“I’m sure the room is fine,” she said, as he headed for the family room. She wished there was a way to prolong their conversation. Ryan’s confession of his feelings had only added fuel to the fire that was her infatuation. After all, now he was more than a pretty face—he was also emotionally tortured. How was she supposed to resist that? It was just like a scene out of Pride and Prejudice, she thought dreamily as she walked into the family room. Ryan was Darcy, proud and standoffish. She was plucky Elizabeth. In time he would realize that she was the—
“Cassie!” Sasha shrieked in delight when she saw her. The toddler grinned, then pointed at the television. “Toons.”
“I know. Are they fun?”
Sasha nodded, her short curls flying up and down with the movement of her head. Cassie could see the lingering trace of tears on the child’s face and resisted the urge to pull her close and hug her. There was no point in upsetting the little girl’s happy mood. There would be plenty of tears later for her to cuddle away.
She settled on the floor next to Sasha and listened to her chatter about the video. While the fact that Ryan was handsome and sophisticated added a little spark to her temporary job, she knew she would have taken it even if he’d been an old man, or even a woman. Because no matter how she daydreamed about her boss, the reality was she’d committed herself to Joel. Even more important than that, Sasha needed her to help her through this difficult adjustment. Cassie had a big heart and there was more than enough room for one little girl to slip inside.
* * *
RYAN HAD GOTTEN so used to the noise drifting in from different parts of the house that he wasn’t sure at first what had broken his concentration. Then he realized it was the silence. He leaned back in his chair and turned to stare out the window at the well-manicured grounds around the Victorian house.
“Peace and quiet,” he breathed with something close to awe. It was a sound he hadn’t heard much of since Sasha had returned home after the funeral last week, especially not during the day. This was something else he had to thank Cassie for.
He’d gotten more work done in the past—he glanced at his watch—five hours, than in the previous five days. He didn’t mind the sound of running feet or the bursts of laughter, the slamming doors or the clatter of toys falling somewhere in the house. None of that bothered him, mostly because his office door was closed and he knew that as long as Cassie was around, no pip-squeak with big eyes was going to come interrupt him. Until this moment, he’d never really appreciated the sound of silence.
He drew in a deep breath, reveling in the freedom of not being completely responsible for Sasha. Someone else would take care of feeding her and dealing with her tantrums and her tears. If he could keep full-time help around, the kid might not be so bad.
There was a light knock at his door. For a second he panicked, then he realized that Sasha was not one to ask politely for entrance. Instead she seemed to feel that the entire world existed for her pleasure.
“Come in,” he called.
Cassie opened the door and stepped into his office. “Hi, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about a couple of things.”
“Sure. Please, have a seat.”
He motioned her to the chair that sat on the opposite side of his desk. As she crossed the room, he took in her appearance. Yesterday he vaguely recalled that she’d worn a dress when she brought over the food. Today she was in jeans and a long-sleeved green T-shirt. She was of average height, maybe five-five or five-six, with short dark hair and a pleasant face. If he’d seen her on the street, he wouldn’t have bothered looking at her a second time, but here in his brother’s house, taking care of his brother’s child, Ryan thought she was an angel.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, suddenly nervous that she was having second thoughts about the job. “If you need any supplies or want me to buy anything, I’ll be happy to take care of it. Just say the word.”
She smiled and held up a hand to stop him. “It’s okay, Ryan, you don’t have to offer me the world. I promise not to cry, or quit.”
“Good.” He rested his hands on his desk. “Then what can I do for you?”
“I have a couple of questions. I just put Sasha down for her nap. She resisted me a little, but fell right asleep as soon as I got her quiet. Has she been sleeping okay?”
He stared at her blankly. “Nap? The kid is supposed to take naps?” He thought about the long afternoons when his niece had gotten more and more cranky. “No wonder she was difficult,” he muttered more to himself than Cassie. “Shouldn’t children come with instructions or something? How are people supposed to know this sort of thing?”