Upstairs in his crib, she would just start the mobile, which turned and played music and usually sent him right out.
“Let’s just sing a little, okay?” she said.
She rubbed and patted his belly while she sang “Silent Night” very softly and slowly.
By the time she was finished singing it through once, his eyes were already closed.
He really was such a good baby.
She pulled her hand away and he whimpered lightly for a second without opening his eyes, and then relaxed into sleep.
With the baby happy and the house nice and clean, Evangeline wasn’t sure what to do with herself.
She wandered into the kitchen, wondering if she should start some dinner. Even if Grayson ate while he was out, she was going to have to eat something herself.
She glanced at the clock. He’d told her this morning that he thought he’d be home about half an hour from now, so she didn’t have a lot of time. But there were chicken breasts in the fridge and plenty of fresh vegetables. She decided to pan fry the chicken and prep a salad, and maybe bake some biscuits too.
She couldn’t resist turning the radio on at a low volume before she got started. John Denver was singing “Christmas for Cowboys” and she smiled and found herself humming along.
The kitchen was so nicely set-up and so well stocked that it was a real pleasure to cook in it. Back home, part of the process of cooking included finding creative ways to substitute for expensive ingredients and how to make it all work in the wrong pots and pans for the job. She and Rory always managed, and they usually had a lot of fun while they were at it. But cooking with fresh ingredients on such a nice stove was a luxury.
“Wish you were here, big brother,” she murmured to the empty kitchen.
The more she let herself think about his situation, the more she worried. She’d been frantic at the thought of him in jail, but being free with a debt owed to the gang might actually be worse.
Please don’t do anything you shouldn’t,she thought to him across the miles.
It felt incredibly unfair that she was here, enjoying the high life while her big brother paid the price back in the city.
But she knew from their call that all he wanted was for her to stay safe and take care of herself.
I’m doing my best…
But that wasn’t really true. He’d been worried that Grayson might want something more from her than being a nanny for his boy.
As it turned out, it was Evangeline who kept finding herself wanting something more. Even right now, she couldn’t help picturing herself not as an employee, but as a young wife, preparing dinner for her husband after she put their baby down for a nap.
It was such a sweet fantasy that she let herself indulge in it while she fried the chicken, cut up the veggies, and threw a batch of biscuits in the oven.
She pictured Grayson’s handsome face when he came home. The big man would stalk in the front door with his usual energy. His expression would be as serious as always, but he would break into a tender smile when his eyes met Evangeline’s, a smile that was hers alone.
Then he would sweep up the baby in one arm andwrap the other around his wife, holding their little family close in a protective embrace.
She couldn’t help sighing at that idea.
It was a nice thought, but the more she learned about her employer, the more she understood what different worlds they came from.
She was poor as a church mouse, and he clearly had money. She had lived her life in one city, and he had seen the world.
And when things got tough she ran, while Grayson Ward was a hero, with the medals to prove it.
He deserved a different kind of woman—someone smart and brave like he was, someone who knew how to fit in with the people of this town.
Someone who wouldn’t bring danger to his doorstep.
She was hiding her location from her brother and his trouble, but what if the wrong people somehow found out? What if they came here looking for her to use as leverage against Rory?
She put those thoughts out of her head and pulled the biscuits from the oven. The whole kitchen smelled good now. It would be so perfect if Grayson came in just as it was ready. But she figured she would probably end up putting the chicken and biscuits in the oven once it cooled a bit, to hold them warm.
