Polly knew she probably shouldn’t, but she giggled. Maddie had given them all chocolate cake one night as a treat for dessert, and Mitch had acted like a schoolboy on Christmas morning for all the joy it seemed to bring him. She’d made a mental note to be sure Maddie baked it for his birthday.
But now...to be compared to that same cake...her stomach fluttered. “I’m sure you misunderstood.”
The two girls groaned, and Louisa shook the dress. “You should still wear this.”
Isabella tugged at Polly’s nightdress. “Pwetty,” she said, pointing to the dress Louisa held up.
“Now,” Clara said, sounding like a much older girl. “Finish your breakfast so we can get you ready for your big day.”
Polly sighed. Even though she felt the children’s previous nannies were too easily intimidated by them, she couldn’t deny that the children knew how to make things happen—their way.
She managed to eat her breakfast and get dressed according to the children’s plan, all the while trying to determine what God’s plan was in all of this.
And even though she’d had time to read her Bible before heading out on her expedition, Polly still wasn’t any closer to answers when she arrived at the livery to meet Mitch to go to the picnic spot. Mitch hadn’t arrived yet, which should have given her time to collect herself, only it served to make the butterflies dance in her stomach even more.
What if Mitch didn’t come?
What if this was one of the children’s famous pranks? They’d only done minor things to Polly, and that was only in the first days. Once she’d earned their trust, they hadn’t tried anything else. They’d even told her about their tricks to drive former nannies away.
Setting the nanny up romantically with their father? Now that was something the children hadn’t done. And surely they wouldn’t do such a thing, not in malice anyway.
But out of the misguided notion that they needed a new mother?
The trouble with sorting out her own heart in the matter was that it wasn’t just about her and Mitch, but five other delicate hearts that had already been broken.
What was she to do?
Mitch strode into the livery, looking puzzled for a moment, but his face brightened when he saw Polly.
“What’s this about a picnic? I thought today was your day off.”
Polly stared at him. “I thought you invited me.”
Then they looked at each other and laughed. “The children.”
“Well, that settles that,” Polly said, brushing her skirts. “I should have asked more questions about the mysterious note, but I’d taken it in good faith that they wouldn’t...”
She sighed. “Well, all right. I had my suspicions. But it’s so hard to know the right thing to do and not disappoint them.”
Mitch grinned. “They are masters at the game. If I weren’t trying to raise them to do the right thing in life, they would make excellent traveling salesmen, peddling wares of questionable origin.”
“Mitch!”
“It’s true, I’m afraid. They get that from their mother. She could sell a bear a new fur coat without even trying. Their persuasiveness can be a good thing, as long as they learn the difference between persuasion and manipulation.”
He took off his hat and held it in his hands as he looked at her solemnly. “And in your case, I’m so sorry that they’ve manipulated you. I suppose none of us are impervious to their charms.”
“It’s not your fault. I should have just come to you when I started getting the notes. I just didn’t want to embarrass anyone.”
Or herself, but Polly didn’t want to say that. Obviously, she’d been a fool for thinking that there was anything between her and Mitch. Or that Mitch could feel anything for her.
His cheeks colored slightly. “I guess we’re both guilty, then, because I’d been getting notes as well. I didn’t want to make things awkward by talking to you about them, so I just tossed them in the fire.”
At least the mystery was solved. But Polly wanted to kick herself for letting the thought of those notes occupy so much of her time.
Mitch held up the picnic basket. “So what should we do with this, then?”
“I’m surprised you even brought it.”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to, but then I thought that perhaps you only wanted to meet so that we could talk about the children alone and the picnic was just an excuse.”
Something warm shone in his eyes, and he gave her a small smile. “Plus, I would have felt bad leaving you all alone. I’d been rehearsing a speech all the way here to let you down gently. I may not want to marry you, but I definitely value having you in my life.”
Small comfort, she supposed, since she wasn’t sure she wanted to marry him. Except she hadn’t expected it to sting so much when he said he didn’t want to marry her.
“The feeling is mutual.” She gave a smile as if to show they were both on the same page, but it didn’t feel right. It felt fake, forced and completely unlike what Polly felt inside.
Which was ridiculous, considering she hardly knew her own mind on matters these days, let alone what the Lord wanted for her. Clearly, based on Mitch’s speech, a relationship with Mitch was not it.
Mitch lifted the end of the cloth covering the top of the basket. “It does smell good, though. It couldn’t hurt to go on a picnic, could it? We could discuss how we’re going to handle the situation with the children.”
Then he paused, looking dejected. “I’m sorry, it’s your day off. I shouldn’t impose on your time. I’ll go home and let the children know that their trick didn’t work and that they need to get this ridiculous notion out of their minds.”
And now it was Polly’s turn to feel bad about the whole situation.
