made the gingerbread, of course.

  A taut silence filled the Jaguar as he pulled up to her apartment complex and turned those piercing gray eyes upon her.

  “But I don’t want you staying up all night and losing sleep over it.”

  What an attitude! He needed her for his son and would do whatever it took to get her. She sneezed when she opened the door. “Don’t worry about me. I’m only a tutor and a nanny, easily replaced.”

  He stepped out of the car and followed her. “I’ll walk you to your apartment. And you’re more than that to Jeremy, Hannah. You’re his friend. Sort of a confidante.”

  She stopped suddenly and spun around as she fished for her keys in her purse. Her patience was lost somewhere between the library and her apartment. “And what am I to you, Mr. Clearbrook, your guinea pig? Do I kiss as well as your other friends? I wonder if Mrs. Gould was right all along. Don’t bother walking me to my door, I think I can manage. And don’t worry about me showing up in the morning. I’ll be there...for Jeremy. With the gingerbread!”

  The implication seemed to hit its mark and Tanner’s stance stiffened. His gaze drilled into hers, but he said nothing as she turned her back on him and marched past the complex entrance, her shoes hitting the worn carpet hallway with iron determination.

  Mr. John Tanner Clearbrook would have the best tutor and nanny for his money, but that was all he was going to get, because anything else would kill her.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Tanner had tossed and turned the entire night, recalling that kiss. He had to forget about it. Erase it from his mind. When he came to the simple conclusion the kiss was just a stupid mistake on his part, he finally made his decision about Hannah.

  At eight o’clock the following morning, he found himself in his study, making a call to Reach Medicals. He had bought the firm, hoping to make a dent in the medical equipment field.

  “Hello, Jack.” Jack Smithers was the new Human Resource Manager at Reach Medicals. He had yet to meet the man. “Tanner Clearbrook here. You have a resume for a Hannah Elliot?”

  With the phone to his ear, Tanner rapped his fingers against his desk as he waited for the man to get back to him. Jeremy would have both a tutor and nanny this year, and that person would be Hannah Elliot, no matter what strings he had to pull.

  “Yep, that’s the one. No, I want you to put a hold on it. Yeah, go ahead and hire your second choice. I have something else in mind for Miss Elliot. No, don’t send her a rejection just yet.”

  After the phone call, Tanner sipped his coffee, stood up, and stretched. His mind kept returning to last night. He could still feel the warmth of her lips against his, but it was the vulnerability in her gaze that threatened his armor. It was more than the loss of her library job that had caused the naked pain in her eyes. He wondered if a man had hurt her. For some insane reason, fury at the very possibility turned his stomach.

  He couldn’t deny that the emerald-eyed siren had invaded his life like a tornado, and he’d only made things worse by kissing her. The kiss had been a mistake, but it wouldn’t be a mistake that Jeremy would suffer for. He vowed to keep his distance.

  “Tanner?” Fritz stood at the door. “Got a minute?

  Tanner raised an inquisitive brow, not able to disguise the amusement in his gaze. His father was dressed in a pair of neat black cotton pants and a black and white embroidered rodeo-go-to-meeting shirt. “Who you trying to impress at eight in the morning?”

  Fritz tightened his grip on his mountain
stick as he entered. “None of your dang business.”

  Tanner chuckled. Ah, so his father was using that mountain stick today. The man wasn’t happy with his oldest son. Tanner’s father certainly didn’t need that hiking cane at all. In fact, the man rose early and ran every morning.

  “All right. I’ll stay out of your business, if you stay out of mind. Have a seat. I’m not going into the office today, thought I’d hang around here and make a few calls.”

  “Boy, you’re living in a cave. You gotta live a little.” Fritz sauntered over to the window and opened the drapes. A burst of sunlight suddenly filled the room.

  Tanner squinted, brushing a hand across his eyes. “Did you have to do that?”

  A wicked smile spread across Fritz’s face as he took a seat on the sofa, crossing one cowboy boot over the other. “There were times when you used to stare out that window every day. Those Rocky mountains used to be your playground. Skiing, hiking, climbing. You don’t seem to do anything but working these days. Why don’t you take some time off? Buying another company ain’t going to add to your life.”

  Tanner scowled, realizing he was going to receive one of his father's speeches. He turned around and stared at the mountains in the distance. Jagged peaks, painted with shades of green, brown, and gray, met a crystal blue sky. Beautiful was an understatement. How long had it been since he had hiked those trails?

  He shook his head. “Time off? What would I do with my time off?”

  “You could spend some time with Jeremy.”

  Tanner had already been thinking about spending some more time with his son, but his father’s interference was beginning to bother him more than usual. “I already got hoodwinked into making a gingerbread last night that never came into being. What else would you have me do?”

  “Do the things you like. Do the things you used to do with Jeremy before Julie died.”