Truly, Madly, Deeply
The boy frowned at his father. “No, of course not. He’s stuffed.”
Judd breathed a mental sigh of relief. “Then it’s okay. It’s only if the bear talked back to her that we should worry.” But beneath his playfulness, he was beginning to have his doubts about Minerva Brodwick being the right person to help guide his children through their formative years.
Minerva could hardly believe her ears. She’d expected sarcasm from her employer or even being fired for being too immature.
John smiled back at his father with relief. Clearly, if her talking to a bear was okay with his father, then that made it all right with him. “I was helping her unpack.”
“We’ll both help.” Judd set the boy down and crossed the short distance to Minerva’s car. “What can I carry?”
“Anything that suits you,” she replied, quickly picking up a box and heading inside. She was now totally confused. Yes, Judd Graham had been intimidating when she’d first arrived. But just now he’d displayed tolerance and a sense of humor regarding her and her bear.
An uncomfortable prickling on the back of her neck caused her to glance over her shoulder. John was following a few feet behind her and Judd behind him. It was Judd’s gaze she had felt. With his son’s attention no longer on him, his expression had lost its softness and his eyes were cold.
She quickly turned her face forward. Now she understood. The only reason she was still here was that he was desperate. His show of good humor was merely for his son’s sake. He would, no doubt, be on the phone in the next few minutes calling Wanda and demanding she send someone more mature as soon as possible.
Father and son were close behind her when she entered her room.
As Judd set down the suitcase he was carrying, then straightened, his gaze came to rest on the worn bear on the bed. The more he thought about her talking to it, the more his doubts about her being mature enough to help raise his children grew stronger.
“His name is Travis,” John said, following his father’s line of vision.
Pride refused to allow Minerva to let Judd Graham continue to believe she was childish or even a little eccentric. With calm dignity, she leveled her gaze on him. “Some people silently think their way through their problems. I find I can sort mine out easier if I talk them out. But I’m a very private person. I find spilling my guts, so to speak, to other people difficult. And I feel ridiculous talking to thin air. Travis is perfect. He’s always available, he doesn’t interrupt, he doesn’t trivialise my concerns and he lets me work my way to a solution on my own.”
Judd had to admit that there was no hint of immaturity in Miss Brodwick’s manner. Even more, her explanation was reasonable. “I have spent time muttering at blueprints about changes the owners want made after the job is started,” he conceded.
Shrieks of “Daddy” coming from across the hall suddenly filled the air. The triplets had heard their father and decided that naptime was over. Hurrying into the hall, Minerva found the girls standing politely behind the safety gate confining them to their room while Henry was pushing on his, trying to break free.
“I’ll take care of them for now,” Judd said passing her and freeing Henry first. “You finish your unpacking.”
Minerva knew when she’d been given an order and she’d been given an order. She supposed she should be relieved that he said to unpack and not pack and get out, she thought dryly as she obeyed.
Carrying in the last load from her car, she wondered if Judd Graham came home early as a rule. She hoped not. His presence was a strain on her nerves. Passing by the girls’ room, she heard Lucy in there with him.
“Every time you called I told you that Minerva was doing just fine,” the housekeeper was saying in hushed tones. “There was no reason for you to come home early.”
“I wanted to see for myself,” he growled back. “I was in a rush and didn’t go over all the rules with her this morning.”
“Then I’d suggest you go over them with her now,” the housekeeper returned. “And then go into your study and work and quit glowering at her as if you expect her to sprout a second head or something.”
“She may have made it through the first day but she’s a stranger to us. I will not take chances with my children.”
“Both John and I are keeping an eye on her,” Lucy reminded him curtly.
Minerva ducked into her room before either saw her. She couldn’t fault Lucy or Judd for being cautious where the welfare of the children was concerned. And she found it rather heartwarming the way John protected his brother and sisters. Still, it was unnerving knowing she was constantly being watched. And Mr. Graham’s cold scrutiny was extremely irritating. She could easily understand why the three who hadn’t been fired had left so quickly of their own volition.
