"Ooh, Aaron, she's so young! And
pretty!" Mina Garcia, housekeeper and longtime family friend
of U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Aaron Petrowski,
clapped her dark hands together. She peeked out the
Petrowski home window as the nanny applicant exited her car.
The very young and vivacious applicant, very unlike the
empty-nested grandmotherly types who'd interviewed so far.
Mina clutched Aaron's sleeve and continued to emit strange
little squeaks as the trim-but-not-too-thin blonde crunched
across a calico pattern of fallen leaves carpeting the yard
he really should have raked. "Aaron Michael! Shame on you
for not telling me how glaringly gorgeous she is!"
Glaringly gorgeous? That hadn't even entered his mind
yesterday at the agency. What had attracted him were Sarah's
on-paper credentials and her enthusiasm and gratitude over
being chosen as a candidate for the job.
Trek paused, Sarah bent to pull a punctured leaf from her
conservative but classy spiked heel. When she stood and eyed
the house, catching a glimpse of them watching from the
window, her excited wave and ready smile rivaled September's
sun. Glaringly gorgeous?
Yeah, now that Mina mentioned it…
Aaron eyed Mina cautiously. "You haven't acted this excited
about any of the other applicants, Mina. Please tell me
you're not trying to find us something more permanent than a
nanny?"
"What? Me?" Mischief twinkled from wise Hispanic eyes as she
waltzed to the door with an agility and ease that told him
she might have been exaggerating her "aches and pains" of late.
Though his boys could benefit from another mother, the last
thing Aaron needed was another wife. The current state of
his career wasn't conducive to relationships.
So why then did his heart suddenly start skipping beats as
he stretched to peer around his housekeeper for a glimpse of
Miss Sarah Graham, the woman he'd met at the agency yesterday?
"Hi! Hi! Come on in!" Mina grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled
her inside, nearly robbing the young lady of her balance.
Mina's exuberance left petite Sarah looking vaguely
shell-shocked.
Mina suddenly possessed the lightness of a butterfly and the
speed of a cheetah. Never before had she hugged any of the
other applicants. All of them she'd eyed, hawklike, and
interrogated, then shooed from his home in sputters of disgust.
Onto Mina's game, Aaron couldn't help it. He chuckled.
Sarah stepped farther inside and lifted her head at the
sound. Their gazes locked for a very electric second.
A creamy glow graced her face. Layered light blond hair with
trendy dark streaks fell in luxurious locks around her
shoulders with every graceful movement. Wow. Beautiful
indeed. Though dressed more executively today, she still
looked way younger than most other applicants.
And… he should not be noticing that. At forty, he had to be
at least ten years her senior. More like fifteen.
The draw of Sarah's lovely smile as she stuck out her hand
to shake his made him forget what he was about to say. "Mr.
Petrowski. Nice to see you again. This is Mina, I take it?"
Sarah's expression went from nervous to warm when Mina
vigorously shook her hand. Sarah eyed her curiously, then
shifted to face him.
He cleared his throat. "Please, do come in." Major Duh,
Sergeant Goof. She was already in. "Farther in,
rather." He scratched his eyebrow and straightened his mouth
to keep from laughing at himself.
Sarah started to shrug out of her jacket. She paused as her
head tilted up to peer around at the jewel-toned foyer as
though looking for someone. The twins, maybe?
He smiled. She'd meet the two of them in all the glory of
their nearly four-year-old furor soon enough.
Mina tugged at the young woman's sleeve, helping the
extraction along. "Si, take off this coat and stay
a while."
A lo-ong while, Aaron thought, then refined his
smile. He didn't need another pretty ornament around the
house. He needed someone who could handle his children in
their unruly moments. To safely care for them with
compassion, and dare he say, love?
Aaron stuck out his hand, engulfing Sarah's in it. "Pleasure
to see you again, Miss Graham…Sarah," he corrected and
closed the door.
"You, too." She shifted a scuffed brown-leather backpack
purse farther onto her slim shoulder. The worn item seemed
out of place with her crisp, modern grayish-pink business
suit and dressy heels.
His breath hitched at the stark blue of her eyes. He hadn't
noticed that yesterday. "The boys are with friends until we
get more acquainted, since yesterday was rushed. You can
meet them another day if we move forward."
She clasped delicate hands together, but not in an obnoxious
sense. "I can't wait." Sincere glee on her face proved it so.
She tucked strands of stylish hair behind her ear and peered
around the large, open rooms. And at the toys his sister
Ashleigh overdosed the boys with. And at the groceries and
laundry strewn about.
Mina rushed forward. "You won't have to keep it clean. All
he needs is someone to watch the children."
"Mina takes care of cooking and housework," Aaron agreed.
Sarah made a pleasant sound. Half laughter, half sigh of relief.
"That's good to know. Though I've no trouble with housework,
I'm not that great a cook. While I'm not above trying to
learn, I'm afraid there would be many kitchen disasters
before I mastered more than TV dinners and microwave meals."
