The Dragon’s Brave Nanny (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #4)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

***KEITH***

K eith wasn’t sure what had happened in the lobby of the hotel, but it was clear that something had scared Stella and he was going to find out what it was. She was still pale and he couldn’t miss the way her hands were shaking when she handed Jordan a toy to keep him occupied.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” he finally asked. You still look a little shaken up. If something happened at the hotel, I wish you’d tell me.”

Stella took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking. “I just thought I saw someone I recognized,” she said, then shook her head. But it’s impossible. He couldn’t be here. That would be…too much of a coincidence.”

“He?” Keith asked, a flare of jealousy rearing up inside him. “Are we talking about an ex-boyfriend or something?”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Stella quickly said. “He’s just someone from my past that I’d rather not see, but I really don’t think it was him. It was just my imagination getting the better of me.”

He studied her for a second, not believing a word she said, unable to ignore the fear he still saw in her eyes. “Stella, you looked so frightened. I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help but worry about you,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me about it?”

She looked at him, her face full of indecision, then shook her head. “I can’t,” she whispered. I’m sorry, but it’s just not possible.”

“You know you can trust me, Stella,” he said, even more concerned. “Whatever is wrong, I just want to help.”

“I know,” she said with a long sigh. “But honestly, Keith, there’s nothing you can do to help, and I’m sure I was just imagining things. Let’s not think about it anymore. We’re on our way to a beautiful tropical island. I don’t want my problems to ruin it. Everything will work out eventually.”

He studied her for a second, trying to decide if he wanted to push her, and was relieved to see that the color had come back into her cheeks. “I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with that, but I meant what I said. If you need help, all you have to do is ask,” he finally said. You’ve already been there for me and for Jordan; that’s a debt I want to repay.”

“It’s my job, Keith,” she said, a smile finally appearing on her face. “But it’s nice to be appreciated.”

They rode in silence the rest of the way to the shopping center, but he was having a hard time letting go of what happened at the hotel. In the short time he’d known Stella, he’d never seen her so flustered, had never seen fear in her eyes, even when he was biting her head off. It bothered him more than he wanted to admit, and he forced himself to think about something else since he was equally bothered by how much he already cared about what happened to her.

When the driver pulled up in front of the clothing store, he jumped out and pulled the stroller out of the back of the van. “If you’re okay on your own, I think Jordan and I will go for a walk while you shop,” he said. “Why don’t we meet back here in an hour.”

“Sounds good to me,” Stella said. “I wasn’t looking forward to you following me around the store giving me advice.”

He laughed, relieved that she was back to her normal self. “I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “I don’t know anything about women’s clothes.”

“I’m relieved to hear that,” she said, laughing too. “I’ll see you back here in an hour.”

After walking up and down the mall and stopping anytime something caught Jordan’s attention, he made his way back to the clothing store, sure that he’d seen a bench where they could wait. He was almost to the store when the smell of freshly made ice cream cones wafted to him in the breeze, and he spotted a shop on the other side of the street. Wondering if Jordan was too young for ice cream, he changed direction and followed the scent, unable to resist the temptation even though it was only ten in the morning.

A few minutes later, after a quick internet search, he and the baby were sharing a cup of ice cream, the baby smacking his lips and jumping up and down happily in the stroller after each tiny bite that he gave him. He was so wrapped up in the moment that he didn’t see Stella come out of the store, her hands full of shopping bags, only a wave of warmth that confused him for a second until he looked up and found her staring at them a strange look on her face.

“I leave you two alone for an hour, and look what happens,” she said, shaking her head. “Keith, it’s ten o’clock in the morning, a bit early for all that sugar, don’t you think?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Jordan begged me, and you know what a softie I am, I just couldn’t say no,” he said, a little grin on his face. “Did you find everything you needed?”

“And a few things I didn’t, but like the ice cream, I just couldn’t say no,” she said, holding up the bags. “But I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“I’m not worried, I know you will,” he said, then held the ice cream out to her. “Do you want a bite?”

“I shouldn’t, but since you two are being bad, I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” Stella said, sitting down next to him and taking the cup. “Oh…this is good. Maybe Jordan had the right idea.”

He grinned at her, watched her take another bite of the ice cream, and then had to look away when his body began to tingle. “I’ll give the driver a call,” he said, telling himself to take a step back but wondering if he’d already crossed a line. “We should head to the marina; the boat will be here soon.”

