Sweet Christmas Kisses (22 page)

With difficulty, he lifted Annabelle up and stood her on her feet as well. She leaned back against his leg, staring up at Kelly beneath her lashes. Sean offered each child one of his hands and they toddled along beside him.

"They've been walking for a few weeks. It's a bit of a mixed blessing now they're more mobile. They can move like greased lightning when they want to. I need about ten hands sometimes."

"Well, you have two more now."

He glanced over his shoulder and she held up her own hands and wiggled her fingers.

His amused grin made her heart do a little jig. There was something incredibly attractive about Sean Fabian and it wasn't just his handsome face. She liked him, really liked him. She would have to be careful not to forget she was only here to do a job.

They made slow progress up the stairs as the two little girls climbed on all fours in front of him. When they reached the top, they both dashed into a room and Sean followed. Kelly stopped in the doorway of what was obviously the nursery. A wooden crib was set on each side of the room and a baby changing unit sat against the glass sliding doors overlooking the river.

She would even have a lovely view when she changed the girls' diapers.

A colorful mat covered the main section of the polished wooden floor. Both girls sat down there and fished toys out of a toy box in the center.

Annabelle toddled over and held up a doll to Kelly. She was definitely the more confident twin.

"Thank you. What a pretty dolly. Is she yours?" Kelly kneeled and Annabelle sat on her lap.

"I seem to have made a friend," she said, glancing up at Sean.

"Zoe will take a little longer to accept you, but she'll get there. She takes time to trust people."

Sean sat cross-legged on the floor amid the toys and built a tower of bricks for Zoe, which she promptly knocked down. Kelly joined him near the toy box. Annabelle fetched toy after toy, giving them to her, until she had a whole heap.

Sean's phone chimed. "Excuse me a moment," he said, pulling it out of his pocket. He checked the display and answered.

He chatted with someone who obviously wanted advice on a change of medication for a patient. As soon as he ended the call, he rose to his feet. "Let me show you to your room so you can settle in."

They went next door to a beautiful bedroom with light oak furniture and floor and a white bedspread. All clean lines and no fuss. The front wall was made up of glass sliding doors that opened onto a balcony over the river.

"Amazing. I should be paying you to stay here!" Kelly unlatched the doors and stepped out. Despite the chill the view was fantastic. The balcony was edged with frameless glass panels to prevent the babies from falling over.

"You won't say that after a few days with the monsters." Sean lifted Annabelle up and blew on her belly, making her laugh. "Okay, you pong. Time for a diaper change. This is where the extra hands come in useful."

Kelly came back inside and shut the doors. "I'm ready and willing. I'll take Annabelle, since she and I have made friends."

"Good idea." Sean sat Zoe on his hip, then his phone rang again. He sat on the bed and Kelly did the same, pulling Annabelle into a hug. The little girl came into her arms, tucking her head into Kelly's neck. She rocked the baby, her heart swelling with pleasure and contentment. This was her dream come true.

"Hi, Cam," Sean said. "How's Alice?… A false alarm. Oh, well, you won't have long to wait. The baby will arrive by Christmas."

Kelly froze, listening closely.

"Yeah, last night was fun. Thanks… Actually, Kelly is here now… No, she's working for me, looking after the girls."

Cameron had called Sean to ask about last night instead of asking her. Pain twisted in her chest. He had been her best friend, but since he married Alice he'd grown more distant. She and Cameron had been an item once, many years ago. She had set him free, knowing she could never give him children, thinking it was best to get out before their relationship got too serious.

She'd thought it was enough to be his friend and work with him. Too late she realized her stupid heart belonged to him. She had hoped he would never find anyone else and one day they might get together again.

Kelly pressed her face against Annabelle's golden curls and inhaled her sweet baby smell, breathing through the pain of a loss she should have gotten over many years ago. It was time she moved on and left Cameron Knight in the past.

****

Having a woman in his kitchen again seemed strange. Kelly stood beside Sean, chopping up tomatoes as he washed a lettuce. No woman had been in here since his wife—except Monique, of course, but he thought of the twenty-year-old more as a girl than a woman. She was certainly far too young for him.

