The Danforths: Toby, Lea and Adam. Anne Marie Winston
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has some talent in that area. At the age of three with no formal training, he can already play melodies on the piano.”
The buttons on the proud daddy’s shirt swelled against a chest that was already broad enough to tempt a woman to run her hands across its width, and to see if she could lace her fingers together when her arms spanned its brawny circumference. Heather gave him a challenging look.
“I hope you aren’t thinking of shipping him out to a specialized school like my parents did to me. While twice Dylan’s age at the time, I wasn’t nearly old enough to deal with the pressures of such a performance-driven institution.”
Tobias’s eyes widened in surprise. He shook his head emphatically. “I have no intention of shipping my boy off anywhere. His mother may have felt restrained by family life, but I most certainly don’t. Whatever you think of my parenting methods, make no mistake about the fact that I love my son, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help him find his voice again. Even bribing him with a cookie if that’s what the speech therapist recommends.”
Though Heather blushed at the implicit reprimand, she nevertheless wanted to make sure they were clear on what she perceived to be the differences in their respective teaching approaches.
“As long as you don’t expect me to use those kind of techniques myself, I promise to do everything else in my power to support you. I’ll be honest with you, Mr. Danforth. I’m not much of a behavior modification fan.”
“Fair enough, Miss Burroughs,” he said, matching her formality with a sardonic lift of an eyebrow. “All I’m really hoping for is that you can strike a common chord that will help bring my son out of his shell.”
Recognizing that his words were deliberately chosen for their symbolic value, Heather selected hers with equal care. Well intended or not, she could never bring herself to force a child to perform as her parents had forced her, inadvertently turning the lovely gift God had given her into a curse.
“I would be more than happy to help Dylan with his musical gifts—as far as he wants to develop them.”
Tobias looked relieved. Elated.
“Good, that’s settled then. The rest of your job is secondary to attending to Dylan. While I expect you to cook and clean, I’m not particularly fussy about either of those duties, if that helps any to put your mind at ease.”
Heather didn’t think there was anything about working for a man as handsome as a movie star and as rich as Croesus that could possibly put her mind or her traitorous hormones at ease. Still, his words and accompanying smile did help reduce her stress level. Applying for a job was in itself a new experience for her. Groveling for the position was out of the question. However, since Heather was hardly in the position to be setting conditions for employment, she decided to withhold the fact that her cooking experience was almost as limited as her time spent actually working with children.
“It’s way past time for introductions, but just so you know, I prefer being called Toby than either Mr. Danforth or Tobias,” he said, offering her his hand.
Again the jolt of lightning at his touch struck Heather’s heart. Tingling all over, she tried to focus on the fact that such an affluent man preferred the less formal moniker. She liked that almost as much as she liked the fact that hard work marked his hands with calluses. Josef’s hands had been as smooth as a child’s, and though they had played her like a concerto, she suffered terribly beneath their cruel ministrations.
“You’ve already met Dylan,” Toby said, continuing introductions.
Hearing his name, the child abandoned his bag of cookies and stretched out his arms to Heather. She did not hesitate to take the sticky little urchin into her own arms. He smelled of chocolate and baby shampoo and unconditional love. Dylan wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed hard. The kiss he placed upon her cheek left its mark upon her heart.
The smile that reached Toby’s eyes held no hint of jealousy.
“It looks like love at first sight.”
Heather flinched. Although she knew he was referring to her interaction with his son, her father had said the exact same thing when he had introduced her to Josef. That relationship ended disastrously, and she had no desire to let her personal history repeat itself. She reminded herself to guard her heart against getting too involved with either Dylan or his father. This job was nothing more than a way to make enough money to get her feet solidly under her so that she would never again be dependent upon any man. That included her father.
And her one and only past lover.
It was little wonder the two were so inexplicably intertwined in her memory. Indeed, when Josef turned his back on her, so had her parents. Having done everything but legally disinherit her, they were under the impression that withholding their financial support would work even better than withholding their approval had over the years. Heather’s decision to abandon her musical career and pursue a teaching degree hinged on being able to make enough money in the coming year to put herself through school on her own. It was imperative that she separate her personal feelings from her better judgment.
For the first time in her life Heather was going to have to count every penny. Luckily, Toby Danforth was a generous man. Whether warning lights were going off in her head like some spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display was of little consequence in the greater scheme of things. Whatever her instincts were telling her, Heather simply could not afford to walk away from this job.
“When would you like me to start?” she asked with a determined smile fixed on her lips.
“As soon as you possibly can.”
Toby gestured apologetically around him. Though messy, the room was not so dirty or cluttered as to be impassable.
“I don’t know if the agency told you, but my housekeeper retired two weeks ago due to serious health issues. To be quite honest, I’m in a real bind. A ranch doesn’t run itself, and taking care of Dylan myself for the past couple of weeks has put me so far behind that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to catch up.”
He looked so overwhelmed by his circumstances, so remarkably vulnerable and strong all at the same time, that Heather couldn’t help but feel the stirrings of empathy. Not to mention the fact that she could no more turn her back on his cute little boy than she could walk away from a stranger bleeding on the street. She understood how difficult it must be for a proud man like Toby to ask for her help. The woman from the employment agency informed her in a conspiratorial whisper that the child refused to speak since his mother had walked away from them both. Heather wasn’t sure if it was possible for three wounded hearts to be healed under the same roof, but she had little recourse but to trust in the infinite possibilities of tomorrow.
“My bags are in the trunk of my car. If you’d be so kind as to show me to my room, I’d like to get settled in and start right away.”
The relief written upon Toby’s face was so genuine that it made Heather grow prickly all over. She hoped in his exuberance that he didn’t attempt to pick her up like he had Dylan and swing her around in the air. She was already feeling far too lightheaded to think straight. Toby’s next statement did nothing to lessen that feeling.
“If you don’t have a couple of nice dresses packed, we can pick some up in town over the weekend. I’m planning on taking Dylan to a family reunion of sorts in the next couple of days, and I’d really like you to come along.”
Heather shook her head as if to rid it of cobwebs. Not the typical slow-moving rancher who drove his pickup down the road at a leisurely pace, Toby Danforth moved fast. Goodness, it was hard to process everything happening at once. She had been fired, rehired and invited to a family gathering all in the course of fifteen minutes.
“That won’t be necessary,” she said, struggling to overcome her innate shyness around large groups of people she didn’t know. “While somewhat limited, my wardrobe should be adequate for any occasion. I don’t suppose it should be too hard to get myself and Dylan ready for a little family get- together.”