The Executive's Baby by Robin Wells

Author:Robin Wells [Wells, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-05-29T22:00:00+00:00

Because the truth was they weren’t a family, and they weren’t going to become one. Not as long as Nick thought marriage was about as pleasant as Chinese water torture.

A cold emptiness ached in her chest. She needed to face it No matter how tender and warm and funny Nick was, no matter how longingly he looked at her, no matter how devoted he became to Jenny, he had no intention of ever getting married. And all the pretending in the world wouldn’t change that fact.

“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Evans,” Nick said the next afternoon, opening the front door wider. “Please come in.”

Holding Jenny on her lap, Rachel watched as yet another nanny applicant sent by the child-care agency entered the living room. This one was a short, rotund woman with salt-and-pepper hair. Her lively brown eyes creased into a warm smile as she spotted the baby.

“Oh, what a little darling!”

To her credit, the woman stopped in her tracks and clasped her hands together. The other nannies had all made a beeline for Jenny, making the child cower and hide her head against Rachel’s shoulder.

Nick gestured toward Rachel. “This is my friend Rachel, who’s been kind enough to help me out with Jenny. Rachel, Jenny, this is Mrs. Evans.”

Mrs. Evans smiled at Rachel. “It’s very nice to meet you. Is Jenny bashful with strangers?”

“Very,” Nick confirmed. “She only started letting me hold her yesterday. She still prefers Rachel.”

The woman’s eyes grew warm. “The agency told me that the poor child had recently lost her parents.”

“That’s right.”

“Well, it’s important to be patient and affectionate, but not to overwhelm her. She needs time and space to adjust to things at her own pace.”

Nick glanced at Rachel. “That’s almost exactly what the pediatrician said.”

Mrs. Evans smiled. “Thirty years ago, my husband and I adopted our son after his parents were killed in a boating accident. Every baby is different, of course, but I have a pretty good idea of what you and Jenny are going through. It must be a difficult adjustment for both of you.”

Nick and Rachel exchanged a silent glance. All nine of the applicants they’d interviewed so far had been more than qualified, but this one was special. Even Jenny seemed to agree. Instead of averting her eyes, she was staring at Mrs. Evans with open curiosity.

Rachel sat silently as Nick asked Mrs. Evans questions about her background, her experience and her child-care philosophy. She knew it was irrational, but the more perfectly the woman responded to the questions, the further her spirits plummeted.

She was about to be phased out of Nick and Jenny’s lives. It was what they’d intended all along, but it hurt all the same.

She gazed at the baby, snuggled contentedly on her lap, and tightened her embrace on the child. Jenny had completely, irrevocably stolen her heart. The thought of not being about to hold her like this made her arms ache.

She loved Jenny. Just like she loved Nick.

The thought filled her with alarm. Determined to push it from her mind, she forced her attention back to the conversation at hand.

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