Chapter Three

It took Robert a moment to understand why she froze in the doorway.

Robert studied her as she looked down at her hands in her lap. He was shocked when he first saw her and how pretty she was. Her long, dark blonde hair was tightly braided. She had yet to look him in the eyes, so he had no idea about their color.

She was extremely petite, and he could tell by her arms that she was way too thin. She wore an ugly long dress that hid her body. She was very timid and seemed afraid of him.

“Grace. Look at me, Sweetheart.”

Her head jerked up in surprise.

Her eyes were big but fit her face, and they were a light green color—one he’d never seen before. There were shadows of distress he didn’t like to see, and he wondered who had put them there. He guessed it was her father. It was one thing he’d eventually find the answers to.

Being in the Good Knight Society made him more attuned to the people around him. Eight years ago, when he joined, he’d been ignorant of what to look for in a woman or child. He learned the different expressions or mannerisms that would tell him they needed help without saying the words. Now, it came naturally to him.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Um … twenty-four, Sir.”

She didn’t look that old. He guessed it might have to do with how tiny she was.

“Do you have experience with children?”

He caught the fear in her eyes before she slowly shook her head.

“No, Sir, but I know I can be a good nanny. I’ve always loved children.”

“Okay, good. At any time you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask Taylor or me, okay?”

She nodded.

“My daughter is three years old. She has a lot of energy. I don’t know if it’s normal or not.” He grinned.

“I can handle that.”

“You’re young, so that will help. Have you had any college?”

She stiffened and shook her head.

“When did you graduate high school?”

He watched as an embarrassed flush covered her face.

“I … I didn’t.”

“Why, Sweetheart?”

She paused for a long moment as if to decide what to say.

“My father took me out of school when my mother died. I had some homeschooling, but I don’t think I finished. I read all the time, so I’m not ignorant, I promise.”

He smiled gently, trying to calm the panic in her tone. “I believe you. What grade did you finish?”

“I think third,” she said.

Jesus. He decided to change the topic because he could see how embarrassed she was. “What are some things you like to do?”

Robert didn’t understand the confused look on her face.

“Oh, um, I like reading.”

He nodded. “And?”

She looked down at her lap and shrugged.

He wasn’t going to push her anymore. “If you’d like to rest tonight, we can introduce you to Hannah tomorrow.”

“If it’s okay with you, Sir. I want to meet her tonight.”

“All right.” He looked at the clock on the computer screen. “Right now, she’ll be waking up from her nap, having a snack, and helping Taylor in the kitchen. She usually just sits at the table coloring or drawing pictures.” He stood. “Follow me.”

She walked silently behind him. He smiled at Taylor before clearing his throat.

His daughter let out a screech and raced to him. He lifted her in his arms and hugged her tightly. He loved the feel of her in his arms, and she always smelled like baby powder.

“Hey, Gremlin…”

“Daddy. I’m a girl, not a gremlin,” his daughter told him in exasperation.

He pretended to look suspicious. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Hannah’s tone sounded patient, like she’d had to remind him many times before, which she had.

“All right. I have a surprise for you.”

She wiggled and giggled. “What?”

“We found a nanny for you.”

Hannah’s eyes widened. “Really. Is she nice?”

“Yes. I think the two of you will get along very well. Do you want to meet her?”

“Yes,” Hannah shouted.

He turned around. “Hannah, this is Grace.” He studied the woman and saw the happiness on her face. “Grace, this is my gre m— I mean child , Hannah.”

Grace smiled but didn’t say anything.

Hannah stuck her finger in her mouth and stared at Grace. Nothing was said for a long time as the girls stared at each other, and Robert had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

The two girls started moving when Taylor loudly cleared her throat.

Grace held her hand out to the child. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Hannah shook her hand. “You, too.”

The other two adults smiled.

“Hannah, what do you think about showing Grace around? Just inside, though. Stay out of the solarium, too. You can show her the backyard tomorrow.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

He set her on her feet and watched her take Grace’s hand. The young woman didn’t hesitate and just followed his daughter.

“Oh, my, if that wasn’t the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while,” Taylor said and chuckled.

“It was like they had never seen a person before,” Robert said.

“Before you go, I wanted you to be aware of a few things.”

Robert gave her his full attention. She very rarely used this tone of voice, and when she did, it was serious.

“When I was helping Grace unpack, I found food in her shoes.”

Robert’s brows pinched together. “Why?”

“The only thing I can think of was she had to go without at her father’s house,” Taylor said.

“Jesus. I knew the guy was a jerk, but to starve his daughter?”

“There’s more. I cupped her shoulders, and she flinched. I asked her if she was hurt, and she told me she was clumsy and ran into a door.”

“Fuck.” He thought about the next step he should take but considered calling in a few of the men from the Society. “Find out more if you can. I want all the information we can get from her. Only then will we be able to protect her.”

Taylor relaxed and nodded. “Yes. She’s the sweetest thing, but she is terrified of her own shadow. She’s been abused for a long time. Don’t let that man close to her.”

“He won’t be. I’ll figure out the best things to do. I need to get her used to me and comfortable.”

“It will take time.”

“But we might not have any. If her father is the bastard I think he is, he’ll come for her eventually unless he has someone else to beat on. He’ll realize he has no power over her anymore and will fight to get it back.”

“I wish I had a bat and could get him into a room alone. I’d show him what pain felt like.”

Robert sputtered and then laughed. “I didn’t know you were so violent.”

“Only when it comes to women and children. The ones that don’t know how to fight back.”

“I understand.” If Taylor only knew that part of his life was designated to just that. “I’ll go peek in on them and then go to my office until dinner.”

Taylor nodded and turned back to the stove.

Robert found the two in Hannah’s room on their stomachs coloring books. They looked so incredibly cute together and acted like they’d known each other for years instead of minutes.

“How are you girls doing?” he asked. He watched Grace hurriedly shuffle to a sitting position and put herself between him and Hannah as if to protect her. The woman cared for his daughter already. Probably more than even her real mother did.

He stayed by the door and smiled, trying to calm her down.

Hannah was oblivious to it all. “We’re coloring, Daddy.”

“I see that. I hope you’ll both color me a picture.”

Grace pressed against her stomach and tried to smile. “Yes, Sir.”

“I’m going to do a little more work in my office, girls. Dinner will be ready in an hour and a half.”

“We want to watch a movie,” Hannah said.

“That’s fine. Use the family room next to my office.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

He felt the heat of Grace’s attention follow him out of the room. She’d only been in his home a few hours, but he was going to break through the wall she had around herself and find out what was going on.

He didn’t know why, but she had already dug herself into his heart, and he was determined to protect her—the sooner, the better.