***Stella***

The marina was crowded, but they managed to make their way down the long docks to the slip where the boat would be waiting for them. Stella was slightly out of breath when Keith finally stopped. She let the suitcases in her hand drop with a thud, then flexed her fingers, trying to get her circulation back. There was a boat docked in the slip, but it looked deserted, and Keith began to glance around, a look of annoyance on his face.

“I’m sure we’re in the right place,” he said. “And we’re not that late. Maybe I should call Max.”

Just then a man came walking up to them, a look of confusion on his face. “Are you Keith?” he asked, his eyes scanning the pile of luggage on the dock, then Stella and the baby before he looked back at Keith. “You look like the picture Max showed me, but…well, I thought you were single, at least that’s what Max said, I wouldn’t have left you standing here so long...”

The poor man looked so embarrassed, she felt sorry for him, but Keith came to his rescue. “Oh, we haven’t been waiting that long,” he said. “Don’t feel bad; Max didn’t know about Stella and Jordan, so he couldn’t have warned you; it all happened so fast I haven’t had a chance to tell him.”

The man stared at Keith for a second, then looked over at them again, clearly still trying to piece things together, but then he shrugged his shoulders and smiled at them. “I’m Montgomery. I’ll be your captain today,” he said. Let’s get all this loaded so we can get underway. I’m sure you’re anxious to see the island. It’s named Heart of the Ocean for a reason.”

“A captain and a tour guide,” Keith said, grinning. “Do I feel a story coming on?”

“I’m afraid not. I don’t want to steal Max’s thunder. There’s nothing more he loves more than telling the story of the island and all its mysteries,” Montgomery said, a playful look on his face. Be sure and ask him about it when you see him.”

Only a few minutes later, she was sitting on the boat's deck, Jordan in her arms, wearing the cutest life jacket she’d ever seen, watching the marina slowly shrink. “We’ll only be out in the open ocean for a few minutes, but it could get a little choppy, so hold on,” Montgomery called. “Any time you want me to slow down so you can go down into the cabin, just wave your arms.”

“We’ll be fine,” she said, grinning at the baby, who was chortling excitedly and waving his arms in the air. “I think Jordan likes the water. It looks like he’s trying to swim.”

She expected Keith to laugh, but he got a funny look on his face, “Babies instinctively know how to swim,” he said. “I read that on the internet.”

“He’s going to get lots of chances to swim on the island and in the ocean, which is even better,” she said. “I bet the beaches are fantastic, too. I can’t wait to stretch out in the sun.”

Keith still looked a little funny. “Don’t worry, I’ll never let Jordan out of my sight,” she said. “Nothing is going to happen to him. He’ll wear a life jacket any time he’s near the water, I promise.”

Keith seemed to snap out of the weird trance he’d been in and looked over at her, his face full of surprise, and she was a bit confused. “I know you would never let anything happen to him,” he finally said. “I wasn’t worried about that. I just…this being a father thing is still a bit of a shock sometimes.”

“You’re doing just fine, Keith,” she said, reaching out to pat his arm, then quickly pulled her hand away when it felt a surge of electricity shoot up her arm and spread through her entire body. “Umm…look how far you’ve come.”

Keith looked down at his arm where she’d touched it, then back up at her. When his blue eyes met her green ones, she felt something strange happening deep inside her. Warmth spread through her body, and a sudden need to touch him settled over her. Even worse, she found herself leaning toward him, wondering what it would feel like if he kissed her.

The baby broke the spell between them, launching himself out of her arms and into Keith’s with a happy squeal. Shocked at how close she’d come to doing something so completely unprofessional and dangerous, she sat back and looked out at the water, feeling her cheeks turning pink. She was supposed to be in hiding, not making a fool of herself with a man she could never have; she was just asking to have her heart broken and her world destroyed once again.

It would be easier when they got to the island, she told herself, resisting the urge to look over at Keith and the baby when she heard Jordan laughing happily. Keith would be absorbed in his work, making it easy to put some distance between them, hopefully cooling the fire that had started to simmer between them. The last thing she needed was a romantic entanglement, especially one that started based on lies. No matter how she looked at it, getting involved with Keith was a bad idea.

There was too much at stake to let herself get distracted. She was supposed to be lying low, hiding from the men who wanted her dead before she could testify. For her this wasn’t just a cushy job on a tropical island, it was the difference between life and death. She needed to remember her priorities and get her head on straight again. Keith was just a good-looking guy who was in the right place at the right time. Her attraction to him would fade as soon as she got away from him, or at least that’s what she told herself.