“You’ll teach me how to fish?” Rachelle asked, blinking rapidly to clear away the tears that suddenly gathered.
“You need a license first but we can get you one. Then of course I will!”
“And you’ll show me everything, when we go to town? And maybe you can introduce me to Mrs. McGregor?”
“It’s a deal!” Shanna jumped off the half made bed and Rachelle resumed making it. As she stared out the window one last time, noting the blazing pinks and purples coloring the skyline she suddenly felt that despite the rustic, meager appearance of the cabin, it was where she was meant to be.
“It’s like that here. I wasn’t sure about it either when I first started coming. Dad bought it three years ago. After… oh.” Shanna stopped herself and looked embarrassed. Rachelle met the girl’s dark gaze for a second before Shanna looked out the window. Rachelle saw great sadness there and was almost afraid to ask.
“After…” she gently prompted, placing a hand on Shanna’s slight shoulder. The girl was tall and willowy for her age but with clear, alabaster skin, dark eyes, high cheek bones and a mane of raven curls, promised to be a great beauty.
“After my mom died,” Shanna whispered. She glanced up at Rachelle, her eyes huge and liquid with grief. She lowered her voice even more and Rachelle had to strain to hear her. “I think when my mom died all the beauty went out of my dad’s life. So he had to come here. To find something like this.”
“Oh Shanna,” Rachelle whispered. She couldn’t say anything more past the wad of unspent tears choking and burning her throat. Wordlessly she gathered the girl into a tight hug. Shanna clung to her and Rachelle stroked the raven curls gently. She peered over Shanna’s bowed head to the lake, wondering what healing, if any, lay in those crystal blue depths.
Chapter 5
Three weeks at the cabin with his new nanny made Sheldon doubt the wisdom of hiring her. Not that Rachelle did anything wrong. It was exactly the opposite. She was the perfect companion for Shanna. The girl bonded with Rachelle instantly and at times Sheldon found it hard to watch the two of them playing, laughing and having fun. He often came out of the cabin to find them sunbathing on the grass, their heads bent together as they talked about what, he couldn’t imagine.
It was everything he’d hoped for. He’d been very specific about what he wanted in a nanny as he hoped the woman would also be a role model, filling the huge hole that Marcie’s death left in Shanna’s life.
He just didn’t expect the hole in his own heart to hurt so badly. He had buried the grief and the pain deep inside himself. Why was it whenever he looked at Rachelle that the bandage felt ripped off and his wound was left aching and bleeding?
Sheldon couldn’t sleep at night. He tossed at turned, conscious of Rachelle so close in the next room. He watched her during the day when she wasn’t looking, studying her, memorizing each and every single detail. Rachelle and Shanna were inseparable so everything he did with his daughter, Rachelle came along. It was an exquisite torture that was completely foreign to Sheldon.
There were so many firsts for Rachelle. Bathing in the lake, washing her hair. Screaming when she found a leach stuck to her leg. The fright she gave the whole household the night a huge spider fell on her face when she was lying in bed reading. The way she looked when she raced Shanna into the cool waters of the lake. Rachelle looked like a drowned rat tubing but she was no less pretty for the dunking he’d given her. God, she’d hung on tenaciously to that tube as though fighting Sheldon himself. He would forever remember the look on her face when she pulled up a giant lake trout that impressed even him. She wasn’t a half bad cook either.
Rachelle struck a piece of wood with the ax, splitting it in half on their makeshift stump chopping block and Sheldon’s attention focused on the object of his brooding thoughts.
“You did it!” Shanna said approvingly as Rachelle beamed. Even Sheldon had to smile at Rachelle’s pride at the task she’d been trying all week to master.
“I did! Let me try another.” Rachelle picked up another piece of wood and placed it on the stump. She lined up the axe, making sure that Shanna was standing well away and swung perfectly, splitting the log.
“Good job Rachelle!” Shanna cheered. “We’re going to have such a good dinner thanks to you!”
