You love kids, right?. You need a job and a place to live. He won’t hurt you.

Jordan Peters contemplated, rubbing damp palms against her jeans and approached the small, neat home situated on two acres of Eastern countryside. Off in the distance, she made out what looked like a machine or auto body shop. Closer to the house sat a small trailer.

The house was her focus, though, because that was where her interview was to take place.

This job wasn’t that different from the one that had just fallen through. In fact, it should be easier. Here, she’d be a nanny to just two kids. The couple who’d intended to hire her, until a family emergency had forced a move, had suggested she apply for this new job. They’d even called and set up the interview for her.

With Kamzy Wellington

Kam Wellington. What were the odds that she’d be hired by the man who’d dumped her after just a couple of high school dates?

She knocked and then bent down to pick up Tiera, Bringing a dog to a job interview wasn’t the most professional behavior, but she’d just gotten to town, and she had no place to leave the Maltese-Yorkie mix. He needed her.

More to the point, she needed him. Tiera was an emotional support dog, and his calming influence had gotten her through the end of her difficult husband’s life and his too-early death. She still wasn’t over the marriage and all that it had entailed, and she needed to be able to keep Tiera nearby. If her new boss couldn’t accept that, then she’d move on.

Although…where would she go? To her controlling parents’ home in Rivers?

Before her emotions could spiral too far down, the door opened.

And there was Kamzy. His shoulders had broadened, and his face looked more chiseled, but he still had the rugged bad-boy looks that had made the high school girls swoon.

The years had changed them both, and Jodi couldn't help but wonder if he would recognize her. The thinness, short hair, and weariness etched on her face were stark contrasts to her high school self.

“Jordan? Is that you?” Kamzy squinted, trying to place her.

“It’s me,” she replied, brushing off the visible differences. “Is this still a good time to talk about the job?”

“Yes! Sure. Come in.”

“You don’t mind my bringing my dog? He doesn’t shed much—”

“Dog hair is the least of my worries. You’ll see.” He held the door open for her, then let it close and led the way into the main room.

Once inside, the impression of neatness vanished. The floor of the living room was covered with toys, the carpet barely visible.

“Let me guess. The job involves light housekeeping?” She smiled to let him know she wasn’t judging him.

He snorted out a laugh, then shook his head. “I need it, but I wouldn’t expect it. I mostly need help with my boys.”

“Where are they now?”

“Come in. Sit down.” He led the way to a tiny dining room set up as an office. “They’re visiting with friends. I didn’t want them to meet a potential babysitter until we could talk about the issues involved. See whether it’s likely to work.”

She tilted her head, curious. “Issues?”

“I’ll explain. Let’s talk about you first.”

Her stomach lurched, but she forced herself to take deep breaths. He’s not being domineering. Just looking out for his kids. She sat on the chair he indicated, Tiera on her lap. “Speaking of issues,” she said, “you can see from his vest that Tiera is an emotional support dog. That’s why I keep him close by.”

He studied her, frowning, his eyes holding a question he didn’t ask out loud.

She hoped he wouldn’t.

Why did popular, confident Jordan Peters need an emotional support dog?

Kamzy studied the woman sitting across the dining room table from him. A bigger question: What on earth had happened to her?

She was here to interview for a temporary, low-paying job—from him, who hadn’t had enough money to take her out for a soda in high school—but that was the least of it. Her haunted eyes looked huge, her cheekbones standing out in a too-thin face. Her clothes hung on her. Her hair, which had been long and wavy, halfway down her back when he’d last seen her, was now short. Not stylishly short, but short like she’d hacked it off with scissors herself, without a mirror.

She was looking at him expectantly, though, so he cleared his throat. “My older son, Victor, is afraid of some dogs,” he said. “If we decide to go forward with this, we’ll need to introduce him slowly and be ready to back off.”

“Of course,” Jordan said. “Tiera is really gentle and well trained.”

“We’ll see.” He launched into the interview. “Tell me about your experience with kids,” he said.

“Okay. I worked as an aide at a school in the Delta for two years. Before that, I did a lot of babysitting, during high school and after. I have local references from that, but they’re old.”

“I thought you went to college?”

“I did. For two years. Then I got married.”

“Divorced now?” That might be one thing they had in common.

“He passed away six months ago.”

Oh. Whole different thing than Kamzy’s cheating wife. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks.” She didn’t react emotionally, at all. “Anyway, I’ve worked with kids from two on up to teenagers, though most have been in the school-age range.”

“Any special needs?”

“Yes. I was the aide for a boy with cerebral palsy, and another time, for a girl with minor cognitive delays.” She studied him. “Do your sons have special needs?”

“The older one doesn’t speak.” He said it roughly, the words fueled by shame and confusion.

Her dog tilted its head to one side. She stroked it gently. “Do you mean he can speak but won’t? Or is he nonverbal?”

“Hector can be plenty verbal.” Cam’s stomach twisted, thinking of the happy, carefree boy his oldest son used to be. “He stopped speaking when his mom left a little over a year ago. Speaking to others outside the home, that is. He speaks to me and his brother.”

“Sounds like selective mutism.”

He was glad she knew the term. “That’s what they say. And that’s one reason I’m hiring a nanny for the summer. His therapist thinks if he can get close to one person at a time, close enough to open up and speak, his circle will widen and he’ll break out of it naturally.”

“That makes sense.” She paused. “Was there…was there trauma involved, with his mom leaving? How often do they see her?”

“Never,” he said, more sharply than he’d intended.

