Contracted For The Spaniard's Heir

‘That would be difficult,’ Luca said gently, when she had finally tapered off into silence, ‘considering the nanny has been sacked.’

‘Sacked? But why?’

‘Why do you think?’

‘Yes, well... I’m sure she will have learned from this episode...’ Ellie vaguely wondered whether the sacked nanny could take him to some kind of industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal but somehow she couldn’t envisage anyone, least of all a young nanny, having the courage to do anything of the sort.

And sadly, whilst the poor girl probably did deserve a second chance, it was fair to say that letting her charge escape did come under the heading of dereliction of duty.

‘I would hope so but it doesn’t matter because it’s not my problem.’ Luca pushed himself away from the desk and linked his fingers on his washboard stomach. ‘My problem isn’t what the sacked nanny does now. My problem is what I do now...’

CHAPTER TWO (#ue3e2a30c-da9b-5f45-8982-cc72937f694d)

LUCA HAD REACHED a decision. He’d done what he did best. Faced with a problem, he had brought his natural creativity to the situation, thought on his feet and come up with a solution.

He’d sacked the nanny. He needed cover. And it wasn’t going to fall on his shoulders because he didn’t have enough hours in the day.

Miss Muller, efficient though she was, could hardly be expected to turn her hand to child minding a six-year-old. She’d never had children and, from the little he had glimpsed of her interaction with Jake, an eagerness to make up for that lack was not there.

And the agency wasn’t going to be much help in the immediate future. They were painstaking when it came to the business of sourcing nannies. Leave it with them and he could be collecting his pension before they came up with a replacement, especially given the short, chequered history of the previous two, both sacked.

Cover was staring him in the face. The girl was perfect. He was good when it came to reading people and he could read that this one would be up to the job.

He would lay his cards on the table soon enough but first he would find out as much as he could about her personal circumstances because her personal circumstances could be used to his advantage.

He would at least have to determine her availability.

It didn’t occur to him to ask her directly whether she would be able to step into the breach because getting what you wanted always panned out better once you’d got a feel for the lie of the land. A lifetime of dealing with people had given Luca a healthy scepticism when it came to making sure he got the best possible deal from them.

This girl was no gold-digger, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be tempted to try her luck if she thought she could pull a fast one.

‘You never told me why you were walking dogs.’ He lazily returned to the question he had earlier directed at her. He tilted his big body at an angle that allowed him to watch her closely from under lowered lashes. ‘You have a job. I don’t know what teachers get paid, but I’m assuming it’s not so little that they have to take a begging bowl onto the streets.’

‘Walking dogs isn’t the same as taking a begging bowl onto the streets.’

‘Figure of speech. Shouldn’t you be enjoying your respite from tetchy kids and classrooms?’

‘I...’ Ellie reddened. ‘I like dogs,’ she said lamely. ‘And I like walking.’

‘And that’s very commendable, but you surely must do it because of the money?’

‘I... As it happens, I find the additional income very useful.’ Ellie heard herself stutter out the truth and immediately told herself that it was nothing to be ashamed about and that she shouldn’t let herself be cowed into editing her personality which was, by its nature, open and honest.

‘Why?’

‘Why? Mr Ross, Luca, I’m not one of your employees. I don’t actually have to tell you anything.’

‘Instead of getting worked up because I’m asking you a few questions, you need to sit back and listen to me without interruption for a few minutes.’

Ellie’s mouth dropped open.

‘You probably want to get back to your house as much as I need to return to work, but there was something I wanted to propose to you, and I think you would be open to my suggestion—especially if you tell me that you need money.’

‘I never said that I needed money.’

‘You don’t have to but I’m good at joining dots. I heard the anxiety in your voice when you talked to me about reuniting those dogs with their owners. You were apprehensive about upsetting them. You don’t want to upset them because, however much you love dogs and love walking, it’s not a labour of love for you. Ergo, you need the money.

‘Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t give a damn what you want the money for—addiction to fine wine, an obsession with designer clothes...or maybe you’re saving for a round-the-world cruise. I don’t care. It’s all the same to me. You have no criminal record, because checks would have been done on you before you became a teacher. Here’s the deal.’