Sheldon glanced down at the fish he was cleaning. Once again, it was one Rachelle caught. He seemed to be on a fishing slump while after a couple days, Rachelle was hitting her stride. Sheldon cursed himself when his filleting knife slipped an inch, nearly missing his hand. He stood up, stretching his back and glanced at his daughter.
“Would you like to try setting up the tent Shanna?”
“Me?” Shanna squeaked, uncertain.
Rachelle placed another log on the block and before she raised the axe she shot Shanna a huge grin. “You can do it. Just give me a minute here and I’ll have all this wood cut and I can help you.” Rachelle glanced around, meeting Sheldon’s gaze and he quickly looked back down at the fish, giving no indication that he’d noticed.
“Okay,” Shanna finally said. She walked over to the small blue tent bag that would somehow transform from a tiny rectangle in a bag into a huge, six person tent. It was their first time camping out on one of the islands in the lake and all three of them were more excited than they let on.
Clearly the island was well used for camping and Sheldon had chosen it based on that fact. The flat spot on the top of the rocky outcrop made for the perfect place to put their tent. There were towering trees above to break the wind. The little bay was shallow and beautiful with water lily pads swaying on the surface. The boat had been moored safely inside the shallow bay, out of the wind if it should happen to pick up.
There was already a large portion of wood cut down and left for the next lucky person, which happened to be them. It needed splitting and Rachelle had seen to that like a pro. Sheldon didn’t miss the way Rachelle’s muscles flexed as she worked the axe or when she stooped to pick and gather the wood. His eyes settled on her rounded bottom, which her denim cut offs highlighted when she bent over. He barely managed to smother a groan and he glanced away as Rachelle straightened and dumped the armload of fire wood by the blackened ring of stones that would serve as their fire pit.
“Let’s see to that tent,” Rachelle said happily, already turning to Shanna. The two of them worked together diligently and the tent was set up in no time. The women stood back and surveyed their handy work. Sheldon’s pride swelled to see what his daughter could accomplish. His attention flitted back to Rachelle again. He was annoyed that he couldn’t stop looking at her.
Frustrated with himself, Sheldon got up. He’d filleted the fish and he took the filleting board and washed it in the water. The unusable portions floated away, lunch for the eager gulls that circled overhead.
He had the fire built and the fish frying in no time. The beans and corn followed soon after. The three of them dug hungrily into their dinner when it was ready.
“That was amazing,” Rachelle sighed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Shanna followed fashion, copying the un-lady like gesture. Sheldon was about to reprimand her but the words died on his tongue.
Rachelle set her plate aside and took Shanna’s.
“Leave it,” Sheldon surprised himself by saying. “I can take care of it.”
“Alright.” Rachelle’s smile lit up her face and that familiar tightening hit Sheldon’s stomach. He paused, a forkful of fish halfway to his mouth.
“Evening swim?” Rachelle asked, glancing at Shanna. Shanna grinned.
“Yup! I’ll race you down!”
The two took off laughing and screaming down to the little bay. Sheldon watched, telling himself he was only checking on Shanna’s safety to make sure she didn’t slip on a wet rock or flounder in the cool waters.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away as Rachelle stripped off her clothing, revealing a yellow bikini underneath. It was modest as far as swim su
its went, the top more like a sports bra that held everything in place but it still managed to accentuate her breasts. The bottom was shorts and was equally as modest though they outlined the swells of Rachelle’s own bottom and her shapely thighs to perfection.
The image of her bronzed skin shouldn’t have slayed Sheldon but it did. He breathed out a strangled sigh and set his half eaten meal aside. He had been starving after a day out on the water but suddenly his appetite fled. His chest constricted and his heart pounded hard. Blood rushed through his veins and he became very aware that he was rock hard.
His cock pulsed painfully watched the way Rachelle’s lithe body, her curves silhouetted by the late evening sun, slid into the water. She dove under the surface and came up a minute later, beads of water sluicing off her wet hair and traveling downward to the small amount of cleavage the modest bikini top exposed. When he realized her nipples were hard little peaks pushing brazenly against the wet fabric, Sheldon’s cock nearly ripped a hole through his shorts.
