The Nanny's New Family (Caring Canines) (9 page)

Each word her sister said struck her like a slap, stinging and hurting. “It’s not that easy. Forgive and forget.” Annie snapped her fingers. “Just like that. Tell myself and it’s done.”

“I didn’t say it was easy. If God can forgive you, why can’t you forgive yourself? I think that’s why you won’t do anything about your scars.”

Annie charged to the sliding glass doors and headed toward the front exit. “I needed sympathy, not accusations. Good night.”

She sat in her car, clutching the steering wheel until her hands ached. Annie thought the one person who would understand was her twin. A van passed her, its headlights illuminating the interior of her vehicle. She caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror, the edges of her scars peeking out from behind her hair. The sight taunted her.

Annie looked down and tried to compose herself before returning to the McGregors’ house. She released her hold on the steering wheel and flexed her hands. A tiny voice inside her kept insisting she leave Ian before she began to care about him. Who was she kidding? She cared about him now. Hadn’t she learned her lesson with David?

For a brief time Annie had thought a man could overlook her scars, but David’s disgust had destroyed that dream. She’d finally started dating and begun to let down her guard with David. When she’d showed him the scars, he hadn’t been able to get away from her fast enough.

But Annie had promised the children she’d be there for them. They’d lost so many caretakers in two years. She couldn’t leave now, especially with Jeremy fighting to accept himself. He was fragile, warming to her and yet still holding himself back. Jasmine, too.

Annie finally started the car and drove back to her apartment. She’d get a good night’s sleep and be all right tomorrow. The next few days wouldn’t be as hectic as the weekend with the birthday party.

She parked in the three-car garage and rounded the corner to climb the stairs to her apartment. For a few seconds her heartbeat galloped at the sight of a man sitting on the bottom step. She gasped.

“Sorry, I should have said something.”

“Where’s your truck?”

Her youngest brother pushed to a standing position. “Being towed to the dealer. I had Ken drop me off here so I could borrow your car for the next couple of days.”

Annie jammed both fists onto her waist. “Have you ever heard of calling before assuming you could take my car?”

“I texted you. I thought maybe you were putting the kids down, so I told your boss that I’d wait for you on the stairs.”

Annie dug into her purse and found her dead cell phone. “I forgot to charge it last night.” She assessed her brother for a long moment. “I guess you can use my car.”

“Where have you been? Ian didn’t know where you were.”

“Out. None of your business or his. And if you persist with the questions, I won’t loan you my Honda.” She placed the keys into his hand and punched the garage door opener. “Did you have a wreck?” she finally asked.

“No, the brakes failed, and I went over a curb. I finally stopped inches from hitting a big tree trunk.”

Ian suddenly came into the garage from the breezeway but hung back. Annie didn’t have to look to know he was staring at her. A flutter zipped through her at the brief sight of him.

She peered at Charlie, trying to ignore Ian’s presence but failing miserably. “Let me know when you can return it.”

“Will do.”

After her brother backed her car out of the garage, she hit the button on the door opener to close it. Maybe Ian, still in the garage, would get the point she wasn’t ready to talk to him.

But what if something had happened to one of the children? Annie started to punch the button again to open it, but Ian beat her to it.

He strode toward her. Worry lines etched his forehead.

“Ian, is something wrong with Jeremy?”

“No. The kids are fine and asleep and so are the dogs—Rex with Jeremy and Daisy with Joshua.”

“So he finally persuaded Daisy to sleep with him.”

“I think the girls came to an agreement with their little brother. Daisy is going to rotate where she sleeps.”

“That seems reasonable.”

“But not what I did earlier. I assumed you’d want to look at that information, never thinking of the cost. I’m sorry.”

What tension was left in her body melted away. It was hard to stay mad at Ian because he did have good intentions, and when he looked at her scars, it hadn’t been with revulsion but like a doctor examining an injury. But still.

“Ian, I am who I am. It’s totally my decision what I do.”

But Ian hadn’t said anything her family hadn’t... Annie had her life mapped out just fine, and she helped people. That was her purpose, not to be a wife and mother.

“I didn’t want to go to bed without making amends. You’re important to this family.”

“I’m glad, Ian.”
I want to be needed
.

“Good night,” Ian said and walked to the door to the breezeway.

