“You know,” Janet continued, trying a different tactic. “This is rather a change for me too. It’s kind of scary being in a new town, meeting all new people. I can imagine what you two must be feeling having a new person in your house.”
“You’re not staying in the house,” Dillon said speaking around the apple bits. “You’re staying out back. In the carriage house.”
A response. This was something, at least. “Yes, that’s true,” Janet replied. “But we’ll spend a lot of time together when you’re not in school. Maybe the two of you can show me some of the fun things to do around Burning Falls. Does that sound like something you could do?”
He shrugged, returning his attention to his snacks. Janet turned her attention back to Bonnie. “What about you? What are some of your favorite things to do?”
“I don’t know,” Bonnie said lowering her gaze with a shy smile. “I like pretty things, I guess. Ponies and ribbons.”
“Is that so?” Janet replied gently. “So do I. I loved ribbons when I was your age. As a matter of fact, I still like them. What’s your favorite color?”
Bonnie’s eyes lit up just a bit. “I like red, pink, and purple.”
Janet smiled, keeping her gaze on Bonnie. Maybe this was a start.
The children finished their food, trundling off to the kitchen together to throw away their garbage. They both hurried up the stairs without any further discussion. She heard them upstairs, chatting quietly with each other playing.
Janet stood up and decided to take a look around the house. Everything had happened so fast. One of the benefits of having a nomadic lifestyle such as that of a live-in nanny, meant she did not have to send for her belongings. Everything she owned was in the carry-on bag sitting at the foot of the bed in the carriage house.
She clapped her hands together and headed down the hallway. Just past the front door, she found a large room which appeared as if it had been converted into a playroom. A collection of stuffed animals, teddy bears, and unicorns peered out from the shelves. Plastic bins filled with building blocks, doll clothes, train tracks, lined the lower shelves.
She stepped into the room taking in the sheer abundance of the atmosphere. From a child’s perspective, this place would be a paradise. Next to the window, Janet saw a large cork board filled with photographs of the children at various ages. The pictures featured many beaming smiles and laughing faces. Splash parks, ice cream, sunshine.
However, Janet gained more information from what she did not see in the pictures. She assumed the pictures were taken by the father as evidenced by the occasional group selfie including Austin holding the camera with the children squeezed in on either side. In none of the pictures did she see a mother.
“It seems we have something in common after all,” she whispered as she gazed around the room. “I never had my mother around either.”
Chapter Four
Austin sat in the tiny hidden room in the Burning Falls library. Lisa and the others had left him to take a look over the scrolls kept in the cabinet. He swore he would keep the handlers gloves on as Lisa insisted to prevent the oils from his skin from damaging the documents. She showed him how to carefully remove the scroll from the cabinet without compromising any part of it.
“Only touch the paper when you absolutely must,” she said before leaving. “And only with the gloves on. You must wear the face mask to keep from breathing additional dust into the field.”
“Lisa,” he said carefully pulling on the delicate gloves. “I’ve got it. I won’t hurt your scrolls.”
“Okay. I trust you.” Though by the look on her face and the breathless way she spoke, made him question if she truly did.
Austin worked quickly, snapping pictures of the text. Once he had the whole document photographed, he could place the scroll back into the cabinet. The photographs he would take back to his office at home and work on the translations.
Chase had left to gather supplies to fix the glass and the damaged lock. Derek took the task of looking over the security tapes. Lisa changed out the drives in the security devices and gave them to him.
Austin’s work was slow and meticulous. He had every bit of respect for the artifact lying before him on the table. The burning of the library of Alexandria was a huge element within shifter history. The collection here in the hidden room held a great deal of information and history specific to their past generations. Austin had always suspected that much more had been destroyed than had been saved. Now if only they could figure out time travel to go back and prevent it from happening.
The words on the scrolls were foreign to him, but a few of the pictures appeared familiar to him. What annoyed him the most was the possibility that it was these people, whoever they were, that had made several attacks on Burning Falls before, in one capacity or another.
First, the real estate company tried to undercut the townspeople by buying the land out from under them. Then, on a seemingly unrelated note, some student filmmakers were going for the history of the town, doing a faux documentary about the supernatural history of the town. That one had actually worried him, as he was not sure all of the footage had been destroyed. If not, the secret of the shifters could still be compromised.
Perhaps most concerning was when Derek’s fiance was actually kidnapped the prior year. She was rescued, but Austin knew she still had nightmares about it. Derek told him in confidence that he was worried about her. The evidence was tenuous, but Austin believed each of these events were connected in some way.
With one gloved hand on either end of the scroll, he carefully placed it in the lock box. Lisa had provided one to use until Chase had a chance to finish the repair. He did not exhale until the clasp clicked on the lock box. He took off the gloves, the mask, and picked up the camera, glad to get out of the claustrophobic room.
When he returned to the front of the library, he found Lisa pacing around waiting for him. She had already closed up and dimmed the lights. Other than her, the library was vacant.
