She played a couple of scales and was not at all surprised to discover the piano was perfectly in tune. With her back ramrod-straight and her hands poised over the ivory keys in the posture of a venerate pianist, she gave the impression that she was going to treat Dylan to some classic rendition intended to soothe the heart of the most savage beast.
"'Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater, had a wife and couldn't keep her.'"
The melody that she played on those polished keys was universally familiar. A voice more suited to compositions by the masters rose to meet the exposed log beams overhead.
"'Put her in a pumpkin shell and there he kept her very well.'"
Abandoning his blocks, Dylan hesitantly approached the piano and sidled next to Heather on the bench. There he proceeded to plunk out the final three notes of the silly little ditty.
Laughing, she noted. "It sounds very much like your blocks plinking on the floor, doesn't it?"
The twinkle in his answering blue eyes was the impetus for Heather's next selection.
"'Twinkle, twinkle, little star…'"
It had been so long since music held anything but pain for her that Heather was surprised to lose herself in the kind of happy nonsense songs that demanded nothing of a pupil but a willing spirit and an eager heart. She wondered if she might coax him into a duet with the all-time favorite "Chopsticks." Delighted to have made even such a tenuous connection with Dylan, she hoped his father wouldn't mind if their dinner consisted of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup straight out of the can.
* * *
The sound of music stopped Toby short as he stepped through the front door. It had been so long since he had heard anything cheerful echoing off the walls of his home that he wondered if he had accidentally walked into the wrong house by mistake. As much as he missed the smell of Mrs. Cremins's fabulous homemade meals wafting through the house at the end of a long day's work, the joyous noise that greeted him was far sweeter and infinitely more filling.
He followed the sound to an impromptu recital in the living room.
With their backs to him, neither Heather nor Dylan was aware of his presence, providing him a perfect opportunity to observe the interaction between them unnoticed. Why someone with a voice as heavenly as Heather's would want to waste her life as a nanny was beyond him. Toby didn't give that question more than a minute of his time. If God wanted to send him an angel, who was he to question Divine Intervention?
While Dylan wasn't exactly talking up a storm, it was the most animated Toby could remember seeing him in a long time. In keeping with the pattern established earlier in the day Heather played the beginning notes of a simple melody, and his son completed it. Like the subtle fragrance that Heather dabbed on her pulse points, her very presence seemed to somehow change the molecular structure of the air itself. The oppressive aura that had dominated this house since well before Sheila took off felt suddenly energized with the possibility of healing.
The fact that the house was a mess and dinner not on the table, nor anywhere near the stove as far as he could tell, didn't damper the optimism rising in Toby's chest. An empty belly was nothing compared to the chronic worry that divorce had permanently damaged his little boy.
"Daddy's home," he announced in a voice made deliberately gruff to keep it from cracking with emotion.
At the announcement, Dylan flew off the piano bench and into his father's arms. Such wild enthusiasm was foreign to Heather who watched the reunion with something akin to amazement. The sight of this big man tossing his child in the air and catching him in a great, big bear hug made her heart beat against the barbed-wire barrier she had so painstakingly built around it. A similar greeting from her own father at that age would have likely sent her scurrying to her room in fear.
Heather's reserve was partly due to her embarrassment about jumping to the conclusion that this man could be a monster when it was obvious that his little boy adored him. It was also partly due to the fact that she had no desire to get any closer emotionally to her new boss than was necessary to maintain her present employment. Having just been dumped by someone she trusted first and foremost as a mentor and only subsequently as a lover, Heather was not about to risk her heart romantically again.
Just because at first glance Toby Danforth appeared to be Josef Sengele's exact opposite didn't mean there were no similarities between them. Past experience had taught Heather that men in general were not to be trusted. Strong-willed men like her father and Josef were adept at manipulating for their own purposes those they claimed to love. And Tobias Danforth struck her as one of the most determined creatures on the planet.
The only difference was that neither Josef nor her father showed the propensity for outward affection that Toby did. That was something to be counted in his favor. Assuming the silver-framed photograph displayed on top of the piano was of Dylan's mother, Heather was surprised that he hadn't done away with all evidence of his ex-wife. Undeniably beautiful, the woman in the silver frame spent the better part of the afternoon staring accusingly at Heather. As disconcerting as she had found that, Heather knew by the way that Dylan's gaze fell so often upon that lovely countenance that it was a comfort to him.
"I promise that I'll get around to the housekeeping tomorrow," she told her employer.
The apology in her voice was unnecessary.
"That's all right," Toby told her.
His smile was genuine and reassuring. That Heather suddenly felt jealous of the toddler nestled so safely in those strong arms of his father came as a shock to her. Having given up romantic complications in her life, she could do little but let her emotions wash over her without outwardly acknowledging them.
"What you're doing with Dylan is far more important. What do you say I stick some frozen dinners in the microwave, and we can all relax in front of the television for the evening?"
Heather didn't know what to say. The invitation sounded tempting.
And dangerous.