Her gaze traveled around her surroundings. Too bad, she thought, that she would be following in her predecessors’ footsteps. She liked the children, but she did not like their overbearing father. She would try to stick it out until Wanda found her another position, but not a moment longer.
Setting the last box on the floor, she wondered what the “rules” were that he hadn’t mentioned. Guess I’m going to find out, she thought, hearing footsteps behind her. Straightening and turning, she confirmed her suspicion as to who had entered her room.
Judd closed the door behind him. “We did not have an opportunity to go over all of the details of your employment this morning,” he said.
Suddenly her room seemed less than half its size. She wasn’t frightened, just extremely aware of the man in front of her... the width of his shoulders... the sturdiness of his build...his virility. It was a weird, unsettling reaction, like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Attributing it to her dislike of the man, she mentally shook it off and faced him.
“You will never strike or shake one of my children,” he said curtly.
“I had no intention of doing either,” she assured him.
“I’m glad to hear that.” His expression remaining terse, he continued, “When you do have to discipline one of them, you can have him or her sit quietly for a designated amount of time or you may take away a privilege for a designated amount of time. If neither of those methods work, you will speak to me and I will handle the situation.”
“Yes, of course.” The suspicion that one of the nannies had mistreated the children again loomed strong in her mind. Sympathy for them swept through her. She even found herself willing to forgive Judd Graham’s harshness.
“As I told you before, you will have Sundays off,” Judd said, again drawing her mind back to their immediate conversation. “I will, however, attempt to be flexible on this point.”
“Flexible” was not a word she would have associated with him, Minerva thought dryly, then returned to concentrating on what he was saying.
“If you need other time off, it will have to be arranged in advance. I assume you were informed that I run my own business.” Judd paused for an answer.
“Yes.”
“Because of that, my hours are uncertain. There will be times when I will have to work on Saturdays and late into the night on weekdays. When I am at home, I make it a rule to devote time to my children. However, when I am not with them, they will be your responsibility.”
“I understood that,” she confirmed.
He acknowledged her words with a nod. “As for boyfriends, I do not expect you to bring them to my house without my permission and there will no sleep-overs.”
Her eyes rounded with indignation. “I am not that kind of woman.”
Judd’s gaze raked over her. She did look like the oldfashioned type and her indignation appeared genuine. That he would not find himself breaking up embarrassingly intimate clinches was a relief. “Good.”
He’d accepted her at her word. She should be pleased and she was. Still, there was a tiny sting. Recalling the many times her father had pointed out that she was no beauty, she was certain Judd Graham simply assumed she was too plain to attract men’s lusty attention. Ninety-nine percent of the time he’d be right and the remaining one percent had never stirred her beyond a flicker of an ember.
“And now that that’s settled, I’d better relieve Lucy from watching the children so that she can get back to her kitchen.” Striding out of the room, he closed the door behind him.
Minerva scowled at the vacant spot where he had stood and wondered how long she could endure Mr. Graham’s cool, brusque and impersonal manner. He’d shown no concern that she might suddenly decide he was too strict or the job was too tough and leave. Clearly things had to be his way with no compromise.
Her gaze shifted to the phone on her bedside table. Wanda had said to call.
As soon as Minerva identified herself, Wanda said cheerfully, “I’ll take this as a good sign. The others all called within an hour of their first encounter with Mr. Graham.”
“This is simply my first opportunity,” Minerva returned. “Tell me that you are trying very hard to find me a different position.”
“Of course. Didn’t I promise I would? And I am a woman of my word.” Wanda paused, then a plea entered her voice. “But promise me that you’ll stay there until I do. Honestly, people who know the man tell me that he can be quite nice and actually charming once you get to know him. He’s just a little overprotective where his children are concerned.”
“Nice” and “charming” were another two words Minerva found hard to equate with Judd Graham. “As long as I have your word that you are looking for a different job for me, I’ll stay. But please don’t take forever.”
“I promise, I’ll find something soon,” Wanda assured her.
