Lynne Marshall - Spellbound By The Single Dad

He walked down the hall to his room, loosening his tie as he went. Now he just had to survive one more night of the temptation that was his nanny and he was home free. Well—he hesitated with his hand on the doorknob to his room—that covered the nights, but he couldn’t be sure of coping with the temptation that was Jenna during the day. He threw the door open and once he was in, he leaned back and hit his head against the door behind him.

* * *

Liam spent the late afternoon hours sprawled in the living room playing with Meg and asking Jenna her opinion on topics he’d come across in the baby books he’d been reading, such as routines and when to introduce solids into Bonnie’s diet. Her opinions were well considered and interesting, and he found himself simultaneously agreeing with her and thinking he should take notes. He thanked the fates he’d stumbled across someone like Jenna to care for his daughter. Their situation was ideal. Well, it would be as long as he could keep his rogue attraction to her at bay.

Dusk was settling over the landscape when Bonnie’s little cries came over the baby monitor.

“That’s my cue,” Jenna said, unfolding herself from the sofa and heading for the stairs.

He scooped Meg up and followed. “Come on, Meg. Group trip to the nursery.” The baby gurgled and babbled her agreement.

Liam walked down the hall after Jenna, trying not to watch the sway of her hips but failing. There was something very particular about the way she walked—it was almost gliding. Had she had deportment lessons as a child, perhaps?

In Meg’s room—which was still temporarily Bonnie’s—Jenna reached into the crib, but Liam put out a hand to stop her. “I’ll do it all this time. You just talk me through it. It’s the only way I’ll become self-sufficient.”

Jenna took Meg from him and nodded. “Okay.”

Slipping his hands under the baby to support her in all the right places, he lifted her to his chest. Her little face was red and her arms flailed. “Shh,” he said. “You might need a bit of patience for this, but I promise you’ll get fed in the end.”

Jenna sank down into the armchair with Meg, who was playing with her own toes. “First, she’ll want a clean diaper,” Jenna said.

He’d had some practice at changing diapers, so he was fairly confident and managed to complete the task without incident.

“Done,” he said and held his diapered daughter in the air.

“She’ll be perky for a little while since it’s still early, so she’d probably like a bit of time on her play mat.”

Play mat. Right. He looked around and nothing jumped out at him. “Where do we keep the play mat?”

“It’s folded in the bottom drawer. It has a mobile that arches over the top and she loves it when you play on that with her.”

He found the mat, laid it out on the carpet, put Bonnie on top and then clicked the arms of the mobile together. Bonnie seemed happy, but how, exactly, was he supposed to play with her? He wasn’t a complete idiot—he’d worked out how to play with Meg, but she had more control over her limbs and a rudimentary understanding of games. Bonnie was a different matter.

He rubbed a hand over his chin. “What—?”

“The soft animals hanging from the mobile arms all make different sounds if you handle them and Bonnie loves it when you touch them for her. Try the ladybug—she’s crinkly.”

Liam crinkled the ladybug, then surprised himself by losing track of time as he lay on the floor playing with his daughter.

“I think she’s getting tired,” Jenna finally said. “She’ll appreciate a bottle and a sleep.”

Reluctantly Liam packed up. When he’d spent time thinking about being a father to Bonnie, he’d mainly thought of himself as a caregiver in this phase of her life and not really being able to interact with her until she was a bit older. He’d never suspected that he’d be sorry to put a play mat away.

“Right,” he said, “we’re ready.”

Jenna stood back so he could pass her and head for the kitchen. She talked him through making up his first bottle. On the other night feedings, he’d held Bonnie while Jenna had made the milk, so the juggling act of holding a baby while carrying out the task was more of a challenge than the bottle itself.

Back in the nursery, he settled down into the armchair, bottle in one hand, his now fussy daughter in the other. “You know, they showed me how to do this at the hospital the day I met Bonnie, but I’m afraid I was so overwhelmed, I didn’t pay enough attention.”

“No matter. It’s all worked out perfectly fine,” Jenna said with a smile. “Lay her back along your forearm. And tilt the bottle to her.”

Getting the bottle past those angry fists was easier said than done, but once Bonnie had the teat in her mouth, she stilled, as if all her focus was on the food. Triumph surged through him at being able to successfully feed his daughter; it satisfied something primal inside.

“Have you heard anything more from Rebecca’s parents?” Jenna asked softly.

He sighed. “Our lawyers had a phone meeting today to see if they could negotiate an agreement.”

“No luck?”

“The Clancys aren’t interested in anything but full custody.”

“But anyone could see Bonnie belongs with you,” she said, gesturing to his hand holding the bottle.

“My lawyers think this is about anger. They’re angry their daughter is gone. And they want the last link to her.”

She nodded. “Bonnie.”

“Yes,” he said, gazing at his baby girl. “And they’re angry at me because I have her.”

“I’m sorry, Liam.” Her voice was full of compassion, and just for a moment he let himself accept what she was offering. But only for a moment.

“Thank you, but don’t be sorry for me—cheer me up instead.” He grinned as he glanced up, wanting to just sit and listen to her speak in her beautiful accent. “Tell me about Larsland.”

Her eyelids drifted closed as she rocked Meg. “It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice dreamy. “The sky is a blue I haven’t seen since I left. The birds are different, so the birdsong early in the morning is distinctive. And the old cities on the main islands are a mixture of modern buildings and stone structures, some dating back hundreds of years.”

As she continued to describe the sights, he glanced down at his daughter. Bonnie blinked at him as she drank, as if mesmerized. Her gave her a smile, then looked back to Jenna as she talked about her homeland, and suddenly he knew how Bonnie felt. Enthralled. He was enchanted by Jenna in the soft lamplight, by the glow of her skin and the emotion in her eyes. His body heated with heady warmth.

He’d never wanted to kiss a woman more.

Of course, the irony was that he’d never met a woman more off-limits. She was an employee, and he’d never cross that line and become a boss who made advances to women who worked for him. That type of behavior was deplorable.

Worse, Jenna Peters was the employee he particularly couldn’t afford to scare off. Bonnie was the most important thing in the world to him, and Bonnie needed Jenna. If he made a pass at Jenna and she left, he’d never forgive himself. Being able to handle a night feeding on his own was a far cry from being able to look after his daughter’s every need. Sure, he could get another nanny, but could he guarantee he’d be able to find one Bonnie liked as much? Whom he could trust as much?

No, kissing Jenna would be bad on so many levels. He held back a groan. Perhaps he should change the subject to something more practical, something she’d be less passionate about.

“I heard you met with Danielle again today.” He’d asked his PA to meet with Jenna as soon as she could schedule it to get moving on the launch of the Midnight Lily and they’d now had two meetings in two days.