The Nanny's Twin Blessings. Deb Kastner

awareness flowing through her when he stood at her side.

       She supposed it proved she was still alive, at least. There was a time after her breakup with Ryan where she’d seriously wondered if she would survive. And now she was here, with a job and sustenance and a place to lay her head. God was good.

       “You had a funny look on your face when I first opened the door last week,” Drew said conversationally. “What were you thinking—apart from wondering if my dog was going to eat you, that is?”

       She drew in a surprised breath. “You mean, about you? Honestly? I didn’t expect you to be a…well, a cowboy, for lack of a better term.”

       “Ha!” he chortled. “And I didn’t expect you to be…” His face turned an odd crimson color and his lips curved first into a frown and then into a grim line. “Well, it doesn’t really matter what I thought. Do you like baseball?”

       Now that was an abrupt change in conversation if she’d ever heard one.

       What had he thought of her? Somehow she didn’t think she was going to find out any time soon.

       “That depends,” she answered, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. “Watching baseball or playing it?”

       He arched an eyebrow. “Both, I suppose.”

       “I’m not big on watching baseball on television, although I don’t mind catching a game if someone else is watching it. I’ve seen a few Yankees games live. That was fun. I especially liked the hot dogs.”

       “That’s the twins’ favorite part of live baseball, too,” Drew said with a chuckle.

       “See? We have a lot in common already.”

       “And playing? How are you at hitting a curve ball?”

       That, Stephanie thought, depended entirely on what kind of curve ball was being thrown. The ones life had been pitching her lately had been beaning her in the head. But she supposed he was asking about the real kind, the one with a literal ball. “If you want to challenge me to play, I’m down with it—and I’ll warn you right now, I’m the woman to beat.”

       “Intriguing. I’m going to put your words to the test, you know. The twins are on a T-ball team, and they’ll want you to practice with them. They’ll probably want you to come cheer them on at their games, too.”

       “I would love to,” Stephanie answered sincerely. In her experience, being a nanny and being a cheerleader often went hand in hand. Anything she could do to instill in her charges the self-esteem she lacked as a child was worthwhile in her book.

       “Most Saturdays I take them out to practice in the park,” Drew continued. “I’m not sure we’ll get to it today, but maybe next weekend we can bat a few balls.”