“I’m not happy about this,” she began. That was obvious, but what more did she have to say? “And I want to make myself perfectly clear.” She stuck her chin out. “You’d better be good to the girls when you meet them. If I see one indication that they’re not happy, if they’re at all frightened of you, I’ll end it, no matter what the social worker says.”
He noted she referred to them as “the girls,” never “my girls.” It was true she wasn’t their mother, but her words and sense of protectiveness toward them made him wonder about her vocabulary. Since she was their appointed guardian, they were her girls. The Lawrences must have trusted their nanny implicitly to leave the children and all of their assets in her care like that.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he assured her, his interest piqued. The instant attraction based on looks he’d felt for her was still there, but Cora Caspian had more to her. If he had a successful meeting with the kids, he’d find out what made her tick. As much as he didn’t want this position, he always rose to a challenge. Cora and three little girls presented a challenge unlike any he’d faced.
Two
Cora led Haley, Melody, and Paige into the playroom at the county’s office for children services. The triplets zeroed in on the shelf of books and toys instantly and began pulling items off and chatting among themselves. At three, they were steady on their feet, almost nimble, and getting faster by the day, she admitted ruefully. Pretty soon they’d outpace her and if they ran in different directions, she would be lost.
She thought about the kidnapping scenario William Royce had outlined the day before. She didn’t want to believe that anyone could possibly consider harming three little girls who were just learning to count to ten. But she couldn’t ignore that there was a kidnapping risk. The Lawrences had been wealthy and well known…and they’d left everything to their daughters.
“Mine!” Paige declared, her fingers twisted tight around the edges of a book. The dark-haired triplet had been the first born, and it showed. She tended to be willful and independent, maybe even stubborn, though she was also loving and affectionate.
“I want it.” Melody stood her ground, her usually happy face wrinkled with annoyance. This triplet had a greater capacity for joy than the others. With her blond hair and true-blue eyes, people often mistook her for Cora’s child, and Cora had a soft spot in her heart for this one and her pint-sized attitude. Melody was a happy toddler, but she didn’t like being bossed around.
“You can share.” Cora headed off the brewing fight. “Paige, you hold the book while Melody turns the pages. You can work together.”
Paige shot her a look that made Cora instantly fear the teenage years ahead, but the girl plopped onto the floor with Melody at her side. A moment later they were happily looking at the pictures and giggling.
One crisis averted. Maybe she did need some help, Cora decided when she turned her attention to Haley, who was playing with a stuffed kitten. The quietest of the three had curly soft brown hair and dark eyes like Paige, but none of her sister’s attitude. She was shy, always the last to trust strangers—always the quietest to express her own needs. Cora worried about her the most. She loved them all so much and tried to give each girl what she needed, which meant being both mom and dad to them. The girls missed their parents, but Haley had withdrawn into herself more than the others in the month since their deaths.
“What do you think her name is?” Cora asked Haley, trying to get the child to speak.
“Kitty,” Haley answered in barely more than a whisper as she hugged the animal to her.
The right man in their lives, one who was gentle and kind, might draw her out, but William Royce was neither of those things. And she needed to stop thinking about him. A ripple went through her stomach at the memory of being so close to him the day before. With his short dark hair and strong features, his face was handsome. The rest of him was dead-on sexy.
Negative associations meant she’d always avoided his type—large, super-fit men. Yet, the feel of his solid muscles still lingered on her hand from when she’d put her hand on his chest in the hallway. She’d wanted to flatten her palm against him and run her hand from his shoulder to his waist. Instead, she’d retreated into her anger about the situation and him.
She had to admit to herself that she believed he’d protect them if they needed it. He had all the skills to do that—but so did other men from Alert Security, men who might be more family oriented. If she had to have someone in the household, she needed that person to understand the girls, even coddle them. William struck her as the type who would be all about the mission.
No, she decided, William Royce was definitely not right for the job. His very nature seemed to lack the softness and understanding the girls so desperately needed.
Today would end any chance of him being the girls’ protector. William had to meet and play with the girls. She couldn’t imagine him doing that, even for a second. He’d probably command and start snapping out orders—a style of child management that wouldn’t work at all.
“Knock, knock. Hi, Cora,” Judy Dayton, the social worker, greeted her and stepped through the door followed by William. “William, I’d like you to meet Melody, Paige, and Haley Lawrence.” Judy pointed to each girl as she said the name. They had agreed in advance to let Judy do the introductions so the girls wouldn’t be swayed by Cora’s attitude toward William.
When Haley looked to Cora for guidance, she kept a neutral expression on her face and gave a nod of greeting to William. He looked nervous, a little awkward, not an attitude he wore well.
“Why do we have to meet you?” Paige demanded, and Cora worked to hold back her grin. How was the big, tough Navy SEAL going to handle that question?
“I…asked to meet you,” he said to the child who reached to just above his knee.
“Why?”
