Second Chances (The Vampire and the Wolf Book 1) Page 2

  “Yes sir, I am. I am just not sure yet where I am going to be going.”

  “The children will be fine here with me. I hope you will contact me to let me know where you decide to stay. But, I do know that you will only do that when you are ready to let me know.” Turning away, he put a cooler of food together for her. Turning back to her, he handed her the cooler.

  Taking it, she placed it by the door with the bags she'd packed. Going back to the kids’ rooms, she gave each a kiss and quietly told them bye and that she'd see them again.

  Getting back to the front room, she gave her Grandfather a hug and a kiss, and then grabbed her stuff. She loaded her bags into the trunk of her Ferrari, placed the cooler on the passenger seat and headed out, giving a final wave to Wind Rider.

  Leaving Denver, she headed south and just drove. Along the way, for breakfast and lunch, she'd make a quick stop to eat what Wind Rider packed in the cooler and to stretch her legs. When she found she was getting too tired to drive, and in want of a good sleep, she pulled off at the next town she came to. Not paying attention to what town it was, she found a motel and checked in for two nights. Getting into her room, she changed for bed and then sat down and opened the cooler, taking out the last of the food her Grandfather had packed and that she'd saved for dinner. When she finished, she got into bed and as soon as her head was on the pillow, she was immediately asleep.

  She spent the next day wandering around the town, checking it out and just relaxing.

  She spent the rest of the week driving through Colorado into New Mexico, stopping only when she needed to and spending at least 2 nights in whatever town she stopped in.

  CHAPTER Three

  Having woke early, and because she wasn't hungry, she didn't have breakfast before she left. After a couple hours on the road Brandi pulled into Santa Fe, and because she was finally hungry she found a Denny's. Heading inside, she stopped and bought herself a newspaper, even though she hadn't done that anywhere else. She realized something in this town was calling to her as she sat at the bar. After ordering, and while she waited for her food, she read all but the classifieds of the paper. As she ate, the feeling that she had that caused her to buy the paper had her looking at the classifieds. She didn't have any plans for staying in Santa Fe, but she opened the classifieds and starting doing more of just scanning than actual looking when one caught her eye to where she had to stop and re-read it.

  “Widowed father is looking for Nanny for his 3 boys – ages 2, 5, and 8. Come to 575 Hillside Drive if interested.”

  Smiling slightly she finished her breakfast, paid and got directions to the address in the paper.

  Arriving at the house, she parked in front. She looked at the house in front of her as well as the rest of the houses on the street. Each house had extra space between it and the next house so none were close together, giving a more country feel. The house she sat in front of was the only one on the street that looked well cared for and in good repair. Getting out of her car, she didn't see the front door, but she did see a sidewalk toward the top of the driveway. With the paper in her hand, she walked up to the sidewalk and followed it to the side of the house where she found the front door.

  Getting to the front door, she smiled as she knocked and then turned to look up and down the street as she waited. When the door opened, she was already starting to turn back when she heard, “Can I help you?” with a slight Russian accent.

  Turning to face the person who spoke, she found herself facing a broad male chest. Smiling, as she looked up, she judged him to be about the same height as her cousins, 6 foot 7 inches at minimum. Stepping back slightly to be able to look up at him easier from her own 5 foot even, she took in what she could see. He had shoulder length reddish-blonde hair; his face was rugged and to her handsome but not in the stereotypical romance novel handsome; then his eyes – hazel with a hint of blue, looking like they could change from one color to the other at any minute. She then held up the paper and said, “I came about your ad.” There was something familiar about him and although she couldn't quite place it, something inside her tripped. She found she had already fallen for him, with just the one look.

  Looking down at the beautiful, but unusual, woman on his doorstep, a memory stirred but didn't take hold. She looked familiar to him, but it wasn't coming to him why she did, and he found he could also smell his own mating scent on her although it was faint. Nodding, he moved to the side and said, “Please come in. I'm Nikolas Davidson.”