"I'm fond of the microwave myself. Although I can grill a
mean steak."
Now why had he said that? Maybe she was a vegan and he'd
just offended her.
Then again, according to her dawning grin, maybe not.
"I love steak. Especially from the grill, juicy and marbled.
With sea-salt baked potatoes and sweet corn on the cob
dripping with hot butter. And pumpkin pie so smothered in
whipped cream that you can't see the golden filling. It's my
favorite meal." Because she was not much over five feet tall
and he was well over six, she seemed to have to strain her
neck to maintain eye contact.
He motioned to a chair in the family room. "Have a seat, Sarah."
She nodded and followed Mina into the room. The way Sarah's
hands rubbed together, she was no doubt chattering out of
nervousness. Her stomach growled audibly. She placed a hand
against it.
He lifted his gaze from her trim middle. "Hungry?"
"I was so nervous this morning I didn't eat breakfast. And I
never skip meals."
"Nervous?"
"Absolutely. This job means so much to me. I—I mean, should
I end up being chosen." Rocking back, she bit her bottom lip
and darted her gaze to the gleaming white marble tile.
He smiled inside. Loved that her guard slipped enough to let
him glimpse some carefree as well as vulnerable parts of her.
"I'm going to my office while you two get acquainted," Aaron
said to Mina and Sarah. Trying not to snicker, he retreated
to his study, which also boasted a gym. Tried unsuccessfully
not to feel like a total fiend for throwing Sarah to his
Doberman of a housekeeper.
No nanny had passed the Mina test yet. Would Sarah?
A half-hour later, it became apparent by laughter and
friendly chattering that the two were actually getting along
and that there would be no bloodshed, death by spatula or
shooing of the new nanny from his home today.
The new nanny. Strange that his mind would go there already.
But it was true. Deep within, he felt a solid instinct that
firmly stated Sarah could be it for his family.
Aaron rejoined the women. Mina rose. "I'll take care of
refreshments if you'd like to show her around," she said as
she passed by and breezed from the room.
Aaron approached Sarah. "Would you like to see the boys'
play area and where you'd sleep if things go through?"
Her smile intensified. So did his pulse.
She rose.
"Follow me. Mina's making tea." And probably leaving them
alone to get more acquainted in ways that had no business in
Aaron's brain. Aaron led Sarah through the great room. He
stopped at the wood banister. "You could choose any room
other than, obviously, those occupied by myself and the boys."
"What about Mina?"
"She sleeps downstairs in one of the guest rooms off the
kitchen. She has weak knees and trouble with stairs."
He watched her while she eyed the winding staircase. "This
woodwork is absolutely gorgeous."
This girl is absolutely gorgeous.
"Feel free to look around upstairs." Aaron retreated to the
kitchen and cornered Mina. "So, what do you think?"
Mina grinned like she'd won the lottery, though she never
gambled. "I think you already know what I think." She winked.
Heat came to his collar for no apparent reason other than
the way Mina smiled and eagle-eyed him. He fled to the
formal dining room to gather paperwork that would hopefully
bring his other two pararescue teams to Refuge.
Moments later, Sarah returned downstairs. "The rooms are
amazing and—" Rapid movement cut her words short. Nimble
feet took her to the kitchen doorway. She took the heavy,
decorative wrought-iron tray from Mina, and headed to the
family room.
Impressive. Pitching in already. And without her knowing, he
observed her from the dining room. So her helping Mina had
obviously been from pure motives and not falsity to impress him.
He made himself visible, joining them. From the tray Mina
had prepared, he served the women and sat across from Sarah.
"Besides being a meat-and-potatoes kinda girl who's not
afraid to dive into dessert, tell me about yourself. What
are you interested in and why exactly are you interested in
this job?"
As Sarah spoke, her body posture relaxed.
Mina settled in a chair, forming a triangle of the three,
and sipped her tea.
Every now and then he'd glimpse her mouth twitch into a
privately amused grin that her dainty teacup did little to
hide, as though Mina sensed his being totally enthralled by
Sarah's heart and her love for children.
Yet he distinctly recalled her telling the agency owner
yesterday that having children probably wasn't in her future.
While she was seemingly open and transparent in a bigger
sense, he couldn't pinpoint something about Sarah. She
remained a living labyrinth.
Until he determined what that something was, he'd bask in
the moment and gauge Mina, whose radar would undoubtedly
flip to red alert at the first sign of trouble.
Sarah's face glowed and she laughed unabashedly when Mina
told of the twins' recent antics, both ornery and sweet.
"Sure you don't wanna run right back out that door?"
"Absolutely not. I never run from a challenge."
Aaron didn't doubt that.
"And the thing experts don't tell you about the terrible
twos is that they last for two years." Sarah giggled.
