Heaven Sent Read Free Page A

he
announced after several pregnant seconds, during which it was all
Callie could do to keep from kneading her hands in anxiety. His
frown deepened. “You’re too young, too immature, and you have no
experience with this kind of work. What the devil do you think
you’re doing, applying for a job for which you’re clearly
unfit?”
    That was enough of that.
    Callie stood up, straightening her
frame to show off her whole five feet, five inches. “I am fully fit
to be a nanny to your daughter, Mr. Lockhart. I love children, I’ve
cared for them many times, and if you think an older woman could do
a better job than I, you’re mistaken. Your daughter, Mr. Lockhart,
needs someone in whom she can confide. Someone who will take care
of her and who will make her feel special. She needs someone to
love her! You certainly seem to have abdicated from the
position!”
    “ What?”
    If Callie hadn’t been so
angry, Aubrey’s roar might have demoralized her. As it was, she
stood her ground indomitably. “You heard me. You’ve abandoned your
own child, Mr. Lockhart, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself.
That poor little girl needs you. If she can’t have you, she
needs someone !”
    “ Why, you—”
    The door opened, and Becky Lockhart
barreled into the room, rushing right past her father and over to
Callie, who barely stooped in time to catch her up in her arms. She
straightened and glowered at Aubrey, whose mouth hung open as he
stared at Callie and his daughter, her arms around Callie’s
neck.
    “ What the—?”
    Becky’s blue eyes twinkled happily,
“Oh, Papa, isn’t it wonderful that Miss Prophet has come to be my
nanny? She’s ever so nice!”
    “ Wh-what are you . . . ?” He
stared at his daughter. Callie was pleased to note that his
expression softened considerably.
    “ Oh, Papa,” Becky went on,
evidently not worried about her father’s frown. “I’m oh, so fond of
Miss Prophet. Please say that you’ll let her be my
nanny.”
    He fastened his attention on Callie.
“And how, pray tell, did you get to know my daughter?” His voice
cut like a knife.
    Becky’s smile faded. Callie, sorry to
see it go, made sure she didn’t sound as furious as she felt when
she answered Aubrey’s question. “Becky and I met while I drove my
mail route, Mr. Lockhart. We’ve become quite good
friends.”
    “ Yes,” Becky confirmed, “Oh,
please hire Miss Prophet, Papa. She’s my best friend.”
    Callie felt like crying.
    Aubrey, plainly irate and also clearly
believing that Callie had somehow hornswoggled him, opened his
mouth and shut it twice before anything came out of it. Callie knew
how much he wanted to snatch his daughter from her arms and then
kick her down the Lockhart mansion’s grand marble front porch
steps.
    She was pleased when he did neither,
but only sucked in a breath and held it for a moment. When he let
it out, he looked calmer. Thank God.
    “ Becky, would you please
leave Miss Prophet and me alone for a minute? We won’t be
long.”
    Becky looked doubtful. “But . . .
isn’t Miss Prophet going to come live with us, Papa?” Her eyes were
so eloquent, Callie wouldn’t have been able to deny her anything.
She feared Becky’s papa was made of sterner stuff,
however.
    “ We’re going to talk about
it now, sweetheart,” Aubrey said. ‘We won’t be long.”
    “ All right.” Becky nodded
somberly at her father, then gave Callie a quick hug.
    Callie lowered Becky to the ornate
Chinese rug decorating the drawing room floor and dropped a kiss on
her pretty blond curls. “I’ll see you later, Becky.”
    “ Promise?” Becky looked
worried.
    Callie smiled at her.
“Promise.”
    “ Well . . . All right.”
Becky left the room much more slowly than she’d entered
it.
    As soon as the door closed, Callie
returned her attention to Aubrey. She braced herself, expecting to
be tossed out of his house and told never to return. It would kill
her to know that Becky would be living in this sterile