Page 11 of Icebound Hearts

“So, tell me more about Chewy. How old is he? Where did you get him?”

The little boy’s face lights up as he picks the googly-eyed, fluffy rabbit up off the couch. “He’s seven, like me. My dad bought him for me when I was born.”

“Aw, that’s cute. So you’re best friends for life.”

“Yup! Just me and Chewy.”

“Did you name him, or did your dad?”

“I did. We used to eat carrots together. That’s where I got it.”

“Makes perfect sense,” I say, and Jake nods sagely.

Sawyer enters carrying two boxes stacked on top of each other, smiles at us, and hauls them upstairs.

“Are you sure you don’t want any help?” I call after him.

“Positive,” he calls back.

“Alright. Is it okay if Jake watches TV?”

“Normally, I’d say no, but today is a bit different,” Sawyer calls, and I hear him grunt softly as he sets the boxes down. His footsteps echo through the room as he comes back downstairs. “He was a big helper after school, getting the guest room all ready for you, so I guess a little TV won’t hurt.”

“Yay!” Jake perks up excitedly. Within minutes, he’s pulled up his favorite show, Bluey, and is watching the animated dogs with rapt attention.

With Jake happily occupied, I glance up at Sawyer as he approaches the couch.

“What’s his normal schedule in the mornings?” I ask in a low voice.

“He gets dropped off at school at eight forty-five. Usually, he’s up well before that, but if he sleeps later than usual, you’ll want to make sure to wake him around seven-thirty to give him plenty of time for breakfast and getting ready. He can be a bit slow moving in the morning,” Sawyer answers, and I nod. All of that makes perfect sense.

“And when is his bedtime?”

“He conks out early, typically around eight o’clock.”

“Ah, to be a kid again.”

Sawyer huffs a laugh. “Exactly. I miss those days too.”

I nod along as he fills me in on other details of Jake’s schedule, and when he finishes, I ask, “Is there anything you expect me to do around the house?”

“Just the typical nanny stuff, I guess.” Sawyer flushes slightly, looking a bit embarrassed. “Honestly, this is my first time having live-in help with Jake, so I’m not entirely sure what the usual parameters are. But things like getting Jake’s lunch ready for the next day, making sure he gets a snack after he gets home—stuff like that would be a huge help. Does that sound doable for you?”

“Absolutely,” I tell him, nodding emphatically. “And it’s my first time being a nanny, so we can fumble our way through it together.”

He smiles, his eyes crinkling a little at the corners, and the way it softens the hard lines of his face makes my heart thud a little harder against my ribs. “I like the sound of that.”

Sawyer grabs another couple of boxes from my car, and I watch him head up the stairs and come back down a few minutes later. But when he goes to leave the house for another round ofmy things, I realize I can’t stand to let him do it all. Jake is fully preoccupied with Bluey, so I hop off the couch and follow Sawyer outside.

He flashes me a look, but I shrug. “I’m sorry, my old-fashioned values won’t let me watch you do all the work.”

He laughs, his gray eyes glinting with amusement. “Can’t argue with that.”

We walk back to my car, which has several items still laid out across the back seat. Sawyer reaches for the last thing from the trunk, an oversized, overstuffed suitcase. My heart skips a beat, and I rush to his side.

“Oh, don’t worry about that one! I’ll get it.”

I try to intercept him, but he grabs the handle of the bag and hoists it out of the trunk before I can grab it.

---