Nanny in Hiding. Patricia Kay

gave ’em to me.”

      Stella Hathaway gave Amy a shy smile.

      “That was sweet of you, Stella,” Lorna said. She pulled Stella close and gave her a shoulder hug.

      “I have some beads like those,” Susan piped up, “but mine are green. She can have mine, too.”

      It was obvious from her tone of voice that Susan had no intention of being outdone by her sister.

      “What generous girls you are.” This came from Claudia, who winked at Amy.

      “Did you say thank you?” Amy asked Calista.

      “Uh-huh.”

      “Well, I’d like to thank you girls, too.” Amy smiled down at Susan and Stella. “But maybe your father won’t like you giving away your jewelry.”

      Susan made a face. “He doesn’t care.”

      “We bought the beads with our own money,” Stella offered. “When we were in Mexico last year.”

      “You went to Mexico?” Amy said.

      “Uh-huh,” Susan said. “We took a cruise with Daddy.”

      “That sounds like fun.”

      “Claudia and I went, too,” Lorna said. “And it was fun.”

      “We had our own party,” Susan said.

      “While the adults were having a cocktail party,” Lorna explained.

      “It was cool,” Stella said. “We got to dance and everything.”

      They talked about the cruise a few more minutes, then the girls trooped off—the older two each holding one of Calista’s hands.

      “I haven’t seen those girls take to anyone like that in a long time,” Claudia said, watching them walk away.

      “Neither have I,” Lorna added thoughtfully.

      Amy watched them, too, thinking how much she was going to hate leaving Morgan Creek. She’d only been here a few hours and already she felt at home. And, obviously, so did Calista. It really was sweet how Susan and Stella were looking after her.

      Just then one of the maids came around with a tray holding glasses of champagne, and a few minutes later the adults were called across to the dining room where dinner was ready to be served. The children would eat in the morning room, Lorna explained to Amy, supervised by two teenage sitters her mother had hired for the evening. “Mother and Gran like civilized meals,” she added with a laugh. “Meaning, they don’t even want to see the children, let alone hear them.”

      “Yeah,” Claudia said. “We weren’t allowed to dine with the adults until we turned sixteen. And even then, woe to anyone who couldn’t behave themselves.”

      Amy thought about the way she was raised, which was so different. Of course, she was an only child and had been born to parents who were already in their forties and who had never expected to have a child. Consequently, they were so delighted, they liked having her with them all the time. When Amy started school, it was Amy’s mother who had cried instead of Amy. Remembering, Amy felt a frisson of sadness. Her mother had been dead for nearly ten years, and Amy still missed her.

      Once in the dining room, Amy found herself seated across the table from Tara Kenyon and Bryce, who was on Tara’s right. Amy was seated between Lorna and Greg Standish, Chloe’s husband. Greg was extremely handsome, Amy thought, and very charming. Almost too charming. When he turned to her, giving her the full force of his attention, she decided if he were her husband, she might never let him out the door.

      “So you and Lorna were roommates in college?” he said.

      “Yes.”

      “Lucky Lorna,” he murmured.

      Amy had never been comfortable with men who flirted as easily as they breathed. She was not a mistress of light banter, and she was particularly bad at anything with sexual overtones. Maybe this was because she had spent her working life with children, who were nothing if not direct, so she’d never had a chance to master subtleties. Or maybe it was because Cole had been so possessive and jealous that she’d had no opportunities to develop her skill at casual, social flirting. On the other hand, maybe it just wasn’t in her to be anything but straightforward in her relationships with others. And yet, here she was, presenting a false front to all these nice people, she thought with a renewed stab of guilt.

      “Behave yourself, Greg,” Lorna said.

      Greg just laughed and winked at Amy.

      “Bryce,” Lorna said, “did you notice how taken Susan and Stella are with Amy’s little girl?”

      “I did.” His gaze met Amy’s, and he smiled. “She’s a charmer.”

      “Thank you.”

      “Well behaved, too,” Lorna added. “Which isn’t surprising, seeing as how Amy’s background is teaching young children. I think I told you that’s what she plans to do in California.”

      Amy wished she could find a way to change the subject. She was sure Lorna’s brother didn’t care what her plans were, plus she didn’t like being the focus of everyone’s attention.

      “Why are you going to California?” Bryce asked. “Is it because you have a job lined up there?”

      She knew he was just being polite. “No, not yet.”

      “Would you consider staying in Texas if you could find a job here?”

      She was surprised by the question. “I…I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it. I guess if I happened upon a job somewhere like Morgan Creek, I would. I like small towns.”

      Bryce studied her for a long moment. She couldn’t imagine what he was thinking.

      Then he said, “Maybe that could be arranged.”

      “Really? Do you know of an opening here?”

      He nodded slowly. “Yes, I do.”

      At this, Tara Kenyon said, “She’s a kindergarten teacher, Bryce. There’s only one kindergarten in Morgan Creek, and Allison Stuckey has that job.”

      “I was thinking along different lines,” Bryce said, not looking at Tara. Once again he smiled. “Amy, what would you think about coming to work for me as a live-in nanny to my girls?”