“How’s the scroll?” she asked.
“The scroll? What scroll?” Austin said with a smirk. “Oh, you mean the scrap paper I used to take notes on?”
“It’s not funny!” she whined. “You have no idea how much that scroll is worth!”
“I’m just teasing,” he chuckled. “The scroll is fine. Not a hair on it. It’s safe in the lock box.”
“Oh, thank god,” she replied.
“How did you get it anyway? A scroll from the library of Alexandria… Are you sure it’s authentic?”
“Oh, it’s authentic. I’m sure. Trust me. I have my ways.”
“So, I took pictures of the text, so we won’t have to access them anymore. We can reference the pictures from here on out.”
“Do you think we should move the documents?”
“No. They won’t try it again.”
“How do you know?” Lisa wrung her hands. She took her duties as the librarian and historian very seriously, he could tell.
Austin did not know how to explain to her how he knew. When he and the others in his pack practiced their mental connection through the practice of Kon-Mar, he came very close to calling forward a physical image of the man who had done this. He could tell the man was panicked. His motive was not in finding this information but in something else. He behaved as if someone had hired him.
“Don’t worry,” Austin grinned. “I have my ways.”
He left the library noticing the sun hanging low on the horizon. He headed back to his house wondering how things were going with the nanny. He felt terrible not being there when the kids arrived home from school, but this is one of the reasons he had hired her in the first place. He could tell pretty much right away that she could be trusted. Pheromones were a powerful thing.
He found her in the kitchen. She had just finished dishing up three large salads, topped with lightly grilled steak strips, fresh cherry tomatoes, and a smattering of sunflower seeds. On the two smaller ones, she included a ramekin of ranch dressin
g, and on his, a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
“Oh, you’re just in time,” she said as he walked in. “I was just about to call the kids down for dinner.”
He glanced across the three place settings. “Won’t you be joining us?”
“No, no,” she said. “I think it would be more appropriate if I took my meals in the carriage house.”
“I see,” he replied. He felt a bit taken aback. He was used to bringing home a pizza or throwing together sandwiches in the evenings, and here she was pouring up glasses of juice, and ice water placing them next to the set table.
“Everything’s ready,” she said. “Shall I call the children down?”
“Sure, sure.” He set down his briefcase. “Listen, Miss Noble. I’m sorry I had to run out like that earlier. I don’t want you to think I’m an absentee father. It’s not how things usually go.”
She paused at the entry to the hallway, glancing back at him. “I don’t think that at all,” she said. “I’ll send the kids down and retire to my room.”
“Alright,” he stammered unsure how else to respond.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes, what’s that?”
“Please, call me Janet.”
She vanished down the hallway, chirping the kid’s names at the base of the stairs. The kids appeared a few moments later. Austin half expected them to be wearing pin curls and a bow tie, but no. They still wore their ordinary school clothes.
“I’ll be back in a few hours to put them to bed. I’ll be in the carriage house if you need anything else.”
“Of course.”
The children made their way to the table. Bonnie picked up her fork and prodded at the steaming steak lying across the salad.
“What’s this?” she said wrinkling her nose.
“It’s dinner,” Austin replied. “She didn’t have to make it for us, but she did. So we’re going to eat it, and we’re going to enjoy it.”
Dillon chewed a bite, apparently unphased by the meal. “Why is she here? Are we in trouble?” he said around his mouthful.
“No, she’s just going to be your nanny for a little while.”
“What’s a nanny?” Bonnie asked.
“Come on now, Bonnie. You know what a nanny is. You watch the show.”
“Yeah, but the show is for trouble children. We’re not trouble children. Are we?”
Austin looked up, seeing both of his children peering at him waiting for an answer. “No, no,” he stammered. “Of course not.”
“Then why do we need a nanny?” Bonnie put down her fork and leveled her gaze.
“It’s just that I’ve been working a lot lately, and I don’t see that letting up anytime soon. I think it would be good for you to have someone a little bit more stable to help take care of you.”
“Don’t you love us anymore?” Dillon asked, though the prospect did not seem to dampen his appetite as he scooped up another bite onto his fork.
Austin pressed his fingers against his temples. “Of course I still-- Look. Let’s just give this a chance guys, okay? If I get more work done during the week, then we can do more fun things during the weekend. That sounds good, right?”
The corner of Bonnie’s lip curled up with a mischievous grin. “Maybe we can go to that cupcake shop.”
“What cupcake shop?” Austin said.
She did not reply, but took another bite, keeping her gaze on her father with a side glance.
* * * *
When Janet closed the door to her apartment, she let out a deep breath she did not realize she had been holding. Once the children arrived from school, she went into nanny autopilot. Once she figured out she was not going to win them over right away, she decided to focus more on the caregiver duties of the job, making them dinner, and getting familiar with the duties.
She chose the steaks because she knew shifter children needed more protein. Most of the time, they did not get enough, which culminating over the years made for quite a moody transition once they hit their teen years.
