Daddy's Little Girl (A Homespun Romance) (6 page)

Sara's eyes opened wide.  "I enjoy caring for Kelsey."

Jason's eyes narrowed.  Was she afraid to tell him how she really felt?  "I've contacted an agency to provide us with a nanny and a maid.  You'll have more free time once they get here."

Dismay flashed across Sara's face before she looked down at her hands. 

"There's no need to hire anyone else," she said earnestly.  "You're spending too much money on me as it is.  I love being with Kelsey, and when she's napping, I can clean the place and cook the evening meal.  I only fell asleep today because of the rain.  I'm sorry."

The soft, absolutely unnecessary apology, unleashed a primitive anger within Jason.  "Sara, you are not my personal slave.  All this...cooking, washing up, caring for Kelsey isn't your job.  You were hired to be my fiancé, nothing else."

Sara kept quiet.  There was no sense arguing with the man now.  When he'd eaten, he'd be in a better mood, and she'd talk to him again then.

Apparently Jason wasn't on the same wave length as she was, because he said, "The agency's sending five women over tomorrow, starting at two.  They all come highly recommended and have experience caring for children.  I told the agency we want to hire a maid and a housekeeper-nanny type."

"Are you going to be here to interview them?"

Jason looked surprised.  "No.  I thought you'd take care of that for me."

"Me?"  Sara blurted, petrified by the idea.  She'd never even interviewed a garden bug in her life.  "I wouldn't know what to say to those women."

"There's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

Sara stared at him.  Jason seemed to take it for granted she'd do it.  That she could do it.

Miserable, she watched as he reached under the bar counter and took out a bag of potato chips.  Opening the packet he filled two glass dishes with the chips and handed her one.

"It isn't so very complex.  You make a list of things you think are most important, and ask the women questions about their experience."

Sara stared at the bowl.  How could he trust her with something so important as choosing the right person to take care of Kelsey?  Uncle Samuel had always said the only thing she could be trusted for was to make a complete mess of everything.

Jason seemed to guess her uneasiness, because he said, "What kind of person do you think Kelsey needs, Sara?"

"Someone who will travel with you between the States and England.  Someone who is willing to stay with you for the next five to ten years."

"See?"  he said encouragingly.  "You're already on the right track.  There's nothing to it."

Cold chilled her from the inside out.  What if she chose the wrong person for Kelsey?

Jason got to his feet, bowl of chips in hand.  "I'm going to get Kelsey up and then if you'll keep an eye on her, I'll cook dinner.  Wait till you try my Chinese fried rice." 

"Cooking's my job," Sara protested, getting off the couch.

The hand he placed on her shoulder had her sinking back into the couch.  Her gaze rested on his hand and then traced a path up his arm to his face.  The dark blue shirt he'd worn with his grey suit made his eyes look more hypnotic than ever.

"Why?"  His tone and analytical look confused her as did his closeness.

"What do you mean, why?  I haven't done a thing all day." 

"Why is cooking and doing the laundry your job?  Did Moses include it as part of the contract we signed?"

"Of course not.  It's just that I haven't done a thing all day and you've been working so hard...."  And Uncle Samuel had always made it very clear that household chores were a woman's job.

"I want you to sit here and plan out your new routine."

"R...routine?"  His hand on her shoulder pumped heat and chaos directly to her brain.

"Once we get the staff, you'll be able to call your time your own.  There's a health club and a beauty parlor in this building, and the bus stop and taxi stands are a block away.  The tube station's close by too.  I have a couple of guide books I'll dig out for you.  You can go shopping, tour London, do anything you feel like."

Sara stared at him as if she didn't have the power to look away.  True she'd wanted some freedom; she just hadn't expected to have it handed to her in one big package, marked `NOW'.

"Did Rowena Harris give you a couple of charge cards?"

"Yes."  They were tucked safely away in the back flap of her suitcase.  Sara couldn't imagine using someone else's line of credit.

"Would you like that?"

"Like what?" she asked blankly.

"Shopping, sight-seeing, spending time at the health club?"

"I don't know," she said.  It was hard to tune into the picture Jason Graham seemed to have of her in his mind.  "I've never done those things before."

He masked his surprise quickly.  "What are your interests, Sara?"

She blinked, thinking of the journal hidden in her suitcase.  No one except Claire knew about the essays and poetry she liked to write.

