Paula Graves: Operation Nanny

WANTED: NANNY

MUST BE GOOD WITH WET WIPES AND GUNS.

Lacey Miles becomes the unexpected sole guardian of her young niece. Knee-deep into an investigation of a sleeper cell, Lacey finds that motherhood is a lot more perilous than she expected, so she hires a nanny with an impeccable résumé…who’s a far cry from Mary Poppins.

Beneath his friendly demeanor, Jim Mercer is a former Marine turned undercover agent, tasked with ferreting out the terrorists targeting Lacey and her loved ones. Jim may be the ultimate caretaker, but the closer Lacey comes to blowing her case open, the more Jim’s true identity is revealed. And the deeper he falls for this vulnerable little family.

Campbell Cove Academy

Lacey Miles stared at Jim a moment, her only reaction a slight narrowing of her eyes.

“Ms. Taylor said you had specified that you had no issues with hiring a male caretaker.”

“I don’t,” she said bluntly in a tone that suggested just the opposite.

“You seem as if you’ve been blindsided.”

Her lips curved in a faint, perfunctory smile. “I guess I have been, in a way. I didn’t have a chance to look over your credentials or even get your name. I just wasn’t expecting a man.”

“Oh.”

“I’m in a hurry to make a hire, you see,” she added quickly, as if she realized what she’d just admitted made her sound ill prepared. “In fact, you’re the first person who’s even applied for the job.”

He was pretty sure he knew why. The story about the car bomb meant for her, the one that had killed her sister and brother-in-law instead, had made the national news. There weren’t a lot of wannabe nannies willing to walk into a situation like that. Which made him the perfect person for the job.

Operation Nanny

Paula Graves

www.millsandboon.co.uk

PAULA GRAVES, an Alabama native, wrote her first book at the age of six. A voracious reader, Paula loves books that pair tantalizing mystery with compelling romance. When she’s not reading or writing, she works as a creative director for a Birmingham advertising agency and spends time with her family and friends. Paula invites readers to visit her website, paulagraves.com.

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For my nieces, Sarah, Kathryn, Melissa and Ashlee,

and my nephew, Nathan. Most of you aren’t old enough

to read my books, but maybe you’ll look them up in a

few years, see this dedication and smile.

Contents

Cover

Introduction Lacey Miles stared at Jim a moment, her only reaction a slight narrowing of her eyes. “Ms. Taylor said you had specified that you had no issues with hiring a male caretaker.” “I don’t,” she said bluntly in a tone that suggested just the opposite. “You seem as if you’ve been blindsided.” Her lips curved in a faint, perfunctory smile. “I guess I have been, in a way. I didn’t have a chance to look over your credentials or even get your name. I just wasn’t expecting a man.” “Oh.” “I’m in a hurry to make a hire, you see,” she added quickly, as if she realized what she’d just admitted made her sound ill prepared. “In fact, you’re the first person who’s even applied for the job.” He was pretty sure he knew why. The story about the car bomb meant for her, the one that had killed her sister and brother-in-law instead, had made the national news. There weren’t a lot of wannabe nannies willing to walk into a situation like that. Which made him the perfect person for the job.

Title Page Operation Nanny Paula Graves www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author PAULA GRAVES, an Alabama native, wrote her first book at the age of six. A voracious reader, Paula loves books that pair tantalizing mystery with compelling romance. When she’s not reading or writing, she works as a creative director for a Birmingham advertising agency and spends time with her family and friends. Paula invites readers to visit her website, paulagraves.com .

Dedication For my nieces, Sarah, Kathryn, Melissa and Ashlee, and my nephew, Nathan. Most of you aren’t old enough to read my books, but maybe you’ll look them up in a few years, see this dedication and smile.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The blue pickup truck was in her rearview mirror again. It had been there, off and on, since shortly after she’d crossed the Potomac into Maryland. Of course, many vehicles—not just the pickup—had shared the road into Frederick with her, many of them staying behind her for miles at a time before turning off.

Maybe that was the problem, Lacey thought. The pickup had never turned off.

A soft whine from the backseat drew her attention away from the rearview mirror. She dared the quickest glance at the child seat belted in behind the passenger seat, reassuring herself that Katie was just being fussy. Her niece’s bright gray eyes stared back at Lacey, reminding her so much of Marianne that she had to suck in her breath against a sharp stab of grief.

“Almost there, sweet pea,” she said as brightly as she could manage. They were only a few minutes out of Frederick now, and early for the appointment for once.

She glanced in the rearview mirror. She couldn’t see the pickup anymore.

Frowning, she looked forward, her gaze drawn to the green directional sign coming up fast on her right, informing her of an upcoming exit. It was a couple of exits before the one she’d planned to take, but the prickling skin on the back of her neck made the decision for her.

She moved to the exit lane as quickly as she could and took the off-ramp. As she came to a stop at the bottom of the off-ramp, she spotted the blue pickup driving past her, continuing on the highway.

Blowing out a pent-up breath, she couldn’t hold back a soft bubble of laughter. Talk about jumping at shadows.

“Firsty,” Katie announced from her car seat.

“I know you’re thirsty, sweetie. As soon as we get to the employment office, I’ll get your apple juice for you, okay?” Lacey wasn’t sure how much her niece really understood at the age of two, but the little girl subsided into silence for the remainder of the slightly longer drive into Frederick.

Elite Employment Agency occupied a tall, narrow redbrick building near the end of a block of old restored row homes in the downtown area. To Lacey’s chagrin, there were no parking slots available on the street, but a small sign in front of the office indicated there was more parking available in the alley behind the building.

Lacey tamped down a creeping sense of alarm and followed the sign until she reached a narrow alley flanked on either side by what looked like large, sprawling garages. At the time some of these homes had been built, she realized, these garages might have been stables for carriage horses. They’d obviously been updated once automobiles became ubiquitous, but there was a quaint feeling here among the garages, as if she could pull open one of the doors and find herself immersed in the remains of the town’s rich history.