The Doctor's Secret Bride(8)

Michelle looked up to find Erik staring at her. There was relief and gratitude in his eyes because his daughter had laughed, but there was something else shrouded in their gauging depth. Something she didn’t understand.

“This is Bradie.” Precious pulled her doll from her father’s hand and shoved it into Michelle’s face. “I call her Bradie ‘cause she has a lot of braids.”

“Hello, Bradie.” Michelle shook the doll’s limp hand. “I’m Michelle, your new friend.”

“Are you my friend, too?” Precious asked with a timid smile, apparently unsure if Michelle would forgive her earlier offenses.

“Of course, Sunshine.” Michelle touched her cute button of a nose then tapped a finger to her chest. “That is if you have room for one more friend in that little heart of yours.”#p#分页标题#e#

“I do.” Her eyes sparkled with eagerness. “You know what?” She started chattering like a seven-year-old high on life. “I have two goldfish. One’s named Charlie and one’s named Sippy. Charlie is the big one. You wanna see them? You wanna see my room?” She tugged Michelle to her feet.

“Sure, I’d love to see your room and your fish.” She looked at Erik. “If it’s okay with your dad.”

Erik pulled his gaze away from Michelle and walked over to his desk. She was crying, he thought in astonishment. She wasn’t afraid to show her emotions. Tears didn’t bother her. Cassie had hated tears. She never cried, at least not in front of him. He gave his wife’s portrait a quick glance then cleared his throat before trusting his voice not to embarrass him. “Precious, go back to your room now, sweetheart. Ms. Carter—”

“Michelle,” Michelle corrected him.

“Michelle will be along soon. I promise,” he added at the reluctance in his daughter’s eyes.

Precious glanced from Michelle to her father, then back to Michelle again.

Sensing her hesitance, Michelle pushed her hand into the front pocket of her jeans. “Here.” She pulled out a penny and held it out to Precious. “This is my lucky penny. I don’t go anywhere without it. So I can’t leave without seeing you, right?”

Precious stared at the penny. “But it’s old and rusty.”

Michelle smiled. “That’s exactly what I told my big brother when he gave it to me many years ago when I was just a little girl like you. But you know what he said?”

“What?”

“He said, ‘Michelle, this penny may be old and rusty, but it’s worth just as much as any brand new shiny one’. Do you know what that means?”

Precious shrugged. “A penny is a penny, no matter what it looks like?”

“You are so smart. What’s important is what it means to you. So, is this a lucky penny or not?”

Precious snatched the penny from her hand. “It’s a lucky penny.”

“Good. Now the sooner you get upstairs, the sooner I can meet you there.”

With one last big bright smile, Precious ran out of the room.

“Your big brother sounds like a very wise man,” Erik said when they were alone.

“He is.” Michelle smiled. “Precious is a sweet kid,” she added.

“You have no idea what it did to hear her laugh. You almost made me laugh with that horrible pig face. Where did you learn to handle kids like that?”

“Babysitting and working at the youth center. Sometimes the kids walk in with such overwhelming problems that the only way to get them through the day is to make them laugh.”

Erik perched on the edge of his desk, studying the lingering smile on her lips. He would love so much to reach out and grab a ray of that sunshine she’d just showered on his daughter. “Well, you seem to have what it takes to be a nanny,” he said. “You are just what Precious needs. You have the job, Ms. Car—”

“Michelle.”

“Michelle.” He nodded on a smile.

Her black eyes sparkled with relief. “Thank you. I promise you, Precious will be the happiest little girl in Amherst, soon. Just leave her to me.”

“From what I just saw, I think she already is,” he replied, fighting to disentangle himself from the invisible thread that seemed to be forming between them already. How was he going to maintain his sanity with this irresistible woman living under his roof? Erik wondered. It was too late to send her packing. She’d scored big with Precious. His baby had already fallen in love with her. He’d never seen her bond so quickly and eagerly with any other woman. And never had he, Erik realized as heat began generating in his loins again and his heart started to hammer in his chest.#p#分页标题#e#