The Alpha's Nanny - Sam Crescent Page 0,41

to the kitchen swung open, and he knew it was her. Even as she tripped over her shoelace, nearly dropping the order of food, he sprang into action. He captured the tray, holding it for her as he caught her with his other arm.

Instinct took over. The need to protect stronger than anything else.

Green eyes stared back at him from a flushed face. She was kind, he saw that. Her black hair was held back in a ponytail. Such long hair he wanted to run his fingers through it.

“Great reflexes,” she said.

Even her voice.

His wolf was more than happy with this mate.

Mine.

****

In all of her twenty-five years, no one had ever made her feel so incredibly small, fragile even. Bethany smiled at the stranger who’d caught her and the tray of food. There was no doubt Joe, her boss, would have taken it out of her pay at the end of the week.

Joe had hired her reluctantly. Of course, he was also pissed that she wouldn’t sleep with him. Just because he was sexy as hell and all of the other women swooned over him, he didn’t seem to understand she wasn’t interested. She couldn’t be bought, and Bethany believed there was more to a relationship than sex and big muscles.

This man though, there was something about him with his messy brown hair, and were his eyes gray?

He helped her to her feet.

“Bethany,” she said, holding her hand out.

“Caleb.”

He was large in every single direction. Muscular too. The clothes he wore hugged his body, showing off the definition of his thick arms and chest. The man had clearly been working before he came to the diner.

“How about I get you a coffee? My treat as a thank you?” She took the tray from him. For some odd reason, she had this desire to feed him.

“We’d love that. How long have you been in town, Bethany?” one of his friends asked.

She glanced over his shoulder to smile at the table. “A couple of weeks. Really not long. Thank you again. I better serve this food. I’ll be right back though with coffee and I’ll get your order.”

She took the food over to table six then headed back to the booth. As she walked past the counter, Joe grabbed her arm.

“I want those men out of my diner,” he said.

“What men?”

“Those men. The ones you’re being really nice to. I saw how clumsy you were.”

“Er, I want to buy them a coffee.”

“I don’t care what you want to do. It’s not happening. Get them out.”

“Oh,” she said.

Joe glared at her and something flashed in his eyes that unnerved her. Her boss scared her. There was always something in the way he watched her, as if he expected her to do something.

Always confusing.

He made her feel guilty just doing her job. This town was lovely for the most part, and this was the only job she could get on short notice.

She entered the kitchen where Ronnie, a real sweetheart of a man, was serving up more burgers.

“What’s the matter, darlin’?” he asked.

“Joe wants me to kick some customers out. Should I be the one to do that?”

Ronnie sighed. “Probably not, but you know Joe. He’ll make your life a misery until he gets what he wants.”

“Yeah, how could I forget.” Either way, she grabbed four travel mugs to go, filled them with coffee, and even packed them all a muffin each. She’d baked them. Ronnie had said she had a gift. While she didn’t think of herself as overly talented in the kitchen, she loved to cook. It had been a passion of hers for longer than she could remember.

With everything wrapped up, she placed them in a box. Her hands shook as she left the kitchen. Caleb and his friends were still waiting.

“Hi, I hate to do this but my boss says he doesn’t want you in here. I want to thank you for rescuing me. I’m really, really sorry about this. I don’t know why he acts the way he does.” She shrugged.

Guilt clawed up her body. Why did Joe have to be such an absolute asshole?

She wanted to hug the man in front of her. And damn, he was huge.

Caleb.

Such a nice name.

Sexy.

Dangerous.

He smiled at her, and she felt it radiate through her entire body like sunshine.

It seemed like he didn’t smile enough in his life and needed to learn to do so. I could help him. The thought struck her so hard and so fast, she nearly stumbled. Keeping