The Nanny by Judith Stacy

Author:Judith Stacy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“What did he say?” Annie asked, more annoyed than worried that she’d been called downstairs.

“He just said for me to come and get you. He didn’t tell me nothing ’bout nothing.” Georgia looked up and down the hall, then lowered her voice. “All I can tell you is that I saw ol’ Mrs. Flanders in his study with him, and they’d been talking for a while.”

“Great…”

“You sure you didn’t do something?” Georgia asked, leaning closer.

Annie shook her head. “I’m positive.”

“What about the kids?”

Annie frowned. “What haven’t they done?”

Georgia pressed her lips together. “You reckon he’s a-gonna fire you?”

“I guess I’ll find out.” Annie summoned what strength she could and headed down the stairs.

She expected to find Mrs. Flanders in the study alongside Josh, but he was alone, seated at his desk, looking over a ledger.

How handsome he looked, Annie thought, stepping into the room. Elbow on the desk, cheek propped on his palm, staring thoughtfully at the page in front of him. How handsome he looked—getting ready to fire her?

“Mr. Ingalls?” she called.

His head jerked up and he came to his feet, standing straight. “Come in.” He sounded formal and reserved. Very businesslike.

Annie’s stomach knotted in dread. He was going to fire her.

“I need to speak to you,” Josh told her.

Beg.

Weary as she was, the idea flashed in Annie’s mind as she approached his desk with him standing formidably behind it. Beg. Beg for her job. She needed the money to send Camille away to school, to help with her mother’s living expenses, buy things Willa would need for the new baby. She needed this job.

Yet something inside Annie wouldn’t let her do it. She wouldn’t beg. Not from Josh.

Annie steeled herself and stopped in front of his desk.

“It’s come to my attention that the children caused some mischief today,” Josh said. “I want to know what happened.”

Gracious, where to start? The mud pies, the damaged farm equipment, the egg fight?

When she didn’t answer immediately, Josh frowned. “Mrs. Flanders told me what happened this afternoon. I want your side of it.”

“My side?”

“Yes. I want to hear your account of the incident. I want to be fair.”

How strange it felt standing across the desk from him, staring into his stern face, feeling slightly intimidated, when only days ago he’d kissed her in this very room. He’d have kissed her again in the barn, if she’d let him.

Josh certainly didn’t want to kiss her now.

Still, he’d managed to raise a whole series of emotions in her at the moment. She wanted to melt into his arms, lay her head on that broad chest of his and rest. Yet another side of her grew angry at the distance he seemed to be putting between the two of them at the moment.

He hadn’t spoken to her in days. He’d kissed her twice, risked ruining her reputation in the barn, wanted to discuss his passion—of all things—with her, then ignored and avoided her for days. And now—now—all he wanted to talk about was the children’s behavior?

“I suppose that if it was Mrs.

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