Shifter Nanny Agency Read online

  Shifter Nanny Agency

  (A Shifter Romance Box Set)

  Celeste Raye

  Copyright ©2019 by Celeste Raye - All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  Contents

  Wolf Nanny’s Protector

  Bear Nanny’s Revenge

  Dragon Nanny’s Replacement

  Lion Nanny’s Savior

  Popular Series by Celeste Raye

  About the Author

  Exclusive Offer

  Wolf Nanny’s Protector

  Shifter Nanny Agency

  Chapter One

  “All I am saying, Cassidy, is that you should have better priorities. You have not seen your kids in way too long. Jasmine has been distraught that you haven't been calling or anything. You promised to call her every week at least, but it's been over a month.”

  Chris wanted to say more, but he didn't have the option. The sound of the beep cut him off, and he cursed to himself. The kids were going to be home from school soon, and since he had lost his last babysitter, Chris was the one that was going to greet them when they came home. He did not want to be upset, and he certainly did not want them to hear the conversation or message that he was leaving for their mother.

  Cassidy and Chris had been divorced for over a year now and the worst part of it was what happened with the kids. At first, it had been a half-and-half set up, but that had quickly changed. About three months before, Cassidy had gotten a new boyfriend, and now she hardly ever saw her kids.

  It was becoming bad enough that Chris was tied up in knots over it. The last thing he wanted to do was tell Jasmine and her brother Dante that their mother wasn't coming. Again.

  Knowing that there was nothing he could do about it, Chris hung up the phone and tried to calm himself down. It was a little harder for him sometimes. It ran in his family: the temper that sometimes could be almost blinding. Chris never knew that he could be so disappointed in someone before now. When his children were disappointed, it made it ten times worse for him.

  While he had a little more time, Chris decided that he would check, once again, on the babysitting website that he had signed up for. It was getting close to summer vacation and he had to find someone to watch his kids so he could work. He was able to do a few things from home, but that was becoming a problem. He certainly wasn't going to be able to do it full-time and Chris knew that he had to come up with something soon. It was becoming rather clear to him that Cassidy wasn't going to worry herself with her children.

  There were no new leads, and he tried not to lose faith. The aggravation showed as he shut the laptop a little too hard.

  For a moment, he thought about calling Cassidy back and leaving another message, telling her that she was being a bad mother and anything else that he could think of to get a rise out of her. Then at least he could talk to her and figure out what was going on. Then he would have something to tell his children, but he knew that none of that was going to happen.

  The door opened, and he heard the sounds of his children coming in. Jasmine was seven, and her brother Dante was nine. They had to change schools when their parents divorced, and now they were at yet another one since Chris got them full time. Jasmine was still trying to find her way, while Dante did not seem to have the same trouble. He could fit in anywhere.

  Jasmine gave Chris a kiss, and he asked her how her day was.

  “It was okay.”

  When she said it like that, Chris knew that it hadn’t been a good day for her. He wanted to ask her more, but her loud and sometimes obnoxious brother got his say in first.

  “I had a great day!”

  Jasmine rolled her eyes and went to get something to drink while her brother excitedly told his father about the new kid in school and the awesome pizza that he had for lunch. Everything excited him, and Chris was already exhausted. He looked towards the kitchen and smiled at Jasmine. He made a note to talk to her once Dante wound down.

  That didn’t happen until after dinner, when he was corralled in the bathtub. Chris asked Jasmine what was wrong.

  “I miss Mom.”

  Chris knew that the conversation was coming, but that didn’t mean that he had to be all that happy about it. He sat down next to her on the counter and sighed out loud. “I know, buttercup, but right now, your mother is doing a little traveling. I am sure we will hear from her soon.”

  “Do you believe that?”

  Jasmine was quiet and observed. She was smarter than Chris could handle sometimes. It was hard to lie to her; even if it was for her own good.

  “I want to believe that, Jasmine.”

  “Why doesn’t Dante care?”

  “He does, he just doesn’t show it quite the same as you do.”

  Jasmine agreed. “He is always just so loud and rude.”

  Her face screwed up in disgust, and Chris had to hold in his mirth. He knew that she was being very serious at the moment. Even if it were adorable, he was going to have to fight the urge to laugh.

  “I know. You’re just different, that’s all. It’s not right or wrong, Jasmine. But you know what?”

  “What?”

  “I bet he is just as upset about your mom as you are.”

  Jasmine wasn’t sure. “Do you really think so?”

  “I do. I think your brother needs a hug, just as bad as you do.”

  Jasmine agreed that she would try to be nicer to her brother, even if she wasn’t entirely convinced. “I will do my best, Dad. Do you miss her?”

