Elizabeth August - Truly, Madly, Deeply

“She may have made it through the first day but she’s a stranger to us. I will not take chances with my children.”

“Both John and I are keeping an eye on her,” Lucy reminded him curtly.

Minerva ducked into her room before either saw her. She couldn’t fault Lucy or Judd for being cautious where the welfare of the children was concerned. And she found it rather heartwarming the way John protected his brother and sisters. Still, it was unnerving knowing she was constantly being watched. And Mr. Graham’s cold scrutiny was extremely irritating. She could easily understand why the three who hadn’t been fired had left so quickly of their own volition.

Her gaze traveled around her surroundings. Too bad, she thought, that she would be following in her predecessors’ footsteps. She liked the children, but she did not like their overbearing father. She would try to stick it out until Wanda found her another position, but not a moment longer.

Setting the last box on the floor, she wondered what the “rules” were that he hadn’t mentioned. Guess I’m going to find out, she thought, hearing footsteps behind her. Straightening and turning, she confirmed her suspicion as to who had entered her room.

Judd closed the door behind him. “We did not have an opportunity to go over all of the details of your employment this morning,” he said.

Suddenly her room seemed less than half its size. She wasn’t frightened, just extremely aware of the man in front of her... the width of his shoulders... the sturdiness of his build...his virility. It was a weird, unsettling reaction, like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Attributing it to her dislike of the man, she mentally shook it off and faced him.

“You will never strike or shake one of my children,” he said curtly.

“I had no intention of doing either,” she assured him.

“I’m glad to hear that.” His expression remaining terse, he continued, “When you do have to discipline one of them, you can have him or her sit quietly for a designated amount of time or you may take away a privilege for a designated amount of time. If neither of those methods work, you will speak to me and I will handle the situation.”

“Yes, of course.” The suspicion that one of the nannies had mistreated the children again loomed strong in her mind. Sympathy for them swept through her. She even found herself willing to forgive Judd Graham’s harshness.

“As I told you before, you will have Sundays off,” Judd said, again drawing her mind back to their immediate conversation. “I will, however, attempt to be flexible on this point.”

“Flexible” was not a word she would have associated with him, Minerva thought dryly, then returned to concentrating on what he was saying.

“If you need other time off, it will have to be arranged in advance. I assume you were informed that I run my own business.” Judd paused for an answer.

“Yes.”

“Because of that, my hours are uncertain. There will be times when I will have to work on Saturdays and late into the night on weekdays. When I am at home, I make it a rule to devote time to my children. However, when I am not with them, they will be your responsibility.”

“I understood that,” she confirmed.

He acknowledged her words with a nod. “As for boyfriends, I do not expect you to bring them to my house without my permission and there will no sleep-overs.”

Her eyes rounded with indignation. “I am not that kind of woman.”

Judd’s gaze raked over her. She did look like the oldfashioned type and her indignation appeared genuine. That he would not find himself breaking up embarrassingly intimate clinches was a relief. “Good.”

He’d accepted her at her word. She should be pleased and she was. Still, there was a tiny sting. Recalling the many times her father had pointed out that she was no beauty, she was certain Judd Graham simply assumed she was too plain to attract men’s lusty attention. Ninety-nine percent of the time he’d be right and the remaining one percent had never stirred her beyond a flicker of an ember.

“And now that that’s settled, I’d better relieve Lucy from watching the children so that she can get back to her kitchen.” Striding out of the room, he closed the door behind him.

Minerva scowled at the vacant spot where he had stood and wondered how long she could endure Mr. Graham’s cool, brusque and impersonal manner. He’d shown no concern that she might suddenly decide he was too strict or the job was too tough and leave. Clearly things had to be his way with no compromise.

Her gaze shifted to the phone on her bedside table. Wanda had said to call.

As soon as Minerva identified herself, Wanda said cheerfully, “I’ll take this as a good sign. The others all called within an hour of their first encounter with Mr. Graham.”

“This is simply my first opportunity,” Minerva returned. “Tell me that you are trying very hard to find me a different position.”

“Of course. Didn’t I promise I would? And I am a woman of my word.” Wanda paused, then a plea entered her voice. “But promise me that you’ll stay there until I do. Honestly, people who know the man tell me that he can be quite nice and actually charming once you get to know him. He’s just a little overprotective where his children are concerned.”

“Nice” and “charming” were another two words Minerva found hard to equate with Judd Graham. “As long as I have your word that you are looking for a different job for me, I’ll stay. But please don’t take forever.”

“I promise, I’ll find something soon,” Wanda assured her.

Hanging up, Minerva wasn’t so certain Wanda would keep her word. The woman was clearly desperate for someone to fill this position. Picking up Travis, she held him out in front of her. “I like the children and the pay is good,” she informed her teddy bear. “I should be able to save quite a bit fairly quickly... before I get fired or I can no longer endure Mr. Judd Graham.”

Then setting Travis aside, she decided to only unpack the essentials. The rest of her stuff she would leave boxed for a quick departure.

Chapter Three

Dinner, like breakfast and lunch, was eaten at the table in the huge kitchen. And, like the other meals, it was a lively affair. John’s manners were quite good, but the young triplets required attention. In spite of Judd Graham’s presence, Minerva enjoyed being there in the midst of the activity. It was a great deal more interesting than the silent meals spent with her father.

About halfway through the meal, she was reminded of something she had noticed during the morning. Henry babbled a mouthful of unrecognizable sounds and the two girls laughed. Continuing to politely ignore Judd, she said to Lucy, “I would swear that the girls understood what Henry was saying. It’s as if the three of them have a language all their own.”

Lucy smiled. “I believe they do. They’ve babbled back and forth like that since they were babies.”

Maybe Minerva Brodwick would work out just fine, Judd mused silently. Aloud he said, “You are the first one of all the people Mrs. Johnston has sent who realized that the triplets have their own private system of communication.”

The note of approval in his voice caused a surprising rush of elation and she found herself actually smiling at him. When he smiled back, a curl of warmth wove through her. She was merely feeling triumphant that she’d proved to him she was observant and had given his children the attention he wanted, she reasoned.

As the wiping up of the triplets began, Judd said, “I’ll play with the children while you finish unpacking.”

She noticed that this time, although his words still carried the feel of an order, they were not delivered as crisply as before.