At this rate, he’d need a woman just to keep from giving himself food poisoning. A second-long debate had him dumping the bag in the trash and grabbing his keys. This time next year, maybe life would be different.
Chapter 2
With a toss, Molly’s keys clinked as they hit the metal dish sitting on the kitchen counter, and she shrugged out of her coat. “I’m home.”
The babysitter walked into the tiny living room, holding Ellie. “She’s such a good baby.”
Weren’t all babies good babies? Maybe easier was a better word, and Molly was thankful for that. Oh, she still woke up every few hours to eat, as evidenced by the dark circles around Molly’s eyes. Ellie was worth it, though. That little smile, those kissable sweet cheeks, and her tiny fingers as they wrapped around Molly’s finger and her heart. This tiny bundle of joy was worth everything to Molly.
She took Ellie from Lisa and smiled down at her. “Hey, you.”
Sinking onto the couch, Molly cradled Ellie and stared at her in wonder. When her brother, Derek, showed up four months ago with Brenda, his pregnant girlfriend, in tow, asking for Molly’s help to put the baby up for adoption, she’d been stunned.
First, her brother had spent most of his life in and out of jail. After he stole Molly’s credit card, she’d cut off all contact. She’d almost told him to go away, until his girlfriend came into the frame of Molly’s doorway. At that point, it wasn’t just him; it was the girl he’d knocked up. Molly just wasn’t tough enough to send her away—which meant three people living in her matchbox apartment.
They’d looked at several agencies, but the more Molly helped, the more she wanted the baby. At first, her brother wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to give a baby to a single woman with a housekeeping job, but Molly had made the argument that at least he’d have peace that the baby would be loved. Wasn’t that what mattered?
Eventually, they’d agreed with her, and three weeks ago, Eloise Grace Hines was born. Ellie cooed and hiccupped, and Molly smiled. This wasn’t how she’d planned to start her family, but sometimes plans got changed. For the better.
Molly tapped Ellie lightly on the nose and then kissed her little cheek. She was the most perfect little human being Molly had ever seen. Head of blonde hair, blue eyes, and the most adorable chubby cheeks.
Lifting her gaze to Lisa, Molly said, “Thank you for staying a little late. Mr. West is going home for the holidays, so he won’t need me. I figured I’d go ahead and start putting in applications.”
“If he’s as nice as you say, I bet if you told him you need to work, he’d help.” Lisa crossed the room and took her coat from the hook by the door. She stuffed her arms into the thick knee-length coat and picked up her purse. “It wouldn’t hurt to at least ask.”
Mr. West was more than nice. Josiah. Just his name was like cotton candy on her tongue. He was flat-out dreamy. Just a hair taller than her with thick dark hair, blue eyes, and a smile that could bring a woman to her knees. And that deep voice? Holy macaroni, was it ever yummy.
The bow on top of that neatly bundled present of a man was that he was as kind as he was good-looking. She knew he’d only given her the housekeeping job because he caught her crying after she was fired from the coffee shop. The first day she’d arrived, she’d been suspicious because the messes were just too…neat? She had a big brother, and she knew what a real one looked like.
As wonderful as Josiah was, now that Molly had Ellie, dating was on the back burner. It had been a sign when her boyfriend dumped her. In passing, she’d mentioned thinking about adopting her brother’s baby. That was all it took. He was “too young to be a dad,” and if she was going to pursue that, she’d be doing it without him.
Molly didn’t want Ellie to see her go through one boyfriend after another like Molly had done as a child with her own mother. All those men, in and out of Molly’s life, had been hard. Just when she would think things were settled, her mom’s relationship would end. From the time she was five until about nine, her world was rocked more times than she could count. Then her mom met her stepdad, and Molly loved him. After he married her mom, he’d adopted her and her brother. Even so, it didn’t change all the heartache she’d endured, and Molly didn’t want that for Ellie.
“I really can’t ask him for more work,” Molly said.
