Shotgun Nanny (11 page)

Her face flushed. “No. I want to mail it. Please, Uncle Mark? Annie can help me tomorrow.”

With Annie’s help, Bea might get the card in time for Christmas, but if it made Em happy to do it all herself, he was proud of her just for seeing the project all the way through. Yep. Her mother’s determination would take her far.

He watched her carry the card to her room and shook his head. He’d been ready to talk about grown-ups and sex and all she wanted to do was make a get-well card. Kids.

“ANNIE?” Em’s voice rose a little at the end in a way Annie was beginning to recognize as uncertainty.

“Mm?” They were adding toppings to pizza crust, each decorating her own. Annie added a couple more crescents of red pepper to the clown lips on her face. She had no idea what the finished product was going to taste like, but it sure looked cute. Red cabbage made awesomely curly purple hair.

She’d found some olives for eyes. Black would have been best, but as they didn’t have any, she’d made do with stuffed green ones, kind of liking the red dot of pimiento for the pupil in the eye. Her clown pizza had red tomato cheeks, green pepper eyebrows and mozzarella cheese face paint.

Emily was attempting to render Kitsu in pizza. The result was interesting, to say the least, and since she’d promised to eat it, as well as the organic salad, Annie let her use chocolate-covered peanuts for eyes and cover some of the cheese with chocolate powder for his fur.

“We’re having a take-your-mom-to-school project where we get to invite our moms to come and talk about what they do. If you don’t have a mom, you’re allowed to bring another grown-up lady who’s special. And I wondered if I could bring you?”

“You want to take me to school with you?” Annie was surprised at the rush of warmth she felt at the compliment. Emily thought of her as a special woman in her life.

“Oh, yeah. Most of the moms do boring stuff like lawyer and dentist and stuff. Everyone would think it was so cool to have a clown.”

Well, that brought her ego down a notch. So it wasn’t that she was so special. It was because she was a clown that Em wanted her at school. “When is it?” She’d love to come, but she had to remember that she’d be on her way soon. They both had to remember it before there were any hurt feelings.

It was easy when it was a man she was leaving behind. But she’d never left a child before. She’d tried to stop herself from getting involved, and Emily from getting attached to her, but she wasn’t sure she’d succeeded.

She was going to miss Emily, she suddenly realized.

And Mark? a little voice in her head whispered. What about him? Did she think she could just waltz out of his life with no regrets?

A red pepper strip snapped in her fingers.

It wasn’t fair. She’d been very, very clear with both of them that she was on her way to Asia. This was a temporary thing. What was Emily doing asking her to be a standin mom? What was Mark doing kissing her breathless and then leaving her so full of sexual cravings she couldn’t sleep?

Didn’t they have any consideration for her feelings?

She was going to have to be firm. Make it clear that there was to be no emotional entangling happening in the next few weeks.

“Em, I…” She started forcefully enough. Then unfortunately made the mistake of glancing at the little face gazing at her.

“I, uh…” She had to refuse. It wasn’t fair to raise any unrealistic expectations. But the pool of warmth kept growing. Emily saw her as a mother figure. “When is it?”

“In two weeks. Just before school ends.”

“I’d love to come.”

The grin of delight made her glad she’d accepted.

And it was pretty cool that Emily saw her as a mother figure. A sensible older woman she could confide in.

“Will you wear your costume?”

Annie giggled at her own absurdity. Em wanted Gertrude. She didn’t see Annie as any kind of mother. Who would? “If you want me to.”

The violent nod sent Emily’s ponytail bobbing.

“Tell you what, why don’t we both dress up and we’ll do a couple of those tricks we’ve been practicing together?”

“That’d

be

sweet!”

She couldn’t resist leaning down and giving Em a hug. But she had to make absolutely sure the child didn’t get any wrong ideas. “You know I’m not here for much longer. Bea will probably be back soon.”

A funny expression crossed Emily’s face. The kid looked like some shifty character in the movies caught in a lie. But that was just her mind playing tricks on her. Probably she was projecting her own guilt. She knew she was a better nanny than Bea. Well, unless a cutthroat gang of ninja fighters decided to invade North Vancouver. Then Bea would have her beat hands down in the nanny department.