  The first name seemed familiar to her, but it just didn't want to click into place. Moving into the house she said, “Nice to meet you Mr. Davidson. I'm Brandi Stewart.”

  As Nikolas was trying to figure out why he knew her name, he said, “Please call me Nikolas, or even Nik, Ms. Stewart.”

  Smiling as she followed him into what she guessed was a combination living/family room she nodded and said, “Please call me Brandi, then. Your ad said that you're looking for a nanny for your boys?” As she walked in, she felt a change happen inside of her. She suddenly felt her heart start beating, as well as feeling like her soul was complete again, telling her that both of the internal changes had been temporary.

  “Yes. I already have someone that helps me take care of the house and does some cooking.” Hearing a throat clear, they both looked over at a man standing just inside the room. Nodding with a smile, Nikolas said, “Brandi, this is Charles Richards. He is great with everything, but the boys, although he's been doing the best he can with them when I've had to go into town to my office. Charles, this is Brandi Stewart. She saw my ad.”

  Nodding to her, Charles said, “Nice to meet you ma'am.” Looking at her, Charles could sense some of what she was and already knew she was what the household would need.

  Brandi sensed something different about Charles. It was almost the same feeling she got when she was around her self-appointed Guardian Angel that was in actuality a Warrior Angel. Giving him a smile, she said, “It's nice to meet you Charles, and please call me Brandi.”

  Nodding to her in acknowledgment, he looked at Nikolas and said, “Douglas is doing his homework in his room, and Andrew and Jonathan are both taking their naps.”

  “Thank you Charles.” After Charles gave a nod and left the room, Nikolas turned back to Brandi and, motioning for her to sit, he said, “What I am looking for, needing, is someone to help them with their homework, play with them, and help them with their meals. Unfortunately I haven't been able to go into my office since I've been home helping, but fortunately I can work from home so my being home to help has been easy to do.”

  Nodding, but curious, Brandi asked, “What is it you do?”

  “I own, and generally help operate when I can, the Dodge and Chevy dealerships in town. For the nanny duties, does what I said sound okay to you?”

  “They sound good. When would you like me to start?”

  “Anytime would be great. How about now?”

  Smiling, she said, “That sounds good. I'll need to get a hotel room for the time being. I have to admit, I have been traveling and only stopped in town to get breakfast. I decided to buy a paper and saw your ad when I was scanning the classifieds as I ate.”

  Finding it interesting, he replied, “Traveling, hmmm. Where did you start from?”

  “I started from Denver a week ago. I had been visiting my grandpa when I got some news I wasn't expecting. I went through a change that had me end up looking as I do now and then finally found myself restless after a couple of weeks. So, I left my kids in my grandpa's care and headed out.”

  “How old are your kids? And wasn't it hard leaving them, and your husband?”

  Noticing he was fishing to find out her status, she smiled and said, “The kids, 2 boys and 1 girl, are triplets and will turn 2 on All Hallows Eve, Halloween. It was very hard to leave them, but I know they will be well taken care of with my grandpa. And I don't have a husband, I'm single. Recently divorced. What about you, how long have you been a widower?”

&
nbsp; Standing, he said, “First, let’s get your bags from your car. I have an extra room you can use.” She stood also and followed him outside and down to her car. As they reached her car he raised an eyebrow at her, but only said, “I have been a widower for 2 years. And I want to let you know something, but I am hoping it doesn't make you change your mind about the job. My house is haunted, and especially the room you will be in, by my late wife. Is that going to be a problem?”

  Unlocking the trunk, she noted the raised eyebrow after a look at her car. Giving a slight smile she said, “The car was a wedding gift from my now ex. As for your late wife haunting the house and what will be my room. I have no problem with it. She must have loved you very much if she is staying around.”

  Grabbing her bags, he said, “Her haunting the house has nothing to do with love. She didn't ever really love me. She only haunts the house to make mine and the boys’ lives miserable.”

