by Donna Fasano
Andrew nodded, intent on getting air into his lungs.
Cassie could actually see the relief flood through Joshua. He was such a good and loving father. She only wished he truly believed what he'd said to her a few minutes ago, that education didn't matter, that a diploma couldn't prove a person's worth.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, hugging his son tightly.
"Yeah." Andrew squirmed in his embrace. "Daaaad," he complained.
The suspenseful incident seemed to rob everyone of their appetite. But when Joshua asked if the boys would like to go home, the answer was a unanimous "No!"
"Could we go climb the monkey bars?" Andrew asked.
"You sure you're up to it? Maybe we should see the doctor."
Andrew rolled his eyes heavenward. Cassie had to laugh at this blatant sign of suffrage.
"Okay. Okay," Joshua relented. "Go play."
Cassie watched the boys scamper off toward the playground.
"I don't know how to thank you."
She turned her gaze on Joshua.
"You saved his life, you know."
"I wouldn't go that far," she said.
"The way I was pounding on him?"
Cassie shrugged, not knowing what to say.
He slid closer to her and took her hands in his, the feel of his skin against hers were deliciously warm even on this sunny day.
"Cassie, if this doesn't show you just how much you're worth," he said, his voice quiet with utter sincerity, "then nothing ever will."
He gently squeezed her fingers. "I mean, look at you. You dropped out of school to provide for a sick mother and a baby brother. You continued to provide, even after your mother died and you were left sole guardian of Eric. And you survived. That's success, Cassie. That's real achievement."
She searched his gaze, knowing that everything he said was true. But she'd never had anyone actually say the words out loud. Well, Mary had tried, but Cassie just hadn't been convinced. However, here was a scholarly man, a highly intelligent man, telling her she was a success. She was worthwhile. She found it overwhelming.
"Cassie," he continued, "education isn't all books and essays and diplomas. It's a constant process. Education has to do with learning new things. You've continued your education. You learned to swim so you could work as a lifeguard. You took a first-aid course. And you're constantly using the books in my library to look up one thing or another. You've been furthering your education without even realizing it."
He meant the words he was saying. She could tell from the intensity of his dark gaze. And it made her feel wonderful!
"I didn't bring you the GED information because I thought you needed it." He raised his hand to cup her cheek. "I brought it because you thought you needed it. You feel somehow deficient or inferior because you haven't earned your diploma. But you're neither of those things."
She tried to turn away from him, but he refused to let her.
"Cassie, you can do it," he said. "You can easily earn your GED certificate." He grinned. "It'd be a cinch with me as your coach."
"I don't know," she whispered.
"I know you're afraid. That's normal."
With doubts continuing to tarry, she said, "But it's important to me to do a good job as Andy's nanny. What if I can't do both?"
"Then, don't do both. In fact, I think it's time I told you that you're fired."
Before she had time to even feel shocked, he added, "Don't go back to school as Andrew's nanny. Go back as my wife. Go back as Andrew's step-mom."
Her beautiful eyes opened wide and she sucked in her breath. "What?" she whispered. "Wait. Stop. Joshua, it's much too soon to talk about…m-marriage. We're moving too fast."
The way she tripped over the word proved the measure of her surprise.
He shook his head. "I disagree. I've seen you with my son, Cassie. I've seen you with Eric. I know you're kind and compassionate and giving. I've seen those boys flourish because of you." He paused for the length of a heartbeat. "And besides all that, I know how you make me feel."
"B-but…"
"No buts, Cassie. When you walked into my life you were the answer to all my problems, all my hopes, all my dreams." He grinned at her. "I don't have any absolute proof… I can't offer up any scientific data… but we'll be wonderful together." He took her hand and placed her fingertips on his chest over his heart. "Sometimes you simply know that you know."
Then he gently cradled her face between his palms and heard his son's final piece of advice echo in his head. Tell her you love her.