Shanna splashed in beside her and the two women swam, floating on the surface when they grew tired, staring up at the sky.
From where he was sitting he was sure that Rachelle wouldn’t be able to see him watching her so Sheldon stared with unabashed rudeness. He took in every single curve, every delicious line and swell. His hands ached to touch that bronzed skin. To see if it was warm from the sun or cool from the lake’s icy waters. Watching those beads of water drip down her body made Sheldon’s mouth water to taste them. No, to taste her. Her skin. Her scent. Every single inch of her.
Damn it. Sheldon shook his head hard. He grabbed his plate and rammed food angrily into his mouth. What the hell was wrong with him? He was sure he was twice Rachelle’s age. Besides that, she was his nanny. If he didn’t want to be the world’s largest cliché he would damn well keep his thoughts to himself.
His cock pounded painfully, punching against the fly of his khaki shorts and Sheldon groaned. He set his food aside in disgust, unable to eat another bite. He had been painfully aware of the sickness that was spreading through his body ever since he’d first set eyes on Rachelle. The hard desire. The longing. The physical aching. The wild, out of control feeling. It was all reaching a crescendo. He was just thankful his daughter would be sleeping in the tent between them that night.
Chapter 6
The evening wore on and the sky darkened. The three of them sat watching the sunset, the sky alive and fiery with its artist’s pallet of reds and golds and oranges.
Rachelle, hair still damp from her earlier swim, edged closer to the fire. The night was warm after a hot, humid day. The wind had died away completely with the fall of night and the air felt close and comforting.
When Shanna smothered yet another hand and glanced sleepily at Rachelle, she knew it was time to call it a night. They were worn out from their day spent in the sun fishing, swimming, setting up camp.
“Goodnight dad,” Shanna said, standing up and moving across the way to her father. She wrapped her arms around Sheldon’s strong shoulders and he bent, allowing her to reach all of him. He kissed the girl affectionately on the cheek.
“Goodnight sweet pea. Go ahead and get into your pajamas. It’s been a long day.”
“Where are you sleeping dad? Aren’t you going to come to bed?” Shanna eyed her father and Sheldon smiled, caressing his daughter’s cheek gently. He nodded after a second.
“I’ll come in a bit. I just have to tend the fire and make sure it’s burned out and pour water over it to be safe. I’ll let you and Rachelle have the privacy you need to get settled. Don’t worry though. I’ll just be out here.”
“Okay dad.” Shanna turned and made her way to the tent. Rachelle stood, carefully avoiding looking at Sheldon since the air had suddenly seemed charged with electricity. She could almost feel the tension crackling between them. Why did she always feel that way when Sheldon was near? “Dad?” Shanna turned, her hand on the tent’s zipper.
“What’s that honey?” Sheldon glanced up. He looked first at Shanna then his eyes traveled to Rachelle, who was standing right behind her charge. She felt naked beneath that dark, bold stare and suppressed a shiver of strange longing. Her body flared to life, every nerve firing. Her heart beat hard and blood drummed in her veins, roaring so loudly she was sure everyone would hear it.
From somewhere on the lake’s waters a bird called, mournful and forlorn. An answering cry of a smaller bird in the trees behind them sounded a few moments later.
“I love you,” Shanna whispered before slipping into the tent. Rachelle glanced at Sheldon. She saw the responding flash of love shade his eyes. Some other emotion passed over those black orbs and then was extinguished just as quickly.
Rachelle looked away and ducked into the tent. She and Shanna changed into their warm pajamas and bunked down in their sleeping bags. Shanna was asleep in minutes, worn out from the fresh air but Rachelle tossed and turned for what felt like hours.
She wondered where the hell Sheldon was. Surely he was still sitting by the fire but why wasn’t he coming to bed? She half dreaded his entrance into the tent. Shanna’s sleeping bag would be between them but still. It seemed far too erotic to know that he was sleeping mere feet away.
The thought stirred her blood and Rachelle groaned. She turned over again, her sleeping bag rustling like a crack of thunder through the tent. The ground was hard. Rachelle’s shoulder went numb. She shifted again. She stared at the roof of the tent, her eyes well-adjusted to the darkness. From somewhere just outside an insect whined and hummed.