  As he closed the trunk and they headed back up to the house, Nikolas wondered why he told her that. He wasn't one to just come out and tell people about his relationship with Gloria, his late wife. There was just something about Brandi, something that stirred something in him but he wasn't ready to admit to himself what it was he was feeling.

  Getting inside, Nikolas turned the opposite way from the front room. They passed one door and he looked back at her and said, “This first door is my room.” At her nod, he moved to the next door and opened it. “This is your room. And I have to apologize. It was my late wife's room.”

  Stepping in behind him, Brandi could tell it had been strictly a woman's room by the furniture and decor. She made no comment at it being his late wife's room, she only raised an eyebrow. “You can sit my bags down where you are ...” Before she had a chance to finish what she was saying she saw an angry looking ghost woman come into the room. Looking at Nikolas, she asked with a tilt of her head “Would this be your late wife?”

  Looking toward where her head was tilting, Nikolas said with a sigh “Yes, this is Gloria.”

  Brandi watched her and could feel the anger coming off of her. She didn't need the woman to say anything to know Gloria wanted her gone. But not because of any jealousy. Brandi could feel the hate Gloria had toward Nikolas also. The hate and anger was at Brandi being in the house and being in her room. Smiling Brandi said, “Thank you Nikolas. It's a beautiful room. I'll put my stuff away later.” Brandi figured she'd see if the dresser was empty and if so, would possibly use it, but she doubted she'd be taking anything out of her bags. She didn't mind living out of her bags for an extended length of time.

  Nodding to her, Nikolas thought Brandi may have been giving Gloria a type of dismissal. Sitting the bags down close to the bed he then said, “I'll show you the rest of the house. And you can meet Douglas.”

  Moving toward the door, and ignoring Gloria, Brandi said, “That sounds good.” As she waited for Nikolas to rejoin her at the door, she did something she normally didn't do. She went to read Nikolas's mind. She tried and seemed to find a wall. Finding that strange, she attempted again and found she still couldn't read his thoughts, nor see into his mind at all. She hadn't come across that before, but she had heard of vampires that couldn't read their true mate's minds. She didn't think he was a vampire but she thought he may be some type of other-world creature, although that didn't explain why she couldn't read his mind or thoughts. She made a mental note to find out about it later.

  Joining Brandi at the door, he noticed a look of concern cross her face. Wondering what was wrong, but not wanting to ask, he moved past her out the door and said, “If you’re ready, follow me.”

  Nodding that she was ready, she followed him.

  They walked through the front room and as they got to the next room he said, “This is the dining room although it isn't used much. Through here,” they walked through a swinging door, “is the kitchen. We generally eat in here or in the family room. The garage is through here.” He opened another door and then hit a button near the door. “If you would like, you can bring your car into the garage. As you see, it's a big garage that can fit a second vehicle besides my truck.”

  She had noticed his full size Dodge Ram parked there and she was surprised there was room for another vehicle, including a truck, besides his. Nodding she walked out, got in her car and pulled it into the garage. Before she had the chance to open the car door, he was there opening it for her. Giving him a smile, she said, “Thank you. I'm surprised at how much room there is here in the garage. My car and your truck both have enough room without it feeling like you'll ding one or the other by opening a door.”

  Smiling at her he said, “You’re very welcome. For the garage, that was what I wanted when I had the house built 10 years ago. But I didn't figure I would have had three kids. Gloria and I had just gotten engaged and I thought the house as an early wedding gift would be good.”

  She didn't need to be able to read his mind to know Gloria didn't like the gift of the house. The house was a gift from the heart, like Brandi's car was, and she couldn't understand how anyone would be upset with such a gift. Smiling at him, she asked, “Shall we go on?”