He leant forward, palms flattened on the desk. ‘I no longer have a nanny and I can’t afford to spare the time out for babysitting duties. Miss Muller isn’t going to be able to step up to the plate here and I would not ask her to. However, as I said to you, my nephew took to you and that in itself speaks volumes. Combined with the fact that you clearly need the money, we could work together towards a satisfactory solution to my problem.’

Ellie stared at him in a daze. She was accustomed to controlling situations. It was part and parcel of her job, but right now she felt as though she had handed the reins over to someone who was cheerfully steering her in the direction he wanted her to go.

‘I’ll admit my immediate reaction to you showing up at my front door with my godson was one of instant suspicion.’

Ellie was fascinated by Luca’s lack of apology for behaviour that frankly had been pretty outrageous. When she had walked Jake back, she had anticipated gratitude. She had mentally prepared an informative speech about the importance of family and of understanding the psyche of children. It was going to be a severe speech, as befitted the situation. She had even mulled over the possibility that she might step into a quagmire that would necessitate outside intervention. She worked in a school where that sort of thing had occurred on a couple of occasions, although something about Jake had made her think that his family life wasn’t going to be a disaster zone. His clothes had been dishevelled and muddy from the dogs but expensive all the same.

She hadn’t anticipated a series of events that had seen her told coolly that she could have been hauled down to a police station, accused of staging the whole thing for money and then eventually been given the all-clear without a hint of remorse.

‘I got that,’ Ellie said tightly as her mind continued to whirr. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was larger than life in every sense of the word and in his presence every nerve-ending in her body was on red alert, every sense and pulse stretched to breaking point. From the proud angle of his head to the luxuriant dark hair and exotically sculpted features, the man oozed more than just sexuality and it knocked her for six.

And now he was offering her a job?

‘Naturally I would do my own background check on you anyway,’ he murmured, half to himself.

‘You’re offering me a job?’ Just in case she’d got hold of the wrong end of the stick.

‘The circumstances are a little unusual,’ Luca admitted. ‘It’s not in my nature to jump into anything without first testing the water, but I need someone to look after Jake, and sooner rather than later...’

‘But you could always just take a couple of weeks off work. Maybe go on holiday with him whilst the agency finds a replacement. If he’s had trouble settling down then a holiday might be just the thing he needs.’

‘I don’t have time for holidays,’ Luca said flatly.

‘Never?’ Ellie asked incredulously, wondering what the point of being rich was if you never took time out to enjoy your hard-earned cash. If she had money, then she would travel the world. It was a luxury she had never had.

‘There’s no time off when you’re running a business the size of mine.’ Luca shrugged. ‘It may sound harsh but I’m simply being realistic.’ He leaned back and sighed heavily, with a hint of impatience. ‘This escapade has made me realise that Jake needs someone who is not only capable of taking him from A to B and making sure he is fed and watered, but someone with whom he has some kind of bond. He clearly didn’t bond with either of the previous nannies, but in the space of a very short time he managed to do that with you, and I’m guessing your experience as a teacher has something to do with that.’ He looked at her shrewdly. ‘So here we are.’

‘I already have a job,’ Ellie said. As job offers went, this one certainly hadn’t been wrapped up in any pretty packaging. He was in a jam and she was a possible solution. No beating about the bush with any niceties.

‘Teaching, and walking dogs for the additional income.’

She decided not to go down the ‘needing money’ road again. Luca made her nervous and uncomfortable and she couldn’t think of anything worse than working for him. ‘There’s no way,’ she said politely, ‘that I would ever consider jacking in my full-time job to become a nanny to your godson. I love my job. I enjoy working with lots of different kids.’

He would make a terrible employer. It was obvious that he was as warm and cuddly as a rattlesnake. He thought nothing of getting rid of people who didn’t live up to his high expectations and, while he was quick to blame, he didn’t seem prepared to accept that he might be the root cause of Jake’s behaviour.

Work for him?

She would rather walk on a bed of burning coals. Part of the reason she enjoyed what she did, aside from the satisfaction of working with the kids, was that she really loved the people she worked alongside.