Lisa opened the door and paused. “I really think you should tell him. It would make life a little easier.” With that, she shut the door, leaving Molly alone with Ellie.
Easier, but she’d feel rotten telling him, especially when she knew he didn’t really need her cleaning his apartment. She made a decent wage. Enough to pay her rent, food, and take care of Ellie. That’s all she really needed anyway.
Now she just needed another job while Mr. West went home for the holidays.
Chapter 3
Three weeks later, Wednesday of Thanksgiving week, Josiah stood in his office holding an envelope in one hand and several hundred-dollar bills in the other, trying to decide how much money Molly would take without a fight. He knew she wouldn’t take pay without having earned it, but Christmas bonuses didn’t count, right?
He jerked his head up as he heard the door open. “Oh, man.” It was decision time.
“Mr. West?” Her voice carried through the apartment. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Uh, that’s okay.” He stuffed some bills in the envelope and put the leftover in his slacks’ pocket. “I’m still packing.”
As he reached the doorway, he nearly ran into her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Her eyes went wide, and she stumbled. “I should have looked first.”
He steadied her and smiled. “It’s okay. I think this one’s on me.”
Stepping back, she tucked a silky lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll get out of your way so you can pack.” She looked around his apartment. “Mr. West, nothing’s dirty. I’m not really sure you need me today.”
Geez, he’d been so wrapped up in figuring out her Christmas bonus, he’d forgotten to mess the place up. “That’s all right. It’s good you’re here.” He handed her the envelope filled with cash. “I won’t be here for Christmas, and I wanted to make sure you got your bonus.”
Her fingers brushed his as she took it, and his heart skipped a beat as a zing of energy lit up his arm. An electrical fence wouldn’t have shocked him as much. Whew, he definitely needed to date a little more when he returned to Dallas next year. Or maybe by the next year, he’d have the guts to ask Molly about her relationship status.
Molly opened the envelope and gasped. “Mr. West, this is entirely too much money.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not. It’s a Christmas bonus. Those don’t count.”
A single eyebrow went up, and she leaned back. “You already pay me really well. I can’t accept this.”
“Yes, you can. I just gave it to you. That’s how this works.” He gave her a cheesy grin.
Her lips rolled in, and her cheeks lifted as she tried to hide her smile. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Uh…” Kiss him?
He nearly choked on the thought. He’d never been happier to have a filter in his life. If that had actually tumbled from his lips, he would’ve been looking for a hole to hide in and possibly a new housekeeper.
Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. “You’re a very sweet man. It makes no sense to me why you’re still single.” She quickly put her fingers to her mouth. “I meant…” She sagged a little. “I’m so sorry. That was a weird thing to say. I just meant you’re too nice to be alone.”
Josiah slipped his hands into his pants pockets, hanging his head so she didn’t catch him blushing. “I appreciate the compliment.” He turned and stopped on his way out of the room. “I guess I’ll go finish packing.”
“Is there something you need me to do?”
“I have some laundry that needs folded, but other than that, I need you to have a great holiday. Take some of that and pamper yourself. Okay?” He glanced
at her and smiled. “Merry Christmas, Molly.”
“You too, Mr. West…” She mumbled something under her breath, but he couldn’t quite make it out.
He walked into his bedroom and grabbed a few more of his toiletries he’d used earlier that morning. With those packed, he zipped his suitcase and stood there a second, trying to think of anything he might have forgotten.
The doorbell rang, startling him. Why would anyone be coming by to see him when they knew he was leaving town? He walked to the living room, pulling his luggage behind him, just as Molly walked in from the laundry room.
“I have no idea who that could be,” Josiah said as he crossed the room and opened the door.
A distraught woman holding a car seat with a crying baby covered in a pink blanket stood in front of him. “Uh…”
“Is Molly here?” The question came out in a rush. “I…”
He turned and nearly ran into Molly for the second time that day. “There’s a lady looking for you.”