Now that she had a minute to relax, she placed her bag on the bed to unpack. She placed most of her clothes into the chest of drawers, hanging a few of her dressier shirts in the small closet. It was not a bad set up here, she decided. Having a whole entire carriage house to herself was a far cry better than her previous assignment.
The mother had been a downright banshee. Not literally, of course, but she loved to boss Janet around at every chance she could. Janet suspected it was a result of them finding out about her non-shifter status. She discovered that tended to be the pattern. She could only hope that was the case. Sometimes she did wonder if maybe she was just a lousy nanny. After she unpacked her bag, she decided to call Lana and let her know what was going on. Already she missed the city, and it would be nice to hear a friendly voice.
“Is he hot?” her friend said after Janet explained she would be staying.
“What? Come on. I don’t--” Jenny replied. “Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about it.”
“So think about it now,” Lana pressed. “Is he hot? Poor single dad, struggling to bring up his two precious children in upstate New York. Young, sexy nanny swooping in to bring life back into their lives, and awaken his hardened heart.”
“When you put it that way. I mean, I guess he’s cute enough, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“That’s okay. I want you to call me every night. I’m sure you’re going to be great.”
“Lana, it’s only a six month trial at this point. I wonder if I’ll even make it that far. Usually they tend to find a reason.”
“Why on earth would they fire you?” her friend asked. “You are so good with kids! They’re going to love you.”
“It’s not the kids I’m worried about. It’s always the parents who have a problem. The kids usually love me. This time I don’t even have that going for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“These kids are surly, especially the daughter. I don’t know. I’ll have to try and win them over somehow.”
“I’m sure you will,” Lana said.
“Thanks, Lana. I know it’s a long shot, but at least it’s nice to hear. Oh, hey, I gotta run. Time to get the kids ready for bed.”
“Okay, talk to you later.”
Janet hung up the phone. Was she truly cut out for this, she wondered? She had to be. Currently this was her only legitimate way to make a living. Besides, she really did love being around the children.
Chapter Five
In the following weeks, Janet settled into a routine with her new post. For the most part her interaction with the children consisted of getting them to school and back, keeping them fed, and ensuring they appeared dressed in a presentable manner any time they left the house. Janet could not help but noticed how often Bonnie asked her to braid her hair for her.
Janet took over the food preparations for the household. She received a stipend for groceries in addition to her pay from the agency, and she took the opportunity to do a major overhaul in the kitchen. It appeared as if their father had bought stock in meal helpers and peanut butter. He had done alright, all things considered, but she knew shifter children needed a lot of fresh foods and protein.
Her relationship with the children remained one of necessity. They did not open up to her, and she did not press them. They would come around when they were ready. She did not feel as confident about their father though.
“You’ve made a lot of changes,” he said one day when she returned from the grocery store.
“Is everything to your liking?” Janet asked as she pulled a honey dew melon out of the bag, setting it on the cutting board.
“Yes of course,” Austin replied. “It’s just… I’m not used to having a woman in the house. It’s been a while.”
“I was thinking about taking the kids on an outing over the weekend. Just a day hike, but something to get them out of the house at least. They spend so much time in their rooms.”
&nbs
p; “Yeah, I think that might be good for them,” he replied. “I know I don’t get them out nearly enough.”
“I’m sure you’ve done your best.” Janet kept her eyes averted as she spoke to him. Not that she minded looking at him. Quite the contrary. If anything, she still felt mortified about colliding with him that first day. If he had been literally anyone else on the planet, she would have replayed the event in her mind, fine tuning the details so one day she might tell her grandchildren how she had met their grandfather. Unfortunately, as her client, he was tragically off limits, not that he had shown any interest anyway.
“One thing to be aware of,” Austin continued. “They don’t know anything about shifters or the world we live in. I’d like to keep it that way for now at least.”
Janet paused in putting away the groceries. “Yes, of course,” she said. “I would never undermine the parent’s wishes.”
“Will you be joining us for dinner?” he asked, changing the subject.
“No. I’ll retire to the carriage house once everything is served.”
He had invited her several times since she began working there. She declined every time. She did not want to behave like a maid in their home, but the agency had a strict rule about keeping a professional distance.
“If you insist,” he replied. “The offer stands.”
“I appreciate it.”
Austin retired to his office. Janet still had some confusion as to what exactly he did for a job. He said he was a day trader, but she assumed he also had responsibilities to his pack. Most shifters did. She could not keep from watching him walk away down the hallway, his broad shoulders eclipsing the dim light of the hallway.
* * * *
As Austin stepped into his office, he closed the door behind himself, his thoughts in a whirlwind. In hiring a nanny, he had thought mainly of his kids and their well-being. It never occurred to him that she would be so attractive. He felt it from the moment she had literally fallen into his arms that first day.
Nanny to the Bear (Burning Falls Shifters Book 4) Page 3
