Arro and I cheered and clapped after every one of her renditions.

Lewis was allowed to play video games, preapproved by his father, for one hour before dinner each day, so he’d disappeared into his bedroom to do that while we girls hung out downstairs.

I was pretty sure my hair was a ratty bird’s nest from Eilidh’s ministrations, but it made her happy, so I wasn’t going to be precious about it.

She was in the middle of asking me if she could call me “Ree-Ree” when the sound of the front door slamming jolted her attention from me. “Daddy!” she squealed and took off out of the room.

“How’s my wee Eilidh-Bug?” he replied moments later in that deep, gravelly voice.

The tenderness in his voice was a beautiful thing to hear.

Eilidh’s answering chatter was so fast I couldn’t make it out, even as Thane strode into the open-plan room with his daughter settled on his hip. He stared down into her face with such love, I vowed in that very moment to find a guy who would look at our kids just like that.

“Is that right?” he murmured in response to whatever she’d said.

“And Ree-Ree let me play with her hair for ages!”

Apparently, I was Ree-Ree now, permission granted or not.

Arrochar and I shared an amused look.

“Ree-Ree?” Thane frowned and then glanced into the room. He stiffened when he saw me. “Regan?”

“Hey.” I waved, knowing I probably looked like a lunatic because of whatever Eilidh had done to my hair.

“Hi,” Arrochar said, drawing his attention. “Dinner is almost ready. I picked up Regan on her way back from the village. The kids asked her to hang out with us.”

“Right, right.” He nodded, his eyes coming back to me. “Are you staying for dinner?”

There wasn’t exactly a welcoming tone to his question. “No. I should get back. Robyn will wonder where I am.” I hoped. She hadn’t texted me all day.

“But.” Arrochar strode toward her brother and tugged Eilidh out of his arms and into hers. “Regan would like to discuss something with you in private.”

I would? I frowned at her.

She made a face and then mouthed, “Nanny.”

Right.

Usually I wouldn’t badger someone about a job he clearly didn’t want to give to me, but I was running out of options. And honestly, the idea of some Gordanna Redburn nanny looking after Eilidh and Lewis pissed me off. At least with me they’d be safe, cared for, and having fun.

“Right.” I jumped to my feet, stalking toward their father. “Yeah, can we talk?”

His eyebrows were still puckered, but he nodded and gestured for me to follow him. He led me to a room off the entrance that I hadn’t been in before.

The small space overlooked the fields beyond the driveway. It held a desk with a smart desktop computer, neatly piled papers, bookshelves filled with folders, and walls with framed house plans. His office.

He closed the door and turned to me. Without Eilidh in his arms, I finally noticed his attire. Instead of the rugged sweater and jeans I’d only ever seen him in, he wore a dark gray shirt, open at the collar, with a pair of black suit pants. He had not, however, trimmed his beard or his hair, and the overall look was incongruously appealing.

“Well?” Thane said.

I placed my hands on my hips and gave him what I hoped was a charming smile. “You need a nanny. And I need a job.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “I’ve spent all day looking.” I stuck out one of my bare, sore feet. Thane looked at it in consternation. “I cut my feet walking all over the village and back in search of a crappy job. And all the while, here in this gorgeous house, are two amazing kids who get along with me, and they need a nanny.”

Their father’s eyes traveled back up my body from my feet to my face. “Regan—”

“Before you say no again, let me email you my references. I am an exceptional nanny with impressive experience. I used to nanny for the mayor of Providence and his wife.”

Thane drew in a breath. “Regan—”

“Lewis actually talks to me, and Arro says that’s unusual for him. And I’m pretty sure Eilidh and I are twins born nineteen years apart. Though”—I gestured to whatever was happening with my hair—“I need to give her some styling lessons for sure.”

His lips twitched. “Regan—”

“I would never do anything to hurt them,” I said in all seriousness. “They need someone. You need help. I’m offering it, and you can trust that the offer comes from a good place.”

“Not an entirely altruistic place, though.”

I shrugged. “I’ve never lied about needing a job. But this wouldn’t feel like a job. Except for the cooking and cleaning part, of course. But the kid part, no. They’re wonderful kids.”

“On their good days.”

“All kids have ups and downs. I know it’s difficult.” I took a step toward him and hated how he seemed to tense warily. “I nannied for this one little boy whose parents treated him as if he were a social accessory. Trotted him out to display to their friends and then had the nanny trot him back out of sight again when he wasn’t required. Which was most of the time. I’ve never met a child with bigger trust issues, and being a nanny to a kid who doesn’t trust you or anyone is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. Almost as difficult as stemming the urge to berate his parents for neglect … but that’s another story.

“My point is … Eilidh and Lewis are loved, and it shows. They’re good kids who will have tantrums on days they’re tired or hungry or frustrated and not sure why. That’s kids. I know that. I’m prepared for it. Besides, Robyn is their aunt now. If you want reassurance I’ll take this job seriously, you have it, because I won’t do anything else to hurt my sister or the people she cares about. I’m a much better solution to your problem than some nanny who’s only here to cash her paycheck.”

Thane studied me so long after my little speech, I squirmed.

Finally, he replied, “First, let me talk to Robyn. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but if offering you a job is a problem for her, then I can’t do it.”

As much as I understood and was grateful he was looking out for Robyn, I couldn’t help but experience a niggle of hurt at the very idea my sister would stand in my way. I didn’t let it show. Instead, I nodded. “I get it.”

His expression softened. “Good. Now I’m sure your sister is looking for you.” His eyes flickered to my hair, his mirth obvious. “And you best sort that,” he said, gesturing to my head, “before it stays like that permanently.”

I patted my head, suddenly dreading looking in a mirror.

6

Regan

Perhaps today was the wrong day to start MMA training with my sister. As we stood in the studio on the Ardnoch Estate grounds with Robyn’s friend Eredine, I attempted to act normal. Like I wasn’t still reeling from the conversation I’d overheard last night.

The previous evening, I’d been in my room reading a romantic suspense e-book when I heard the murmur of a familiar voice downstairs. My room was off the stairwell, and I could hear anyone who came into the house.