"I like reading, and I did a few courses in journalism once."  Tense, she waited for Jason Graham's reaction.  Uncle Samuel had always said she was as dull as ditchwater without talent for anything except cleaning and cooking.

"You'll enjoy visiting the library in the British Museum then.  The London Library in St. James Square is very good too, and then there are all the bookstores in Charing Cross Road.  Some of them invite authors and poets to read their work there.  You might enjoy something like that."

It was so exactly what she'd like, Sara held her breath for a second.  She didn't know if it was Jason's hand on her shoulder, or his words that had confusion spilling into her system.

"Maybe," she said cautiously, "but it's going to take a while for Kelsey to get used to someone new.  I'm not going to leave her with a couple of strangers right away."

Jason's hand tightened on her shoulder.  It had never bothered Diana to leave Kelsey with anyone.  Why should Sara feel so responsible for her?

Unless it was all an act, like the role she'd assumed when Dee Dee had come over.  His eyes narrowed.  Women were good at playing a part.  Diana had been so different before they'd married.  It had taken exactly two weeks after they were married for Jason to realize that Diana saw him as her ticket up in the world.  He was to be groomed for a role she had in mind, so she could rub shoulders with the uppermost crust of society.  The realities of becoming a mother had been something she'd never been able to handle.

You tricked me into becoming pregnant, and now you're forcing me to play mother, as you conceive the role should be done.  I won't do it, Jason, do you hear?

As he recalled Diana's favorite line, Jason's hand fell to his side.  He wasn't going to be taken in again.

"Kelsey will be fine with whomever we hire," he said abruptly.  "Just make sure you find something to keep yourself occupied.  I don't have the time or inclination to entertain you."

He strode from the room, unaware that Sara was staring open-mouthed after him.

CHAPTER
FOUR

Twenty four hours later, Sara was positive she should not have agreed to interview the applicants.  She'd spent fifteen minutes talking to each woman, and they all seemed to have perfect qualifications.  After they'd gone, she pored over the notes she'd made as she'd talked to them, wondering why her uneasiness had increased with each meeting. 

The responsibility of making the best choice for Kelsey rested heavily on her shoulders.  The little girl was too solemn for her age.  Her insecurity was apparent in the way she clung to Jason.  Whoever took care of her had to build up Kelsey's confidence, be a stable factor in the little girl's constantly changing world.

Would Jason be annoyed that she had decided none of the women she'd seen today were suitable?  Ten days with Kelsey hardly gave her the right to make arbitrary decisions.  It was just that something had seemed to be missing.  Sara hoped she would be able to identify the `something' by the time Jason came home, so she could give him a concrete reason for her decision.  Biting her lip, Sara went over her notes.

The key turning in the lock a little while later, startled her.  A glance at her wristwatch showed it was only four fifteen.  Kelsey was still asleep, and she hadn't started dinner.

"Hi!"  Jason put his briefcase down, and placed a large box on the kitchen table.

"I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention to the time." She was beginning to sound like a recording.  "I'll get Kelsey up, and start dinner right away.  It won't be long.  Why don't you sit down and relax?"

As Jason loosened his tie and undid the top button of the blue shirt he wore, Sara stared at his big hands with the lean, strong fingers.  He caught her gaze and asked, "Do I have an invisible sign around my neck that says, `Vicious when hungry', or something like that?"

Sara stared at the quirk of his mouth.  He was laughing at her?  Strange, she hadn't paid any attention to that beautiful, mobile mouth before.  A sudden, dizzying warmth flooded her as she continued to look at it.

"Sit down and tell me about your day."  Jason filled the electric kettle with water and plugged it in.

"I...I'll get Kelsey up."  She had to get away, to let the funny feeling in the pit of her stomach settle.

He looked at his watch.  "Another half hour's sleep won't hurt Kelsey.  She can stay up with me tonight.  I've brought some work home.  How did those interviews go?"

"I didn't like any of them." 

The defiant way she said the words caught Jason's attention.  Setting two mugs on the counter, he turned and looked at her.  "Oh?"

"I don't know much about these things, but none of those women felt right for Kelsey."

Her color was high.  The way she clenched the pen in her hand made her knuckles show up white.  Something had ruffled the little owl's feathers.  

"What type do you think will be the right one for her?"  Pouring hot water into the mugs, he added tea bags.

"She needs someone who will cuddle her and play with her.  Someone who won't mind getting down on the rug and playing with her every now and them."