"You see," he said softly, "I love you, Cassie. And whether you earn your certificate or not, I'm going to continue to love you."
Her lashes fluttered as she blinked twice. She reached up and encircled his wrists with her fingers and asked, "What did you say?"
His voice grew husky. "I said, whether you earn your certifi–"
"No, no, no." She felt breathless and giddy with joy. "The other part."
He looked at her a long moment. "I said I love you, Cassie."
Why did it seem that he was speaking in some foreign language that she couldn't quite comprehend?
"B… but," she stammered, her heart pounding furiously, "you said a relationship between us was impossible."
"Forget what I said." His eyes twinkled in the sunlight. "I was stupid."
He loved her. He loved her! Cassie could hardly believe it.
Her smile grew sultry, lingering. "You? Stupid? Never. Your intelligence is the sexiest thing about you."
"Sexy, huh? Are you telling me you feel something for me that I should know about?"
"I'm telling you that I love you too."
He kissed her then, lightly on the mouth.
"Oooo," he groaned against her lips. "If we weren't in public..."
Then she kissed him. One teasing, tender kiss on the palm of his hand and another on his chin.
"Tell me," she implored. "Tell me what would happen if we were in private."
"I'd kiss you," he said. "I'd kiss you until you couldn't breathe. And none of these chaste, for-everyone-to-see kisses, either." His tone lowered. "They'd be hot." Then he whispered, "And wet. And they'd last deep into the night."
Now it was her turn to groan. "Tell me more, Professor Kingston."
"I'd touch you," he said softly. "I'd run my fingers through your silky hair. And over your velvety skin. And I'd taste your honeyed sweetness from here–" his thumb lightly grazed the hollow of her throat "–to here." He traced a slow, sensuous trail to the tender underside of her chin.
"Oh, stop!" She chuckled deliriously. "The thought alone is killing me."
He exhaled a long-suffering sigh. "But for now, I'll have to settle for a modest, passionless kiss."
She stopped him before their lips met, gazing at him with ardent eyes. "Modest, maybe," she told him. "But never passionless."
And then she tipped back her head so he could cover her mouth with his.
Across the playground, Eric's eyes grew wide when he caught sight of Joshua and his sister.
"Yuck," he said, his voice full of the kind of disgust only an eight-year-old could muster. "They're kissin'!"
"All right." Andy came to stand beside Eric. "That means he told her."
"Told her what?" Eric's face was still scrunched up.
"That he loves her," Andy announced.
Eric took a moment to digest this information. Finally he turned to Andy. "Do you think they'll get married?"
"They're kissin', aren't they?"
A happy grin split Eric's face. "We'll be stepbrothers. Great!"
"Well, Cassie's your sister. If she marries my dad..." Andy stopped to think.
"I'll also be your uncle!" Eric exclaimed, his eyes widening with delight. "Weird!"
Andy laughed. "That will be so cool!"
They congratulated each other by slapping a high-five, and then they turned back to conquer the monkey bars.
~ ~ ~
A note from the auth
or:
Dear Reader,
Sweet romantic stories have always held a special place in my heart. What can I say? I've always loved the idea of falling in love. I hope you enjoyed Nanny and the Professor. If you did, please consider reading my other books. You'll find links to them below. Also, I hope you'll consider telling your friends about my romance novels. Word of mouth is the best advertisement an author could hope for.
Until next time,
~Donna Fasano~
Contact information:
Blog: http://www.DonnaFasano.com
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/DonnaFaz
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/DonnaFasanoAuthor
Visit Donna's Author Page on Amazon
to find these other great titles for Kindle:
The Merry-Go-Round
His Wife for a While
An Accidental Family
Return of the Runaway Bride
Taking Love in Stride
Mountain Laurel
Coming Soon!
Fortune's Bride
Here's a sneak peek just for Kindle readers.
Prologue
Lifting her face toward the sky, Laura Adams closed her eyes, dug her toes into the sun-heated sand and thought that nothing could spoil this perfect day.