With a sigh Rachelle sat up. She was completely distracted and far from sleep in the strange, uncomfortable place. Camping out had seemed like an adventure at the time but the reality was far from comfortable.
She stood, slipping on her flip flops and unzipped the tent. She’d chosen a warm pair of pajamas with long sleeves and long pants so she was well protected from the hungry insects buzzing about as soon as she left the canvas safety.
The fire was still going. Sheldon sat beside it, the flames illuminating his form. They flickered and cast shadows over his face making him appear mysterious and even more handsome than he was by daylight.
Rachelle crept closer, seeking the warmth of the flames. Sheldon didn’t move as she sat down opposite him on the log they’d dragged over earlier. His eyes didn’t lift from the flames. He made no motion. It was almost as though he were asleep sitting there, eyes wide open.
“Sorry if I’m disturbing you,” Rachelle said haltingly in a whisper. “I couldn’t sleep.”
The silence of the night pressed in around her. The insects buzzed, the fire popped and crackled, the birds called. Overhead the trees rustled and something soared through their bows when Rachelle glanced up.
“No. I couldn’t either,” Sheldon finally said. His voice was also little more than a whisper and there was a deep huskiness to his tone that made Rachelle shiver.
Rachelle crossed her arms over her chest. She and Sheldon had exchanged hardly more than a handful of words since she’d started her job and only when necessary. She wasn’t sure what to say now, the closeness of darkness and the intimacy of the fire between them.
“Do you do this often? I mean since you bought the place? Camp out?”
“No. This is the first time I’ve tried it. It always seemed to be so much work thinking about doing it when I have a cabin not far away. I wasn’t sure Shanna would be up for it either.”
“She’s a pro,” Rachelle said, the pride evident in her voice.
“Yes. I see that now. I should have guessed as much. She’s always been much stronger than I’ve understood.”
Rachelle’s throat tightened painfully. Was that Sheldon’s way of saying he needed to talk? She wasn’t sure so she remained silent. How could she tell him that Shanna had told him of his wife who had died. She couldn’t very well ask how it happened, though of course she wanted to know.
“It’s really peaceful
out here,” Rachelle said instead. She chanced a glance at Sheldon’s face and was surprised to find it, for the moment, completely unguarded. There was a sadness in his eyes that froze her heart and broke it but there was something else besides grief in those black depths. Something dangerously close to what she was afraid was mirrored in her own, much lighter eyes.
“It is. I was looking for a place to escape. A refuge from the city.”
“You made a good choice.”
“Yes.” Sheldon hesitated for a minute then surprisingly patted the space on the large log he was perched on. Rachelle froze. She didn’t want to move but Sheldon’s hand still rested there, like a signal for her to get up.
Finally she made the decision to rise and cross the distance. She sat perched a good foot from her on the log. It shifted when she sat down. Rachelle stared at the fire for a long while before she dared to turn her head. Sheldon was studying her, which shouldn’t have surprised her. She’d felt the heat of his gaze as she felt it almost every day when he thought she wasn’t aware.
“Look…” Rachelle finally stammered. “I’m not sure why you hired me for this job because you seem to be half sorry that I’m here. You’ve challenged me from the start, almost mocking me. I admit I’m a city girl. I might not be any good at any of this but I do like Shanna. I am good at being a nanny, or at least I’ve been told I am. I enjoy it. So I hope that we can come to some kind of truce.” Rachelle stopped to take a breath, embarrassed at her own honesty.
Sheldon nodded, his eyes blazing into her own. She felt the heat between them rise and it had nothing to do with the flickering flames she found herself closer to on Sheldon’s side of the fire. Rachelle’s breath hitched. Her lungs burned with the need for oxygen. Finally she exhaled in a long rush.
“You’re surprisingly good at being out here. For a city girl. I’m sorry if it’s seemed like I don’t want you here. You’re everything that I could have asked for as a companion for Shanna. I’m very glad that she’s taken to you. She needs someone to be there for her.”
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