Ann Evans: The Midwife's Glass Slipper / Best For the Baby: The Midwife's Glass Slipper

“Thank goodness,” he muttered, glad he didn’t have to find a nanny right away. “And the second?” Hearing in Emily’s voice the sweetness, caring and enthusiasm, he knew he could never hire Mrs. Brunswell.

“Second,” Emily went on, “I’d like to take the girls to the park this afternoon. I’ll be very careful with them, keep my eyes on them all the time. The fresh air would be good for them.”

He suddenly realized he trusted Amy and Courtney with Emily because they couldn’t stop talking about her, because of the expression on her face whenever she was with them. Whatever the reason, it was gut instinct. His gut instinct was telling him to dismiss Mrs. Brunswell. If Chloie could watch the girls until his mother was on her feet again, he wouldn’t need to hire a nanny. “The park will be fine. I’m going to check in on my mother and then I’ll be home.”

After he closed his phone, he concentrated on Mrs. Brunswell again, searching for the words to tell her he wasn’t hiring her.

Emily felt like a mom and loved the feeling! With the Texas-bright sun peeking around the clouds, she helped Amy from the swing, then took her hand and Courtney’s. They walked through the grass to the merry-go-round. Although she felt like a mom, she wasn’t. Soon Jared’s daughters would be under someone else’s care. “You’ll be playing with Chloie soon. That should be fun.”

“Are you going away like our mommy did?” Amy asked.

This was dangerous territory. Emily didn’t know enough about the situation to speak with the girls about it. At three and a half, how much could they remember about their mother?

“I’m not going to go away. I’m going to go back to working where your dad works.”

“Mommy ran away and never came back,” Courtney informed Emily seriously.

Was that how Jared had explained their mother’s absence? Had they heard adults discussing it? She didn’t believe Jared should just let them think their mother went away and never came back. Yet Emily knew she had no right to discuss this with them.

“Is Grandma coming back?” Amy wanted to know as they reached the merry-go-round.

“Your grandma hurt herself and has to have an operation. She might have to go to a special hospital for a little while before she can come home.”

Courtney and Amy exchanged a glance as if this had been something they’d been worrying about. These two had a special bond and Emily hoped it would last throughout their lives. She’d often wished for a sister. She’d lost her dad to a construction-site accident when she was in high school. Her mom had died of an aneurysm a year before she and Richard had married. Looking back at her life, Emily wondered if she’d worn blinders and hadn’t seen Richard’s faults because she didn’t want to be alone in the world, because she’d wanted to cling to that one person who was supposed to always stand beside her. But he hadn’t. And by the time the lawsuit had been resolved, she’d realized how different their values were.

After Emily pushed the girls on the merry-go-round, they tried out the jungle gym while she sat on a concrete bench and watched. Suddenly a deep male voice behind her said, “They look as if they’re having fun. Maybe I should get some equipment like that for the backyard.”

Emily swiveled on the bench and looked up into Jared’s penetrating green eyes. He was studying her loose-fitting red blouse and jeans, and she felt as if he were seeing more than her outside appearance. He’d apparently left his suit jacket in the car and rolled up his shirtsleeves. His tie was pulled down a little and the top button of his shirt open. Could he possibly know how sexy he looked, standing there with the sunshine gleaming on the russet strands in his dark-brown hair?

She returned her attention to the girls. “I think they’d enjoy a play set in the backyard.”

Angling around the bench, he sat beside her.

They were silent for a few moments; then he commented, “It’s been a long time since I’ve sat in the sun and watched them play. I think I’ve forgotten how to relax. I’m usually getting them dressed, feeding them, rushing off somewhere.”

“You don’t have to rush off somewhere now?” she asked.

“Not for a few hours. I have to return to the hospital later to check on patients. Can you stay through the evening?”

The more she was around Jared, the more she wanted to be around Jared. “I can stay.”

“Good, then why don’t I cook us an early dinner?”

“You cook?”

His eyebrows shot up. “You doubt me?”

“No, but are we talking about more than hot dogs or scrambled eggs?”

He laughed. “How about chicken Alfredo? We’ll stop off at the market on the way home and get what we need.”

“You shop, too?” she teased.

He shook his head. “I can see someone’s been giving you a mistaken impression of grown men.” She went quiet.

“Your ex-husband didn’t shop?”

“No, he relied on me for that.”

After a few heartbeats, he asked, “How long were you married?”

“Six years. I met Richard when I was working toward my nurse practitioner certification.”

Jared stared straight ahead, his gaze on his twins as he asked casually, “Have you dated since your divorce?”

Was he personally interested or just making conversation? “No, I haven’t dated. I’ve been trying to get my life back on track.” She waited a few moments, then took the opportunity to ask, “Have you dated?”

“No, I’ve been too busy to think about it.”

Now he turned to study her, his gaze steady on hers. She read the flicker of desire in his eyes, a hunger that told her he was telling her the truth. It had been so long since a man touched her intimately, since a man had kissed her like Jared had kissed her last night. On second thought, she’d never been kissed like that before.

“There’s chemistry between us,” he said simply.

“I know.”

“It’s hard to ignore.”

They both had agreed to do that. But with her just sitting here beside Jared, her attraction to him and his to her was palpable.

She saw a shadow pass over his face. “What?” she asked softly.

“I was thinking about how my marriage ended. Valerie couldn’t accept the time I spent away from home. She hated the phone ringing in the middle of the night. Our plans were disrupted lots of times by my work, and I can understand how that disappointed her. My profession was the reason why we divorced. It’s an obstacle to any relationship. ”

Emily absorbed that, then suggested, “Unless the woman you’re dating understands.”

There was a longing in Jared’s eyes now. Maybe it was the longing to believe her. Maybe it was the longing to have a mother for his children. Maybe it was a longing he didn’t believe he could ever satisfy.

Maybe, she guessed, he was sorry he’d brought up the subject because suddenly he stood and called, “Amy! Courtney! Let’s go home. Too much sun and you’ll look like red beets.”

Emily smiled as the girls giggled. The tension between her and Jared eased. Yet she couldn’t stop thinking about his kiss. Would a second kiss be even more potent than the first?

She might never know.

Emily felt odd walking beside Jared down the grocery store aisles. He was acting as if this were an everyday occurrence! Her heart raced every time he glanced at her.

In the pasta aisle, he asked, “Angel-hair pasta or linguine?”

How could that question be so sexy on a man’s lips? Their eyes locked for an interminable moment as the twins scampered around them.

Her mouth suddenly dry, she replied, “I like linguine.”

“Do you have Italian in your soul?” he drawled, his Texas upbringing obvious.