“But what if Bea didn’t come back? Then you could stay.”

“I can’t Em. I…I’m not a real nanny. I do birthday parties.”

“But you can do both, just like now.”

“I’m also going on a trip. To Asia.”

Em spooned mustard onto the pizza, drawing marks on Kitsu’s fur with her fingertip. “You could go any old time. Don’t you like me?”

“Of course I like you.”

“Don’t you like Uncle Mark?”

In spite of herself, heat rushed to her face. Did she ever like Uncle Mark, and if she didn’t get out of there soon, something more than necking on the couch was going to happen between them. “I like your uncle just fine.”

“He likes you, too. I can tell.”

“Let’s get these pizzas finished, then we can take Kitsu for a walk.”

“We’re out of jujubes. We’ll have to stop at the store first.”

Annie had a funny feeling she’d forgotten something, then with a start glanced at the clock on the stove and saw it was already four o’clock. “Oops, better report in to our parole officer.” She’d been a lot better about remembering to phone Mark at threethirty—or thereabouts. Calling in half an hour late was practically on time.

“What?”

“Why don’t you call your uncle and tell him how your day went?”

“Okay.”

She heard Em’s sprightly rendition of her day’s events, then the voice turned accusing. “But you’ve worked late every night this week. Can’t you get home early?

Please? I want to show you how smart Kitsu is. We play catch with the rubber squirrel Annie bought him—”

The child turned from the kitchen phone to Annie and rolled her eyes. “Yes. A rubber squirrel.” She sighed. “Okay. See you later. Bye.”

Annie felt her forehead crease. Every night since the one they’d spent kissing on the couch, he’d had to work late. She wished she knew whether it was the conference keeping him busy, or whether he was trying to avoid her.

This thing between them was driving her crazy. It didn’t matter how late he worked, she heard him come in and move around his room late at night. Then she’d imagine him in his bed just a wall away from her. Did he sleep naked? Or was he a pajamas guy? She’d wonder, and then she’d start thinking about how much she wanted to be in the same bed with him.

As little as they’d been together in the past few days, she’d felt his presence every moment he was in the house. Glanced up to find his eyes on her, so deeply blue and smoldering she felt scorched.

And

frustrated.

She wasn’t like this. She was a normal, uncomplicated woman who liked sex. All this denial was definitely not healthy. He had a door that locked, and she had an escape hatch in the form of a trip to Asia.

A brief, uncomplicated affair was what they both needed. And tonight seemed like a good time to get started.

Once the decision was made, a delicious thrill of anticipation washed over her.

He was the one with the Mountie training, but she was the one about to get her man.

Just as Annie and Emily were leaving the house, the phone rang. Emily answered it. “Hi, Brodie.” She listened for a moment then turned to Annie. “Uncle Mark’s’s friend Brodie left his tennis racket here. He’s going to play tennis and he wants to come pick it up.”

“But we’re just leaving.”

Emily handed her the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

“Hello?”

“I hear you’re beautiful,” said the confident masculine voice on the other end.

She laughed. “Have you been talking to my mother?”

“No. To the most serious man in the world. If he says you’re beautiful, you are. How ’bout I come round and see for myself?”

Mark had told his friend she was beautiful? She felt the compliment and was more flattered than she cared to admit. His friend was the kind of man she understood. Easy and casual. She knew instinctively he’d never try to tie her down. Quite the opposite, she suspected. Her kind of guy.

But not today. “Sorry, Emily and I are just on our way out.”

He cursed softly. “I booked a game for this afternoon and forgot my racket was at Mark’s place.”

“Why don’t I leave it outside the door?”

“It’s a very expensive racket.”

“I’ll hide it behind the juniper bush out front, then,” she said, improvising.

He sighed noisily. “I’d rather you gave it to me in person.”

She glanced at Em, already waiting by the door, Kitsu on his leash. “Maybe another time.”

“You got a date, babe.”

“What are you laughing about?” Em wanted to know when Annie put down the receiver.

“Men, honey. Men.”

