Today was Saturday and Arden intended to have her aunts visit. Aunt Love had promised to show the girls how to make thumb print cookies. She wondered if she needed to alter the plans since Brendan Ferguson was home. Sipping her morning coffee, she gazed over the backyard, trying to decide whether to ask his permission or just carry on.
Brendan came down to breakfast dressed in a suit. The girls were still sleeping.
“Are you going out?” she asked hopefully.
If he was gone for the day, she’d have free rein around the house. Not that she thought he’d object. She wouldn’t have invited them if she thought he’d mind. The girls loved her aunts and if they made cookies, they'd have something special for dessert.
“I know this is your day off, normally. But if you could watch the girls today, I’ll take a day off later in the week and spend it with them. I really need to go into the office today.”
“That’s fine. I didn’t know you’d be back, so I made no plans except for dinner tonight.”
And for the baking party. They'd have some cookies for dessert.
“Dinner?” he asked.
“Celebrating the success of your mission.”
He looked at her for a moment.
“I wasn't sure you meant it.”
“Of course I did. I wouldn’t have suggested it if I hadn’t meant it.”
“I appreciate your watching them today. Did you need me for anything here before I leave?”
The coolness in his tone struck her at odds with the man she’d talked with every night on the phone. For a moment she wished she could recapture the warmth of each call.
“Not at all. You will be here for dinner, right?”
He nodded.
“Where are the girls? Shouldn’t they be up by now?”
He checked his watch.
“They’ll be along when they wake up. I don’t think children should be on a strict schedule.”
“You mentioned that last night. They are, however, my children. And I decide how to raise them. Routine is important.”
“That’s the point. They are children. Give them love and attention and they’ll be fine. I don’t mind watching them today, but you’d want to spend some time together with them. They haven’t seen you in a week.”
“I’ll spend time with them this evening. One way I take care of them is to make sure I can afford this house, live-in help, nice clothes.”
“Things,” Arden said, waving her hand dismissively. “They want attention from you.”
He gazed at her for a long moment, his eyes narrowed.
“I have to go.”
Arden stared after him. Was the thought of spending time at home so awful he couldn’t even take time for breakfast? She frowned.
He seemed to genuinely love the girls. And last night he’d demonstrated a marked amount of patience with their endless questions and chatter. But there was something almost like he was unsure how to talk to them, except to answer questions.
And he’d seemed startled when Avery had crawled into his lap after eating and asked him to tell her a story.
“Hi, Arden. I’m hungry,” Hailey said, walking slowly into the kitchen.
Arden looked up and smiled. The day would begin in earnest now. If Hailey was up, Avery would follow any minute.
Brendan threw down his pen and stared out of the window. He found it difficult to concentrate. There were plenty of reports to read, decisions to make, correspondence to answer. His secretary had left everything just the way he liked it. And he enjoyed his work.
But today he kept visualizing the young woman who was watching his children.
He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when he returned home last night, but it hadn’t been the strong urge to sweep her up into his arms and kiss her, to wrap himself around her and absorb her lightness, her laughter, her sunny outlook.
After days of delicate negotiation with people’s lives in the balance, he welcomed the serenity and safety of his home. That was all.
Scowling, he rose and paced to the window. The view was one he was used to, other office buildings, a couple of small trees by the sidewalks. The sky was a clear blue. The day promised to be hot.
What was he doing here instead of being at home with his children? Arden was right he should spend time with them.
But that might entail spending time with their nanny, and he was reluctant to do that.
He didn’t like the feelings that were stirring within him. He’d loved his wife. Yet the feelings he felt around Arden were different. He was attracted to her. What red-blooded man wouldn’t be? Yet, she was as opposite to Lannie as a woman could be. If he’d been asked, he would say he liked petite, dark-haired women.
Yet just thinking about Arden had him envisioning scenes that should be x-rated. He’d been on the edge all week, and now that the danger was past, he was feeling the anti-climax. That’s what was causing his wild imaginings.
He headed for the door, grabbing his suit jacket as he passed the coat rack. He’d finish up on Monday. Today, he’d spend the afternoon with his children and ignore the allure of his nanny. By Monday morning, he’d be back to normal.
“Let me,” Avery said, pushing Hailey.
“It’s my turn.” Hailey stood her ground, sheltering the mixing bowl in her arm.
“Avery, it is Hailey’s turn. You had a turn. Now you must wait,” Arden said firmly, scooping up the little girl and resting her on her hip.
“There will be plenty of turns,” Aunt Love said as she patted Avery’s cheek. “Don’t go through life being so impatient.”
Arden laughed. Like a three-year-old can be any other way. She looked up and froze. Brendan Ferguson stood in the doorway to the kitchen.