“Oh…” Her pretty mouth twisted. “That’s sad. I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sorry, too. For their sake.” He hadn’t intended to get into this story now, but Jodi had always been a good listener. “I was away on a job for a couple of days. Working on a fleet of rental cars uptown. She decided she’d had enough of me, of us, and she left.”

“Left them alone?”

He nodded. “Before she went, she told them they had to be quiet. No talking, no yelling. JJ, the three-year-old, he was little enough that he couldn’t follow that rule, couldn’t really even understand it. But Victor’s six. He thought if he didn’t talk, his mom might come back.” He drew in a breath, forced himself to say the rest calmly. “He talks when it’s just the family, but when outsiders are around, he clams up.”

“How sad.” Those big, understanding eyes threatened to bring his own emotions to the surface. Restless, he stood.

She jerked back at the sudden movement, her expression turning fearful.

He stepped back and flattened his hands at his sides to show her he was no threat. “As long as we’re sharing,” he said, “what exactly happened to you?”

What exactly happened to you? Kamzy’s question echoed in Jordan’s mind, threatening to wake up all the bad memories.

She shoved them down. She needed a job, and she needed to keep this discussion focused on that.

“It’s not relevant,” she said, keeping her voice calm. “Tell me about the boys. What do they like to do?”

He studied her, then nodded. “Sure. Victor, that’s the six-year-old, he likes to fish and ride his bike and help me in the shop. Though it’s more hindrance than help, at this stage.”

“Of course, but that’s good for him, working with you.” She paused. “Your younger son?”

“JJ is still a baby—well, he’s three—and he just likes to follow his brother around, mostly. Likes to get dirty, likes animals.”

“Sounds standard, aside from Victor’s mutism,” she said. “Anything in particular you want them to get out of this summer?”

He looked surprised that she’d asked. “There is, actually,” he said slowly. “I’d like them to get into reading.”

She smiled, and their eyes met and held for just a moment too long. Books and reading had been one of their unexpected connections during high school. Jordan had been happy to learn that Kamzy, who didn’t take any advanced classes, was an avid reader. He loved history and knew all about the background of the local area, from the battles that had been fought nearby to the robber barons who’d spent summers enjoying the mountains and rivers. She’d been a big fan of historical novels, and they’d had spirited talks about the merits of fiction versus nonfiction. They’d exchanged a few books. They’d packed a lot of literary activity into their short relationship, she realized now.

Was that what was going through Kamzy’s head, too? “I can work with them on reading,” she said, brushing her hands together, brushing away the memories. “Believe me, I’ll love it. I’m a book blogger, and I spend a lot of time thinking about books, children’s books included. We’ll go to the library every week.”

Suddenly, she realized that she was assuming he’d offer her the job. And that she’d accept it.

Should he offer Jordan the job?

Kamzy wanted to give the boys the best summer possible. Jordan had relevant experience, and she was supportive of his goal to get the boys into books and reading.

On the other hand, there was something disturbing about her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

A truck approached on the highway, and Jordan stiffened. Her dog, Tierra, licked her hand.

“It’s just my kids,” he said as the vehicle pulled into the driveway. “Come on out and meet them.”

Victor and JJ came running toward him, shouting their usual boisterous greeting.

Then they saw Jordan

“Who’s that?” JJ asked.

Victor pressed his lips together and started past Kamzy into the house.

“Just a minute.” Kamzy caught his son by the shoulders and turned him around. “I need to thank Brendan’s mom, and then I want you to meet someone. Stay here.”

Victor’s face tightened.

Kamzy jogged out to the truck, thanked the woman who’d gladly taken his boys for the morning and realized he needed to chat a bit to be polite. Only when he heard the sound of barking and a shout did he make his excuses and manage to escape.

The minute he turned around, he saw that there was a situation.

Jordan had plunked herself down in front of the door. Victor was trying to get around her and into the house. Her little dog was barking madly.

It looked like Victor was about to cry.

Okay. This wasn’t going to work.

Jordan handed Victor the dog’s leash. “Could you hold him a minute?” she asked, her voice carrying across the yard. She stood gracefully, walked over to JJ, and knelt in front of him, talking and smiling.

Kamzy quickened his pace. “You need to take care of your own dog,” he said as he approached Jordan and JJ. “Don’t dump him on my son.”

She handed JJ something and nodded toward Victor and the dog. JJ ran to them.

Then Jordan stood, directly in his path. “Hang on a minute, Kamzy,” she said. “Tierra, my pup, is the gentlest dog you’ll ever meet. I thought he might be a way to connect with Victor.”

“I told you, Victor is scared of dogs. Some of them, anyway.” Scared of a lot of things, these days.

She glanced back toward the boys, and he did, too. They were both kneeling in front of the little dog. JJ was dangling a toy, which the little dog grabbed and tugged at.

Both boys were smiling.

“I can’t work for you if you don’t trust me,” she said. She was petite, almost a foot shorter than Kamzy, but she’d straightened her back. “And if you won’t let him be around dogs, no wonder he’s afraid. You need to stop doing that.”

She looked indignant and protective. And pretty. Very, very pretty.

Which was its own problem. She’d said he needed to trust her, but Kamzy didn’t trust women, had no intention of risking his kids’ happiness by getting involved with one.

But he did want his kids to be happy, and it looked like her plan had worked, since both boys were now laughing and playing with her dog.

He knew Jordan’s background. He had zero other applicants, and he needed to get back to the work piling up at the shop. “I apologize,” he said. “You’re right. If you’re still interested, I’d like to offer you the job.”