Spending her Friday night here—with Brandon and the twins—was not at all on her schedule.
His lips curled into an impish smile. “That’s because you didn’t have Uncle Brandon here to help.”
“So what? You’ll take charge of the kids, and I can go downstairs and get caught up on my reading? I do have this romance novel I’ve been dying to read but didn’t have the time.”
“Oh no, sweet Mari. I said help, not take over your job. I’d hate to deprive you of your duties. I’m not that kind of guy.”
She struggled to keep from smiling. Man, he was good. Part of her wanted to tell him to mind his own business, that she could keep up with the kids just fine on her own.
But help would be nice. And since he was stuck here too, might as well take him up on it.
Who knew?
It might even be a little fun. “Fine. I’ll accept your off—”
A blood-curling scream cut off the rest of her response.
Chapter 6
Before she could react, Brandon was off the barstool and halfway to the basement stairs.
Mari ran after him, her heart slamming in her chest, her imagination filling with hundreds of things that could have gone wrong. She never should have left them downstairs by themselves. Stupid, stupid. She could have had her coffee in her kitchen downstairs but hadn’t wanted to wake them or Brandon.
But now—
She took the steps down two at a time, throwing out a prayer for God to help her face whatever would come.
Rounding the stair landing, she froze at the sight of Trinity and Serenity standing on the coffee table, holding each other, eyes wide in terror.
Her gaze darted to Brandon, who stood a few feet from her, arms crossed. His face was more of a scowl of annoyance than the look of fear she’d seen flash upstairs.
“What’s going—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Serenity started screaming again and pointing in the direction of Mari’s feet. “Thewe it is, thewe it is.”
Mari followed the little girl’s finger to the floor—
A big, giant, gray rodent ran across the carpet from under the couch to under the chair beside her.
She sucked in her breath and willed the swelling panic in her belly to stop. She was an adult. Old enough to handle this. She couldn’t act like a big baby in front of the girls, much less their uncle.
Summoning all her courage, she motioned to the girls. “Let’s get upstairs, and maybe Brandon can take care of this for us?”
Both girls shook their head, and Trinity piped up. “We aren’t coming down until it’s gone.”
Brandon spoke up, but Mari couldn’t make out a word, because, at that moment, the creature peeked out from under the chair again and headed straight for her.
Brandon had never really understood the whole romantic element of mice in Cinderella, even though Natalie made him endure the movie over and over as a kid.
At least, not until now, when a tiny mouse had effectively driven a beautiful woman straight into his arms.
Granted, that woman was shrieking as if she were being chased by a grizzly bear or something, but he wasn’t going to complain.
“Calm down. It’s just a mouse.” He lifted her up, pried off the arms that were grasping him by the neck as if somehow holding onto him would save her from all peril, and set her on the coffee table with the kids. Odd that the woman could face a fake burglar with a fireplace poker but came unglued when a mouse showed up. “Let me go see if Nat has any traps—”
The nanny looked at the girls and then to him, her breath coming in short puffs. “You’re not going to, you know, dispose of it permanently, are you?”
That was exactly what he’d planned to do, but now that she mentioned it, bloodying the little bugger in front of the girls might not be too smart. “How about I get each of you over to the stairs, then you can go get breakfast while I escort our little furry friend outside. Would that work?” If he could keep the little guy alive, great. If not—well, it’d still be outside, so he wouldn’t be lying.
Mari looked from him to the girls, then to the floor, as if weighing her options. “That’s—fine. Here, Trinity. Let Uncle Brandon carry you upstairs.”
The twin disengaged from her sister then jumped into his outstretched arms. He carried her, then Serenity, up the stairs to the “safety” of the first floor. No need to tell them that there could be a mouse up there just as easily.
He came back down a second time to see Nanny Mari still on top of the coffee table, arms crossed. “You ready?”
She took a breath. “I must look like a complete idiot.”
“Of course not.” He smiled. “Not complete, anyway.”
His fake barb did the trick since her lips tipped a hair upward. “Thanks a lot. If it helps any, I’m totally cool with spiders. I can swat them like the best of ‘em. But rats—”
“It wasn’t a rat, you know that, right?”
She shook her head, her blond hair, still untamed from sleep brushing her shoulders. “Rat, mouse. Same difference.”
“Guess you’ve never seen a rat, then. Now, come on. Let’s get you to safety.”
“I—I can walk. I’ll be fine.” But her gaze darting around the room said otherwise.
Without giving her a chance to argue, he swept her off the low table into his arms.
Only this time, she wasn’t shrieking and flailing.
Her arms locked around his neck, and her face was much closer to his than he’d anticipated. He could see her pale white skin, void of any makeup, her lips curved and pink and—
“So?”
He blinked and adjusted his hold on her. “Uh, so what?”
“Aren’t you going to carry me to the stairs?”
Ah. Yes. The stairs. “I—sure. Yes. Of course.”
He walked the ten steps or so to the bottom of the landing then started up.
“No, you can set me down here. I can brave the steps myself, I promise.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You sure? I carried the other damsels in distress all the way up.”
