Joey Light - Daddy For Hire

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Jack Murdock balked inwardly. This whole idea went against the grain. And he hadn’t expected his potential boss would be so beautiful. Hadn’t anticipated her having the same effect on him that boiling water would have on ice cubes. But here she was. Big blue eyes, dark brown, almost auburn hair and lots of it. A face like an angel’s, but with a stubborn chin that belied her soft expression.

And she was looking at him with doubt and something else he couldn’t define. It had already been difficult enough applying for the job, hat in hand. Jack was used to taking care of himself, getting things done his way. He never had to ask for anything.

But he had to remember his number-one priority now. And she was sitting in his lap. After months of coping with his new situation, he had finally admitted to himself that he couldn’t be everything she needed. And that alone was a hard thing for a man like Jack to admit to himself. He couldn’t be all his daughter required. Katie was missing a woman in her life. Not one merely paid to see to her basic needs. And Mrs. Roberts, whatever her situation was, had advertised for someone to run around-the-clock surveillance on her boys. So here he was, wishing he were anywhere else.

A man not used to justifying his actions or trying to make anyone understand him, he mentally recoiled at this entire scenario. Bending was new to him. Bargaining was completely unfamiliar. Relinquishing some independence was totally foreign. Yet when once he would have simply stood up and called this a mistake and headed for the door, now he waited.

An aroma wafted into the room to mix with the light floral scent of her perfume. Peanut-butter cookies. The combination made his mouth water, which helped his mood.

Jack forced his attention back to the issue. “I came dressed casually because I wanted your kids to feel at home around me right away. My size alone is intimidating enough sometimes. I hope it doesn’t give you the wrong impression.”

Well, it had, Abby admitted to herself, but not for long. There was something definitely endearing about the way he held his daughter and the way she so confidently clung to him, her tiny fingers fanned out over his muscled forearm. It was very clear they had spent a lot of time together. Each taking care of the other.

There was something very charming about the way he sat so guardedly on her flowered sofa, as if his weight threatened to collapse the supports. It proved he was a thoughtful man. Not an overbearing male who let things fall apart around him.

“Good idea, I suppose. The boys are out back.” Abby folded her hands in her lap.

For some strange reason, she didn’t want to disappoint this man. That realization didn’t help her comportment any. “Mr. Murdock, I tried to reach you several times to save you a trip over here. I’ve changed my mind.” She noticed him stiffen automatically then seem to force himself to relax once again.

She watched him, found herself wondering what his hair felt like. It looked so thick and curly. If they stood real close, would her head come just under his chin? Lordy, what the heck was happening to her? She had to get her wayward, unexpected thoughts under control and focus on business.

“The truth is I hadn’t thought the matter through enough when I set up the interviews. I was acting on a whim, which really isn’t like me at all. I just think the manny situation is a little too radical for me.”

His silence unnerved her. She felt foolish and embarrassed.

He began to stand, swinging Katie into his arms.

Words tumbled out. She wondered, only briefly, why she was so rattled. “A strange man around the house. Trusting my boys to—But of course, that was the idea wasn’t it, to have someone here for them twenty-four hours a day, every day…and—”

“I wouldn’t be a stranger in another five minutes or so.” Jack waited while a few tense seconds slipped by and then figured he’d called in a bad bet. So be it. “But I can see you’re reluctant to give it a shot. Too bad, though. I think it would have benefited all the kids. Katie gets a mother figure, and your boys get a…how did you put it? A male influence.”

Abby focused her attention on Katie. What a precious little child. And no mom? Abby leaned forward and took one of the girl’s hands. Her little fingers grabbed Abby’s and held on. Life was totally unbalanced. She had always wanted a little girl, and she and Jim had tried hard for one more child. Now here was one not much more than a baby who needed a female presence in her life.

The little girl pointed to the life-size statue of a colorfully painted beagle that sat on the hearth. “Barney?”

Her dad chuckled. “No, that’s not Barney, baby. It just looks like him.”

Katie shook her head in denial and wiggled her fingers toward the statue. She tried to slip from her dad’s grip. “’Mere, Barney. ’Mere!”

As naturally as if Katie was her own child, Abby reached for her and took her from her father’s arms, her fingers brushing across his hard muscles, and set the child’s little feet on the floor.

“Let me show you.” Taking her hand, Abby led the child to the statue and hovered as Katie petted the cool, smooth glass and gently poked and inspected the animal until she understood. Abby hadn’t realized until now how much she missed those discovery years when every day the child would uncover something new and exciting.

Smiling her gratefulness to Abby, Katie leaned over and gave the pooch a juicy smooch and then held her arms up for Abby to lift her. Taking her was Abby’s first real mistake of the day.

It was like having her arms full of sunshine. Abby waited for the strong pull on her heart to subside. It didn’t. The little girl was soft and smelled of powder. One small arm snaked around her neck as the other toyed with a button on her shirt, and Abby felt herself mentally sway. She had thought the old yearning had died off with so many other things. Now she knew it had only been hiding.

Jack Murdock was obviously disappointed about the withdrawal of the manny position, but he didn’t discuss it further. Abby was glad he made it easy for her. He took his daughter when Abby offered her and shifted the child to a comfortable position on his hip. He turned to go.

Another chance for Abby to have a little girl around was walking out the door. His hand was on the doorknob. And she really needed to get some sort of routine for her boys set up before school was out.

He was pulling the door open.

Before she was fully aware of what she was doing, Abby’s hand was on Jack Murdock’s arm. “I’ll tell you what. Let’s talk about this some more. This is the end of May. School will be ending in two weeks. I really do have to have some sort of arrangement by then. If my contract goes through for the flower shop, I’ll need someone to be here all the time. Please, sit back down and tell me some more about yourself, Mr. Murdock.”

“Jack.” His grin was guarded as he walked back to his seat on the couch and balanced Katie on one knee. Abby watched as his huge fingers fought to tie a bow in the tiny strings of her loose shoelaces. He had nice hands. A shiver rode her spine.

“I’m Abby. So…Jack, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a contractor.” He slid a folded envelope from his hip pocket and handed it to her. It was warm from his body. She set it on the end table. “Those are character references. I once owned a very profitable construction company. I’m thirty-five, divorced and have custody of Katie.”

That he had custody spoke highly of the man. Courts just didn’t hand over children to the father for no reason. “Just what do you know about raising boys?” Abby asked.

His smile came easily as he crossed his booted foot over his knee and adjusted Katie to a better balance. “Not much, other than that I just happened to have been one not too long ago.”