Page 10 of Hold My Heart

He turned and shot her a smile over his shoulder. One of those lazy grins that took her by surprise because it was so genuine and unexpected. “Hey there. You look much better.”

“I was that bad before?” she replied testily.

“No, you weren’t. You are a beautiful woman. Surely you know that.”

Which took her by surprise. And the way he was grinning at her made her feel like an idiot. “Do you need a hand? Let me help you.”

“Thank you, but no,” he said. “I have everything under control for the moment. I set up a small area in the den, I hope you don’t mind, and I put Renee in there to take a nap.”

The words, simple words, went straight through her and settled in her heart. “You...got her tonap?”

“Yeah. Just a quickie, because I’m sure bedtime is coming soon, but from the looks of both of you, she needed it.”

Olympia didn’t know how to deal with children, that much was clear at this point. There must be a magic button you pressed that got kids to sleep without a fuss. Afraid the tentative peace would shatter at any moment, she took a firm grip on the table and settled herself on a chair to watch Harlan work.

“It just occurred to me,” she said as he continued to cook, “I know nothing about you. I mean, I checked your references of course, but other than that I’m not sure who you are or where you come from, and now I’ve let you into my house and signed my life away. How do I know you aren’t going to murder us in our sleep?” She clenched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. “Sorry if I’m being terse. If I was in my right mind I would have asked before I hired you.”

“I can take the time to assure you I’m not a murderer, but I know it won’t mean a thing to you.” He glanced back at her again. “I’m originally from Connecticut, but my dad moved the family here when I was very young. Not quite a straight A student, but I managed to make it through school with little fanfare. Got my teaching certificate. Tried to do high school classes for a while and found it wasn’t to my liking. I missed the personal connection that came from smaller classes. I wasn’t confident enough in my abilities to handle opening my own pre-school, so nannying and tutoring were natural choices. Although it’s been more difficult than I’d thought to get jobs here.”

She grunted a response as he poured rice into a pot. She wanted to argue with him about dinner—her pride, at least, wanted to argue and tell him to get out of her kitchen—but in reality, she had very little energy. The scent of the chicken broth was rich and invited her to eat, relax. Salivate a little.

Harlan continued, his voice sure and strong, working through her and unknotting kinks she hadn’t realized were there. “I’m a middle child, three older and two younger siblings. Most of us still live around here, but my oldest sister is in Toronto teaching at a medical school. You could say I know my way around kids because I have a huge family and we were always taking care of one another.”

“You don’t think it’s kind of...creepy?” she asked. “How you like kids so much?”

“No, I don’t.” He said nothing for a moment, then added, “I have a very good relationship with my parents. I’ve always been loyal, dedicated, sympathetic, and motivated to help others. Why not be the person I am and help others at the same time? Kids react well to me and I offer a steadying male presence, which can sometimes be hard to come by these days.”

She glanced up in shock when he placed his hand on hers, suddenly beside her when she hadn’t been aware of his approach.

“Don’t you agree?” he asked.

“I...yes, I suppose.”

It was a risk to trust him with her personal business. Although the way she saw it, it was necessary. He was going to see, sooner or later, the stuff she’d rather hide. She remembered the slight male helplessness in his eyes when she’d almost lost it earlier. But it had appeared to be more disappointment than panic. After only a couple of hours, she had to admit she believed she and Renee were safe around him.

He seemed to read her thoughts and released his hold on her hand. “I promise I’m not a maniac. I’ll work long hours and keep your house in order. I have an educational curriculum I developed for younger children in my care, so I’d be happy to go through some things with Renee while you’re at work, in addition to keeping her occupied and motivated. I don’t mind cooking, as you can see. I’m even handy with a mop and broom. I’ll be your knight in shining armor, fair maiden, if you but trust me. I’m here foryou.”

His tone had deepened until it rumbled like two stones grinding together. When she glanced over, she saw him wet his lips with his tongue. Her gaze narrowed on the movement. “What are you, some kind of superhuman? Men don’t usually come equipped with those kinds of skills,” she said mildly.

“This one does.”

The heat of his gaze warmed her, and for a moment, Olympia found herself leaning closer to him. There was a definite air of attraction, and she might have been out of the game for a long time but she thought she could still recognize flirting.

She gripped her hands together tightly on her lap in response. There wasn’t time for attraction. Especially not to a man like Harlan. He wasn’t the type of guy she fell for. He was too calm and collected. Too willing. A little too feminine, perhaps?

Where was the fire? Where was the passion? This was no alpha male.

And yet there was no room in her life for fire and passion, so she should be grateful that her help came in a package like his. Otherwise, she’d be tempted to put one more thing on her already overloaded plate. Although, she admitted to herself, if he continued to flirt with her, they were going to have a serious problem. Could she do this without him? Maybe.

Probably not.

She cleared her throat and gestured toward the stove. “You learn to cook from your mom or did you throw something together without thinking?”

“I have a few skills in the kitchen. Not as many as I would like,” he answered.

“I guess I’ll be the judge of that.”

He studied her with an amused expression, leaning against the counter with his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his jeans. “Do I worry you?”

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