"I didn't mean for you to have to look after me as well as the children," he said.

"It's no problem." Kelly flashed him a grin as she scooped up the tomato pieces and dumped them in the salad bowl. "I'm happy to do everything Monique does. I can manage a little cooking and cleaning for a few weeks. It'll be fun looking after your beautiful house."

Did she also think it would be fun looking after him? A flash of awareness spread through Sean and he shoved it away, distracting himself by putting the lasagna in the oven. Kelly was his employee now. That put her out of bounds as surely as if she'd been an army medic. Nothing had changed.

A little voice in the back of his head whispered that maybe he'd made a mistake by employing her. Maybe he should have dated her instead. But he'd been desperate for reliable help with his twins. The girls always came first. Any sort of love life for him was way down the list near the bottom, after his children and his army duties.

Kelly was heading overseas in a few weeks anyway. She was unlikely to be looking for a relationship at the moment. Although Cameron had suggested she might be interested.

Heck, this line of thought was getting him nowhere.

Kelly brushed her hands together and stepped back. "We're about done here until the lasagna is ready." She glanced at the pasta box for cooking instructions.

As she tilted her head, her mass of long reddish hair fell forward, catching the light. Sean dragged his gaze away and tried to think of something to say. Now the twins were in bed, the situation felt too intimate, here alone with her in his house. Thank goodness he'd be at work during the week. Most evenings he had paperwork to occupy him, so he should be able to get through the next few weeks without succumbing to temptation. The secret was to stay occupied and focus on what he was doing rather than who he was with.

"There are still some rooms you haven't seen. Would you like to finish the tour?" he suggested.

"Good idea."

He strode along the ground floor corridor to the end. "This is a wet room meant for when you've been kayaking or boating." He pushed the door open, snapped on the light, and she put her head inside. The kayak paddles rested on hooks on the wall and wetsuits hung on rails. "The kayaks are stored under the house, if you're interested."

"Doesn't look as though you use this room much."

"I used to go out occasionally but I don't have time now." That was the story of his life. About the only thing he managed in the way of exercise was thirty minutes in the gym in the mornings if he woke up early.

"This is a home cinema." He pushed open the next door and turned on the light. A huge screen filled one wall and a couple of rows of comfy chairs faced it. "It's also got a pretty good sound system. I occasionally chill out and listen to music when the girls are in bed. Feel free to come in here whenever you want."

"Do the twins watch kids' programs on the big screen?" Kelly asked.

"Monique brings them here sometimes. I have occasionally, but my time with them is limited, so I prefer to play with them."

Kelly opened the next door and snapped on the light, peering in curiously. The familiar smell of oil paint hit him with a truckload of painful memories. Sean hesitated, his chest tight with emotion, even as he told himself it was just another room. "This was my wife's studio."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sean. Cameron told me you lost her. I shouldn't have barged in." She stepped back and reached to turn off the light.

"Go ahead. It's fine. Take a look. Monique cleans in here."

Monique did clean in here. That was no lie. But Sean avoided the room. Eleanor had never wanted him inside while she worked and his sense of being unwelcome remained. He was crazy to feel this way. It was just a room. He should clear the space out and use it for something, maybe turn it into a playroom for the girls. After a moment of reluctance, he braced himself and stepped over the threshold.

"Are you sure you don't mind me being in here?" Kelly asked.

For a few seconds, Sean had forgotten she was there. He nodded, not trusting his voice.

Kelly's perceptive gaze lingered on his face, then she turned and surveyed the huge airy space where Eleanor had created her masterpieces.

Kelly wandered across to the stacks of canvases leaning against the wall. "May I take a look?"

He shrugged. She lifted a canvas, then turned it over to see the painting. "Wow. This is amazing. It's so vibrant and colorful. Your wife was very talented."

"Eleanor was fairly well known." He eyed the many canvases, wondering how much they were worth. Quite a lot, he guessed. As always seemed to be the case, her pictures had increased in value after her death. They would be Zoe and Annabelle's inheritance.