The ever-present three-year-old question seemed to stump William. He looked to Cora. She could leave him dangling and offer no assistance. It was tempting since she wanted him to fail. On the other hand, she didn’t want the girls upset due to his ineptitude. Cora took stock of the room. She’d learned that distraction was the best method for avoiding a string of whys.
“I see some food and dishes in the kitchen. Let’s all sit down and have a meal together,” Cora suggested, having noted the toy kitchen in the corner. The triplets loved to pretend serve and eat a meal, almost as much as they loved to pull Cora’s hair and get grass stains on their knees.
“Is he coming?” Paige and her questions were making William visibly uncomfortable.
“It would be rude to not invite him,” Cora said. She felt a tiny sense of triumph when William lowered himself onto a child’s chair—almost squatting on the floor to sit on the tiny seat. This might be entertaining. And when it inevitably went badly, he’d realize that he couldn’t possibly spend time around small children, and she’d be spared having him in her house. A shard of regret went through her at that. He was appealing, and he made her insides quiver in a way that she hadn’t experienced in a long time, maybe never. But he wasn’t the right fit for them.
“Would you like to set the table, Melody?” Cora asked as Haley crawled into her lap. “And Paige can serve the food?” The two braver girls bustled around bringing dishes, cups, and plastic fruit to the table.
By the time Melody poured imaginary tea in everyone’s cups, Cora had Haley giggling over whispered comments about the service and food. Cora stole a look at William. His knees were almost to his chin and he shifted, trying to get comfortable on the small chair. All the same, he politely thanked Melody and even Paige, who slammed a fake hamburger on his plate.
Cora opened her mouth to correct Paige, but Judy interrupted her. “This has been a wonderful party. Thank you, girls, but Cora and I have a few things to discuss. Can you entertain our guest a little longer?”
Oh, no way, was Cora leaving the triplets alone in the room with him. He’d barely said a word to any of them. It was obvious he did
n’t know the first thing about communicating with toddlers. The girls, especially Haley would be terribly uncomfortable.
“I don’t think—” Cora began, but Judy shot her a look and Cora swallowed her objection. Maybe letting him completely fail would be better. It would certainly get them out of there faster, after which she could assure the girls later that they’d never have to see William again. “I’ll be back in just a few minutes,” she said to the girls, giving them a confident smile.
“I don’t like this,” Cora said as soon as she was out of the room.
“Come with me.” Judy led her into an adjacent room where a two-way mirror allowed them to see William hunched on his chair and the three girls around him. Judy flipped a switch on the wall, and their voices came through.
“We should play a game,” Melody suggested.
“What’s your favorite?” William asked.
“Candyland,” Paige declared, already headed to the stack of games in the corner.
“I like Trouble,” Melody said.
“What about you?” William directed his question to Haley, who was sitting on the seat Cora had left.
“Makeover,” Haley answered in a small voice, keeping her gaze averted from William. “We make Cora pretty.”
“She’s already pretty,” William spoke to the girl, “so that can’t be too hard. I’ll bet you can’t make me pretty.”
Presenting a challenge…could actually work. Cora reluctantly admired his strategy and even more reluctantly let herself be pleased about his compliment to her.
“Yes, we can,” Paige and Melody answered together. Paige dumped over the bag Cora always carried and began picking through the items.
“You have to sit still.” To Cora’s surprise, Haley had moved closer to him and spoken while looking directly at him.
“I promise not to move while you make me beautiful,” he said in a serious tone.
Cora prayed he kept his promise and didn’t lunge up. If he was one of those men who thought it was funny to scare children, he’d get a piece of her mind. She watched nervously through the glass.
He wasn’t, she realized, after a few minutes when the girls had adorned him with a strand of fake pearls around his neck and a pink scarf with hearts on it tied to his head. Paige was applying blush to his cheeks, periodically stepping back to evaluate her work while the other two dug more makeup out of the bag.
“I’m going to be so gorgeous,” he said dryly, making them giggle. “You’re good at this.”
When Melody produced three tubes of lipstick from the bag, Cora sighed. Two were meant for play, but one was her favorite shade, a subtle pink she wore most days. Oh well, if it made the girls happy, she’d sacrifice her lipstick.
“I like this one,” Paige declared, taking the cap from a tube of garish bright orange lipstick.
“No, this one.” Melody clutched a red so dark it was almost purple.
“This is the pretty one,” Haley said in a softer voice, holding the pink. “It’s the one Cora wears.”
“That won’t look good on him.” Paige’s voice began to climb in anger, signaling a tantrum.
“I’d better get in there.” Cora made a move toward the door, but Judy’s hand dropped onto her arm.
“Let him handle it. If he can, that proves something about him,” the social worker said.
“But the girls,” Cora argued.
“They’ll be fine. We can see and hear everything. We’ll step in if things get out of hand.”
Cora didn’t like it, but Judy wasn’t giving her a choice. She turned her attention back to the scene in the playroom. Melody was crying tears of frustration, but she stood toe-to-toe with a red-faced Paige. Haley had already taken several steps away and continued to back toward the room’s door. It was all Cora could do not to run to end the fight and comfort the girls.