"And these women don't do those things?"

He watched Sara lift a notepad from the table and flick through the pages.  "The first women talked of discipline, the second said she didn't like anyone interfering in her routine, the third said she'd worked for an Earl and knew how important manners were, the fourth and fifth looked as if their clothes had been starched with them inside."

Jason fought the urge to laugh.  Sara's serious expression told him now wasn't a good time. 

"That will never do," he said, in a voice that sounded choked.

Sara nodded.  "Kelsey doesn't have to be the perfect child, only a happy one.  She doesn't need someone to fill her life with rules and manners and discipline.  Those things are important, but what Kelsey needs now, is love.  None of these women looked capable of loving her."

Taken aback, Jason stared at Sara as she flipped the pages of the pad.  She'd made notes on each woman?

"Most important of all, she needs someone who can tell her stories.  Not one of the applicants mentioned reading to their charges, or telling them stories."

The indignant note in her voice made the corner of Jason's mouth lift. 

"And stories are important?"  he asked, as he brought the mugs to the kitchen table.

"Of course," Sara said quickly.  "Very important.  They stretch the mind, help the imagination to grow."

Jason stared at Sara, caught up in the sheer poetry of her words.  "I heard the story you told Kelsey last night."

"You did?"  She wondered if the intercom system had been left on in Kelsey's bedroom.

"I was on the balcony after the rain stopped, and her bedroom window was open, so I sat down and listened.  You're a wonderful storyteller, Sara."

She felt herself blush.  All four bedrooms opened onto a balcony that stretched the length of the flat.  She hadn't thought Jason would have been out there.  Her story had been a simple made-up tale about a goose that had decided to go to London on business, and taken his little gosling along with him.  "Sometimes kids understand a situation better when they hear or read about it in the form of a story."

Sara sipped her tea cautiously.  Had Jason been upset by the fact that in her story, the gosling hadn't started talking?  The story had ended with the gosling opening its bill, and yelling, `Daddy!' much to everyone's delight.

Jason stood up, and Sara got to her feet as well.  "Dinner....," she began, when he interrupted.  "Don't move from there.  I'm going to get Kelsey up, and the three of us are going out for fish and chips.  There's a place just around the corner that makes the best fish 'n chips you've ever tasted."

"We don't have to go out today," Sara protested.  "You cooked yesterday.  I'll fix a meal in no time.  You must be tired after the long hours you've worked."

Jason didn't know who'd made the rules Sara lived by, but it was time she learned some new ones.  The finger he placed on her lips, was the best way he could think of to stop her protests. 

"A walk helps me relax after a day at work," he told her.  "No more arguing.  Open the box while I get Kelsey up."

When he'd disappeared in the direction of Kelsey's bedroom, Sara touched her lips.  The spot where Jason's finger had rested, burned.  Strange as it sounded, she hadn't wanted him to remove his hand.  A part of her still ached in protest that the contact had been nothing more than cursory.

Sara blinked.  What on earth was wrong with her?  Had being cooped up in the flat, made her lose her perspective of the situation?  Jason Graham was her employer, and he'd warned her in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't tolerate any familiarity. 

Sara stared at the shiny grey and silver striped box.  Reaching out, she slipped off the bow and lifted the lid.  Her heart jumped when she moved the pink tissue aside.  The incredibly delicate silk and lace undies were in her size.  There were six matching sets in jewel colors.  Next she pulled out two teddies that made her blush.  It seemed as if they'd reveal more than they would cover.  Under everything were two nightgowns with matching robes.  Ribbon, soft lace, and delicate embroidery combined to make the garments incredibly beautiful.

The brown paper bag in the corner of the box looked like a lunch bag.  Sara opened it and her face flamed as she took out a set of her own underwear.  It didn't take a genius to guess how Jason Graham had guessed her size.

Sara dropped everything back into the box and replaced  the lid as if the box contained a venomous snake.  Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.  Why had he done this?

"Do you like them?"  He came in, a sleepy Kelsey still resting her head on his shoulder. 

"Why did you get them?"

His eyes narrowed at her tone.  "Why not?  I though you needed a few new things and I just happened to pass a shop at lunchtime."

It came to her in a flash.  He'd seen her things the day he'd folded the laundry and he felt sorry for her.  Sara thought she'd dissolve into a big puddle of embarrassment. 

"I don't need them," she said stiffly.