“This damsel would like to save what little pride she has left, thank you.”
Giving in, he set her down on the third step, then backed away. His arms felt oddly empty. “Better?”
“Much. Thank you. I—” She glanced up the stairs, then back at him. “Regarding our previous conversation, I’m sure the girls would love their Uncle Brandon to join in snowday fun. I thought I’d start off with some blueberry pancakes. You want some after you’re finished with your hero duties?”
He’d never been called a hero before, but hearing it from this woman’s lips—a woman who was making him regret his vow for bachelorhood a little more by the minute, it sounded pretty darn nice. “I’d love to.”
Chapter 7
If this day were in a fairytale, Brandon Stone would be the villain.
Mari faced the two little girls with their big lower lips stuck out, trying to win her with their most pathetic look.
Brandon stood beside them, sporting the same pouty expression and looking way too appealing for how annoying he was being. “The answer is no. Absolutely not. Natalie would have a fit.”
“No she wouldn’t. It’ll be fun, I promise.”
“Someone could crack their skull open, and in case you forgot, you’re still sporting a head injury. You of all people should know how not fun that is.” Maybe that was the problem. The knock on his head yesterday had damaged a few of his brain cells. Because nothing short of a neuro-malfunction would explain how he would think to suggest flooding the backyard with water to create a makeshift skating rink so the kids could slide around in their boots. And that was on top of the crazy day they’d already had.
After breakfast, he and the kids had gotten the blankets off every bed in the house and made the most giant fort she’d ever seen in the living room. Then they’d had a picnic lunch in the fort, which about gave her a heart attack when Serenity spilled her ju
ice on the high-end hardwood floor. They’d cleaned it up before it did any damage, but still. She couldn’t imagine telling the Hillards that they’d need to replace what had to be insanely expensive flooring.
Then Mari had declared it nap time, but Brandon completely ignored her and declared a game of hide-and-seek.
He’d also ignored her suggestion of keeping the game to one room for safety sake.
Granted, that had turned out to be pretty fun, except maybe that moment when she’d been looking for Brandon, and he’d grabbed her from his spot in the closet. She’d ended up hiding with him in the closet for two uncomfortable minutes, their breath sharing the same space, his arm wrapped around her because there was nowhere else to put it.
That had been the worst part of the afternoon.
Definitely not fun.
At all.
What were they asking again?
Oh yeah. Flooding the backyard.
Serenity pulled on the bottom of her sweatshirt. “Why yow cheeks wed, Miss Mawi?”
She blinked. “They aren’t—” Oh crud. They were. “I’m just a little cold. Another reason why we should stay inside.”
Trinity crossed her arms and stomped her foot. “Why can’t we go skating? That’s not fair! I don’t like you anymore!”
See? This was what happened when the schedule was thrown out the window. Normally sweet children turned into rebels. “Trinity, you know—”
But Uncle Brandon swooped in, picked up the little girl, swung her over his shoulder, and headed for the living room where he deposited her on the couch. “Thanks to you, we get to stay inside for the rest of the evening.”
Trinity frowned and crossed her arms. “That’s not my fault. It’s meanie Miss Mari’s fault.”
She’d only been the nanny for a few weeks, but she’d known Trinity for much longer from church. The little girl had her moments but never had she spoken like that. Something was wrong, and it went beyond schedules.
Brandon shook his head, though. “No, it’s your fault. I was fully prepared to sweet talk Miss Mari into at least letting us go outside, even if we didn’t get the skating rink, but now you won’t be going outside regardless. We do not talk to people like that, and we definitely don’t call your nanny a meanie when she’s just trying to protect you. Got it?”
The little girl’s bottom lip began to tremble, and Mari couldn’t stand it any longer. She crossed the room and dropped onto the couch beside Trinity. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Brandon frowned. “She needs to—”
Mari sent him a look that, thankfully, silenced him, then turned her attention back to Trinity. “I know this isn’t about going outside, so tell me what’s wrong, Trin?”
One big crocodile tear made the journey from her eye down her cheek. “I—I miss Mommy. She’s always home at bedtime, and I haven’t seen her in a long, long time.”
Ah. The mention of Natalie earlier. That was it. “Your mommy is just fine, but the weather is nasty out, and we want her to be safe, right? It’s safer for her to stay at a friend’s house than to drive home. How about this? I’ll text her and see if she can Facetime with you girls. Would that be good?”
The duet of cheers made her heart smile, and then she looked at the man sitting across from her, and her heart did other funny movements as he looked at her with a gaze so intense she thought she might need to turn on the air conditioning.
Chapter 8
Who knew a day with two four-year-olds could be so exhausting?
The children had no clue, that was clear, since it was after eight and they were still bouncing off the walls.
Maybe he should have heeded Mari’s request for nap time earlier in the day.
He was usually the guy who stayed up until two or three in the morning—but today, he could lay down now and sleep like a baby.
Nanny Mari looked to be in the same boat as him. Her eyes were filled with exhaustion, and she was letting the girls pretty much do what they wanted without much reprimand, something, even knowing her less than forty-eight hours, he could tell was very uncharacteristic of her. And the way she’d realized exactly what had been wrong with Trinity earlier—
Man. He’d felt like an idiot for not catching that.
