Professor and the Nanny (Silhouette Romance) (3 page)

“Da-da,” the little boy burbled, and grabbed a fistful of his daddy’s hair.

Ethan didn’t display pictures of Danny all around his house, Brittany thought, but the look on his face when he hugged his little son left no doubt of his love and pride in the youngster.

“I’m glad to hear you consider his company a pleasure,” Hannah said sourly, “because you’re going to get plenty of it. I’m moving to Chicago tomorrow, so I’m afraid he’s all yours.”

Brittany couldn’t believe what she’d heard, and apparently neither could Ethan. “You’re what?” he roared.

“You heard me,” she snapped, “but let’s go inside so the neighbors aren’t treated to an earful.”

She wrestled a high chair out of the van and carried it up the driveway, followed by Ethan carrying Danny. Neither Brittany nor Nate knew what to do, but they finally grabbed some boxes and brought up the rear.

Back inside the house Ethan picked up a folded playpen and led the way down the hall to the family room. The others put down their burdens and followed. When they reached their destination Ethan put the youngster on his feet and Danny
immediately took off running from table to sofa to chair, all the while squealing with delight.

“This room has been pretty much childproofed,” Ethan said. “I’ll let him run around for a while, but we can put him in the playpen if he starts getting into things.”

Hannah slumped down on the sofa with a sigh. Even in jeans and no makeup she looked like a model. Her complexion was radiant and her short, blunt-cut hair was blond with golden highlights.

“I need a drink,” she announced. “I’ve been going at top speed all day and still I’m nowhere near ready.”

“Ready for what?” Ethan demanded. “What’s this nonsense about moving to Chicago? I’m telling you right now, if you’re planning to transfer up there, forget it. I’ll never give my permission for you to take Danny so far away.”

She shrugged. “I’m not asking you to. I can’t take him with me. I’ve been offered one of those once-in-a-lifetime promotions, but I’ll have to headquarter out of the Chicago office. Also I’ll be traveling a lot, both national and international. So, I’m leaving Danny with you. You’ve always complained that you don’t get to see enough of him.”

She straightened up and looked around. “Where’s my drink? Surely one of you big strong men can fix me a margarita.”

“I’ll do it,” Nate volunteered, then looked at Brittany. “Come with me and I’ll show you where the liquor cabinet is.”

She already knew where the liquor was kept, but she also realized that she had no business standing around eavesdropping on the Thorpes’ private conversation.

A hot flush stained her cheeks and she hurried along beside Nate on their way to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry you had to hear all that,” he said gruffly. “When those two start having at it, things can get pretty heated.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry,” Brittany corrected him. “I should have left the minute Ethan got home. It’s just that everything happened so fast—Where does Ms. Thorpe work?”

“She’s a big shot in a company that manufactures computer parts, and she’s determined to break through the glass ceiling and make it all the way to the top. And don’t apologize,” Nate said. “I’m glad you stayed. Do me a favor and don’t leave yet.”

Brittany blinked. “But all this is really none of my business—”

“Don’t be too sure,” Nate said as they reached the kitchen. “Ethan’s gonna need help tonight, and much as I love my frisky little grandson I can’t keep up with him.”

Nate retrieved the key to the liquor cabinet from its hiding place in a drawer, opened it and fixed Hannah’s drink. “My sons think I don’t know how infirm I am and I let ’em believe that, but I do know. I won’t risk lettin’ little Danny get hurt or lost because I had one of my spells of confusion when I was supposed to be watchin’ him.”

He finished mixing the cocktail and picked up the glass. “I’ll pay you overtime, of course.”

Brittany noticed that his hands were shaking and she silently but firmly took the glass from him before it spilled. This was a sign that his blood sugar was low and it was imperative that he eat something.

“Of course I’ll stay if you want me to,” she assured him, “but as a friend, not a nurse. There will be no talk of paying me overtime. Now, get a peach out of the fridge and eat it while I take this drink to Ms. Thorpe.”

He smiled. “You’re a sweet girl—uh, I mean woman. Sorry, I forgot—”

She felt a rush of affection much as she would feel for a grandfather if she still had one.

“That’s all right.” There was a catch in her voice. “I’ll
make an exception for you. You may call me a girl anytime you want to.”

She turned and walked toward the family room.

