Triple Trouble / A Real Live Cowboy. Judy Duarte

“Have you hired a nanny to help you care for them?”

      “Not yet. I called a Red Rock employment agency this morning, but they didn’t have anyone on their books. They promised to keep searching and call the minute they find someone.” Nick glanced at his watch. “I have reservations for a noon flight.”

      “You’re going to fly the girls back to Red Rock?”

      Nick switched his gaze from the girls to Christie. Her facial expression reflected the concern in her question.

      “I’d planned to.” He didn’t miss the quick exchange of worried looks between the foster mother and social worker. “Is there a problem with taking the girls on an airplane?”

      “I’m just wondering how you’re going to juggle all three of them, let alone their luggage, stroller and the carry-on bags with their things.” Carol Smith pointed at the corner of the living room closest to the outer door. The area was filled with luggage, a large leather shoulder bag, toys and three ungainly looking children’s car seats. A baby stroller for three was parked to one side.

      “All of that belongs to the girls?” Nick rapidly considered the logistics, calculating what needed to be moved, stored, checked at the gate before the flight. “I can load their things into the back of the limo and get a redcap at the airport.”

      “Well, yes, you can,” Christie agreed. “But Jessie has an ear infection and is taking antibiotics plus Tylenol for pain, and I’m not at all sure the pediatrician would approve of her flying. And even if he okayed the trip, you’d still have to take care of all three of them on the flight, all by yourself.” She eyed him dubiously.

      “Is that an insurmountable problem?” he asked.

      “For one person, it certainly could be,” Carol Smith put in. “Especially when one of them needs a diaper changed or if they all are hungry at once.”

      “Is that likely to happen?”

      “Yes,” the two women said in unison.

      “I see.” Nick really was beginning to see why the women seemed dubious. Maybe they were right to be apprehensive about his ability to care for these kids. Just transporting three babies was going to be much more complicated than he’d anticipated. On the other hand, he’d organized and directed programs for large companies. How hard could it be to handle three little kids?

      “You two have a lot more experience at this than me. Do you have any suggestions?”

      “If I were you,” Christie said firmly, “I’d rent a car and drive back to Red Rock. And I’d hire someone to make the trip with me, because I can’t imagine any possible way you can do this without at least one other person to help.”

      Nick instantly thought of Charlene and wished fervently that he’d gotten her phone number. But he had no way to contact her, and besides, he thought, she’d sounded definite when she’d turned down his offer of employment as the girls’ nanny.

      He ran his hand over his hair, rumpling it. “Unless one of you is prepared to volunteer, I’m afraid I’m on my own.”

      “Is there a family member who could fly here and drive back to Red Rock with you?”

      “Maybe.” He considered the idea, realizing that he had no other choice. “But it will take time to locate someone, and they probably couldn’t get here until tomorrow at the earliest. I’d like to get the girls home and settled in as soon as possible.”

      The three adults had identical frowns on their faces as they observed the triplets who were happily unaware of the life decisions being considered.

      Nick’s cell phone rang, breaking the brief silence. He glanced at the unfamiliar number in his Caller ID and nearly ignored it. Instinct, however, had him answering the call.

      “Hello.” The female voice was familiar. “This is Charlene London.”

      While eating dinner with her mother and Lloyd, Charlene had felt distinctly like a fifth wheel.

      She liked Lloyd and it was clear the man adored Angie. Her mother also clearly felt the same about the charming, gray-haired architect.

      Which delighted Charlene. But it left her with a serious problem. Her plan to live with her mother while she searched for a job and an apartment of her own was no longer plausible. But Angie was sure to object if she abruptly changed her plans, and Charlene strongly suspected Lloyd would feel as if his presence had forced her from the condo. He really is a nice man, she thought, smiling as she remembered the besotted look on his face when he’d gazed at Angie over dessert.

      She knew any one of her sisters or brothers would welcome her into their homes, but they all led crowded, busy lives. She really didn’t want to choose that option, either.

      What she really needed was an instant job—and a place to live that wouldn’t make her mother or Lloyd feel guilty when she left.

      “I could take Nicholas’s job offer,” she murmured to herself. Having retired to her bedroom early, she donned her pajamas. “But that means going back to Red Rock.”

      She didn’t want to return to Red Rock. She wanted a new start, far enough away so there was no possibility she would run into Barry and his friends while shopping, dining out, running errands, or any of the dozens of activities that made up her normal life.

      She slipped into bed and spent an hour trying to read, but her concentration was fractured as she continued to mull over her changed situation.

      The antique clock in the hallway chimed midnight. Charlene realized she’d spent the last hour lying in the dark, unsuccessfully trying to sleep. She muttered in disgust and sat up to switch on the bedside lamp. It cast a pool of light over the bed as she tossed back the covers and padded barefoot across the carpet to retrieve Nicholas’s card from her purse.

      The phone number on the back of the card was written in decisive, black slashes. Charlene flipped the square card over to read the front and gasped, feeling her eyes widen.

      “Nicholas Fortune?” She stared at the logo on the business card. “He’s a member of the Fortune family?” Stunned, she considered the startling information.

      Nicholas’s status as part of the prominent family eliminated many of her concerns. There was little likelihood she’d run into Barry if she worked as a live-in nanny for one of the Fortunes. The two men moved in far different circles. Which put a whole new slant on the possibility of going back to Red Rock, she realized.

      It also explained why he’d offered a two-part employment bonus. Fifty-thousand dollars was probably small change for one of the Fortunes.

      She tucked the card carefully into her purse and turned out the light. Working for Nicholas could turn out to be the opportunity she’d been looking for.

      On the other hand, how would she deal with her attraction to him? Would she end up sleeping with him if she lived in his house to care for the babies?

      She frowned, fingertips massaging the slight ache at her temples.

      Surely she could handle living in close quarters with a handsome, sexy man for a few weeks, she told herself. And, given Nick’s good looks and probably wealth, he no doubt had beautiful women by the dozens waiting for him to call.

      No, it wasn’t likely she needed to worry about Nick making a pass at her. The real question was, could she maintain a purely professional attitude toward him?

      When she thought about the bonus he’d offered, she could only conclude she needed to set aside any emotional elements and make a purely practical decision.

      The following morning, she waited until she’d showered and broke the news to her mother and Lloyd over breakfast before calling Nicholas.

      “Hello.”

      The deep male tones shivered up her spine, and for a brief second she questioned the wisdom of agreeing to work for