It was all his fault, demanding a day of “fun” and no schedules.
Time for Uncle Brandon to swoop in and fix this.
“Who’s up for a movie and popcorn night?”
Trinity and Serenity let out a whoop and ran circles around him.
Mari sent him a look that could melt an iceberg. He mouthed Trust me to her, then picked both girls up, carrying them under his arms, their legs kicking behind him. “I got the kids, Nanny Mari. You get the popcorn and meet us in the theater.”
Her lips allowed a smile to peek through, although she was obviously trying to hide it. “Yes, sir. Popcorn, coming right up.”
“Look at your nanny getting all proper and sophisticated on me. We’re gonna have to teach her that proper is not allowed when it comes to Uncle Brandon.”
The girls squealed, and Mari rolled her eyes.
He headed to the second-floor bonus room that doubled as a theater. It was his favorite room in the house. They’d made tiered seating, but instead of the traditional theater chairs, each row sported a long, white leather couch. The giant projection TV ran across the back wall of the room, and a fridge and snack bar sat in the back corner. He dropped the kids onto the front row couch, smiling at their giggles. “Okay girls, here’s the deal. You can pick the movie and have popcorn, but the rule is you have to stay in your seat until the movie’s over, and after that, it’s bedtime.” Although if his plan worked, they’d be conked well before the end of the movie.
Serenity clapped her hands. “Fwozen! I wanna watch Fwozen!”
Oh, crap. Maybe letting them pick the movie wasn’t a smart idea. “What about we watch—”
Trinity folded her arms. “No, you said we could pick, and we want Frozen.”
“But I was thinking—”
“Just let it go, Brandon. Let it go.”
He looked up to see Mari standing in the doorway, arms laden with bowls full of popcorn. “Touche.”
She shot him a cheeky grin. “This was your idea, so I think it’s only appropriate.”
Sitting through that movie the first couple times a few years ago had been fine. Even slightly enjoyable, not that he would admit that to anyone. But he was fairly certain he was on view number one-thousand or something like that, and if he heard that song one more time— “I thought I’d go to bed a little early.” He faked a yawn and stretched his arms wide for good measure.
Nanny Mari shoved a bowl into his hands and nudged him toward the second-row couch. “Oh no. You and me, we’re in this together.” She settled the girls with blankets and their popcorn, then started the movie.
When she sat down beside him on the couch, she was rigid as a drumstick and had put a good foot or more between them. He closed the gap by half, propped his feet on one of the footstools, and nudged her with his elbow. “They’re watching a movie now. You can relax.”
She fidgeted with her popcorn bowl, then set it aside and moved to stand. “I should’ve gotten them in pajamas first and brushed their teeth. Let’s pause the movie.”
He reached out and grabbed one of her hands and pulled her back down. “No four-year-old ever died because they slept in their clothes instead of pajamas. And they’re eating popcorn. Brushing their teeth before they’re done doesn’t even make sense.”
“But they might—”
“Get a cavity? In one night? Highly doubtful.”
She wiggled her hand free and sat back against the white leather. “You’d make a terrible dentist, you know that?”
“Well, shucks. You’ve just shattered my future career dreams.”
Trinity got on her knees and turned around. “Can you pretty please be quiet? We can’t hear the movie.”
Brandon bit back a laugh. “Sorry. We’ll st
op.”
She turned back around, and Mari propped her sock-clad feet up next to his, then leaned over and whispered, “She totally just put you in your place.”
He matched her lean, bringing his face next to hers. “No, they were talking to you, Nanny Mari.”
“Were not.”
“Were too.”
This time Serenity turned around and shushed them with a finger to her lips.
Brandon smiled and settled in to watch the movie, but his thoughts were nowhere near the story on the screen about the blond who had the power to freeze, but rather the one sitting next to him who seemed to have the opposite effect on him.
Chapter 9
Brandon was Kristoff.
Mari pondered the thought as she tossed another kernel of popcorn into her mouth. As the snowman sang about summer, she took a moment to ponder the thought.
Hans—now there was a conundrum. Well put together, seemingly hero material, until BAM! Surprise. Big honkin’ jerk. Matched a few of her experiences with men in the past, not that she had much. She’d concentrated on school more than guys.
Oddly enough, before he turned all crazy, she’d been rooting for Hans. Even after she knew how it would end, something in her hoped he would change.
And she’d always been a little eh about Kristoff. He was a jerk to Anna, was rude, overbearing and—
Okay, adorably handsome in a messy, cartoon kind of way.
Yes, Brandon was Kristoff.
“What you thinking about?”
She jolted at the voice inches from her ear. “I—nothing.”
“Bull. You weren’t even watching the movie. Not falling asleep too, are you?”
“The girls—”
She sat up to check on them, but Brandon grasped her arm and pulled her back. “They’re asleep. Been that way since about five minutes after they told us to be quiet.”
“Nice. That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
He nodded and leaned back again. “Definitely. You game for changing the movie now?”
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