Hanging up, Minerva wasn’t so certain Wanda would keep her word. The woman was clearly desperate for someone to fill this position. Picking up Travis, she held him out in front of her. “I like the children and the pay is good,” she informed her teddy bear. “I should be able to save quite a bit fairly quickly... before I get fired or I can no longer endure Mr. Judd Graham.”
Then setting Travis aside, she decided to only unpack the essentials. The rest of her stuff she would leave boxed for a quick departure.
Chapter Three
Dinner, like breakfast and lunch, was eaten at the table in the huge kitchen. And, like the other meals, it was a lively affair. John’s manners were quite good, but the young triplets required attention. In spite of Judd Graham’s presence, Minerva enjoyed being there in the midst of the activity. It was a great deal more interesting than the silent meals spent with her father.
About halfway through the meal, she was reminded of something she had noticed during the morning. Henry babbled a mouthful of unrecognizable sounds and the two girls laughed. Continuing to politely ignore Judd, she said to Lucy, “I would swear that the girls understood what Henry was saying. It’s as if the three of them have a language all their own.”
Lucy smiled. “I believe they do. They’ve babbled back and forth like that since they were babies.”
Maybe Minerva Brodwick would work out just fine, Judd mused silently. Aloud he said, “You are the first one of all the people Mrs. Johnston has sent who realized that the triplets have their own private system of communication.”
The note of approval in his voice caused a surprising rush of elation and she found herself actually smiling at him. When he smiled back, a curl of warmth wove through her. She was merely feeling triumphant that she’d proved to him she was observant and had given his children the attention he wanted, she reasoned.
As the wiping up of the triplets began, Judd said, “I’ll play with the children while you finish unpacking.”
She noticed that this time, although his words still carried the feel of an order, they were not delivered as crisply as before.
Her gaze shifted to the housekeeper. The woman looked tired. “I’ll help Lucy with the dishes first.”
“That really isn’t necessary,” Lucy assured her.
“I want to,” Minerva insisted, and began gathering the plates.
Herding the children out of the kitchen, Judd glanced back at Minerva. There had been kindness in her voice when she’d spoken to Lucy. And her helpfulness was a refreshing change. The other applicants had strictly limited their activities to caring for the children. When offered a break, they had disappeared until summoned.
Or maybe Miss Brodwick was simply trying to make a good impression, his skeptical side suggested. Judging a woman’s true character took a sharp eye and a cynical mind. He’d learned that the hard way.
After helping Lucy with the dishes, Minerva stopped at the door of the playroom on her way to her room. Watching Judd with his children was like watching a totally different man than the one who was constantly confronting her. He was playful, gentle and loving. Suddenly aware that he was looking at her, she asked, “Who shall I start with for the first bath?”
“Henry,” Judd replied, handing his son to her. He was tempted to do the bathing himself, but forced himself to refrain. He needed to be assured that she could handle the job on her own when he wasn’t there.
Entering the large bathroom off the hall across from the children’s rooms, she turned to close the door only to find John there. “We always keep the door open. Henry can be a little rambunctious,” he said, with adult authority that reminded her of his father. “I’ll be here in the hall in case you need help.”
She saw the worried look on his face and smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be happy to leave the door open.”
As she proceeded with the bath, she was aware of John watching her every move. Judd also stopped for a moment to look in. He claimed he was on his way to get a toy from the girls’ room to keep Joan appeased. But she was certain he was checking on her.
“Finished,” she later said, letting out the water. Drying Henry, she then wrapped him in the towel and carried him to his room. John, she noticed, followed close behind. She playfully tickled Henry as she dressed him. But even his happy giggling did not cause John to relax his vigil.
Leaving Henry to play with his toys, she closed the security gate to his room and went to get the girls. “I’ll bathe them both at the same time,” she said, her back muscles beginning to tighten from John’s constant scrutiny.
Judd usually did them both together but he knew they could be a handful. Despite his decision to let her do the bathing on her own, he heard himself asking, “Do you want some help?”