“No. I don’t mind. I understand there are some of Maddie’s tarts in that basket, and it would be a shame to let them go to waste. Besides,” Polly said, smiling at him, “I didn’t have any plans for the day beyond stopping by the mission and saying hello to everyone.”
She had to remind herself that it meant nothing when Mitch’s eyes lit up. Merely an employer being grateful that his children’s antics hadn’t spoiled everything, and that there were no hard feelings.
“Let me take that, and you can see to our buggy,” Polly said, reaching for the basket.
Their hands met and for a moment, Polly caught a spark that traveled all the way up her arm and when she looked into Mitch’s eyes, she could tell that he felt it too.
Or was that her mind playing tricks on her again?
* * *
Mitch tried telling himself that the spark he’d felt when he’d handed the basket off to Polly meant nothing. And as he took the reins of the horses, he forced himself to banish the image of the sparkle in her eyes from his mind.
At least he knew now that the notes hadn’t been from her. More of the children’s trickery, which he would deal with severely when he got home. He’d make sure they understood in no uncertain terms that people’s hearts were not things to be trifled with.
Polly met him at the front of the livery, basket in her arms and a smile on her face. Truly, if he had been looking for a wife, he couldn’t go wrong with Polly MacDonald. Except, of course, that she didn’t want to be a wife, and that’s where nothing romantic could ever happen between them.
She wore a pretty pink dress, with the lace edging the women in his store had gone mad to have, and unlike many of the women he saw sporting the fashion, he found it suited her. There was something very lovely about how the delicate lace trimming her collar framed her face. No one would suspect that underneath the exterior of the tiny woman with such gentle features, lay such an indomitable spirit.
Admiring Polly’s outer beauty was no chore for the eyes, but he found that the more he saw into her heart, the more difficult it was
to keep his own heart from becoming entangled. The cliché of the things inside a person being what counted had never proven itself to be more true than with Polly.
How could he fault her for wanting to protect his feelings? For wanting to do right by his children. Everything about her oozed love, and her compassion made him want to...
Stop it, he told himself sternly. He’d come on this picnic to make things right between them, not make them more uncomfortable. Which is exactly what he’d be doing if he kept mooning over a woman he could never have.
He assisted Polly into the carriage, trying not to notice how much he enjoyed the feel of her hand in his, even if it was just for a moment.
These things were best not dwelled upon.
Once they were on their way, he said, “Do you have any ideas as to how we should deal with the children on this? I admit, my first reaction was anger, and I know that’s the wrong thought.”
He smiled at her. “But really! They shouldn’t have trifled with your heart.”
“Or yours,” Polly said quietly. “But they’re children, and they can’t possibly understand the consequences of meddling with people’s hearts. They think they know a good many things about love and romance, but in truth, they have no idea what real love is.”
Good point, but Mitch wasn’t even sure he knew what real love was. After all, he’d been duped into marriage and forced to remain in that marriage to protect his children. The only love he could rightly speak of was that of a father for his children, and even then, he felt woefully unable, given his inability to see what had been happening to them.
“So what do we do?”
He glanced at her, noting the thoughtful expression on her face and appreciating once more that Polly was a woman of depth and compassion.
Finally, she spoke. “I think we need to be honest with them. I’ve tried explaining to them that there isn’t anything romantic between us and that I will always be there for them, but perhaps if we come to them together and let them know that we’re on to them, they’ll finally understand.”
Polly’s idea sounded so much more optimistic than the thoughts in his head. He’d reasoned with them multiple times over the years, but it seemed that when they got a thought into their heads, they wouldn’t let go.
“I’m not so sure...” Mitch decided that sharing his experience was the best option. “If they’re convinced that you’re the one to be their new mother, nothing is going to stop them until they get their way.”
Polly made a small noise in the back of her throat. Her expression was more thoughtful, and he decided it was best to give her a few moments to think. Besides, he needed to keep his focus on the horses. They were driving through a narrow canyon now, almost to the mining camp and the picnic spot Polly had brought them to before.
He glanced over at Polly, who seemed too lost in thought to pay much attention to the scenery. Thanks to her, one of his biggest problems—dealing with the children—seemed almost nonexistent. Sure, they still had to figure out how to keep the children’s matchmaking machinations at bay, but that seemed simple compared to everything else he’d worried about with them.
If only his other problems were so easily solved.
As they pulled up to the picnic spot, Polly finally spoke. “I think the key to dissuading the children is for us to spend as little time together as possible. They seem to think there’s something between us, and the more we’re together, the more it makes them think it’s true.”
Mitch frowned. “What makes you think that?”
“How much time did you spend interacting with the children while their previous nannies were present?”
As he thought about the answer, he understood her point. “Our picnic the other day was definitely not something I’ve ever done with another nanny.”
“Exactly.” She wore the same calm expression as she always did in working with the children, and part of him hated that she was using it on him now.