Annie made her way toward the staircase on the side of the garage, trying to focus on all the things she needed to get done before fifteen children descended on the house on Saturday. She didn’t get far because her thoughts always returned to Ian. If he ever decided to remarry, he’d make some woman a good husband. That realization didn’t sit well with her as she mounted the steps.

Chapter Nine

O
n Friday Annie picked up the phone. “The McGregors’ residence.”

“This is Mrs. Haskell, Jeremy’s teacher. May I speak with Annie Knight?”

“This is she.” Her heart began beating double-time. Something was wrong.

“I tried Dr. McGregor’s office, and they said he was in surgery. Your name is the other one on the contact sheet.”

“Is Jeremy okay?”

“He’s with the nurse. He had a seizure on the playground after lunch. Physically he’s fine, but he was upset when he saw the other kids around him. He refused to come back to class, and the nurse told me he fell asleep on their cot.”

“I’ll come pick him up.”

“Under these circumstances, I think that would be best.”

After Annie retrieved Rex from the backyard, she drove toward Will Rogers Elementary. Her cell phone rang, and she saw it was Ian. “I’m almost at Jeremy’s school,” he said. “He had a seizure. The teacher called and left a message for me. When I got out of surgery, an aide told me.”

“He’s at the nurse’s office.”

“Meet you there.”

Annie pulled into the parking lot, took Rex out of the backseat and hooked up his leash. Not half a minute later, Ian pulled in next to her. She waited for him, then they walked to the entrance together.

“Good idea about Rex,” Ian said. “I didn’t insist on Jeremy’s taking Rex to school, but I will now.” He opened the door.

While Annie and Ian signed in at the office, she said, “We have the weekend to see if he’ll come to the conclusion on his own. I brought Rex to remind Jeremy what the dog can do for him. And I have a feeling Jeremy could use Rex for comfort, although I doubt he’ll admit it. It upset him that the kids on the playground saw him. His teacher said he freaked out.”

“It’s time we encourage him to talk about his epilepsy with the other children. Rex could help with that.”

At the nurse’s office, Ian asked what happened and how long the seizure had lasted while Annie took Rex to the room where the cots were. When they entered, Jeremy was curled on his side, his eyes closed. Annie sat in the chair between the beds with Rex between her and Jeremy’s cot.

Ian went in and sat on the other bed, whispering, “The nurse said he went to sleep right away. He’s been here about forty minutes. His seizure lasted around three minutes. That was an estimate from the teacher’s assistant on the playground. Jeremy fell down on a soft patch of grass, and she couldn’t feel any bumps or see any cuts.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Take him home. He’ll be wiped. That’s the longest seizure he’s had that I know of.” Ian stood and stooped next to his son. “Jeremy.” He gently shook the child’s shoulder.

Jeremy’s eyes blinked open and he looked right at his dad then closed them.

“Son, I’m taking you home. Can you walk?”

No response.

“Then, I’ll carry you.” Ian slipped his arms under his child’s body and hefted him up against his chest.

“I’ll get the doors.” Annie scurried around Ian, holding Rex’s leash, and walked ahead of them out to the Lexus. “Are you going back to work?”

“No. My surgeries went faster than I thought they would.”

“I’m going to run one errand, then it will be time for me to pick up the other children.”

“I’ll see you back at the house in a while.”

Annie opened her driver’s door while Ian placed Jeremy in the backseat of his Lexus, and Rex climbed in with his son.

Ian straightened. His gaze held her like an embrace. “Thanks for coming, Annie. It’s good to know I have someone to rely on.” His voice thickened, and he swallowed hard.

“I’m doing what is needed,” Annie murmured, wanting to look away, but the sheen in his eyes riveted her.

Ian loved his children, and to see them hurt and vulnerable had to be hard for him. Annie wasn’t their parent, but she struggled with her emotions more than when she worked for the others. She couldn’t compartmentalize her feelings as she had before. It would be difficult to leave the children—Ian.

Not a word was spoken for half a minute. Annie couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to.

Then Ian’s cell phone rang, breaking the connection. Annie hurried and slid into the Ford Explorer. She still had an errand to run, but the whole way to the store, she couldn’t shake the idea that something had happened back there. Something had changed between them.

