“Then you’ll be looking for a medical job?”
“That’s the plan. Whether I find one or not is the question.”
He fell silent for a moment. “I probably could use the extra help,” he finally said, although there was a hesitancy in his voice. “And Brayden obviously took to you. Any problems this morning?”
She shook her head, thinking of the darling little boy who had wanted to share everything he could with her, from his toys to his view out the window overlooking the patio. “He was an angel. He even took a morning nap without prodding, and that’s not very common for someone his age. Two-year-olds will sometimes fight until they drop.”
Luke’s grin revealed his good humor. “It’s usually next thing to a world war when I try to put him down. You must have the knack. But I’ll warn you, it may not last.”
As if on cue, Brayden appeared in the doorway, his curly hair sticking out in every direction. “Wanna dink.”
Hayley hurried over to him and scooped him into her arms. “And how about a sandwich to go with that dink?” she asked him as she gave him a hug.
“Sammich!” He wiggled in her arms, but she managed to hold tight until she pulled the high chair over next to his dad and set him in it.
“He’s a bright little guy,” she told Luke. While father and son chattered at each other, she retrieved the jelly sandwich she’d prepared for Brayden earlier and poured a cup of milk.
“You managed to find your way around?” Luke asked.
“Yes,” she answered, tying a bib around Brayden’s neck. “It’s a beautiful house. And so much room, too,” she added, but suddenly wished she hadn’t.
He put his elbow on the table and propped his chin in his hand, obviously comfortable with the question, unlike earlier. “You like it?”
She took a seat on the other side of Brayden, and answered without thinking. “Who wouldn’t?”
Fearing it had been the wrong thing to say, she held her breath as Luke shrugged and pushed away from the counter. “It’s just big,” he said. “More room than Brayden and I need, that’s for sure.” He ruffled his son’s hair and stood. “You need to leave by six, right?”
“No, not tonight. I have early classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
“You’ll need a little time to settle in, then. I can be done by six.”
“If that works for you, I won’t argue. Would it be all right if I take Brayden into town, after lunch?” she asked, then hurried to add, “I’ll make sure he gets a longer nap when we get back. I’d like to pick up some groceries, if you don’t mind, and Brayden might enjoy the outing.”
Luke rubbed his chin with his knuckles and nodded. “Yeah, we do need some stuff.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I never seem to know what to get and usually end up with nothing I need and everything I don’t.”
She cleaned the jelly from Brayden’s face and hands and helped him down from the chair. “Don’t worry about it,” she told Luke. “I’ll get you back up to par with the food.”
“I’ll call the grocery store and have them charge it to me.”
She nodded. “Just give me a limit, and I’ll go from there.”
“Whatever we need,” he said with a shrug. “No limit.”
She wasn’t accustomed to buying food for someone she didn’t know and hoped she would make wise decisions. Brayden was easy to figure out, but she wasn’t so sure about his dad. “Is there anything special you like?” she asked.
“Just about everything. Meat and potatoes or whatever. I’m not picky, as long as it’s easy to fix. No need for you to spend a lot of time cooking.” He glanced at his watch and frowned. “I’d better get back to work, or I won’t be done by six.”
“I only need to know where Brayden’s car seat is, and we’ll be all set for the rest of the day.”
He walked to the doorway that led to the garage, but didn’t open the door. “The spare is out here. I hardly use it, so just keep it in your car. I can get it for you.”
“No need,” she said in a rush. “I’ll find it. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”
He gave a quick nod. When Brayden ran to him and clasped his arms around his daddy’s legs, Luke reached down and mussed his hair. “I’ll be back later, buddy. You be good for Hayley, okay?”
Both of them looked at Hayley, and she offered them a smile. “We’ll be fine.”
“Well, okay then,” Luke said, while removing his son from his legs. “I’ll bring your suitcases in. I guess you saw that there’s a spare room right around the corner there.”
“Yes, a very nice room. It’ll be fine. Thank you.”
“And you can put your car in the garage, too.” he told her, and she thanked him again.
Hesitating, he finally opened the door and left without saying anything else. Hayley breathed a sigh of pure relief. She had a job. And she loved Brayden. But her new boss unnerved her. One minute he was all business and unwilling to talk, and she could handle that. But when he loosened up and became what she suspected was the real Luke Walker, she felt that old, familiar fluttery feeling in her stomach. That same feeling she’d had when she first met Nathan. But that had eventually turned sour, and she’d ended it, relieved that she did. She’d learned a lesson from the whole experience, and now she was determined to concentrate on finishing school. She’d simply focus on her studies and her tiny charge until that fluttering went away.
* * *
LUKE DRIED HIS HANDS on the towel and checked the time. Right on the dot. He wasn’t late.
Opening the door leading from the garage mudroom to the house, he was nearly bowled over by the mouthwatering smells coming from the kitchen. He hadn’t had the pleasure of enjoying a home-cooked meal for longer than he wanted to admit, but he sure hadn’t forgotten what it was like.
He spied Hayley in the kitchen and looked around. To his surprise, he found Brayden playing quietly in the corner with the toys she’d brought him. For the past year and a half, his son had been like a burr, sticking to him at all times. He wasn’t sure what magic Hayley was working or how she was doing it, but he was happy to see Brayden being more like a kid should be.
Hunkering down next to the boy, he pointed at the plastic pony Brayden held. “Hey, guy, whatcha got there?”
Brayden looked up at him. “Sorsey,” he answered and put the pony in his dad’s hand.
Luke chuckled at Brayden’s habit of replacing an S for an H in words. “Yep, it sure is. And a mighty fine one, too.”
Spying a plastic cowboy, he picked it up and studied it. Remembering the similar set he and Dylan had played with when they were small boys, he felt the oddly familiar ache in his chest as memories of his own childhood flooded him. His early years had been happy and normal, but the later ones had brought sorrow, and he quickly pushed aside the painful thoughts.
“So how’d you and Hayley get along, Brayden? Everything go okay?”
His son looked up at him, his dark brown eyes round and full of an innocence Luke knew came and went with the wind. As if he suddenly understood, Brayden turned to look at the new nanny and responded with a throaty giggle, a sure sign that he and Hayley had hit it off.
Tugging at one of Brayden’s short curls, Luke smiled and kept his voice low. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. You got your old man’s good taste in women.”
When he realized what he had just said to his son, Luke clamped