The pushing and shoving could start any second and what would William do? If he barked at them like a drill sergeant, he’d frighten even the intrepid Paige, and sweet Haley would never recover.
“Ladies,” William’s voice was calm and commanding, cutting through the rising volume of angry toddlers. “Let’s compromise.” Paige and Melody shook their heads but quieted. William crooked his finger at Haley and gave her a smile, one that made Cora’s knees weak even though it wasn’t directed at her. “I need you to be part of this discussion.”
Haley moved forward, not resisting. What female could? Cora wondered.
“Good,” William said when the three of them were lined up in front of him. “Now, each of you gets to explain why your lipstick is the best. Haley, you can go first.”
Haley’s response was soft, inaudible to Cora. Melody, whose tears had dried, explained that the dark red was her favorite. Paige refused to speak, clamping her mouth shut.
“I see you’re forfeiting,” William commented, and Paige’s face squinted in confusion. “Forfeiting means you’re giving up your chance to play. Too bad.” He turned to the other triplets. “This is going to be a tough choice between the two. Can you show me the colors again?” After studying the shades for a minute, he sighed. “I think the pink is a good daytime shade and the red is meant for evening. Am I right?”
He got smiles and nods of agreement from Melody and Haley.
“It’s not fair to listen to just two ’pinions. Everybody gets a say,” Paige declared, and Cora sucked in a breath. She said exactly that nearly every day as she tried to teach them about sharing and being fair to each other.
The smile that William had turned on Haley was back, but it was directed to the two-way mirror. It was meant for her, Cora realized. He knew that those were her words. He couldn’t see her and hardly knew her, but he’d guessed right.
“You’re right,” William said to Paige. “Let’s hear what you have to say.” After listening, William pretended to consider the case for about ten seconds before pointing to his lower lip. “I’d like the pink here.” He moved his finger to the left side of his upper lip. “The red here and the orange over here.” He pointed to his right upper lip.
Without further encouragement or squabbles, the girls moved in each taking her turn to apply lipstick. The man looked ridiculous—and ridiculously proud of himself. That grated on Cora.
“I think that settles it,” Judy commented, leading the way back to the playroom.
The girls filed out behind Judy with the promise of snacks, but Cora lingered to speak with William. Despite the absurd, caked-on makeup, he was all cocky male. “Well, you’ve done it,” she said. “I guess you’ll be moving in.”
She had the satisfaction of seeing his dark complexion pale.
Three
Cora checked on the girls, who were happily eating cookies and coloring under the supervision of a summer intern, before entering Judy’s office. The space was utilitarian with light gray walls, white filing cabinets, and blue plastic molded chairs. Not a comfortable environment, but functional. Cora took the seat Judy indicated and prepared to lose the battle she’d been fighting since yesterday.
“I thought Mr. Royce did well after he got acclimated,” Judy opened their conversation.
“I guess.”
The social worker smiled. “I’ve been doing this for a lot of years. It’s hard for someone unaccustomed to children to adjust to even one child, especially at that age. Facing triplets is daunting. You have to give him a little credit.”
“He survived twenty minutes in the room with them. Anyone can do that.” But she had to admit—if only to herself—that while anyone could survive, he’d unexpectedly managed well. And yet, that didn’t change who he was.
Judy studied Cora, making her nervous. The other woman seemed to see things that Cora didn’t wish to reveal.
“Since you’ll continue as the girls’ primary caregiver, if he can manage a few minutes of interaction with them here and there without upsetting them or going into panic mode, that should be adequate. I see nothing in his record to indicate that he is untrustworthy
in any way.” Judy flipped an open file on her desk closed as if that finished this discussion, before looking up and meeting Cora’s gaze. “What is your problem with him?”
“I know his type,” Cora explained, trying to speak logically and emphatically, “and my fear is that he won’t give the girls the emotional support they need. They’re still so fragile.” Sometimes, they woke from nightmares and called for their mama, especially Haley. It broke Cora’s heart. Paige kept asking questions that Cora struggled to answer. Melody concealed everything under a smile. So, no, she didn’t want them exposed to anyone who might cause additional heartache or be unwilling to love them.
“I understand your reservations about the girls, but what do you mean by his type? You seem very forceful about that.”
Great, Cora thought, this is turning into a therapy session about my issue with military men. She let a long silence draw out while she decided how much to reveal to Judy. Maybe she could just give a few facts to satisfy the social worker.
“My father was a Marine Corp Colonel. I grew up on military bases.”
“Many kids do.” Judy seemed unsurprised. “Did you move often?”
“Every couple years or so. That wasn’t really the problem.” The moving hadn’t bothered her in the way it had other military brats.
“Then what was?” Judy’s question was gentle but insistent, leaving Cora no option but to answer.
“He was never around. Duty called him away, and he never thought twice about going.” He’d missed birthdays, school events, and too many average days when she wanted her dad to count. And even when he was physically with her, he held himself detached.
“He had commitments and responsibilities.” Judy pointed out.
The SEAL’s Unexpected Triplets Page 2