"Mom!"
Brian's shout jerked her to attention.
Her six-year-old son ran toward her, frantically gesturing for her attention. "That little girl is lost."
Laura gazed down the beach where her son was pointing. Sure enough, a child walked on the damp sand near the water's edge, her long, blond hair tangled by the wind. She was small, and a couple of years younger than Brian, by Laura's estimation.
Tourist season didn't officially begin until Memorial Day weekend, which was two weeks away. The beach was relatively bare of people, save for the few sun-worshipers enjoying the unusually warm spring day.
"Honey, there's a family right up there," Laura told her son. "I'm certain that little girl belongs with them and she's simply walked too far away, is all."
Brian's tiny frown grew as it planted itself firmly between his brows. "She's lost," he stated emphatically. "I've been watchin' her. She passed that family. Yes, sir-ree–" his little head bobbed up and down "–she is lost."
Laura tried not to grin at his insistent tone of voice. She was just about to suggest that they ask the girl if they could help her when Laura caught sight of a man running from the direction of the street. He called out to the little girl, but whatever he said was carried away by the salty breeze.
"There," Laura said. "There's her daddy. She's okay now." She patted her son's arm comfortingly.
Brian's eyes remained riveted to the girl. "That's not her daddy."
"Of course it is…"
Laura's voice died when a piercing scream erupted from the little girl. Her heart raced in her chest as she watched the man snatch up the child and hurry back in the direction of the street.
Could it be possible that the man wasn't the child's father– that he somehow meant her harm?
It was a fleeting thought, one that didn't even stay in her head long enough for her to take a quick breath. Such things simply didn't happen in a small family community like Dewey Beach.
The girl was obviously throwing a temper tantrum. Her father was undoubtedly angry that she'd gotten herself lost, that's why he was being so rough and so seemingly uncaring about his daughter's distress.
"Mommy."
Laura looked at her son. He hadn't called her that for months. He'd felt he was growing up and one way to prove it was to drop the childish moniker. The look on Brian's face tore at Laura's heart. This scene was upsetting him as much as it was her.
She smoothed her palm down his forearm. "It's okay, honey."
"It's not." Brian's chin trembled and his eyes filled with tears. "That's not her daddy."
"What makes you say that, sweetheart?" Laura's question was full of tender patience, even though her insides quivered with her own doubt.
"But I told you. She came from way up there." Once again he pointed up the beach.
Despite the sun's heat, a frightening chill crawled up Laura's spine. There could be a million reasons why the man hadn't come from the same direction as the little girl. A million reasons why an innocent scene like this could disturb an onlooker such as herself. But, if there was one chance in a million that this man was up to no good, one chance in a million that he was attempting to abduct this helpless child, could Laura sit and do nothing?
With the hot debate raging in her head, she pushed herself to a stand and absently brushed sand from the rear of her shorts.
If the stranger's intent was to carry away the girl, Laura's intervention could put her and Brian in danger.
What was she thinking? If that man meant to harm the child, she had to stop him. Still, her feet remained firmly planted on the sand as she battled her indecision.
The panicky cry that erupted from her son's throat was the motivating factor that finally pushed her into action.
Kneeling down, Laura settled Brian on the sand. "You sit right here," she said firmly. "I'll go see what's going on." She took off running, yelling over her shoulder, "Don't move, Brian. I'll be right back."
Excuse me, she mentally practiced, can I point out the fact that your child is in hysterics?
No, No. Much too aggressive.
Hello. I see your daughter's upset. I run a daycare center. I work with children every day. Could I help you calm her down?
Better. Much better.
The man was halfway to the street, so Laura sprinted across the sandy distance.
"Excuse me," she called.
The man ignored her even though she knew he had to have heard her.
"Hey!" she shouted. "Hey, you!"
~ ~ ~
Watch for Fortune's Bride. Coming soon!
