object in the doorway, or close the door on him and let the kid exhaust himself. Now that he had the attention he wanted, the boy wouldnât stop soon, and not knowing the particulars of his condition, she feared for his health. With tight-lipped decision, she grabbed the wheelchair handles and steered him through the doorway, over the broken glass, onto the balcony.
The boy applied his brakes, but she kicked them loose with an expertise that surprised himâfor about two seconds. Then he screamed louder, twisting and turning and attempting to fling himself from the chair.
Pippa reached for a nearby watering can. Apologizing to the colorful plants decorating the railing, she dumped the canâs contents over the boyâs curly head.
Howls instantly turned to sputters and pitiful wails. The man behind her roared and stormed into the room.
Calmly, Pippa held up the half-full can as if it were a shotgun and threatened him with it.
âHeâs unharmed and doesnât have a scratch on him,â she informed him patiently. âWhich is more than I can say for myself,â she added, finally feeling the ache in her neck and the scrapes on her knees.
The long-haired monster pushed her aside, strode across the stone balcony, and jerked his sobbing son from the chair. Hugging the soaked boy, wetting his shirt in the process, the Grim Reaper glared at her. âYouâre fired.â
That seemed reasonable. She didnât want to work in a madhouse anyway, particularly now that she realized this was her employer and he was as lethal as promised. His stony glare would have put Medusa to shame. But Pippaâs protective nature couldnât help pointing out the obvious. âPardon me if Iâm in error, but I believe youâve just given him exactly what he wanted. Whoâs running this household, him or you?â
Cuddling his shivering, sobbing son against his chest, Seth couldnât fling the irritating female over the railing as he would like. He doubted if she reached his shoulder or possessed half his weight, but she stood there calmly defying him. He didnât know how else to get rid of her if he couldnât throw her off the balcony. As usual when forced to words instead of action, he cursed. Chad imitated him, and the language spilling from the boyâs tongue turned his attention away from his new employee.
Seth stared down at his son in disbelief. âWhat did you say?â
The boy glared back at him with the same ferocious expression Seth had seen in his own mirror. âMake the silly bitch go away.â
Seth could hear himself in those precise words. In horror, he glanced at the interfering female, daring her to comment.
Instead of looking properly outraged, she grinned like a damned Cheshire cat. Only then did Seth notice she appeared more female leprechaun than qualified nurse. That absurd cap of obviously tinted red hair bounced with her suppressed laughter. Green eyes danced in a ridiculously cherubic face. She needed only a green stocking cap and leotards to complete the image. The totally out-of-fashion shirtdress didnât suit her at all. She appeared everything but tailored, in his opinion. Flighty, uncontrollable... He would need a thesaurus.
âHe will be a joy as a teenager,â the cheerful leprechaun observed. âI donât suppose you have another car and driver to take me back to town? Iâd rather walk than ride with that maniac again.â
âItâs twelve miles,â he said gruffly, ignoring her predicament. Wiping his sonâs tears, he looked past the woman to Nana, who had quietly watched the entire scene without offering a word or hand. Efficient as usual when called upon, she stepped forward to take the boy from Sethâs arms.
At Chadâs vehement protests, Nana dropped him into his wheelchair and lifted the watering can over his head.
The annoying female snickered. Frustrated, irritated beyond all