“I thought you were working all day,” she blurted out.
She cringed at the mess everywhere. Flour dusted the girls’ clothing and faces. A light dusting coated the counters and the floor. Dozens of cups and bowls were haphazardly stacked around. Each child had her own mixing bowl for the brownies that were now baking. The delicious aroma filled the room.
Aunt Eugenia looked up from rolling out the cookie dough. She glanced first at Brendan, then swiftly at Arden.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
“Come on in, young man. Though watch out for the flour, wearing that dark suit. Maybe you should change first. Then you can join us,” Aunt Love said genially.
“Hi, Daddy,” Hailey said, beaming at her father. “We’re baking cookies. It’s my turn to stir.”
“I want a turn,” Avery said from Arden’s arms.
“I see,” Brendan said.
It was clear from his expression this was not the scene he’d expected to come home to.
“Arden, may I see you for a moment?”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked down the hall.
Arden sighed.
“Guess I better go explain. Here, Aunt Love, can you take Avery?”
Arden dusted as much flour from her as she could and then headed out to the front of the house, looking for Brendan.
“He stood in the living room, near the front window, staring out over the pristine front yard. Hearing her, he turned to look at her, his expression unreadable.
Arden plunged into speech.
“I hope you don’t mind me inviting my aunts to visit. They miss baking, not having a kitchen anymore. And the girls love it. They took to it like a duck to water. We’ll have the kitchen spotless by dinnertime. Anyway, I thought you’d be at work all day.”
“While the cat’s away?” he asked.
“No, of course not. We’ve had this planned for a few days. You are welcome to join us, but I think Aunt Love is right. You need to change first. We’re not exactly the neatest cooking crew in the world.”
Brendan’s gaze ran over her, and Arden felt that quickening sense of awareness. She wished she wasn’t covered in flour. Wished she had put on makeup and an outfit that would show off her figure to advantage.
Not that it seemed to matter.
“Brendan?”
She met his gaze, hoping the confusion she felt didn’t show.
“Come and bake cookies with your daughters. They’d find that a treat. And you can meet my aunts.”
He hesitated, then nodded.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
The glimmer of a smile showed.
“If I’m going to end up looking like you, I need to change into my oldest clothes. Do you try to wash them when you’re done, or would all the flour clog the washing machine?”
She laughed.
“We’ll brush everything off and run around outside before we change. That’ll take care of the worst of it. You’ll love watching Hailey and Avery during their cooking attempts. They insist on tasting the batter at every turn, each wants to do more than they know how yet, and neither one can measure ingredients worth a darn. But they love it. And it’s good for my aunts, too.”
He stepped close enough to reach out and raise her chin with the edge of his hand.
“And you, doesn’t it make extra work for you?”
“A little. But it’s worth it. Days like this will make special memories. Childhood should be full of special memories, don’t you think?”
He was silent for a moment, dropping his hand and turning toward the stairs.
“You don’t want to know what I’m thinking right now, Arden.”
She watched until he was out of sight, hoping the pounding in her chest would slow down. Hoping the color wasn’t as high in her face as she suspected it might be. She didn’t want to give rise to speculation by her aunts.
Brushing her jaw with unsteady fingertips, she shivered. The heat spiraling through her from his touch was exciting. And scary.
She had her life mapped out, and it didn’t include getting sidetracked into a dead-end relationship. She knew her limits, and daydreaming about her employer was dangerous. Exciting, but perilous to her peace of mind and her future.
Ruefully thinking she was too late to chastise herself, she returned to the kitchen. Keyed up, she could hardly wait until Brendan joined them.
“Everything all right?” Eugenia asked, looking at her shrewdly.
“Sure. Brendan’s changing, then will join us. Won’t that be fun, girls? Daddy will help.”
“Goody.” Hailey said, dipping a finger into the batter and dripping on the counter as she tried to transfer it to her mouth.
Arden smiled at her aunts and tried to hide her nervousness. What if Brendan wanted the place cleaned up as they worked rather than when they were through? Or criticized the children making such a mess? They were not proficient, but the happiness shining from their eyes was the real reason for baking.
She hoped he wouldn’t put a damper on things. She wanted the day to be special for Hailey and Avery as well as for her aunts.
Her worries proved unfounded. When Brendan joined them a few minutes later, he seemed to fit right in, or as much as a six-foot, four-inch male could who knew no more about baking than his daughters did. Charming in his greeting to her aunts, he asked them questions that soon had them chatting away with ease.
He admired Hailey’s stirring and watched in silence as Avery helped Aunt Love take the brownies from the hot oven.
