Kaya strode to the east window overlooking the snow-covered hills of the White Mountain National Range. Apart from an immediate abundance of love and patience, she had no idea what was best. It took a lot of money to raise kids. She could remember her mother’s constant complaints about not having enough money for one thing or the other. And Nadine only had one child, plus she was receiving a monthly child support check from Kaya’s father.
She, on the other hand, had just inherited three. With formula, diapers, after-school, and daycare added to her rent and car payments, not to mention the emergencies that were sure to pop up every so often, Kaya knew that life as she’d known it was over. No more exclusive clothes and pricey shoes. No more eating out at expensive restaurants. No more weekend getaways. It was work, work, and more work from here on in.
She’d have to take on more customers and work longer hours. Her career required that she live in a big city where she had access to an infinite number of wealthy people and thriving businesses. Granite Falls was a wealthy, thriving town, she had to admit, but it was small. There wasn’t room for expansion up here in the mountains, and it was bitterly cold. Even if she sold her father’s jewel and stayed in Granite Falls, the money would run out eventually, and she’d be back to square one.
Florida was her only choice. She had to make Bryce understand the position she was in, and at the same time, find a way to establish a friendship with him for the children’s sake.
CHAPTER THREE
“Where are Jason and Alyssa?”
Kaya turned around as the anticipated question broke into her thoughts. “Libby took them into town to see Ethan and Courtney. They needed some fresh air. I hope you don’t mind that they aren’t here.”
“Not at all. Freed me up for this little one. She needed special attention.” He smiled at the baby before looking Kaya up and down, quizzically. “Why are you wearing Lauren’s clothes? Don’t you have any of your own?”
Kaya pushed the oversized sleeves up her arms. “Since Anastasia’s been crying so much, Adrianna Bennett suggested I wear Lauren’s clothes to give Anastasia a sense of Lauren’s smell. She said it worked for her mother when she babysat her children.”
“Did it work for you?”
“Did it look like it was working when you barged in?” The mockery in his voice and eyes fueled her exasperation. “How did you get into the house, anyway? I know I locked the doors after Libby left.”
“I have a key. Mike and Lauren allowed me to go and come as I please. Do you have a problem with that?”
Kaya shrugged. “It’s your house.”
He closed the distance between them and glared down at her, his mouth taking on an unpleasant twist. She was quite taken aback when instead of delivering some curt remark, he merely held the baby out to her. “Would you like to hold her? Experience the feel of a happy baby in your arms?”
Kaya took a swift glance at Anastasia, who seemed quite content to remain where she was. “She might start screaming again. Maybe she’s allergic to me.”
He sat down on the wide window seat. “She just misses her mommy and daddy. You have to learn how to calm her.” He put his thighs together and placed Anastasia on her back, her head resting on his knees and her legs toward his belly. He began to rub her tummy in slow, circular motions. “She likes this position. It’s her favorite.”
What’s your favorite position, Mr. Fontaine?
Kaya shook her head, shocked as the question formulated in her mind. What was wrong with her? She’d never had these scandalous thoughts about any man before. Ever since she’d met Bryce this morning, he’d been making her feel things, want things that were foreign to her. And she didn’t even like the man.
The sight of his long fingers making circular motions on the baby’s tummy made Kaya’s knees weak. With a shudder, she dropped down on the windowsill, being careful not to sit too close to him. She couldn’t handle another surge of current ripping through her. The man exuded enough bolts to short-circuit her heart. “She seemed to like that lullaby you were singing to her,” she told Bryce. “I’ve never heard it before.”