He found himself laughing along with her. Stories rolled
back and forth between the three. He couldn't recall the
last time he'd had an easier, more carefree conversation.
Time to ask more questions.
Aaron rubbed his chin. "You applied to a Christian nanny
agency. Tell me about your faith walk. What's your current
relationship with God like?"
Aaron studied Sarah as she talked of her faith and
adventures in child care. Too often he found himself smiling
at the animation in her face without being sure what she'd
even said. Had Mina noticed his being enraptured with Sarah?
Aaron looked toward Mina's chair. Empty.
At what point had Mina gotten up and left the room?
He cleared his throat, not liking that he had been so into
Sarah that he hadn' t noticed Mina's departure. "Tell me
more about your education and experience caring for
children." He adopted a serious tone, no longer
lighthearted, and far from friendly. Like something he'd use
on a Taliban defector he wasn't sure was for real.
Sarah's normally splendid smile dimmed enough to alert him
she'd noticed. But soon her expressive face dazzled again as
she lost herself in communicating how much she loved
children. Her gestures became more exaggerated as she talked
of interning at day-care centers and preschools. He loved
her rendition of children's shenanigans, and found himself
smiling, completely enthralled. Again.
Until he remembered why she was here.
Not to keep him company. Nor to entertain him or provide the
female companionship that he hadn't known until this moment
he'd been missing.
She was here for one reason only. And he wasn't the reason.
She was here to watch his precious boys. He'd do well to
remember that, especially since that elusive peace he'd
longed for had finally come home the very second she'd
stepped inside his doorway.
Feeling a tug toward Sarah that he wasn't accustomed to or
prepared to analyze, he forced his gaze to connect with his
late wife's picture, the mantel centerpiece. The one memento
of Donna that he kept in view, nearly four years after her
passing.
And the one reminder of why he could not afford to entertain
foolish thoughts of long-term with any lady.
His gaze switched to Sarah.
Not even the one who'd awakened something in him that he
thought had gone to the grave with his beloved wife.
How had she died?
Sarah wondered the following day as she eyed the mantelpiece
photo she assumed to be of Aaron's late wife. After all, the
woman in the picture held two newborn babies swaddled in
blue camouflage buntings.
Adorna, the nanny agency owner, had informed Sarah that the
twins' mother had died when they were eight weeks old, but
she didn't elaborate. And Sarah hadn't felt it appropriate
to ask.
"Welcome back." Aaron came up behind her. "Mina let you in,
I see." His gaze tracked where she'd been looking: the
photo. He'd entered so silently it was eerie. She gathered
he'd gained the ability from being a military special operative.
Sarah forced herself to seem oblivious to the profound
sadness flashing across his gaze as it brushed the image.
Then in awkward silence, he lowered himself to the footstool
and skimmed his solemn gaze from the glass to Sarah. His
face became completely unreadable.
Understanding dawned on her. How very difficult it must be
for him to have to bring a stranger in to care for her children.
It took everything in her not to rush forward and say so.
A slightly frazzled Mina shuffled into the room with a tray,
breaking the moment and preventing the opportunity.
Mina looked pointedly at Aaron, still seated. "The boys are
about to come unhinged. They want to know
when-when-when-when-when?" She darted a head toward Sarah
and raised her brows.
Sarah bit her lip to keep from giggling, because it seemed
to her Mina was just as anxious as the boys.
Sarah had to admit she was anxious, too. She'd hardly been
able to sleep last night due to excitement over getting to
finally meet the Petrowski twins.
Aaron rose. Again, as yesterday and the day before in the
nanny agency upon first meeting him, Sarah was stricken with
just how intimidatingly tall and watchtower-strong he was.
Arms muscled into impressive facets made her glad he served
in the job he did. If she were in need of rescue, she'd want
someone this capable and strong. Blond hair with hints of
starlike-silver above his ears was shaved into a military
buzz. The masculine cut complemented his sturdy neck, jaw
and otherwise exquisitely carved facial bones.
He gave the air a grand wave. "Let's bring in the troops."
Exiting, he went to the doorway of the playroom, said
something, and came back in.
Two sets of shoes clomped across an area of tile that she
couldn't see. So loud it sounded like a herd of… something.
The kitchen door leading to the other end of the room banged
open.
Two tiny humans who each looked like miniature Aarons in
different ways bounded toward her, toting twin grins.
Her smile stretched, and her heart twisted into taffy. Twice.
Hunkered to his knee, Aaron drew them close. Tenderly, he
sandwiched both in his massive arms. "Boys, I'd like you to
meet someone special. This is Miss Graham. I'd like you to
get to know her while I run to the DZ."
Refuge had a drop zone? Duh, of course it did. She'd been
skydiving before, so she knew a DZ was a skydiving facility.
Made sense. Aaron was a commander of military
search-and-rescue skydiving paramedic teams, the ones who
dove into danger to rescue fellow military personnel as well
as dropped feet-first into disaster to rescue civilians.