“She won’t let Avery get burned,” Arden murmured, coming to stand near him. She didn’t want him to worry.
He glanced at her, his eyes dancing in amusement.
“Are you here to reassure me? I think I can tell what care your aunt takes. She’s great with the girls. They both are. Your aunt Eugenia is the one with arthritis, isn’t she?”
“Yes, but she tries not to let it slow her down.”
“When do we get to eat the brownies?”
“After they cool down. Are you going to try your hand at cutting out some cookies?”
He nodded. “Going to show me how?”
“Can’t you remember back that far?” Arden teased.
He shrugged. “My mother rarely baked. We usually had store-bought desserts. I don’t ever remember baking cookies at home.”
“Then follow me, sir, and I’ll show you all I know.”
“Now that sounds tantalizing,” he said, low enough for her ears alone.
Arden felt that flutter in her heart, the dancing of sensation cross her skin as he stepped closer and leaned against her shoulder as she pressed the cookie cutter into the dough already rolled flat.
“You’re crowding me,” she said.
“Hmm?”
She turned and almost bumped into him. His face was mere inches from hers. She could clearly see the faint lines radiating from his eyes. The gray in his gaze was warmer than she’d ever seen. His breath brushed across her cheeks. A few scant millimeters closer and her lips would touch his.
Time seemed to stand still. She felt the blood racing through her veins, felt the now-familiar warmth invading every cell. The room faded and for a long instant there were only the two of them, in a world of their own.
The memory of their goodbye kiss a week ago rose, bringing all the sensuous awareness it had evoked.
What would happen if she lifted her head slightly and let her mouth meet his? His lips would be warm and firm. Would he sweep her into his arms, molding her body to his, and ignite the flame of passion?
She almost gave in to the craving of her body to touch this man, to taste him, feel his strength and give in to the desire that grew by leaps and bounds.
Gazing into his eyes, she was mesmerized by their change to silver as the answering flare of desire rose.
“Arden.”
It took her a second to recognize her aunt’s authoritative voice.
Blinking, she turned to look at Eugenia. “Yes?”
Her aunt gestured toward Avery.
“The child is waiting for you to put the cookies on the cookie sheet.”
Embarrassed heat washed through her as she realized everyone in the kitchen was staring at her and Brendan.
Good heavens, had she lost her mind?
“Oh, Avery, I’m sorry. Here, let’s bring your stool closer and you can stand up here by me. I’ve already cut out a couple of cookies. I’ll get the rest in just a second. You can help, too.”
“Okay.”
The little girl’s delighted smile warmed Arden’s heart.
She did her best to ignore Brendan. To ignore what almost happened and in a room full of relatives. She knew she’d hear more about this from her aunts. She hoped the girls hadn’t picked up on anything.
At a normal debriefing session after a crisis situation, Brendan mused, he and the others analyzed the entire operation to see what they’d done right and what could have been handled differently.
In this case, he had a list of what he could have done differently. Should have done differently regarding his girls’ nanny.
Trying to concentrate on cutting the cookies and placing them on the sheet his daughter was guarding, he reflected on the different steps that led him to where he had almost forgotten that his daughters and Arden’s aunts were present and swept Arden into a passionate embrace. Which, unless he was way off base, she would have joined in wholeheartedly.
The phone calls had been a mistake. That started it. If he hadn’t talked with her each night, would he be so interested? So relaxed in her company?
Relaxed? Hardly. She had him tied up in knots.
He looked at her. She was doing her best to avoid his eyes. Scanning the room quickly, he noted her aunts did not seem unduly perturbed by the scene. They continued to talk with Hailey and Avery. And with him.
Not Arden. She was silent, which definitely was an unusual behavior for her. He missed her constant chatter.
Maybe it hadn’t started with the phone calls. Maybe it had started with that kiss. Which one? The chaste one she’d given him or the fiery one he’d been unable to resist giving her before leaving?
“Or it could have started at the interview,” he murmured.
“What?”
Arden looked at him.
He shook his head. “Nothing, just thinking aloud.”
“Oh.”
Quickly her gaze skirted away.
Great, now she wouldn’t even look at him. Nothing had happened. Why was she acting this way?
And the reason nothing had happened, he asked himself. Not because he’d done anything to prevent it. He’d almost leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. His hands had itched to cup her cheeks. Feel the softness of her skin. He’d yearned to brush the flour from her chin and become lost in the blue of her eyes.
He shifted, glad the island counter was high enough to hide his body’s reaction. Being near Arden was causing all kinds of problems.
Focus, that’s what was needed. He was here to spend time with his daughters, not lust after their nanny.
“Okay, who wants a turn cutting out the cookies?” he asked.