Perplexed.

      That’s exactly what he felt like at the moment. What thought pattern cast dark shadows across Sarah’s previously luminous eyes? Just what was the air of mystery and intrigue about her?

      Mina, normally possessing unnervingly accurate radar, seemed oblivious as she went to the kitchen. Maybe he’d imagined the dismal caution in Sarah’s eyes.

      Aaron nodded toward the door. Sarah waved and distracted his boys while he made his escape.

      “Impressive.” Aaron slipped out, completely baffled at how Sarah had immediately engaged the attention of his toddlers like no one he’d ever known—faster than foreign aircraft drew attention from air control watch towers in no-fly zones.

      At the driveway, he peered in the window to study them once more. Mina stood near the family-room wall, grinning bigger than he’d seen in a while. Good to see her relaxed for once. Her blood pressure had been climbing to dangerous altitudes lately, which was another reason he needed to secure child care. Though Mina was watching them temporarily, he couldn’t put the full burden on her once he returned to full-time duty.

      Aaron stretched to see his boys, who stared at Sarah in wide-eyed wonder. They’d been too wrapped up in her to notice his departure.

      He hoped he hadn’t had the boys’ enthralled, enamored look on his own face when he first saw Sarah.

      She plopped back down in the floor, probably to reach eye level with his sons. Scooting close, she listened with eager, expressive eyes at something Braden was saying. Braden talked as much with his hands as with his mouth. At least Bryce wasn’t having his usual Monday-morning meltdown at Aaron’s leaving today. Sarah held his quiet yet rapt attention.

      “Amazing.”

      Aaron tugged out his keys and headed for his SUV. He’d let her spend an hour with the boys and Mina. He’d have his thirty-minute meeting with Senior Master Sergeant Joel Montgomery, the leader of his local PJ team, who was also Aaron’s prayer buddy, then swing back by here to observe Sarah with the boys and the boys with Sarah.

      “You want the good, bad or ugly news first?” Joel asked at Refuge’s drop-zone facility moments later.

      Aaron pulled out his planner and pen. “Good news first.”

      “Thanks to our actions on Reunion Bridge after it collapsed, Refuge city council requested we take part in more community projects. They feel it will help build up town morale since our team’s rapid response saved lives and made national news.”

      “What kind of projects are we talking?”

      “For one thing, they asked us to conduct water rescue classes for local first responders. Paramedics, EMTs, firemen, police officers, Refuge River Guard, nurses, doctors, et cetera.”

      Aaron jotted notes while Joel talked.

      “Vince Reardon offered to head that up. He also said he’d expand the program to offer it to the general public. Meaning teach laypeople, adults, children, teachers, day-care workers, et cetera, classes on basic and advanced water safety.”

      “And the bad news?”

      “Refuge city officials want us to do more than water rescues. Our superiors are agreeable to the plan because it will help raise awareness of pararescue and help military recruitment.”

      “So it’s a win-win situation.”

      “Yes, except we don’t have the manpower with our seven, eight with you, teammates. Which is the bad news. Unless our superiors agreed to station at least one more of your other two PJ teams here.”

      Aaron hated to break this to Joel. “No go. Least not yet. Not until I agree on paper to return to full-time, they said.” And he couldn’t do that until he secured child care for his boys.

      Joel scrubbed his hands up his face. “May as well give you the ugly, then. Funders of the community projects have moved up their deadline by two months. Amber and I are scheduled to be out of the country then to visit the children we’re adopting.”

      “Two months.” Aaron seethed air through his teeth. “That’s cutting our time in half.”

      Joel pulled out his calendar and pencil. “Look, if you need us to reschedule our trip overseas—”

      “No. You and Amber have waited years for this.”

      “Tell me about it.” Joel casually tossed his pencil on the pad.

      Aaron picked it up and twirled it. He knew Joel felt the pressure as much as he did. No doubt they wanted to help the community. The only solution was Aaron coming back full-time. He had to do that before his superiors would station his remaining two pararescue jumper teams in Refuge and that needed to happen in order for the Refuge PJs to help the community effectively.

      The way Joel sank into his chair, he looked as if he could use more good news.

      “I have a nanny on the radar.”

      Joel’s tense expression loosened. He sat up. “Seriously?”

      Aaron nodded. “Yeah. If I hire her, I’ll be available immediately to help get more PJs here and the community programs up and running. Name’s Sarah. She’s young, though.”

      “Single?”

      Aaron nodded. “That’s what her application said.”

      “She pretty?” Joel smirked.

      “She’s pretty young,” Aaron emphasized.

      But Joel’s smirk didn’t fade. “Oh. Right, Chief.”

      Silence pervaded for several seconds until Joel’s amused grin morphed into an expression of thoughtfulness.

      “Young might be exactly what your boys need,” Joel finally said in sincere tones.

      “She’s certainly energetic enough. The last time Mina got on the floor with the boys like the applicant did, Mina claimed it almost took a crane to get her back up.” A smile started to erupt at images of Sarah on the rug with the boys.

      Joel must have noticed. He leaned in and eyed Aaron with a funny expression.

      Aaron swiped all evidence of the grin from his face and cleared his throat. “So anyway, it’s something to be praying about.”

      Joel and his own grin didn’t look deterred. Best change the subject before he could probe.

      “Which other projects did Refuge officials mention?” Aaron clicked his pen and poised it over his planner.

      “In addition to Vince Reardon’s community and military scuba diving and water safety classes, they got wind of, pun intended, Brockton Drake’s wind tunnel idea. They knew we’d requested zoning for the facility in order to train military skydivers indoors during bad weather. They asked if we might also open it to the community as a family fun center and have some of our guys run it. In exchange, they offered to front half on the cost of the facility.”

      “Wow.”

      “They’re also interested in Chance Garrison’s rope safety training. They know he’s been working with local Eagle Scouts to teach