* * *

“I can’t believe my youngest is five. It goes by fast, especially when you’re running to keep up with him.” Ian stood next to Annie on the sidewalk, watching ten four-and five-year-olds jumping, sliding and climbing all over the bounce house that took up a good part of his front yard. “I warned the neighbors it might be a tad noisy today.”

“You think? I should have given earplugs to Amanda.” Annie laughed and raised her voice over the shouting, with Joshua’s ten friends and the twins each having one, as well.

“And us. Did you see Jade and Jasmine looking between you and your twin earlier?”

“We dressed exactly alike on purpose. I thought it would be fun to try to fool your daughters.”

Ian turned toward the woman beside him and studied her. “Are you Amanda?”

“What do you think?” A twinkle danced in her eyes.

Ian glanced toward her sister by the door to the bounce house. Joshua ran up to her, grinning from ear to ear, and threw his arms around her. Ian returned his attention to the woman standing with him, catching her running her finger under the collar of her turtleneck shirt. “You are definitely Amanda.”

“What gave it away? Annie and I are pretty good at changing places.”

“You aren’t used to wearing a turtleneck.”

“True. We fooled your daughters, though. Annie is going to save telling them until later.”

“But not Joshua. That hug was for Annie. She made today special for him.” Lately there had been a lot of special moments for Ian’s family because of Annie.

Amanda tilted her head and scrutinized him. “You like her. I’m glad because I think she’s terrific, too. She has a gift with children, and they gravitate to her. I thought Annie would be a teacher. But she wanted to do something more one-on-one.”

“I’m glad she decided that. For the past two weeks, my family has finally started settling into a routine. Before Annie, no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get it together.”

“Four children take a lot of coordinating. Annie had the best example. Our mom was always there for us. We knew what she expected, and we knew our boundaries.”

Ian smiled. “Zoe and then Aunt Louise always held the fort. When they passed away, I was left unprepared.”

“Sounds as though Annie came in the nick of time.”

Ian watched Annie among the children in the bounce house, laughing as loud as they were. She gave him hope again. When he’d opened the door to her that first day, he had been desperate. Ian didn’t like chaos any more than his kids did. He wanted to help her, too. “Amanda, why won’t Annie do anything about her scars?”

“She’s become good at hiding them.”

“But I think something could be done to diminish them. At least on her face. And certainly her ear could either be reconstructed, or she could have a prosthetic one.”

“The ones on her neck and ear aren’t nearly as bad as the one across her chest. But in answer to your question, I can’t say. If Annie wants you to know, she’ll tell you.”

Ian faced Amanda, not surprised by her answer. “I understand. You two are very close, like Jade and Jasmine.”

“Annie doesn’t trust easily. After the accident she discovered who her real friends were. It’s sad how some people view beauty only outwardly. But then you should know that—your business revolves around appearance.”

“There’s more to being a plastic surgeon than cosmetic procedures,” Ian said. “The part I love best is the reconstructive surgery. My little brother had a cleft lip, and he got teased to the point he didn’t want to go to school. Surgery changed his life.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if people would just accept us for what we are? God does.” Amanda checked her watch. “I’m going to relieve Annie. I need to work off that piece of cake.”

Ian scanned the children. Jeremy had never come outside after Joshua opened his presents, and everyone had cake and ice cream. He’d said he would. After making sure everything was running smoothly, Ian went inside and found his eldest son sitting on the staircase with Rex next to him.

“I thought you were coming outside. Joshua will wonder where you are.”

“What if I have a seizure like yesterday?”

“We’re here to help you. You’ll be okay. You can’t hide in the house forever.”

His service dog moved closer and laid his head in Jeremy’s lap.

“You’ve got Rex. He’s there to help. Remember what he did that evening at Caring Canines?”

“But on the playground everyone was staring at me.” Jeremy chewed on his lower lip.

Ian sat next to his son. Had Annie gone through this after her accident? “Because they didn’t know about your seizures. Maybe you need to share it with them. Rex can help you.”

“What if someone laughs at me?”

“Then, he isn’t a friend. You need to ignore him. I hope you’ll take Rex to school on Monday.”

Jeremy stroked his dog’s head. “I don’t know.”

“I know Joshua’s friends would love to get to know Rex better. Come on. I’ll show you.” Ian stood and waited.

