her in. Page after page. The thrill of not knowing...like that first spark of attraction or first crush. Dax’s face flashed in her head and she rubbed at her eyes. Where had that come from? She glanced at the page number and paragraph she’d just read. Nope. She wasn’t falling asleep. She’d read that. It had just been an exhausting day, that’s all. She shifted in her chair and kept reading.
This was it. The moment of truth. The whodunit. A wild dog howled in the distance, and the brush beyond the elephant pens rustled. Her pulse raced, and she flipped the page.
“What in the name of thunder? No!” she growled.
She double-checked the page numbers. It wasn’t a typo. The page was gone. The page with the whodunit. She stretched the binding apart just enough to spy the jagged remains of a torn page. White powder shook onto her lap. White powder. Sugar. A brown smudge stained the following page. Chocolate.
“They. Did. Not!”
The twins had torn out the page. Who did that? Who damaged books like that? A rare copy, no less.
“Those freaking girls. I’m going to—” She grabbed fistfuls of her hair and braced her head against her knees. “I swear they better not have thrown it away.”
The screen door to the house creaked open and her mother appeared, half-awake.
“Pippa, what in the world is going on? You’re going to wake up the entire camp.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t realize my voice had carried. It’s just these twins I’ve agreed to look after. This whole thing might not be worth it. I’m pretty sure their dad knew they were a handful. He lied to me by omission. Alim tried to warn me. I should have listened.”
Her mom sat on the corner of the ottoman and put her hand on Pippa’s knee.
“Since when do you back down from a challenge? You seemed so excited about this at dinner and you haven’t seen them since you left Tabara. Why the change of heart in just a few hours?”
“They tore my book.”
“Ooh, that’s bad. Girls their age should know better. You ought to call in first thing and quit.”
“Just like that?” Pippa sighed and slumped back when Anna smiled. “Am I ever going to outgrow your reverse psychology tactics?”
“Nope. Because we parents know our kids so well.”
Just how well does Dax know his daughters?
“I guess. I just never met a child who would tear up a book. They’re evil little monsters.”
“A harsh label for girls so young. I love you to pieces, Pippa, but I’m pretty sure a few of my gray hairs were caused by you.” She gave Pippa’s hand a loving squeeze.
“Just a few?” Pippa tipped her head up and stared at the moon. “I’m sorry I woke you. Go back to bed. I’ll be in in a sec.”
“Okay. But just remember, Pip, you’re the one in control. This can’t be that different from all the tours you’ve given at camps and lodges in the past. You’re the leader. You make the rules and set the boundaries. Maybe these girls need some. Maybe they need someone like you.”
“You’re right. I’m the one in control.”
Her mom nodded as she disappeared through the screen door. Pippa got up, wrapped the shawl around her shoulders and filled her lungs with night air.
You have them at your mercy, Pippa. Don’t lose it. Use it.
Civil war history and battle strategies, huh?
She had a few battle plans herself.
And if Dax didn’t like her methods, he was on his own.
DAX CLOSED HIS laptop and hurried to answer the knock on the bungalow door. She was ten minutes late. Even five wouldn’t have been acceptable, but he was desperate and his ride was waiting. And he’d been hoping for a few minutes to go over the schedule and to set things straight...like not being late and not letting Ivy and Fern out of her sight.
“Girls, I’m getting ready to leave. Come out here.” He cleared the ten feet to the door in three strides, then opened it and stood aside.
Miss Harper smiled brightly and marched right past him. He glanced at his watch, just as she turned around.
“Sorry I’m late, but I’m all set to go now,” she said. She was beaming, as if taking care of his daughters was the most exciting thing in her life. Her green eyes sparkled the way Ivy and Fern’s did when they were having fun. They lit the way Sandy’s used to, simply because she loved life and lived each moment like a celebration, even before the diagnosis. He loved his daughters, but their idea of fun was probably not the kind Pippa would appreciate. Unless she was that bored, living out here in the middle of nowhere. “Where are they? I hope they have comfortable shoes. I have the best day planned,” she said, tipping her head at him expectantly.
She had planned the day? No, no, no. He had the day planned. Just get back in control.
Dax held up a finger, but she spoke before he could get a word out.
“You’re standing very still for someone who needs to be somewhere. I’ve got this. You’re already late, so go on. You can leave now.”
He was late? Well, yes, he was, but only because she had been late first. Was getting Pippa to be on time and follow a schedule going to be that much work? His temples throbbed. He really did need to go. He tugged at his collar and motioned toward the girls’ room.
“They’re in there. Ivy, Fern! Come on out here a second.” He turned back to Pippa. “About the time—”
“Oh. Zebras,” she said with a brush of her hand. She helped herself to the view outside the window. Was that supposed to be an expression...like “Oh whatever”? She was so not going to dismiss him that easily.
“Look, Ms. Harper, I need you to be on time. The girls have to stick to their schedule or they’ll fall behind. You can’t plan their day without reading their lesson plans. As I explained, they’re homeschooled, so you’ve got to stick with my plan. If I can’t count on you, say so now.” From his research, he knew she was trustworthy on the not-a-criminal front, but trustworthy and dependable didn’t always go hand in hand. He needed a nanny who was dependable and punctual. And resilient.
“Mr. Calder. I can’t control the wild herds.”
She pulled an elastic out of the pocket of her jeans and proceeded to gather her wind-blown hair into a semitidy ponytail. A curly strand escaped and fell across her face. She tucked it behind her ear and put her hands on her hips. The curly lock fell back against her cheek.
“What?”
“The zebras. I had to wait for them to escape.”
“Wait a minute. Escape what?”
“They were being chased by a lion and I wasn’t about to slow them down. I stopped my jeep and waited. I’ll admit, I didn’t just sit there. I mean, who could pass up an opportunity like that to take photographs? But I did drive here as fast as I could once they passed. And they did get away. The zebras, I mean. Not that I want the lion to starve. She probably had cubs to feed. But I certainly didn’t want to witness the kill. You know what I mean?”
No, he didn’t. But, boy, could she talk. And he kind of wished said lion wasn’t out there hungry. Not with his daughters being escape artists.
“I don’t know where this zebra crossing happened, but the girls aren’t allowed anywhere near there. I don’t want them in any sort of danger, got it?”
“You