grasped his ankle as the little boy fell backward and held his leg with both hands. Annie leaned over the railing as she heard footsteps behind her and the wailing sound still coming from the bottom of the stairs. While Joshua dangled two stories above the ground, someone pounded up the steps.
Muscular arms came around her and gripped Joshua. “I’ve got him. Let him go, and I’ll bring him up.”
Relief washed over her as she released her fingers. Annie dropped down between Dr. McGregor’s arms and moved to the side so he could hoist his son up to the landing. While she watched, she took deep, fortifying breaths to calm her racing heartbeat.
Giggling, Joshua hugged his dad. “That was fun. Can I do it again?”
“No.” Thunder descended over Dr. McGregor’s features as he put down his son and glanced at Annie. “Thanks. One second he was playing in the den and the next he was gone. I figured he’d come out here since I told him to give you and your family time to unload your possessions.” He picked up Joshua and held him tight as though afraid the child would somehow wiggle free and try again to fly from the railing. “Young man, you and I are going to have a talk in the house about following directions.”
“But, Dad, I wanna help Annie. That’s why I’m here wearing my cape.”
The first time Joshua had seen her when he had awakened from his nap a few days ago, he’d called her Annie, which was fine with her, but Dr. Hansen and his wife had insisted on “Miss Annie” when she’d worked for them. She was quickly sensing the McGregors’ household was much more laid back.
Her employer started down the stairs. “I’ll return in a while, Annie. And by the way, you can call me Ian.”
As her brothers mounted the steps with boxes, including the one she’d dropped, and furniture, she watched Ian and Joshua exchange a few words with Ken and Charlie, then disappear around the corner followed by a little girl, who had to have been the one who’d screamed.
“That one is going to be a handful.” Ken waited for her to open the door. “Reminds me of someone I know.” Her eldest brother looked pointedly at Charlie, who was bigger and more muscular than Ken.
“I grew out of wanting to be a daredevil.” Her youngest sibling poked Ken in the back with two cartons he held.
“Boys, let’s try to be good role models for the McGregor children.” Annie trailed them into her new apartment. “And, Charlie, the only reason you quit, no doubt temporarily, was because you broke an arm and leg performing that death-defying skateboard trick.”
The bantering between her brothers continued as they brought up all the boxes and furniture from the three vehicles while Annie tried to decide which boxes to open first and where to put the ones she wouldn’t have time to empty today. Annie paused to look at her first real apartment. When she’d gone to college, she’d lived at home to save money, then she’d moved into the homes of her employers after that.
Excitement bubbled to the surface as she walked to a door and discovered her bedroom with a double bed, a chest of drawers and one nightstand. Her grandmother’s cushioned chair would look good in here. She checked the closet and smiled when she found it was a walk-in with plenty of storage space.
Then Annie moved on to the only other door and went into the bathroom, a pale-green-and-ivory color scheme. It had a tub with a showerhead, so she had a choice. She liked that because sometimes a hot bath worked the kinks out of her body on a particularly active day, and with Joshua she’d probably have a lot of them. She wouldn’t have to exercise much with him around if that stunt was any indication.
When she went back into the main room with a living area at one end and a dining table with four chairs and a small kitchenette taking up the other half, her brothers stood in the middle of the stack of boxes, arguing.
Annie put two fingers in her mouth and gave a loud whistle. They stopped and stared at her. “Are you all through bringing up my belongings?”
“Yes. We were just waiting to see if you want us to do anything else. We were discussing the merits of our favorite basketball teams and as usual our little brother has it wrong. The Thunder will win the NBA championship. If you’re from Oklahoma, you have to root for them.” Ken shot Charlie a piercing look.
Annie needed a few minutes of peace before she was introduced to the rest of Ian’s children, especially after that incident with Joshua. “I think I can handle this. Thank you for your help.” She grinned. “Try not to hurt each other on the way down the stairs.”
When they left, Annie sat on the tan couch and laid her head against the cushion. Quiet. Tranquil. She’d better cherish this moment because tomorrow she officially started her new job. The memory of Joshua standing on the railing revved her heartbeat again. Then she remembered Ian leaning over her and clasping his son. Remembering the brush of his arms against her gave her goose bumps.
Ian was strong. Capable. Caring.
Annie quickly shook the image from her thoughts. They were employer/employee, and that was the way it would stay. She remembered the scars on her body, a constant reminder of the tragedy that had taken her mother away.
If only I could relive...
But there were no do-overs. She had to live with what was left. She was damaged goods.
A knock at the door roused her from her thoughts. Annie pushed off the couch and weaved her way through the stacked boxes to the entrance. Maybe having quiet time wasn’t the answer right now. When she let Ian inside, she spied a very contrite child trudging behind his father. Head down, Joshua chewed on his thumbnail.
She wanted to scoop the adorable little boy into her arms and tell him everything was okay, but she wouldn’t. Ian’s stern expression spoke volumes about a serious talk with his son, and rightly so. But he was so cute with blond curly hair, big dimples in his cheeks, the beautiful brown eyes and long, dark eyelashes that any girl would want.
“Joshua, don’t you have something to say?”
The child mumbled something, but Annie couldn’t make out what it was. She knelt in front of the boy. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”
Joshua lifted his head enough that she had a peek at those beautiful eyes that told the world what he was thinking. “I’m sorry. I promise I won’t do it again.”
She hoped not, but she knew Joshua still had to be watched carefully until he developed a healthy respect for dangerous activities. “I’m glad to hear that. I noticed some cushions on the ground. Did you put them there?”
He nodded. “They’re soft.”
“But not soft enough to break your fall.”
“I know. Daddy told me. I have to put the cushions back—by myself.”
Annie rose. “That makes sense.” She glanced at Ian and saw that, like his son’s, his eyelashes were extralong, framing crystalline green depths. She took in his disheveled dark brown hair that looked as though he’d raked his fingers through it when he’d talked with his child. She could just imagine how he’d felt when he’d seen her gripping Joshua’s leg, his only safety line. Her heart went out to him. In the past two years Ian had buried two loved ones, and she suspected he was still dealing with his grief like Jeremy.
“Joshua, I’ll watch you from the landing,” Dr. McGregor said. “You need to put the cushions back exactly like you found them.”
“Yes, sir.” With slumped shoulders, the little boy made his way out of the apartment. The sound of his footsteps on the stairs resonated in the air.
Annie went out onto the landing with the doctor. Looking at the ground twenty feet below reminded her all over again about how tragic today could have been. She saw a flower garden with stones around it that Joshua could have hit his head on.
“Thanks, Annie, for grabbing Joshua. I went into the kitchen to make sure I had all