“No. I can handle them.” She was tired and under other circumstances might have accepted assistance. But she was determined to prove to him that she was capable of doing her job. As she took each girl by the hand, she glanced at John who continued to tag along behind her. “I’ll run your bathwater when I’m done with Joan and Judy.”
He flushed and his shoulders straightened with dignity. “I can bathe myself.”
“I’ll just run the water,” she replied diplomatically.
“And I can dry and dress myself,” he added. His manner became very much like his father’s when Judd Graham was laying down his rules. “Then it’s reading time.” He looked to his father. “Will you be reading to us or should Minerva do that?”
“I’ll read tonight and tuck all of you in,” Judd replied.
Minerva saw the relief on the boy’s face and knew he was happy to have his self-appointed sentry duty ending with the bathing.
And she’d be happy to have a break from his watchful eye, she admitted, her back muscle twitching slightly as she bent to run the bath for the girls. Deciding that they should have privacy from their brother, she started to close the bathroom door before undressing them.
“Like I told you when you bathed Henry,” John said, stepping in the doorway to stop her. “We always keep the door open in case you need to yell for help.”
“I thought they should have some privacy,” she returned.
“I won’t watch. But I need the door open so I can hear if you need help,” he insisted.
Seeing the determined, protective expression on his face, she relented. “All right, I’ll leave the door open.”
As she bathed the girls, getting herself nearly as wet as them, Judd Graham paused by the bathroom door to check on her progress.
“I’d hate to be the boys who come around when you two start dating,” she told the girls in confidential tones and they giggled.
She was letting the water drain out and beginning to dry Judy when Judd returned. Retrieving the second towel, he began to dry Joan. Minerva found his closeness unsettling. When their shoulders accidently touched, currents of heat raced through her. Wrapping Judy in the towel, she quickly exited the bathroom.
I’m just overly tense from being constantly watched, she told herself, determined to ignore the disquieting effect the man had on her.
Finally the bathing was over and the children were excitedly choosing the books they wanted read to them. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, Minerva headed to the kitchen, hoping there was still coffee in the pot. To her relief there was and she poured herself a cup.
“Would you like to join me for a piece of pie?” Lucy asked, coming out of her two-room apartment just off the kitchen.
“Sure,” Minerva agreed, glad to have some friendly adult company. As they sat down at the table with their pie and coffee, she again stretched her back.
“I suppose John watched you constantly,” Lucy said sympathetically. “He did the others. I suppose he could have been at least part of the reason they left so quickly.”
“He is very protective of his brother and sisters,” Minerva commented.
Lucy nodded. “With his mother gone, he’s appointed himself guardian over them. In all my life, I’ve never seen a more mature child.”
“Their mother’s leaving must have come as a shock.” Minerva knew she was prying but she reasoned that the more she knew about her charges, the better she could care for them.
Lucy sighed. “Ingrid Graham was one of those women who should never have had children. She just wasn’t cut out for motherhood. When Judd realized she couldn’t cope, he hired a nanny...even when there was only John. That seemed to help a bit, then she got pregnant with the triplets. She was always so concerned about her looks. I suppose I can’t blame her. She was beautiful and, for her, being beautiful was a lot of who she was. When she got huge with the triplets, she became depressed and she never really got over it. I thought when those tiny cute babies were born, she’d bond with them, but she never did.”
Minerva found herself thinking of her own situation. She’d felt close to her mother but not to her father. As hard as she’d tried to please him, she’d always felt as if she never truly had his approval. “It’s tough growing up with a parent you aren’t certain really likes you.”
Lucy nodded. “It was for the best that Ingrid left. Not that I don’t think those little ones need a mother but they need someone who’s not so selfish or self-centered, someone who loves them.” Lucy glanced toward the kitchen door. “We’d better drop this subject. Judd doesn’t like me talking about her.”
Minerva nodded and let her curiosity turn in another direction. “Have you worked for Mr. Graham a long time?”
