Page 6 of An Unexpected Match

Brendan leaned back against the table, listening to her footsteps as she headed for the elevators. She was nothing like what he’d pictured as a nanny for his children.

But since he’d interviewed no one who matched his vague image of a widowed, gray-haired, plump woman who loved to bake and adored children, he suspected his vision was impossible. Arden was the best he could come up with on such short notice. He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.

For a moment, the memory of her swaying hips as she walked away lingered. He wondered what her hair would look like released from the clasp that held it back. Wavy at least, curly, maybe. It was long enough to brush her shoulder blades. He’d like to see it swirling around her face.

Scowling at that unwarranted thought, he picked up the folder. He needed to get back to work.

He caught sight of her standing by the elevator as he headed for his office and slowed his pace. He bet she rarely wore a skirt. Something about the way she moved made him think of shorts or jeans which would display those long legs to advantage.

He did his best to ignore her as she stepped into the elevator. Lannie had been dead three years, and he’d never even looked at another woman in all that time.

He certainly would not become personally interested in a temporary nanny for his children, no matter how feminine and appealing and sexy she was.

Chapter Two

Brendan stayed home the next afternoon. He’d had his secretary rearrange his schedule so he could be there with his daughters when Arden Glover arrived.

He’d called Arden last night to confirm her references had checked out perfectly and to request she come around one o’clock, just after lunch. That way, he reasoned, she could get settled and spend time with the girls while his sister, Ella, prepared dinner. If they all hit it off, maybe Ella could leave earlier than originally planned to finish her own packing.

Brendan stood in front of the picture window of the home he’d bought after Lannie’s death. The yard was pristine, the grass cut into a uniform two inches. The shrubbery by the house was neatly trimmed below the window. The flower gardens in two symmetrical plots were weeded. Their colorful blossoms livened the deep green of the grass.

It had been impossible to remain in the house they shared after his wife’s death. But sometimes he felt it had been harder to leave. At least there he’d been in a place she’d known. She’d never seen this house. The difference made the break seem even more final.

Not that it got more final than death.

When a dusty old station wagon turned into his driveway, he studied it curiously. Someone turning around, no doubt. But when it stopped and the driver’s door flew open, he looked more closely.

Two seconds later, Arden Glover climbed out.

He’d been right about the long, sexy legs. Encased in stretch pants, they seemed to go on forever. The sleeveless tunic hit her mid-thigh, but when she leaned back in the car, the tunic rode up, revealing a taut, rounded bottom.

Brendan was used to making snap decisions for corporate accounts worth millions of dollars. He was known for his acumen and ability to cut through any problem and find a solution. His new nanny hadn’t even walked through the front door, and Brendan suddenly became convinced that he’d made a huge mistake.

And it was entirely personal. There was something about Arden Glover that made him aware that he was a man and she was a very attractive woman.

Too late to do anything about it today. She was here and ready to start work. But one look at her and he knew he needed to continue to search for a more suitable nanny. One he wouldn’t mind sharing a house with for years on end. A woman who didn’t remind him he was still fairly young, and had his whole life ahead of him. One who didn’t prompt feelings of loneliness and awareness.

Resolutely heading for the front door, he called up the stairs to the girls. He’d get Arden settled, then stay out of her way.

“Your directions were great,” Arden said when she spotted him.

She'd already taken a large box from the back of the car and was balancing it with one hand against the dusty side.

Eyeing the ancient vehicle with some trepidation, Brendan joined her at the rear. He took the box from her, surprised at the heaviness.

“Oh, thanks. I wanted to carry something in when I went. We can unload everything later, but I thought why waste a trip inside empty-handed? Now that I’m staying and all.”

She took another box out of the car.

“I’m glad my previous employers all gave me a good reference or I know I wouldn’t be here now. Mrs. McFanney at the flower shop told me you sounded very stern. But I assured her I was here to watch your girls, not you.”

She laughed, and Brendan felt an odd quickening of his breath. She chatted nonstop as he led the way into the house, commenting on the pretty houses and the mature trees in the neighborhood. Her observations had him looking at his neighbors’ homes in a new light.

Exclaiming over the flowers in the garden, telling him how excited she was to be moving in, she seemed to go on forever. Did she ever stop for breath?

Pausing just inside the door, she did just that–stopped talking as she turned around, gazing at everything.

He wondered how long the silence would last before she rushed into speech again. He wasn’t used to such chattiness and considered timing this brief pause.