have stayed home.” He walked to the high chair and looked down at Sabrina, as if not sure what to do.
“Pick her up. Give her a hug. Kiss her cheek.”
Ty took a deep breath.
“Ty, you have to kiss her, hug her, touch her. You and Seth are her only family. If you don’t show her affection, no one will.”
Ty nodded, then raised the baby from the seat and into his arms. “Hey, kid.”
Looking into Ty’s face, Sabrina twisted her head as if examining him.
“She’s growing accustomed to you.”
“At least it doesn’t seem like she misses her M-O-M anymore.”
Madelyn laughed at the way he spelled rather than said mom, but her expression quickly sobered. “That isn’t just lucky for us. It’s kind of lucky for Sabrina, too.”
“Yeah,” Ty said, then rubbed his nose against Sabrina’s cheek. “It’s sad, though.”
“Yes, it is,” Madelyn agreed. Seeing her perfect opportunity to ask him about Cooper, she added, “You and Seth and your brother Cooper know firsthand how hard it is to lose parents.”
Ty stiffened. “We’re fine.”
Right. Madelyn disagreed with that, but she also saw that having Ty defensive was ruining his time with Sabrina. So she changed the subject, knowing she could bring this up later. “Tell me what happened with the nannies.”
“I start interviewing tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Don’t pack your bags yet. I’ll probably have to do second interviews then once I choose somebody, it will take at least a week to do a background search.”
A strange whirlwind of conflicting emotions swirled through Madelyn as she stared at Ty. With the sleeves of his white shirt rolled to the elbows and his tie loosened as he very sweetly nuzzled Sabrina, he was the most adorable, sexy man on the face of the earth. But she didn’t like her attraction to him. Heck, she just plain didn’t like him sometimes. On the other hand, she wasn’t so stupid that she didn’t see that Ty’s employees believed her when she made observations about his private life because everyone knew she was living in his house, getting the inside scoop, seeing him with the baby. She didn’t merely appreciate that edge. She needed it.
But even if her heart caught at the thought of leaving Ty, she couldn’t stay here forever. Having any kind of feelings for him was foolish. His difficult life might justify his bad disposition, but that didn’t make it any easier to live with. She didn’t want to get involved with a grouch.
“Did she have a nap this morning?”
Madelyn glanced over at Ty, surprised that he was beginning to think ahead about Sabrina’s needs. In twodays he had gone from ignoring his baby to considering her comfort. If Madeline didn’t so desperately want to stay here for her PR purposes, Ty’s rapid signs of improvement with the baby would be confirmation that it was time to go. But she did need to stay here for the PR. At least until the Wall Street Journal reporter was gone.
“Yes. She napped this morning in the play yard in my office. She slept right through two meetings.”
Ty shifted the baby to his right arm and peered at Madelyn, giving her such a confused look that she frowned.
“What?”
“I’m puzzled about whom you meet with.”
He really had no clue about how public relations worked. “Your employees,” she said in an attempt to enlighten him about her job. “Department heads mostly. I need to gauge how your employees will respond to the reporter about you and your company. That way I can steer him to the appropriate people.”
Ty said, “I see.”
“And you should speak kindly about them when the reporter asks you questions about the people who work for you.”
Ty laughed. “Really? I have to say nice things about a bunch of people who hate me?”
“You don’t have to say nice things to them, but it won’t be a lie for you to say you think they’re hardworking, honest people.”
Tickling Sabrina, Ty didn’t reply.
Madelyn’s instincts perked
“Pick her up. Give her a hug. Kiss her cheek.”
Ty took a deep breath.
“Ty, you have to kiss her, hug her, touch her. You and Seth are her only family. If you don’t show her affection, no one will.”
Ty nodded, then raised the baby from the seat and into his arms. “Hey, kid.”
Looking into Ty’s face, Sabrina twisted her head as if examining him.
“She’s growing accustomed to you.”
“At least it doesn’t seem like she misses her M-O-M anymore.”
Madelyn laughed at the way he spelled rather than said mom, but her expression quickly sobered. “That isn’t just lucky for us. It’s kind of lucky for Sabrina, too.”
“Yeah,” Ty said, then rubbed his nose against Sabrina’s cheek. “It’s sad, though.”
“Yes, it is,” Madelyn agreed. Seeing her perfect opportunity to ask him about Cooper, she added, “You and Seth and your brother Cooper know firsthand how hard it is to lose parents.”
Ty stiffened. “We’re fine.”
Right. Madelyn disagreed with that, but she also saw that having Ty defensive was ruining his time with Sabrina. So she changed the subject, knowing she could bring this up later. “Tell me what happened with the nannies.”
“I start interviewing tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Don’t pack your bags yet. I’ll probably have to do second interviews then once I choose somebody, it will take at least a week to do a background search.”
A strange whirlwind of conflicting emotions swirled through Madelyn as she stared at Ty. With the sleeves of his white shirt rolled to the elbows and his tie loosened as he very sweetly nuzzled Sabrina, he was the most adorable, sexy man on the face of the earth. But she didn’t like her attraction to him. Heck, she just plain didn’t like him sometimes. On the other hand, she wasn’t so stupid that she didn’t see that Ty’s employees believed her when she made observations about his private life because everyone knew she was living in his house, getting the inside scoop, seeing him with the baby. She didn’t merely appreciate that edge. She needed it.
But even if her heart caught at the thought of leaving Ty, she couldn’t stay here forever. Having any kind of feelings for him was foolish. His difficult life might justify his bad disposition, but that didn’t make it any easier to live with. She didn’t want to get involved with a grouch.
“Did she have a nap this morning?”
Madelyn glanced over at Ty, surprised that he was beginning to think ahead about Sabrina’s needs. In twodays he had gone from ignoring his baby to considering her comfort. If Madeline didn’t so desperately want to stay here for her PR purposes, Ty’s rapid signs of improvement with the baby would be confirmation that it was time to go. But she did need to stay here for the PR. At least until the Wall Street Journal reporter was gone.
“Yes. She napped this morning in the play yard in my office. She slept right through two meetings.”
Ty shifted the baby to his right arm and peered at Madelyn, giving her such a confused look that she frowned.
“What?”
“I’m puzzled about whom you meet with.”
He really had no clue about how public relations worked. “Your employees,” she said in an attempt to enlighten him about her job. “Department heads mostly. I need to gauge how your employees will respond to the reporter about you and your company. That way I can steer him to the appropriate people.”
Ty said, “I see.”
“And you should speak kindly about them when the reporter asks you questions about the people who work for you.”
Ty laughed. “Really? I have to say nice things about a bunch of people who hate me?”
“You don’t have to say nice things to them, but it won’t be a lie for you to say you think they’re hardworking, honest people.”
Tickling Sabrina, Ty didn’t reply.
Madelyn’s instincts perked
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