  Laughing at what should have been asked by him, Nikolas nodded, and walked with her back into the house and back the way they had come. Walking back down the hall, they got to the back end of the house. Stopping at a slightly closed door, Nikolas opened it so she could see in. Talking quietly, he said, “This is Jonathon's room.” She looked in and saw Jonathon was still asleep. Looking at Nikolas, she only nodded. He closed the door, leaving it open slightly. They went to the next door that was also slightly open. Opening it so she could see in, he quietly said, “This is Andrew's room.” Looking in, she saw Andrew was also still asleep. Nodding to him again, he closed the door, leaving it also slightly open and then took her to a room that nearly sat at the corner of the house. The door was open. Moving so she could step in, he said, “This is Douglas's room.” Moving into the room, she noted Douglas working at a desk. Looking at the boy, Nikolas said, “There is someone I want you to meet, Douglas. This is Ms. Stewart and she'll be yours and your brothers’ nanny.”

  Looking up at his dad, Douglas nodded and then said to Brandi, “It's nice to meet you Ms. Stewart.”

  Smiling at him, Brandi said, “It's nice to meet you too, but please call me Brandi.” At his nod, she asked, “What subject are you working on?”

  “Math, but I always have a hard time with these problems. Even when my teacher re-explains it to me.”

  “Math is one of my best subjects. Let’s take a look together and I'll see if I can explain it better, or simpler.” As Brandi squatted down next to him, Douglas showed her the problem and doing a quick figuring in her head, she explained it to him in the simplest terms she could. She glanced up at Nikolas with a small smile and then looked back and watched as Douglas figured out the problem. “Very nice, I knew you could do it. Just do the same thing with the rest of the problems since they are all the same type and you'll do fine.”

  “How did you know how to do that?”

  “I'm really good at math and can figure things in my head real fast.”

  “How come? What did you do before you came here?”

  Brandi smiled at him and said, “I have a PhD in Physics. That means I'm a doctor but not the type you go to when you’re sick. I have some other degrees also, but that one has to do with math. Before I came here, I was just living in a city that you wouldn't want to live in the mid-west, and had been there for three and a half years. Before I moved to that city, I taught Physics and Old World History, and helped the ATF – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, with putting away criminals by being a psychologist for them – talking to the criminals to understand why they broke the law. They would go to jail still. What I was called, well still am, is a Criminal Psychologist.”

  Eyes wide, Douglas only said, “Wow.”

  Laughing and giving him a smile, she said, “Yeah, I know. A big wow. I have four different degrees and I
still think 'wow'. Now, see if you can finish those off and if you need any more help, just come let me know. I’ll be in the front room.”

  Nodding and grinning, he said, “Thanks Brandi. I think I understand it now, but I'll let you know if I need more help. I have history to do also after this. Can I come ask for help with that if I need it?”

  “Of course you can. I won't do it for you, but I will help you. Since I know regular school is out, I am guessing you didn't do too well last semester and are in summer school.”

  “Yeah, only because neither father nor Charles understood either. This is only our second week but we still have another four weeks to go.”

  “You'll get through it. Is it just the two subjects for summer school?”

  “Yeah. My two worst ones.”

  “We'll have you passing them and impressing your teacher with how well you'll do.”

  “I'm glad. I don't want to fail summer school.”

  Standing up, she ran a hand down his hair and said, “You don't have to worry about that. Remember, if you need more help, come ask.” She watched as he nodded before she and Nikolas left the room.

  Getting back to the front room, she said, “I know I don't have to do this, but since I'm sure it's getting near lunch time and I’m getting hungry, can I also fix something for you?”

  “You're right, you don't have to. But that'd be great. I’ll go with you.”

  Smiling up at him, she felt that trip again when he smiled at her. Going into the kitchen, he helped her get out stuff to make them sandwiches and then stood back as she fixed lunch. When she was done with the sandwiches, he got out chips and added them to the plates she'd put the sandwiches on. She poured them some tea and then she carried the glasses while he carried the plates back to the front room.

  They sat and ate, with him asking questions about what she had told Douglas for what she'd done for work. She answered his questions and told him a little about herself, at least just information about her current lifetime. She didn't want to share too much yet, still protecting herself from hurt and giving too much knowledge.