A Princess Under The Mistletoe. Leanne Banks
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“Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill. One named Jack. One named Jill.” She wiggled her finger on the handle of the stroller. “Fly away Jack. Fly away Jill. Now your turn,” she said.
Sam gave her a blank look.
“Surely you’ve played this game before. It’s been around forever.”
Sam shrugged.
“Two little blackbirds sitting in the snow. One named Fast. One named—” She broke off and waited and waited. And waited. “One named Fast. One named Ssss—”
“Snake?” he said. Sara smiled.
“One named Fast. One named Slow,” she said and continued the rhyme. “Two little blackbirds soaring in the sky. One named Low. One named?” She glanced at him expectantly. “It needs to rhyme with sky.”
“High,” he finally said, and Sara spotted a twinge of triumph in his eyes.
“High,” she said. “Say it louder so we keep Adelaide awake.”
Sam yelled the word and Adelaide gave a start, blinking her eyes. “Good job. Two little blackbirds...”
They played the game for the rest of the walk. She hadn’t heard Sam speak so much since she’d started working with the family, and although she couldn’t exactly call it conversation, it counted as interaction. She planned to put Adelaide on her tummy on a blanket to get her moving a bit. Hopefully both children would sleep well after the exercise. Princess Bridget had told her that one of the keys to parent and child happiness was to wear out the children, and Sara was taking that child-care tip to heart. Trouble was she wondered if she would last through the evening herself.
In fact, after she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she took a book with her to her room and fell asleep midpage. She awakened in the middle of the night, her book resting on her chest and the light from the lamp making her squint her eyes. Reaching for the cup of water she liked to keep on the bedside table, she realized she’d forgotten to bring a cup last night.
Not wanting to awaken Sam by going into the adjoining bathroom, she tiptoed from her room and down the dark hallway. She poured herself a cup of water and drank most of it, then turned off the light at the kitchen sink and slowly made her way down the hall.
She bumped into something that wasn’t a wall. Panic rushed through her. A squeak escaped her throat and she nearly dropped her cup.
“It’s me,” Gavin said before he swore under his breath, probably from the water she spilled on him. “What?
“I am carrying a cup of water,” she said, trying to catch her breath, caught in an unexpected swirl of emotions and sensations. He felt so strong and sure against her. He was holding her to keep her from falling. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had held her other than her family. “You startled me.”
“I heard a noise and thought it might be Sam,” he said, still holding her in his arms.
She felt so safe. His strength vibrated throughout her. Clinging to him, she felt a surprising mix of awareness and emotion thrum through her.
Still struggling for balance, she leaned against him. She inhaled his scent and nearly fell. “Sorry,” she managed. “I didn’t mean to pour water on you.”
“Could be worse,” he said, still holding her.
Sara wanted him to keep holding her. She wanted this feeling never to end. Where were these thoughts coming from?
“Yes,” she said. She still clung to him, soaking him up.
The moment stretched between them. “You okay?” he finally asked her.
“Yes,” she said reluctantly.
“You sure?”
She took another deep breath and inhaled his scent again. “Yes,” she whispered.
He gradually stepped away from her, releasing her from his embrace.
In the darkness, she was caught off guard by the strange stirring in her stomach. Was this desire? “I’ll go back to bed,” she managed.
“What about your water?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine,” she said, and forced herself to back away from him as much as she could when she really wanted to stay close to him.
“Good night, then,” he said in a husky masculine voice that raced through her bloodstream.
Why was he affecting her this way?
“Good night,” she said and stumbled to her bedroom. Her heart pounded in her chest. She felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Sara didn’t know what to do with the strange sensation. She’d pushed her wants aside for too long. Sara sank onto her bed and closed her eyes. The room spun. This wasn’t at all convenient. Perhaps it was all an aberration and would disappear in the morning. She couldn’t want the father of the children she was caring for. It just wouldn’t work.
Taking several deep breaths, she wished she could also drink some water to calm herself. Instead, she took more deep breaths, telling herself that she wasn’t attracted to Gavin. She absolutely could not and did not want him.
Her heart still racing, Sara counted backward from three hundred and prayed she would fall asleep before she reached one.
* * *
During the next few days, she avoided Gavin as much as she could, which was difficult due to the small size of the cottage. Despite her best efforts, he brushed against her or she bumped against him. Each time it happened, she felt as if she had received an electrical shock. She felt increasingly aware of his body. Bloody inconvenient. When she crawled into bed at night, she should have been exhausted, and she was. When she closed her eyes, however, crazy images filled her mind. What would it be like to be held in his strong arms? What if, for once, she could let down her guard and relish the protectiveness of a man? She wondered what his mouth would feel like if he kissed her.
Sara groaned and frowned at herself. Stop it. At the same time her contrary mind nudged her. Could she even remember the last time she’d been kissed?
Nine days after she’d started her position, she put Adelaide to bed and went to the kitchen to get her cup of water. She didn’t want to make the mistake of running into Gavin again in the dark. Just as she left the kitchen, he approached her.
Sara almost spilled her cup of water even though there was plenty of light.
“You don’t have to run off to your room every night. You’re welcome to use the other rooms in the house. You can watch television,” Gavin said.
“That’s okay, thank you. I’ve been reading in the evenings. I have headphones and I also often listen to music,” she said, wishing she didn’t feel so aware of him.
“I guess you’re ready for some peace by the time the kids are in bed,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I wasn’t sure you would last. It’s not exactly a plum position for a woman like you.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Don’t get me wrong. You’re good with the kids, but this just doesn’t seem like your regular line of work.”
“I needed a change,” she said. “As you saw from my résumé, I apprenticed as a nanny for Princess Bridget’s children. I may not be as experienced as some, but I like to think I make up for what I lack in compassion and determination.”
“I wasn’t criticizing you,” he said. “You’re just prettier than I expected.”
Sara blinked. His compliment caught her off guard. She’d received compliments from many people before, but they’d all known of her position, and frankly she’d never been sure if there’d been a hidden agenda or not. Struggling with a combination of self-consciousness and pleasure, she cleared her throat. “Thank