  “Of course.”

  Chris had no problem with that lie, as long as he kept it short and sweet.

  He went to bed that night thinking about the conversation with Jasmine. Chris knew that he needed some help. He just didn’t know where he was going to get it. Chris tried to pull his mind to something better. He needed the positive outlook he tried to convince Jasmine to take on.

  Chapter Two

  The next morning, Chris got the kids off to school and then went to the family business. He would have been fired months ago if it weren’t for the fact that it was a family business and he ran as the second-in-command. His father was stepping down soon, and it would be up to Chris to run it, but Dalton had already made it clear that Chris was going to have to commit.

  When he got into work, his father was waiting for him in the office. He shut the door and jerked when he saw him.

  “Father, I didn’t know that you were here.”

  “Yes, well, I am always here before eight, though I can’t say the same for you.”

  Chris sighed and put down his briefcase. He wasn’t in the mood to have a sparring match with him.

  “What can I do for you, Dad?”

  “We need to talk about the vineyard. Why hasn’t it been sold?”

  Ah, yes—the vineyard. It was an out-of-the-way place that he had acquired with company funds. Real estate was the family business, and a very old one at that.

  “I have a buyer for it.”

  The older man seemed relieved.

  “Good, I was hoping it wasn’t another one of your crazy diversification plans. I don’t want our hands in any more pots. It works because we stick with what we know.”

  Chris had heard it all before. He just nodded his head.

  “I hear there is talk of another bubble, Father. Don’t you think it would be prudent to add some sort of safety net?”

  Chris wanted to add that
all of the family’s money was on the line, but his father wouldn’t listen. He’d sent Chris to college to learn everything on how to run a business, but then wouldn’t take anything that he said seriously. It was frustrating to no end to Chris.

  The next subject was meant to push him over the edge.

  “So how is that wife of yours, son?”

  Chris groaned inwardly. “You know that we’re divorced, Dad.”

  “I also know that she is running around with another man. A human, nonetheless. What are you going to do about it?”

  “Not be goaded into doing something I will regret, for one. She is my children’s mother, and that’s the end of it.”

  “What does that matter? If your mother had done something like that, I would have ended them both.”

  No one had ever accused his father of being too nice. Chris had moments where he wanted to get rid of the problem. It would have been as easy as his father suggested, but he couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t. Chris was trying to do the right thing, and that meant getting Cassidy to be a mother to her children, not erasing her off the face of the planet.

  “I am not you.”

  “We have established that.”

  Chris sighed and asked him if he needed anything else. This was not something that he wanted to get into, not when he was barely sleeping and had so much on his plate. It was easier to forget sometimes how complicated it could all become.

  “No, son, I have nothing else for you. Go check out that rental property over in Carver and let me know what you think. There are fifty just like it, and I want to know if it will be a good investment.”

  Chris agreed that he would. He would have agreed with anything at that point just to get him to leave. It was overwhelming to think about Cassidy, especially when his father was trying to add in his two cents. He certainly didn’t need them at the moment.

  Dalton left, and Chris felt a bit of relief. He checked the babysitting service again, wondering if he’d gotten a message. Chris was sure that if he could get that situated, he would have the mental space needed to prove to his father that he could handle the business, as well as start up another venture close to his heart—a winery.

  He was immediately deflated seeing that there weren’t any messages and he signed, out frustrated. It was almost impossible to find someone so close to summer. He should have started looking sooner, but he’d been telling himself that Cassidy was going to come back and he wouldn’t have to worry about it. Planning on her doing the right thing was obviously not a good idea.

  Chris went to the rental property and discovered that it wasn’t far from the vineyard he was about to buy from the company. It seemed like fate, and Chris wanted to take one last look to make sure that what he was doing was going to pan out. With so much scrutiny on his every move, Chris had to make sure that everything went off without a hitch. It was the only way that he was going to prove himself, and like every cliché, he wanted his father to be proud of him.

  He drove the few miles to the vineyard. Chris got out of the car, and his senses were on high alert. Something was amiss.

  Chapter Three

  Fran was just getting up for the day. It was not in the best place to wake up in, but she’d had worse. At the moment, the little cubbyhole in the back of the vineyard was a good place to be.

  She sat up and looked around. The room was vast in comparison to what she was used to for accommodations. Fran had found a little corner that had a couple of walls around it, and she had stayed there for several nights.

  Today, it felt different when she first woke up. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, and even after she rubbed it, they didn’t go down. There was a sound at the beginning of the room where all of the barrels were aging, and she froze in place. She hadn’t seen or heard anything bigger than rats since she’d been there. Fran had kept telling herself that it all seemed too good to be true. Now she knew that it was.