When his son rose, Ian filled his lungs with a deep breath. Outside, when Jeremy strolled toward the bounce house, several kids came up to him. Before long three more joined them. Jeremy began demonstrating some of the tricks Rex could do. Relief flowed through Ian.

“I’m glad you could talk him into getting out of the house,” Annie said from behind. “I tried earlier, but he didn’t know if he should.”

Ian rotated toward Annie. “This is a good place for him to practice sharing his service dog with others. The more comfortable he is, the more likely he will take Rex to school willingly.”

“Joshua asked me this morning after breakfast if he could take Daisy.”

“He said something to me, too, right before the party. Obviously you didn’t give him the right answer.”

Annie chuckled. “Kids don’t think adults compare notes. Amanda and I used to do that all the time with our parents.” She looked around. “Where are Jade and Jasmine?”

“I don’t know. Their two friends are still here, so they can’t be too far away. At least I don’t have to worry about them—unlike Joshua when he disappears for any length of time.”

“I think those older girls are flirting with Jeremy,” Annie observed. “The other kids are going back to play in the bounce house, but the twins’ friends are hanging on to every word Jeremy is saying.”

“He’s blushing. I didn’t know Jeremy could do that. Want to walk around and look for the twins?”

“Let’s check behind the bounce house.”

“Over by Jeremy? Maybe we can eavesdrop.” Annie tried, but she couldn’t contain her grin.

“I think that’s a good suggestion. Jade and Jasmine could be on the other side of that monstrosity in my yard.”

Annie started forward. “I told you it would be big. Quit complaining so we can hear what the girls and Jeremy are saying as we walk by.”

“Why, Annie Knight, I never thought you were capable of such underhanded behavior.” Lately he’d noticed he’d smiled and laughed more than anytime the past year. And he was sure it was because of Annie. She was having an effect on the children—but also on him.

“When it comes to protecting children, you do what you have to,” Annie replied.

Ian’s laughter caused his son and the two girls to glance their way.

Annie jabbed Ian playfully in the side and whispered, “So much for being subtle.” They kept walking.

“Did you hear he was explaining what his service dog does?” Ian asked as they circled the bounce house.

“Dad, Annie, look at me.” Joshua went down the slide headfirst.

“Joshua, I’m glad that landing is cushioned. And yes, I heard,” she told Ian. Annie came to a halt, staring at the front porch, then she burst out laughing.

Ian swung his attention to what she was looking at. His two daughters were coming toward them, dressed exactly alike and wearing the same hairstyle. “It’s rare to see Jade wearing a dress. I’m surprised Jasmine talked her into it.”

“When it comes to clothes, Jasmine is adamant about what she puts on. Jade couldn’t care less.” Annie waved at the two girls. “They won’t fool me. The minute they start talking they’ll give themselves away. They haven’t mastered the art of switching places the way Amanda and I have.” Annie nodded toward them. “For instance, they walk differently.”

“I never thought about that, but it’s true.”

As Annie greeted the twins by name, the flush to their cheeks revealed she was right. In a short time, Annie had come to know his family well, Ian reflected. In some ways she knew them better than he did, which was disconcerting. He’d been lost in grief the past two years and had distanced himself from his children. That would change today.

* * *

Sunday evening, after they’d held the family meeting and the children had gone to bed, Annie left for the night. But instead of going to her apartment, she sat on a lounge chair on the patio to enjoy the crisp, cool spring air with a sky lit with thousands of stars. This had been a weekend full of surprises. First, Annie had thought for sure she could fool Ian when Amanda and she switched roles, but she hadn’t for long. That stunned her. Did Ian know her that well? The thought that he did excited and scared her at the same time.

Annie pushed away thoughts of men and focused on another surprise. Jeremy not only brought Rex outside at the birthday party, but he’d taken him to church, too. Both were good dry runs for tomorrow. Tonight at supper, he’d announced Rex was going to school with him.

But the biggest revelation was today when Annie had spent most of the day with her family and all she could think about was Ian and his children. She’d wanted them there, too. Her dad encouraged her to ask them to come for Memorial Day at the lake, and she was definitely considering it.

The sound of the sliding glass doors opening startled her. Annie twisted around to find Ian coming out of the house toward her. Although she’d relished the quiet, his presence sent a thrill through her. She needed to put a stop to that—but at the moment she didn’t know how.