The anger in her voice reminded him of the day he'd given her the ring.  Didn't the woman like anything?  He looked at her face and got his answer.  Sara was embarrassed by what he'd gotten her.

"If it makes you feel better, I didn't pick the things out myself.  I gave one of the salesclerks your things and told her to put in whatever you might need, and I picked up the box after lunch."

That did make her feel slightly better.  "If you'll tell me where you got them from, I'll return the things for you."

"It's only something small, Sara.  I want you to keep them."

"I never accept charity, Mr. Graham."

What made her think he was offering any?  He thought of his surmise that Sara Adams might be badly off.  He'd been like that when he'd first started his company, too poor to afford things, too proud to let anyone guess. 

Putting Kelsey in her chair, Jason handed her the covered plastic cup he'd filled with juice, and took the chair next to Sara.  "Look, its no big deal, okay?  I just happened to notice you needed a few new things and I got them for you."  She didn't look at him, and exasperation made him say, "I don't want whoever we hire to wonder why my fiancé is wearing darned clothes."

Sara's face burned.  She hadn't thought of it from that angle.  Pushing her chair back she stood, forcing herself to look at Jason.  If it was part of her job, she'd accept the gift.  "I'm sorry I didn't think about that myself."

The feeling he'd done something wrong, that to Sara all this was a big deal, bothered Jason.  She'd left the room as if wearing the new things was a chore she couldn't avoid.

He looked at Kelsey who was watching him over the rim of her cup.  "Women!"  he said with a shrug.  "Who can understand them?"

Kelsey put her empty cup on the table, shrugged her shoulders exactly as her father had, and smiled.

Jason picked her up.  "Come here punkin'," he said.  "We have to think up a few games between us.  Think you'll like to play horsie?"

Peter Wilton, a man he'd done his masters with in northern California, had told him today that his son loved being carried around on his Dad's shoulders.  Jason was going to try it with Kelsey. 

In her room, Sara put the box on her bed and stared at it.  Jason didn't seem to be the least bit embarrassed about buying her lingerie, but she was. 

Jason Graham had won this round.  Something about him warned Sara, he would win every round he wanted to.  Sara wished she had enough money to offer to pay for the things, but she didn't.  The box alone looked as if it might cost two weeks salary.  Her heart sank as some of the implications of being Jason's temporary fiancé dawned on her.  It wasn't only everything she was, it was also everything she had, that would have to reflect her new station in life.

She took the lid off the box again and lifted the things out.  To do her job well, she'd have to act as if it were no big deal to her as well.  She'd have to bury her qualms and learn to fit into Jason's world, so she wouldn't let him down.

All of a sudden Sara felt scared...as if she were being carried out of her depth by strong, dangerous currents to an area where the things expected of her, would be those she couldn't give. 

Laughter greeted Jason as he unlocked the front door the next day.  Sara and Kelsey sat on the carpet, surrounded by dolls and tiny garments.  The flames of the gas fire picked up gold highlights in Sara's hair. 

She looked up and smiled at him.  It was the first smile that held no trace of shyness and Jason was surprised by the tug of response inside him. 

"I found the perfect pair," she said, as Kelsey ran to him and wrapped her arms around his legs.

"You did?"  His expression didn't give away the fact the agency had already told him what had happened.  Lifting Kelsey, he put her up on his shoulders.

"It's a couple really, Marge and Ed Binty.  They've seen twenty years of domestic service, is how they put it.  Between them they'd cook, clean, and care for Kelsey.  They have passports and a work permit.  They've travelled all over the world with an English couple and their two children who are teenagers now.  The Bintys say they love visiting new places and it doesn't matter to them where they live."

She had drawn her knees up to her chest, and was staring into the gas fire.

"But do they tell stories?"  Jason teased.

Sara nodded seriously.  "She and her husband both do.  They have six grandchildren.  I know Kelsey won't lack for hugs and kisses and kindness with them.  If it's all right with you, they can start Monday."

"That's fine."  It was strange how he trusted Sara's choice, especially when he'd been afraid to leave Kelsey in the same room with her own mother, when Diana had been drinking. 

"There's something you should know about them."  Sara bit her lip, let it go.

"What's that, Sara?"

"They're not like the other women the agency sent out.  Those women were more...more professional looking and spoke the Queen's English.  The Bintys are ordinary, like me.  They're from Yorkshire and their accents are a bit different."