The truth was she was ravenous. And for a lot more than the man was offering. There was no real explanation for why she felt like taking off running in the opposite direction other than the fact that something about this man put her into fight-or-flight mode. She didn't like what it said about her character that her body was inclined in the direction of the latter. Or that given the circumstances of her employment, avoiding Toby was going to be as impossible as controlling the chemical reaction that he set off in her every time he was around.
Heather's stomach answered for her, rumbling deep and loud in a manner that belied her dainty stature.
"That would be lovely," she said in a tone that gave away nothing of the conflicting emotions that left her feeling raw inside.
* * *
Three
« ^ »
"Fake it until you make it," Heather repeated to herself again and again as she stared out the tiny window of the airplane that was waiting for permission from radio control to take her straight into the heart of the South and Toby's family.
That same mantra helped her through innumerable recitals and contests over the years. Clutching a small purse in her lap with both hands, she did her best to pretend she wasn't frightened out of her mind. Considering what an admirable job she had been doing of hiding that very fact from her employer for the past few days, it should have been a piece of cake. That the plane in which she sat barely qualified as a puddle-jumper didn't do much to calm her nerves. When Toby told her that his uncle was sending his private jet to transport them to the family reunion, Heather had envisioned something far grander than the single-engine Cessna idling beneath her more like a motorcycle than an actual means of transportation designed to leave the ground behind.
"Are you all right?" Toby asked.
He reached across what only questionably passed as an aisle to peel one of her hands off her purse and take it into his own. He found her skin cold and clammy to the touch.
"Is there anything I can get you to calm your nerves?"
"I'm fine," Heather said grimly through gritted teeth.
Her stomach lurched as the propellers began spinning. She covered her mouth with her free hand. Used to dealing with pre-performance jitters, Heather dreaded the thought of vomiting into a paper bag next to a man who was showing her such touching concern. At least before a concert, one always had the option of discreetly slipping away to the privacy of an isolated bathroom.
Toby's voice was as smooth as aged whiskey.
"Why in the world didn't you tell me you were afraid of flying?"
Why not indeed! For the same reason that she couldn't tell him she was afraid of the feelings that living with him had stirred in her. Standing on the edge of his close-knit family, she felt like a starving child with her nose pressed up against a candy store window without so much as a dime in her pocket. Unwilling to admit that, however, Heather forced an excuse through lips drawn in a thin line.
"I'll be fine. It's part of the job. I understood that when I accepted it."
Glancing over Toby's broad shoulder, she shot Dylan a brave smile. It was lost upon the child whose head was bent over the traveling musical keyboard his father brought along to entertain him. Even a three-year-old was more at ease with flying than Heather was. She felt like an idiot for letting Toby guess just how nervous she really was. Not that he had to do any more than look into her eyes to peer directly into her soul.
"I'll be right back," he told her.
Heather forced herself to let go of his hand as he rose to his feet. She was grateful that he hadn't tried placating her with some platitude about there being nothing to be afraid of. That was how her father tried dismissing her fear of the dark when she was little. As had Josef whenever she waited in the wings for her turn to perform before a house filled with critics.
And right before he took her virginity from her.
Lies.
She was doubly grateful when Toby returned a moment later as promised, not with some condescending statement about air travel being safer then driving her car, but rather with a stiff drink in one hand.
"I hope you like whiskey," he told her, passing her a tall tumbler. "You strike me more as the type who'd prefer an umbrella and a cherry bobbing in a fancy drink. But since I'm not much of a bartender, this is the best I could manage before the pilot announces it's time to fasten our seat belts."
Such instructions were unnecessary on her behalf. Heather had securely buckled her safety device across her lap the instant she sat down—and read every word of the informational materials provided in the back of the seat in front of her. Just in case an ocean happened to materialize between Wyoming and Georgia, she was prepared to use her seat cushion as a floatation device.
The ice cubes floating in her drink offered more immediate comfort. Heather took a tentative sip. As its dark amber color suggested, Toby made it plenty stiff.
"I hope your relatives don't mind if I'm not able to stand up once we get there," she murmured with a diminutive little cough.
His responding grin was enough to melt those ice cubes clinking against her glass. Heather wasn't sure whether the warmth spreading through her body was due to her hormones or the alcohol hitting her bloodstream.
"Don't worry," Toby told her. "As far as I know, my uncle isn't basing his campaign on any pro-temperance stance. Which is a good thing, considering his own past."
Heather raised a slender eyebrow.
"My family isn't exactly without blemish," he warned.
"Whose is?"
She took another dainty sip of her drink to steady her nerves as they began the long roll down the runway. Not one to pry, Heather was nonetheless curious. Local gossip connected Toby to a glossy layout of some fabulous mansion touted in a magazine last summer. Much of what had been said regarding the article was mean-spirited and envious in nature. She supposed such a well-known family would have to expect to have every flaw magnified in the press. She wondered if that was part of the reason Toby deliberately put such distance between them.
Since her own family relished any media attention and rushed to put their daughter in the limelight every chance they could, it was a stance she could uniquely appreciate.