“A long time,” Lucy confirmed. “Ten years. Ever since he moved into this house. He was twenty-six and already one of the busiest architects and contractors in the Atlanta area. He’s a self-made man. His parents died in a car crash the year he earned his architect’s degree. His dad had a small construction company. Judd took it over and worked his tail off making it into what it is today.”
“He must be a tough boss,” Minerva said, recalling her encounters with the man.
“Tough but fair,” Lucy confirmed. “My husband, Bill, worked for his daddy and then for him.”
Minerva glanced at Lucy’s hand, for the first time noticing the simple gold band on her finger. “I didn’t arealize you were married.”
“Widowed,” Lucy corrected. “Three years ago. It was an accident at one of the sites. Until then I only came in days to clean and cook. But after Bill died, Judd suggested I move into the housekeeper’s quarters he’d had built onto the kitchen. Bill and I’d had our kids early and they were all grown and away from home. I didn’t much relish the idea of living alone, so I moved in.”
“John must have been around three at the time,” Minerva speculated.
Lucy nodded. “He hung around my kitchen constantly. Sweetest little boy, next to my own, that I’ve ever known. Having him underfoot helped ease the pain of my loss. When he broke his little arm, it just tore me to pieces. Between me and his nanny, Claudia, we babied him unmercifully.”
“He broke his arm?”
“Took a tumble out of bed when he was supposed to be napping.”
Maybe he wasn’t worried about having a nanny who would mistreat his brother and sisters, Minerva thought. Maybe he was just worried about one who wasn’t vigilant enough. Breaking his arm at such a young age coupled with his mother’s desertion had to have left him feeling uncertain about the world. She breathed a mental sigh of relief. She hadn’t liked suspecting that the children had been mistreated.
Exhausted from her day, Minerva said good-night to Lucy and retired to her room while Judd was still reading to the children. After a long, hot shower, she climbed into bed. Before lying down, she made certain both intercoms from the children’s rooms were turned on so she would hear if they woke in the night. Then she turned off her light, lay back and listened to the giggles as Judd tucked in the children, telling each one that he loved them.
Recalling the parting between her and her father, a bitter smile curled her lips. She had not told him until this morning of her plans to leave. She had begun looking for a full-time job a couple of days before his marriage to Julianna and had packed while they were away on their honeymoon. Yesterday, before they returned, she’d loaded her things into her car. As she put the last item in, she’d wondered if he would even notice and guessed he wouldn’t. During the past couple of weeks she’d spent a lot of time remembering their time together and realized that he’d rarely paid much attention to her unless he wanted something for himself. And she’d been right. He hadn’t noticed her loaded car or her sparse room.
When he and Julianna had arrived home last night, they’d sunk down in the chairs in the living room and, pleading exhaustion from their travels, expected her to wait on them. And knowing this would be the last time, she had done just that while they’d laughed and talked together about their trip and never once asked her how she’d been and what she’d done during their absence.
So this morning, hearing her father’s shower running at its usual early hour, she’d waited for him to come down to breakfast. Peter Brodwick had frowned at his place at the table as he entered. There was no plate of eggs and ham waiting for him. His gaze shifted to his daughter seated in her chair with a cup of coffee in front of her. “Where’s my breakfast?”
“If you want someone to cook something for you, you can wake up your new wife,” Minerva had replied calmly. “I merely stayed until you came in so that I could say goodbye. I’m all packed and have found a new place to live.”
Peter’s frown turned to a fatherly smile. “There is no reason for you to move out. There’s plenty of room here for you, your new stepmother and me.”
The house, situated in one of the well-maintained but older communities of Atlanta, was certainly large enough, Minerva conceded. “I know how much room you have here. Ever since I was sixteen and mother died, I’ve cleaned it for you. I’ve also done your laundry and cooked for you. But now you have a new chief cook and housekeeper, and I’m going to have a life of my own.”
Peter’s frown returned. “Julianna is not the domestic type.”
“I know.” The anger Minerva had been hiding bubbled to the surface. “I heard the two of you talking a couple of days before the wedding.”