  “Hello? Is anyone in here?”

  Fran didn’t know what to do, so naturally she stood still and stopped breathing as much as she could. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and Fran was convinced that she was going to be heard from that alone.

  The first thing that she noticed was a gun in the man’s hands. The man was walking into the big area, and she knew she was had. He would only have to make it about halfway in before he would be able to see her. Her mind was reeling, trying to figure out something to say that would make sense. She knew that there was nothing that she could do about it. As much as she wanted to believe there was. Fran was just going to have to face the music.

  Finally, when he got closer, she moved out of her hiding area and held her hands up.

  “Please, don’t shoot.”

  He immediately put the gun down. “What are you doing here? I could have shot you.”

  She smiled. “I am happy you didn’t.”

  The man was tall and had the darkest coal-black eyes that she’d ever seen. She wanted him to smile back at her in the same way, but he was cautious. The square-jaw was set, and Fran had to wonder what was going through his mind. She knew one thing for certain: he held the gun well, so the hulking man knew how to use it. She’d met many men like him in her past. He was a killer.

  The thought made her nervous.

  “Sorry, I will get my things and get out of here. I didn’t know anyone owned this place. It seemed abandoned.”

  “It’s been abandoned for a while. Wait, you’re staying here?”

  Fran looked down because it wasn’t something that she wanted to admit, but it was the truth. She had been staying there. It had actually been an oasis that she had been able to relax in, not having to worry about all of the pressures sent her way.

  “Yes, like I said, I’m sorry about this. I will be out of your hair in no time at all.”

  The man looked concerned suddenly. “Where are you going to go?”

  Based on the clothes that he was wearing; Fran knew that the man had some money. He was probably an investor, and she figured sympathy was probably not one of his strong suits. She wondered why he would even ask.

  “I don’t know, but I am sure I will find a place.”

  “They have shelters and things like that if you’re homeless.”

  He said the words as if they would dirty his lips, and Fran had heard enough.

  “Have you ever been to one of those places before? It is a nightmare, especially for someone like me. No, I will find a better place until I get back on my feet. I don’t mind working, so it won’t be long.”

  “What do you do?”

  Fran was puzzled why the guy had so much interest in her. It seemed out of place, and it made her wonder if there was something that he wanted from her. Why would he keep asking her all of these questions? Why didn’t he just send her on her way, like most other people would have done?

  “I ran part of a business for a while. I went to school for it, but now I don’t know. I am looking to get out of that type of work.”

  “What do you think about babysitting?”

  Now Fran was confused. “Babysitting?”

  The guy had just met her, she didn’t even know his name, or he hers, and he was asking her about babysitting? This didn’t make any sense and she waited for him to explain.

  “So, I am in need of a babysitter for the summer. I have an extra room in my house that you could stay in.”

  “You just met me, sleeping in your barrel-room. Why would you want me to live with you?”

  “It’s almost summer, and I need a babysitter. I have tried everything, and I need to get back to work, focus more on that.”

  “I see.”

  She didn’t see, though. Fran was already thinking about it in the back of her mind. It would certainly take care of some of the issues that she was having. She needed a place to stay, and she needed to be less visible as well. It could work to her advantage.

  “So, you just want a babysitter?”

  “What else could I want?�
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  That didn’t make her as happy as it should have. Why did she so dislike the idea that he wouldn’t want anything else from her? It was a strange thought that she ignored.

  “Come on. What do you have to lose? It doesn’t look like you have many options, and neither do I.”

  “Fine. This would really help, actually. Thank you.”

  He waved her off, and Fran imagined that the children were going to be demons. But she wasn’t afraid of darkness. Fran had grown up in it.

  “You don’t know the half of it. You may have just saved my life.”

  “By the way, my name is Fran.” She left off the last name, and he didn’t ask for more. Fran was enough.

  Chapter Four

  The unlikely pair were driving back to Chris’ place, and he had to wonder if he was being too rash. He didn’t know the woman, and while she was young, she looked like she had been through a lot. It was also noted that her hard lifestyle had not been going on for too long. She still had acrylic nails on. They didn’t last long, so he knew that a few weeks ago, things weren’t the same as they were now for her.

  “So, what are you doing staying in that room in the vineyard?”

  “I just needed a place to clear my mind, you know?”

  Her answers were vague.

  “No, I can’t say that I do Fran.”

  “Well, it has been one of those weeks, and I had to get out of town for a bit.”

  “Are you from around here?”

  “No, I just drove and ended up here. My car broke down, and this seemed as good of a spot as any.”

  Chris had no idea what any of that meant.

  “Are you in trouble?”