"What's your family like?" Toby asked.
Not sure whether he asked the question out of courtesy or as a way to distract her from their impending takeoff, she responded tersely.
"Quiet."
Squeezing her eyes shut as the engines growled and the airplane strained to lift off, she hoped Toby wasn't angry at her brusqueness. Her stomach leaped as they became airborne and hovered somewhere between her head and her heart. Tiny beads of sweat popped out above her lip.
"Take another swallow," Toby commanded, squeezing her hand. His voice was far more reassuring than the remedy he offered.
Unfortunately, his touch counteracted that effect. Warm and strong, it suggested an intimacy that was not at all appropriate between an employee and employer. Heather fought to remember that she was hired to look after Dylan, not to engage in foolish romantic fantasies that left one feeling used and forlorn in their aftermath.
No matter how much Heather wanted to let go of Toby's hand, she could no more have done so than she could slow her racing pulse. In so small an airplane, one felt every air pocket and bump right in the seat of the pants. Looking out the window only intensified the feeling of dizziness that swept over her. The landscape below, parched by drought, may well have been the surface of the moon for what little comfort its familiarity brought.
"Turn around," Toby told her.
"What?"
He touched her nape with his free hand. She flinched, and her already stiff shoulders bunched up around her ears as he began kneading the muscles on either side of her neck.
"Let me give you a massage. Trust me, it'll help you relax."
Although Heather started to protest, the sensation of his masterful fingers stroking her skin was too heavenly to forgo, even for the sake of pride. Toby took his other hand from hers and began to massage her knotted muscles in earnest. Heather expelled a deep breath of air and felt every muscle in her body relax. Suddenly the sensation of floating high above the world didn't seem nearly so frightening. She arched against his touch and tried to keep from sliding out of her seat. Her eyelids fluttered shut.
"That is nice," she admitted.
The sound of giggling in the seat behind her so startled Heather that she almost spilled her drink into her lap. Dylan apparently did not share her aversion to air travel. His reaction to hitting an air pocket was to pretend he was on a roller coaster. Toby looked pleased. While his son had yet to speak again since that first day when Heather arrived, laughter was definitely a step in the right direction.
"I'm afraid the only quiet one you're likely to find in my family is Dylan," Toby told her. "And with your help, I think we might be well on the way to curing that."
* * *
Indeed he was right on that account. There was a small army waiting on the ground in Savannah to meet them. As delighted as Heather was to be back on earth in one piece, she found the rush of people surrounding them with hugs and squeals of welcome almost as oppressive as the humidity making the air heavy and redolent with expensive perfume. Her knees were wobbly beneath her, partly from the effect of the miraculous concoction Toby had mixed up for her on the plane—and partly from a sense that she was being suffocated.
Dylan threw his arms around one of her legs. Oblivious to that fact, Toby took her firmly by the elbow. Heather felt like a wishbone being pulled apart. Caught in a throng of some of the most beautiful people she had ever seen, she reached down and pulled Dylan up into her arms. He clutched her neck as if it were a life preserver.
"And this darling angel must be my nephew," cooed a Southern voice so balmy Heather thought it warranted a fan.
A stunning blonde stepped out from behind that voice to hold her arms out to Dylan. Her eyes immediately gave her away as Toby's sister. The exact same shape, they were as vivid green as his were blue—wit
h equal shades of compassion glimmering in their depths. Heather held her breath when Dylan hesitated. Already protective of him, she didn't want anyone rushing him too soon.
When he leaned into his Aunt Imogene's arms, Heather heard Toby expel his breath at the exact same time that she did. The tightness in her shoulders returned with a vengeance. It wasn't that anyone went out of his or her way to make her feel unwelcome as much as the fact that there were so many Danforths to try to keep straight in her mind at once.
"I'd like you to meet my sister Imogene and my brother Jacob. His wife Larissa. My cousin Reid, his wife Tina."
Toby's sister gave him a scathing look and corrected him almost the instant her name rolled off his tongue. "The last time anyone in this family called me Imogene, it was followed by both my middle and last name. I believe it was a code signaling that I was in big trouble, more often than not because of something my ornery big brother instigated."
Toby's embrace may have encompassed both his son and his charming sister without putting any strain on those big arms of his, but his laugh pulled on Heather's heart. She imagined the sound of that robust laughter mingling with that of a host of other Danforths, raising the rafters of a fancy mansion profiled in magazines that touted the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Heather's first impression of this prestigious family was far less stuffy than what she had anticipated. And while that was a relief in some ways, it complicated her relationship as Dylan's nanny.
As far as she knew, servants weren't expected to like their superiors.
Although Toby's introduction accounted for all the adults present, a couple of children had tagged along to watch the planes land and take off as well as to welcome Toby home. He scooped each of them up in his arms, promising them a special present from his luggage as soon as he unpacked. After collecting their bags they proceeded to a waiting limousine where Heather took a deep, cleansing breath and embraced the sudden sound of silence.
COWBOY CRESCENDO Page 3
