correspondent, and Kristina found herself being drawn in by his words, by his daughter. Yet never in her wildest imaginings had she believed she would actually meet someone over the Internet, much less agree to a trial engagement to that someone. It still wasn’t too late to change her mind.
Then she glanced at the copy of the e-mail attached to the bottom of the directions lying on the passenger seat.
dear Kristina.
i cant wait to see you in the morning. you are pretty and you look like a mommy. daddy needs a wife bad. if you come i promis i will be good.
love, Amanda.
How could she refuse a child’s heartfelt plea? Okay, so maybe somewhere deep inside she clung to the hope that Amanda’s father might be the man of her dreams. He seemed so nice in the e-mails, so much like her, a lonely person searching for a meaningful relationship. She could relate to that loneliness, the pitfalls of single life. Though she was barely twenty-seven, she had already grown tired of sorting through the dating chaos, encountering those armed with questionable intentions and pretty lies. Now she had agreed to reside with a man she didn’t know beyond e-mail correspondence.
Temporarily reside with him, Kristina corrected. If it didn’t work out, she would simply walk away, though she’d probably not return to her native Wisconsin. As long as she didn’t do something stupid—like fall madly in love with Drew Connelly if there wasn’t any indication he could love her back—this shouldn’t be a problem. But if he was anything at all like the man behind the e-mails, admittedly she was already a little bit in love with him.
Sliding out of the car, Kristina grabbed only her tote bag, opting to leave her suitcases in the trunk, and headed up the sidewalk, fear following close behind. Did she really want to do this?
She hadn’t really done anything yet other than agree to live in Drew’s home on a trial basis. And there was that little matter of conducting a background search on Drew Connelly to see if he was legitimate, including having Tori’s policeman friend make certain he had no criminal history. He was more than legitimate—a wealthy man who’d grown up in a powerful, renowned Chicago family, proverbial pillars of the community. He enjoyed a great deal of success, judging from the size of his house, a beautiful red-brick home with neatly manicured grounds and gardens, situated in a prosperous neighborhood.
Once on the porch, Kristina pressed the bell before she could change her mind. She waited an excruciating amount of time for someone to answer her summons. Her heart pounded in her chest and her palms began to perspire.
If only she’d seen a picture of him, not that his physical appearance would sway her one way or the other. Lord knew men had judged her on that issue one too many times. Though she’d learned to deal with her above-average height, her practically non-existent waist-line, her more-than-ample hips and breasts, at times throughout her life she’d longed for a different body type. But she’d stopped wishing for something that could never be and found comfort in knowing that maybe someone might accept her for who she was inside instead of what she wasn’t outside. Maybe that someone was Drew Connelly. Regardless of what he looked like, Kristina refused to be anything but pleasant. After all, the man beneath the facade was all that counted. Looks didn’t matter.
The door opened to a stout man dressed in a flannel shirt and khaki slacks, slightly balding, not very tall, and if he was twenty-seven years old, then she was a size six.
At least his smile was warm, cheerful. “Good morning, missy. Can I help you?”
Kristina sent him an answering smile, a shaky one. “Is this the Connelly residence?”
“Yes, ma’am. Are you from the agency?”
“The agency?”
“The nanny service.”
Nanny service? “Uh, well, no. I’m supposed to be meeting with Drew Connelly. Is that you?”
His laugh was loud, buoyant. “I wish, but I’m afraid I’m a little longer in the tooth than Drew.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Tobias Connelly, Drew’s grandfather.”
Kristina took his hand for a quick, robust shake, admittedly relieved. “I’m Kristina Simmons.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss— Is it Miss?”
Obviously the man knew nothing about the engagement, and Kristina thought it best not to make him any the wiser. “Yes, it’s Miss.”
“Well, Miss Simmons, is Drew expecting you?”
“I think so.” She hoped so.
He opened the door wide and gestured her inside. “Come on in then.”
What Kristina encountered in the foyer took her breath away. A staircase with a highly polished banister climbed upward toward the second floor. To her right, a formal living room displayed exquisite furniture, priceless antiques, she would guess. To her left, a library housed shelves full of books and comfortable leather sofas. Before her, a long entry hall with gleaming slate-colored ceramic tile seemed to stretch for miles.
The place was all opulent elegance, polished to perfection. The home most dreams were made of.
So what in the heck was she doing here, plain Kristina Simmons from Oshkosh?
Tobias yelled, “Drew, you have company!” startling Kristina.
“I’ll be there in a minute!” an irritable masculine voice called back.
The elder Connelly chuckled. “He’s having his coffee. You don’t want to deal with him until he does. He can be a real bear in the morning.”
Oh, wonderful. A man who didn’t do mornings, Kristina’s favorite time of day. “I see.”
“Do you want me to show you to the kitchen?”
“No!” She hadn’t meant to sound so panicked, but she felt it best to stay near the exit in case she needed a quick escape. “I mean, I’ll just wait for him here.”
“Would you like to have a seat?” He indicated the formal furniture in the adjacent living room. It looked nice, but not all that comfortable.
“I’m fine, really.”
“Okay. I’m sure he’ll be here in a minute.”
Another minute might not be enough time for Kristina to prepare, especially for a bear.
Tobias sent her a questioning look as if trying to read her thoughts, uncover her secrets. “I should’ve known you weren’t from the agency,” he said. “You’re not at all what they sent the last time, some skinny young thing with barely a brain in her head.”
Kristina was definitely not skinny, and not brainless under normal circumstances, though at the moment she questioned her wisdom. Obviously Drew Connelly was without a nanny. Could this be the reason behind his request for her to move in? “Then I assume he’s looking for someone to take care of Amanda.”
“As of early this morning. He had to fire the latest one because she wasn’t doing her job. Another reason why he’s in such a foul mood.”
That relieved Kristina somewhat. At least it appeared he hadn’t brought her here solely to replace his nanny.
Tobias grinned. “I’m sure he’ll be much better now that you’re here. Nothing like a pretty girl to brighten a young man’s morning.”
A pretty girl? “Thanks,” she muttered, realizing he was probably only being polite, a good trait, one she hoped he’d instilled in his grandson.
Tobias glanced at his watch then regarded her with kind eyes. “I hate to have to part good company, but I was just on my way out. Every now and then I need to check on the boy, make sure he’s staying in line.” He opened the front door and sent her another cheery smile. “Take care, Miss Simmons. I hope we see each other again soon. Have Drew bring you around some time. I know his grandmother would love to meet you.”
With