As she got closer she heard Ethan and Hannah arguing. “There’s no way I can take Danny full-time on such short notice,” Ethan said angrily. “You might at least have given me a few weeks’ warning.”

“I just got word of the promotion yesterday,” Hannah explained testily, “and it’s predicated on whether or not I can be there and take over on Monday. I agree it’s unreasonable, but don’t forget I didn’t want a baby in the first place. If you’d used a little more restraint…”

She let the sentence trail off as Brittany felt the hot flush of embarrassment. “I worked hard to get where I am in my career today,” Hannah continued, “and I don’t intend to give it up. Besides, we always agreed that as soon as Danny was old enough you’d take physical custody of him.”

She glanced up and saw Brittany coming through the doorway with her cocktail. “Well, it’s about time,” she snapped.

Brittany clenched her jaw in an effort not to respond to the other woman’s taunt. As she walked over to the couch and handed the drink to Hannah, the baby let out a wail from the front of the house. Ethan turned and strode quickly up the hall, leaving Brittany and Hannah alone. Neither spoke at first, then Hannah said, “Are you really a nurse?”

“I’m a medical assistant,” Brittany explained. “I see to it that Nate gets his shots and his meals on time, and watch him to make sure he doesn’t wander off.”

Hannah took a sip of her drink. “You aren’t going to be taking care of Danny, are you?” The disapproval in her voice was strong.

“That’s not what I was hired for,” Brittany said angrily. “I’m a nurse and Nate is my patient. You and Ethan will have to decide who takes care of the baby.”

Just then they heard Ethan, Nate and Danny coming back
to the family room. Ethan carried the crying child. “Now what’s wrong with him,” Hannah asked sulkily. “He’s been fussing all day.”

“Well, for one thing his diaper’s wet,” Ethan told her. “Also, he’s probably tired and hungry.”

“Well that’s not my fault,” Hannah whined. “I can’t do everything at once. The only reason he was happy when I first brought him over here is because you and Nate spoil him to death.”

Ethan gently patted the child’s back. “Where’s what’s-her-name? The latest nanny.”

“Hayley,” Hannah said, supplying the name. “Ungrateful little snip. She packed up and left as soon as I told her I was moving to Chicago. I thought you might want to hire her to take care of Danny over here, but she said something about going to stay with a friend in Los Angeles and took off. She’d planned to give me her notice tomorrow.”

Even though she hadn’t had much experience with small children, Brittany had always been drawn to them and she could understand why Danny was so upset. The atmosphere in the room was volatile, and even though he wouldn’t understand what was being said, the voices raised in anger were chilling.

Her heart went out to the poor little guy, who was sobbing noisily on his daddy’s shoulder, and she looked at Ethan.

“If you’ll give me a diaper I can change him,” she offered.

“Would you?” Ethan asked.

“Sure,” she said.

“I’ll get them.” He left the room to return a few minutes later with a package of disposable diapers and baby wipes.

He walked over to where Brittany was standing and put the box on an end table, then peeled Danny’s arms from around his neck and handed him to Brittany.

Danny would have none of that and screamed, “No, Da-da, Da-da” as he held his arms out for Ethan to take him again.

Danny was solid and his kicking and squirming made it hard for Brittany to hold on to him, but she backed away when Ethan tried to take him again.

“No, let me keep him,” she said. “If I can wrestle two-hundred-pound men in and out of hospital beds I can surely tame a twenty-five-pound baby.”

She picked up the packages and carried them and the child to the other couch. “There now, little guy,” she crooned. “Don’t be afraid. I just want to put dry pants on you.”

She sat down and held Danny over her shoulder the way Ethan had, then lightly massaged his back and talked quietly to him in a reassuring tone. He still sobbed but he was no longer so frantic.

Finally, when Brittany was fairly sure he would submit to her ministrations, she laid him on the couch on his back and unsnapped the inside seam of his blue denim overalls.

She continued to talk to him all the time she worked. There was no conversation in the room. Everyone watched in silence, undoubtedly afraid he’d tune up again if it was broken.

When she finished, she picked him up and sat him on her lap. He waved his arms and grinned. She had the distinct impression that everyone was fighting the urge to break out in applause.

What a ridiculous idea! She’d managed to quiet Danny, but after all she was a nurse and, besides, she had a natural affinity for children.