When he first met Eleanor, he'd been invigorated and excited by her work, like everyone else. Eventually that changed. If she wasn't there to nag him and shout at him, her damned paintings did it for her. Eleanor's vibrant colors screamed at him from every wall. After her death he had taken them all down and put them in here so he didn't have to look at them.

"Is this a self-portrait?" Kelly moved to stand in front of the only picture Sean had left hanging.

"Yes. I thought the girls should see what their mother looked like."

"She was beautiful. I'm very sorry for your loss." Kelly turned somber brown eyes his way.

"Thank you." Sean averted his gaze, a riot of conflicting emotions charging through him. Part of him wanted to tell her the truth that nobody knew—that he and Eleanor hadn't been happy.

The usual stringent mix of guilt and relief seared his nerves.

"Are you all right, Sean?" Kelly came up behind him and rested a comforting hand on his back.

"Yes, look, I have a paper to write. I'd better get to it. Watch the television if you want." Before he finished speaking, he was already walking away. He ran up the stairs and slipped into the twins' bedroom. Leaning back against the door he blew out a breath, then stepped lightly up beside Zoe's crib. He laid a gentle hand on her head and leaned over the wood-slatted side to kiss her cheek before tiptoeing across the room to Annabelle to do the same.

The moment he had seen his daughters' tiny squashed faces, they'd stolen his heart. It had nearly destroyed him when Eleanor took them away. She knew just how to hurt him. She thrust in the knife and twisted it, threatening to take the girls out of the country so he couldn't see them.

He would rather walk over hot coals than get tangled up in another relationship. The pleasure of female company was simply not worth the pain.

Kelly jumped out of bed after a restful night's sleep, eager to start her day caring for Zoe and Annabelle. She had a quick shower and dressed in jeans and a sweater, tying her hair back so it didn't get tangled with little fingers before adding a touch of lip gloss and mascara.

The sound of babbling baby voices from the next room made her rush to slip on her shoes. She dashed out of her door, nearly colliding with Sean.

Laughing, he grabbed her shoulders to steady her. "You're in a hurry."

"I heard the twins were awake."

He held up a baby monitor. "Me too. They usually wake up sometime between seven and eight. They're early this morning."

Sean stepped back and she noticed he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. His arms and legs were all lean, toned muscle, his skin dusted with golden hairs and gleaming with sweat.

"I have a gym above the garage," he said, obviously noticing her appraisal. "I try to get out there at least two mornings a week for a workout. A couple of times a year, the army sends me away for a few weeks of physical training. It's hell if I don't keep my fitness level up."

"Well, you look fit enough to me." Kelly blushed at his answering grin.

She held his gaze for a moment, tension humming between them. One of the twins squealed, breaking the mood. Sean rubbed the back of his hand over his top lip. "Time to bathe and feed the munchkins. I normally take them in the bath with me, but that's probably not the best idea if you're going to help."

His grin was back, dimples in evidence, eyes sparkling with mischief. Kelly relaxed and smiled, relieved to find him in a good mood this morning. Yesterday evening she'd felt terrible about upsetting him over his wife.

"I don't mind if you don't," she retorted, playing him at his own teasing game.

He chuckled as he pushed open the babies' bedroom door.

"How are my little angels today?"

Both girls chattered at once, some dada sounds clear among the cute noises.

"Hello, Zoe, hello, Belles. I'm going to help Daddy give you a bath this morning." Kelly went to Annabelle first, more sure of her welcome. Her breath rushed out with pleasure as the baby held up her arms, asking Kelly to lift her out of her crib.

"What a big girl you are, Belles." She hugged the child and kissed the top of her head before setting her on the ground.

Her gaze collided with Sean's, the approval in his eyes warming her.

"Annabelle certainly took to you quickly. Let's hope Zoe feels the same way by the end of today. I'll have to leave you alone with them tomorrow and I want you all to be happy together."

"I'm sure we'll be fine. When you're not here, Zoe will turn to me. Remember, I've had lots of experience of dealing with children when I was a pediatric nurse."