Michelle Major - Anything For His Baby

“Then you need to find a different nanny.” She bit down on the inside of her cheek. Why was she trying to make this bargain? So what if Rosie liked her? Paige wasn’t a professional nanny. She was an innkeeper, or at least she was trying to be.

Not for long , a voice inside her head cautioned, if you don’t have an inn to run .

“I’ve tried,” Shep mumbled.

“Exactly.” Warming to her off-the-cuff plan, Paige walked toward Shep and lifted the girl from his lap, cradling Rosie against her shoulder to avoid the wine stain. “Here’s the deal. I’ll agree to one month as Rosie’s nanny. In that time, I’ll interview, hire and train my permanent replacement.”

Shep’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened like she’d just stripped down naked. Scratch that. No man had ever reacted with such obvious yearning to her body.

“In return,” she continued, “you’ll agree not to bulldoze The Bumblebee and I’ll get to run it as an inn, at least through Christmas. If I’m successful, the revenue will give me enough money to buy the house from you.” She held up a finger when he opened his mouth to respond. “At the same price you bought it from my mother. Those are my terms. Agree or no deal.”

As Shep stood, she backed up a step, her legs hitting the edge of the coffee table. He reached out a hand to steady her, and it felt like being touched by an open flame. Jerking away from his hold, she forced herself to meet his gaze. Despite her heated cheeks, she lifted her chin, unwilling to acknowledge the way he affected her.

She had to be strong or Shep would walk all over her. Paige knew that for a fact because she’d been a doormat most of her life. Not anymore. Her grandmother’s house meant too much.

“Deal,” he said softly, sweeping aside a loose piece of her hair much as he’d done with Rosie minutes earlier.

Suddenly Paige couldn’t draw in a steady breath. She pushed the baby back into his arms, eliciting a soft cry from Rosie. “I think she’ll stay asleep.”

“Probably,” Shep said, wrapping his strong arms around the girl. “We’ll work out the details tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Paige agreed on a squeak, not daring to move until she heard the front door click shut.

Then her knees gave way and she sank down to the edge of the old coffee table.

No more doormat , she repeated over and over in her head, willing her body to return to normal. As mantras went, it was pathetic. Paige didn’t care. She’d just made a deal with her own personal devil, and she was going to need all the strength she could muster.

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