The Nanny (The Fabulous Dalton Boys Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

still hooting with laughter five minutes later when Ashley hung up the phone.
    She pressed a kiss to the sweet baby's cheek.  "You're going to have to grow up strong, Baby Dalton, because your name is a fighting name.  They probably should have just named you 'Sue.'" 
    She slipped her arm around him and rolled to her side, not wanting to risk him getting hurt.  She closed her eyes.  She'd been up before it was light out to catch a plane out of JFK airport.  Just a short nap would be enough.  She was obviously going to need her strength.  This job was a lot more than she'd realized when she'd agreed to take it.
     
    *****
     
    Ashley woke up slowly, as she always did.  Her eyes widened as she saw the baby staring at her.  "Well, hello, Baby Dalton," she said softly, rolling from bed and leaning over to pick him up.  "Do you think your daddy and your uncles have gotten your room put together yet?"
    She walked to the nursery to check on the men's progress. The bassinet she'd chosen was put together and pushed up against one wall.  The changing table dresser combination was against another.  The few decorations she'd picked out for the walls were hanging.  How had they done so much work without waking her?  Her door had been standing open the whole time.
    She left her room and went into the hallway, searching for Barrett.  She was getting hungry, and she didn't know if she was expected to cook for both of them, or how that was going to work.  She should have asked earlier.
    She heard his voice coming from his bedroom, so she pushed the door which wasn't closed all the way.  He was lying on his back on his bed, still shirtless, talking on his phone.  "You've got to be kidding me.  I'm away for two days and the whole department goes to pot?  We can't have another scandal on our hands."  He listened for a moment.  "I think we're going to have to call in a PR person.  It was bad enough before Baby Dalton, but he's just added to it.  I don't want my son raised in a family that's looked down on by the rest of Texas."
    He looked up and saw Ashley standing at his door, his eyes narrowing.  "Research a good PR firm.  I'll talk to you about it in the morning."  He swung his legs out of bed and stood.  "Finish your nap?"
    She flushed, embarrassed that he'd seen her sleeping.  "Sorry.  I couldn't leave the baby there, and his bed wasn't ready yet."
    Barrett shrugged.  "No skin off my nose.  As long as the kid is taken care of, you're doing your job."  His voice was colder than it had been.
    "I'll take good care of him," she said, looking anywhere but at his naked chest.  "Do you want me to fix dinner?  I'm hungry, and we haven't talked about how that's going to work."
    "Whatever you want to do.  I think I'm going to run through Whataburger and get a burger.  You can do whatever you want."
    "Barrett?" she asked, her voice soft.  "Did I do something to offend you?"  She knew she hadn't been exactly polite, but she couldn't figure out anything new she'd done to make him angry.
    He shook his head.  "No, I'm just not sure why you're in here bothering me.  Do your job."
    Ashley saw red.  She took a couple of steps closer to him and poked him in the chest with her free hand.  "I came in here to offer to cook for you. I don't know if I'm allowed to just fix whatever I want in the kitchen or if I need to provide my own food, because we haven't discussed it yet.  I don't know what your problem is, but I know you're not going to be allowed to take it out on me."
    He caught the hand poking his chest in his own.  "Don't touch me!  You're so afraid I'm going to rape you that you have to make sure there's a lock on your door, and then you come into my bedroom and touch me ?  I don't think so!"
    Ashley blushed.  "My aunt was all freaked out that it was you three I going to be staying with in Texas. She thinks you guys are just one step up from male strippers."
    "Yeah?  And what do you think?"
    Ashley