“Even though there are any number of reasons for the fact that you’re spending more time with us than you have with other nannies, the only reason they can see is that it must be romantic.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t spend time with my children, then?” The words stung in his mouth and pained him to even let them come out.
“No.” She appeared to consider her words for a moment. “But I think we have to find some way of trading off. When you want to be with the children, then I’ll go find something else to do. When it’s time for their lessons, then you should make yourself scarce.”
Her logic was sound, and yet he didn’t like her words. He and Polly made a great team, allowing the children to have plenty of attention and love.
“We work so well together. You have a knack for keeping the younger children occupied while I spend time with the older children and vice versa.”
Polly nodded slowly. “The children say you look at me like I’m chocolate cake.”
Mitch closed his eyes. Had he been so obvious in his attraction to her?
“I meant no offense,” he said carefully.
“I know. But the children aren’t good at understanding subtleties and nuances, and what was probably a very innocent expression on your part, they took to be romantic.”
“I see.” Mitch parked the buggy, then helped Polly out.
She didn’t say anything else, but she didn’t need to. Her words had given him more than enough food for thought, and further conversation between them seemed to be almost pointless.
They shared their picnic lunch, carefully exchanging pleasantries as Polly updated him on the children’s progress with their lessons. They were bright, all of them, but that didn’t surprise Mitch in the least. What did surprise him, however, was that when Polly opened the container holding their desserts—two tarts and a large slab of chocolate cake—he found that the chocolate cake held no pleasure for him.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He would have enjoyed the cake, savored it, even, had it not been for the fact that now, thanks to his children, he’d never be able to look at a piece of chocolate cake without thinking about how much he wished things could be different with Polly.
They didn’t linger after they ate but quickly packed up and returned to town, a new distance between them. Mitch tried telling himself it was best for the children this way, but he found he couldn’t swallow the lie. Even on the short ride home, he missed the easy camaraderie with Polly.
If he could say the one thing that had been missing from his courtship with Hattie, the one thing that, looking back, he wished he’d realized, it was how little he truly enjoyed her company. He’d been enamored of her, and yet, he couldn’t say for certain that he’d ever actually liked her.
With Polly, it was different. He liked her. And the more time he spent with her, the more he liked her and the more attractive he found her.
Which was why the hopelessness of them ever being together seemed all the more cruel. He couldn’t act on his feelings for her because it might scare her away. Or worse, she might choose to stay, and grow to resent him because of it.
When they arrived home, it was a blessing to leave the tension of being with her but not being able to be with her. They’d lost something very precious on the picnic, but Polly was right. For the sake of the children, it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t fair to them to hold on to hopes of their marriage if such a thing were not possible.
But as soon as they walked up to the porch, the door flew open, and an excited chorus demanded, “So? Are you getting married?”
He didn’t even have to look at Polly to know that her expression screamed “I told you so.”
“No, we are not,” Mitch said calmly, watching the excitement fizzle out of them like a fire doused with a bucket of water. “In fact, I am very disappointed in all of you for setting this whole t
hing up. There is nothing romantic between Polly and me, and there never will be. You must stop this nonsense of wanting her to be your mother immediately. If I find any more notes, there will be consequences.”
Mitch had no idea what the consequences would be, and he wasn’t sure if he was glad for it or not. The children delighted in finding ways around punishment, and they always tested the rules. But as he examined their crestfallen faces, he hoped that this was one situation they would not challenge.
He couldn’t afford the heartbreak otherwise.
Chapter Fourteen
The children seemed to accept Mitch’s edict about no more matchmaking, at least in terms of his not finding any more notes. However, they had taken to making sure that in every conversation, at least one of them mentioned needing a mother, or wanting Polly to be their mother. In fact, life at the Lassiter house had fallen into a neat routine. He and Polly were polite to each other, and though he missed the camaraderie they’d shared, the children also seemed to sense the distance between them.
Chocolate cake indeed.
Mitch was shaking his head as he exited the church, pleased that no one at the Sunday service seemed to know who he was, or anything about his scandal.
“Excuse me? Are you Mitch Taylor?”
Mitch sighed as he turned around. He shouldn’t have even thought it.
A pretty young blonde, younger than Polly, with a bright smile greeted him.
“I’m Helena Jenkins. I help out in the Sunday school.”
Mitch closed his eyes and said a quick prayer. At least the poor girl didn’t appear to be doused in anything.
She gnawed at her lip, as though she was struggling to come up with the right words to say.
“It’s all right,” Mitch said, giving her his most encouraging smile. “I’m sure that whatever you have to tell me about my children won’t surprise me.”
After all, there wasn’t much worse they could do after that time they set a previous nanny on fire. Granted, it had been an accident, and the only damage was to the nanny’s skirt, where the children had dropped a candle, but in the retelling amongst society, it had turned into something worse.
The Nanny's Little Matchmakers (Love Inspired Historical) Page 17