For the Sake of Their Son by Catherine Mann Page A

his life, he would walk over hot coals in hell for her. “You protected me every bit as much as I tried to protect you.”
    “But your risk was so much higher...with your dad.” She squeezed his hand. “You did the knightly thing. That meant a lot to a scrawny girl no one noticed except to make fun of her clothes or her mom.”
    He looked up at Lucy Ann quickly. Somehow he’d forgotten that part of her past. He always saw her as quietly feisty. “What elementary school boy cares about someone’s clothes?”
    “True enough, I guess.” She studied him through the sweep of long eyelashes. “I never quite understood why you decided we would be friends—before we started taking the blame for each other’s transgressions.”
    Why? He thought back to that time, to the day he saw her sitting at the computer station, her legs swinging, too short to reach the ground. The rest of the class was running around their desks while the teacher stepped out to speak with a parent. “You were peaceful. I wasn’t. We balanced each other out. We can have that again.”
    “You’re pushing.” She tugged her hand.
    He held firm. “Less than a minute ago, you told me I have the right to be mad at you.”
    “And I have the right to apologize and walk away.”
    Her quick retort surprised him. The Lucy Ann of the past would have been passive rather than confrontational. Like leaving for a year and having his baby. “Yeah, you’re good at that, avoiding.”
    “There.” She looked up quickly. “Tell me off. Be angry. Do anything other than smile and pretend everything’s okay between us while we tour around the world like some dream couple.”
    Her fire bemused him and mesmerized him. “You are the most confusing woman I have ever met.”
    “Good.” She stood up quickly, tugging her camera bag back onto her shoulder. “Women have always fallen into your arms far too easily. Time to finish the tour.”

Seven
    L ucy Ann swaddled her son in a fluffy towel after his bath while the nanny, Mrs. Clayworth, placed a fresh diaper and sleeper on the changing table. After the full day touring, then dinner with the nanny so Lucy Ann could get to know her better, she felt more comfortable with the woman.
    Elliot’s thoughtfulness and care for their son’s future touched her. He’d charmed Mrs. Clayworth, yet asked perceptive questions. The woman appeared soft and like someone out of a Disney movie, but over the hours it became clear she was more than a stereotype. More than a résumé as a pediatric nurse. She was an avid musician and a hiker who enjoyed the world travel that came with her job. She spent her days off trekking through different local sites or attending concerts.
    Lucy Ann liked the woman more and more with every minute that passed. “Mrs. Clayworth, so you really were a nanny for royalty? That had to have been exciting.”
    Her eyes twinkled as she held out her arms for Eli. “You have seen my list of references. But that’s just about the parents.” She tucked Eli against her shoulder with expert hands, patting his back. “A baby doesn’t care anything about lineage or credentials. Only that he or she is dry, fed, cuddled and loved.”
    “I can see clearly enough that you have a gift with babies.”
    The nanny’s patience had been admirable when, just after supper, Eli cried himself purple over a bout of gas.
    “I had two of my own. The child care career started once they left for the university. I used to be a pediatric nurse and while the money was good, it wasn’t enough. I had bills to pay because of my loser ex-husband, and thanks to my daughter’s connections with a blue-blooded roommate, I lucked into a career I thoroughly enjoy.”
    Having lived the past months as a single mom, Lucy Ann sympathized. Except she had always had the safety net of calling Elliot. She’d had her aunt’s help, as well. What if she’d had nowhere to go and no one’s help? The thought made her stomach knot with