“Molly, I’m so sorry, but I have to leave early today. My mom fell down the stairs. I just got a call from the service, and they’re rushing her to the hospital.” She quickly stepped forward, handed the baby to Molly, and waved as she rushed away. “I’m so sorry. I’ll call you.”
Josiah’s eyebrows shot up. “I feel I may not have been as observant as I should have. You have a baby?”
Molly took the wailing infant out of the car seat and cradled her in an effort to soothe her. “I’m so sorry.”
He held out his hands. “Let me try.”
She hesitated a moment before giving him the baby.
He gently rocked her back and forth and smiled. “Hey, what’s all this ruckus?” he asked softly. “You’re too pretty to cry.” The longer he talked to her, the less she cried, until she settled down.
“Wow, you’re really good,” Molly said.
He glanced up at her as the baby wrapped her tiny hand around his index finger. “Yeah, my mom tells me I’m wasting my power by not being a politician.”
Molly laughed. “I’m really sorry for all this. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“It’s okay.” Josiah continued to rock the little one. “What’s her name?”
“Eloise Grace. I call her Ellie for short.” With her soft blonde hair and blue eyes, her name most definitely fit her. This little person in his arms was the most perfect little person on the planet. Well, next to his nephew Travis.
With another quick glance up, he said, “I like that name. It fits her. How old is she?”
Molly blinked a few times. “Six weeks tomorrow.”
Josiah didn’t think she could be much older than that. “She’s precious.”
“Okay, why are you not married? Do you have some growth I’m unaware of, or…what? Because I can’t figure you out.”
With a snort, Josiah shook his head. “I’m told I haven’t found the right woman yet.” He stroked Ellie’s cheek with his finger. “I’ve just been busy, and…” What could he say? That he was too chicken to date after being used the last time? Or did he tell her he was desperate to make his family proud of him and he was too busy to date? “I’ve really got no better answer than that.”
Ellie gurgled and little bubbles formed on her lips. It wouldn’t take him but a second to fall head over heels for this little girl. Who wouldn’t? “Man, she’s just amazing. I didn’t know you were even pregnant.”
She hesitated a second. “I wasn’t.”
He looked at her and blinked. “Huh?” That was the best he could come up with? Huh?
She softened and took a deep breath. “My brother got his girlfriend pregnant, and they were going to put her up for adoption. I couldn’t let them do it. I mean, I know I’m not perfect, but I knew I’d take care of her and love her, so I adopted her.”
A newfound respect for Molly filled his heart. “That’s a pretty big sacrifice.” He looked back down at Ellie, her little smile and big eyes turning him to mush.
“But so worth it.”
“I can’t disagree.” He looked up at Molly and smiled. “A beautiful single woman with an equally adorable baby. And you’re asking me how I’m still single?”
“Most men don’t think like you.” She reached her arms out to take the baby, and he reluctantly handed Ellie back to Molly. “Besides, I don’t really want to date. I need to focus on her, and a relationship right now just isn’t a great idea. Maybe when she’s older.”
Oddly enough, that hit Josiah hard. He’d thought of asking her out a few times, but he just couldn’t. Aside from the fact that he thought she was dating someone this whole time, he was her employer. A boss asking the housekeeper for a date made him feel uncomfortable. What if she took it wrong? “I can see your point.” Now he was glad he didn’t ask. If she’d said no, who knew how long it would’ve taken to muster up the courage to ask someone else.
With a heavy sigh, she moved toward the couch. “Let me get my coat on, and I’ll let you go so you can head home.”
“Are you going to be spending the holidays with your parents? I’d guess they’d be thrilled to see her.”
Molly shook her head. “You’d guess wrong. I don’t have a bad relationship with my parents, but we’re not the Brady Bunch. Most likely, they won’t even be in town.”
His mouth fell open. “But you do have family to spend the holidays with, right?”
“No,” she said just above a whisper.
That wasn’t going to work for Josiah. “Come spend them with my family.”