She looked up at Ethan. “If you want me to I can give him his supper. Nate’s overdue for something to eat, too. I’m willing to feed them both while you and Ms. Thorpe put all these baby things away—”

“Sorry, guys, but you’re on your own,” Hannah said as she stood up. “I have all I can handle getting my own stuff packed and ready to leave.”

She turned to face Ethan. “Contact our lawyer and have the necessary papers drawn up transferring custody of Danny from
joint to you. I’ll sign them. All I ask is reasonable visitation rights.”

She dug her car keys out of her purse. “My flight leaves at three-thirty tomorrow afternoon. I’ll come by on my way to the airport and say goodbye to Danny. Make sure he’s available.”

She turned and walked up the hall and out the door.

Brittany sat on the couch with the contented baby on her lap, and Ethan and Nate stood, all three staring after the retreating figure in utter amazement.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Nate gasped. “Don’t that beat all! I never did like that woman, son, but I figured that since she was the one you chose to marry it wasn’t up to me to criticize, but now…”

He let the sentence trail off and grabbed the back of the couch Brittany was sitting on with both hands. Brittany caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and instinctively called out “Catch him” as Nate wavered back and forth.

The sharpness of her tone set little Danny off again, but Ethan understood the warning and wrapped his arms around his dad’s shoulders.

“It’s okay, Dad,” he said soothingly as he steadied Nate and walked him around to the front of the couch.

Brittany stood up with the crying baby in her arms, and Ethan stretched his father out in a reclining position on the sofa. “You all right now, Dad?” he asked anxiously.

“I’ll get his candy,” Brittany said, and hurried to the kitchen, still carrying the squalling child, to get a roll of fruit-flavored Life Savers. It was a quick way to bring her patient’s blood-sugar level back up to normal and avoid diabetic shock.

When she got back to the family room Ethan stood up and took Danny from her while she sat on the edge of the couch and handed Nate the proper number of candies. While he chewed she kept her hand on the pulse in his wrist and her eyes on the slightly uneven rise and fall of his chest.

“Is he going to be okay?” Ethan asked above the clamor of Danny’s sobs.

“Oh, yeah,” she assured him. “His blood sugar apparently took a dramatic fall due to the stress of all the upsetting things going on around here, plus he missed his afternoon snack. I was fixing him something to eat when your wife arrived and got everything in an uproar.”

“
Ex
-wife,” Ethan corrected her.

Brittany got a perverse pleasure out of Ethan’s hurry to deny any close relationship with Hannah. How could that woman just abandon their baby like this? It’s true her company hadn’t given her much time to make a choice between her career and her child, but she could have at least shown a little remorse. Instead she didn’t seem to be able to get away fast enough.

“Yes, well whatever,” she said, “Nate needs to eat. I noticed you have an assortment of TV dinners in the freezer. Is it okay if I heat some of those in the microwave?”

“I’d appreciate it very much,” Ethan answered. “I like roast beef. What will you have, Nate?”

“Fried chicken,” Nate said, but before Brittany could protest that deep-fried chicken was filled with fat, Nate continued. “It’s a brand especially made for people with dietary restrictions. My doctor has approved it.”

She was happy to hear that. “Okay, then, and what does Danny eat?”

“I’ll feed him,” Ethan said, “while you fix dinner and take care of Dad. There’s plenty in the freezer. Take whatever you want for yourself.”

“Fine,” she said, and looked at Nate. “You stay right there and don’t try to get up. It won’t take but a few minutes to microwave your frozen chicken. Do you still have black spots in front of your eyes?

He shook his head. “No, that candy did the trick. My hands aren’t shaking, either.”

For the next few hours Ethan and Brittany worked unceasingly. Ethan fed Danny, then put away the baby furnishings he needed and carried all the things he had duplicates of, such as high chairs and cribs, down to the basement. Brittany fixed the TV dinners for the three adults and kept an eye on both Nate and his little grandson.

At seven-thirty she caught up with Danny and gave him a bath. He splashed happily in the tub, getting her almost as wet as he was. She rummaged through the chest of drawers in the nursery upstairs and found a pair of pajamas with cartoon characters printed on them. She put them on him and sat down with him in the handmade chair that Ethan told her had rocked several generations of Thorpe babies to sleep.