After they found the racket and hid it behind the bush they got into Annie’s little car and backed out. Only then did she remember the cursed security gate. Brodie was on his way, and she had no way of getting hold of him. She tapped the steering wheel in frustration, determined not to give up their afternoon outing because of Mark and his security paranoia.

Glancing around the car for inspiration, she noticed she’d left her white trainers in the back. Perfect. After backing the car out past the gate, she grabbed a shoe and hopped out, then wedged it into the gate so it couldn’t close completely. The door of Fort Knox was still locked, so there was no way burglars could get in. With a clear conscience she drove to the beach, where they’d never yet seen a squirrel.

While they walked Kitsu, keeping pockets of jujubes handy and a weather eye out for furry-tailed creatures, Annie plotted Mountie seduction.

She didn’t own a negligee and somehow disliked the idea of a contrived seduction scene. She finally decided she’d beard the lion in his den, as it were. She’d go knock on his door once he was in bed. She had a strong feeling that would get her man. Especially if she walked in on him in her usual night attire.

Nothing at all.

A brisk wind churned the choppy waves, and dark clouds scudded across the sky, but Kitsu was well behaved, and Em had an idea for a new trick. She wanted to make pencils disappear when she brought Annie to school.

“That’s pretty easy,” Annie assured her. “We’ll need a big handkerchief and a few hours’ practice. We can also pluck an eraser from behind your teacher’s ear if you want.”

They giggled and planned until the first fat drops of rain plopped on their bare heads. “We should have brought an umbrella,” Em wailed as the smattering of rain turned into a downpour.

“I don’t own an umbrella.”

“Uncle Mark does. He has lots.”

“Why am I not surprised? Come on, let’s run for the car.”

“BAD NEWS, M ARK. He’s confirmed,” said Amanda Kelly, his executive assistant, sighing and leaning into his office.

“The

dictator?”

She nodded. Amanda looked as tired as he felt.

“Damn.” He rubbed the back of his neck. Security planning for the conference had been going too smoothly. Now they’d have to add extra security for the unpopular dictator whose health had been failing and whom Mark had hoped would stay home. Mentally he began reviewing the extra precautions he’d need to take.

There’d be more political and law-enforcement liaisons to be added to the equation, tighter security all around. His job had just got a lot bigger. “Right. Set up a meeting with—”

He was interrupted by a redheaded, red-faced home security monitor, who brushed past Amanda. “Mark, your home gate’s been breached.”

He was on his feet and running. His team knew what to do without being told. What he needed to do was get home. An overwhelming fear began to build in his chest as he raced to protect his girls.

While he drove home as fast as he dared, he tried Annie’s cell. No answer. His home phone. The service.

He decided to drive by his house and make a visual assessment of the situation, then he’d put a plan of action together based on what he could see.

He drove by the house, careful not to draw attention to himself by traveling too slowly, and squinted against the ominous gray clouds.

It didn’t take long. A familiar running shoe propped the gate open. He slammed on the brakes and began cursing. And put an immediate plan together. Simple and expedient.

Fire the damn nanny.

9

“YIPPEE, Uncle Mark’s home,” squealed Emily as they drove through the gate.

A delicious quiver of anticipation danced in Annie’s belly. He’d come home early today of all days. It was like a sign that they were meant to get up close and personal tonight. She had all evening to seduce him in subtle little ways. She could hardly wait to get started.

Even Kitsu was happy. He leaped from the tiny hatchback and jumped and danced toward the front door. He acted more like a puppy and less like a guard dog every day, she was pleased to note.

Checking to make sure her belly ring was in plain view and suddenly not minding so much that her shirt had got plastered to her body by the rain, she followed, wondering who belonged to the red sports car parked beside Mark’s SUV and very much hoping the owner wasn’t female.

Emily was in the door ahead of her, the dog bounding behind. “Hi, Uncle Mark. Hi, Brodie,” she called in her singsong voice.

When she followed Em into the kitchen where two powerfully built men were drinking beer, Annie discovered two things. One, Brodie matched his voice. He was slick, from his groomed mustache to the tennis whites he managed to wear with a rakish air. From his position, lounging against the counter, predatory hazel eyes scanned her openly and shouted, “Come to bed,” loud and clear.