She vehemently shook her head. “Oh, no. I couldn’t. You’ve been wonderful, and I can’t do that.”
How could he get her to accept the invitation? “It’s not about you. It’s about Ellie. Shouldn’t her first Christmas be spent with a houseful of people?”
Her lips pinched together, and she glared at him. “I’m more than enough for Ellie.”
Whoops. That had not gone as planned. “No, I mean, you’re more than enough. That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?” she asked, her eyes narrowing a little further.
“That if you come home with me, maybe my mom will be too focused on Ellie to ask me about my dating life.” Dude. He’d pulled that out of nowhere, but, man, that was a slam dunk of an excuse worthy of a high-five. With the recent birth of Gabby’s baby boy, it would be one baby for each grandparent. It would be perfect.
Molly chuckled and shook her head. “Just how much real estate do you sell? With that kind of charm, I’m thinking it’s a lot.”
“I do okay, but,” he held up a finger, “I wasn’t kidding about my mom. My sister is married, and both my brothers Wyatt and Hunter are married. That leaves me and Bear.”
She held his gaze a moment. “So you’re asking me because you want to use Ellie to keep your mom from bugging you about dating?”
“When you put it like that, it sounds bad, but yes.” That wasn’t totally true. Yes, his mom would go wild over Ellie, but he liked Molly. Having her around for the holidays would be a plus in his book. “So, willing to bail me out?”
Molly lowered her gaze to Ellie and inhaled deeply. “It would be nice for her to have her first Christmas surrounded by people. Way better than my little one-bedroom apartment.” She lifted her head. “I don’t know, Mr. West. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I don’t feel right about it.”
Josiah wanted to knock himself over the head with a frying pan. Women! Arguing with one was akin to telling a river to stop running. Neither listened. “You aren’t, but…if it will help, you can clean the house while you’re there.” Not that any of his family would let her lift a finger, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him…yet.
When she didn’t answer, he pulled from the Flynn Rider school of thought and hit her with a smolder. “Please?”
With a gasp, her mouth dropped open. “You just Flynn-Ryder smoldered me. That is not okay.”
For a second, he froze. He’d never been call
ed on it before, and in a way, he was kinda impressed that she did. “In my defense, you did leave me no choice. A man has to do what a man has to do.”
Molly giggled, and Ellie cooed. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”
Josiah shook his head. “Once you meet my mom, you’ll understand just how dire my circumstances are.” He slipped his finger into one of Ellie’s hands. “Besides, Ellie likes me. I can read babies, and she’s totally telling you to save me.”
“Your mom’s right. You’re wasting your powers. I’m just not sure if they’re good or evil.” She grinned and sighed. “All right. I think it would be good for Ellie to have a nice Christmas. But,” she said, pointing her finger at him, “I’m cleaning house while I’m there. You got it?”
Oh, he got it, and he’d get it even worse when they got to Caprock Canyon and there was no housework to do, but it was worth it. His mom would be so starry-eyed for Ellie and Travis that Josiah and Bear wouldn’t even be on the radar. Shoot, Bear would probably give him half the ranch for that.
The holidays had just gone from miserable to awesome.
Chapter 4
Molly stopped at her apartment door and stuck her key in the lock. She turned to Josiah. It felt so odd to call him that, but he’d made a good point that they couldn’t go through the holidays with her calling him Mr. West. Every male on the West side of the family would be responding.
“Is something wrong?” he asked and looked down at the car seat he was holding. “She’s still sleeping soundly.” He glanced back up innocently as if to say he was capable of handling her.
At least he hadn’t used the smolder against her again. He’d seemed amazed she’d known what he was doing. As gorgeous as he was, using that against a defenseless woman just wasn’t right. How was she supposed to keep things professional? Especially since now she was mixing even more pleasure with business by going to his hometown with him.
The Housekeeper's Billionaire Boss (Caprock Canyon Romance Book 3) Page 2
