His twins might be wild...

But she knows just how to tame them—and their father

Earthquake expert Dax Calder brings his eleven-year-old twins to the Serengeti to fulfill a promise to his late wife—never leave the girls. Meeting free-spirited teacher Pippa Harper feels like serendipity. She’s the perfect nanny for his mischievous twosome, even if her definition of rules is slightly different than his. But there’s one rule Dax never expected to break...falling in love again.

Award-winning and USA TODAY bestselling author RULA SINARA lives in rural Virginia with her family and crazy but endearing pets. She loves organic gardening, attracting wildlife to her yard, planting trees, raising backyard chickens and drinking more coffee than she’ll ever admit to. Rula’s writing has earned her a National Readers’ Choice Award and a Holt Medallion Award of Merit, among other honors. Her door is always open at rulasinara.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, learn about her latest books and find links to her social media hangouts.

Also By Rula Sinara

From Kenya, with Love

The Promise of Rain

After the Silence

Through the Storm

Every Serengeti Sunrise

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

The Twin Test

Rula Sinara

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08497-0

THE TWIN TEST

© 2018 Rula Sinara

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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“You’re an amazing father. I can tell how much you love them.”

Could she tell that he loved her, too? That he was falling hard and fast? He pulled away and raked back his hair.

“No amount of experience can dampen the need to protect your children and those you...care about.”

“I’m not known for keeping quiet,” Pippa said. “I’d tell you if I thought you were too buried in work.” The corners of her lips lifted into a soft smile and he desperately wanted to kiss her again. But he couldn’t. It would make leaving that much harder, not just for him, but for her.

“I’m not known for listening.”

“I’d show you. Remind you.”

She reached up and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. Her scent teased him. He slipped his fingers through her curls and held her face close to his, battling the need to either bridge the gap or break free and save them both.

Dear Reader,

When I wrote The Promise of Rain, my debut and first book in the From Kenya, with Love series, I knew that I’d end up watching spunky little four-year-old Pippa Harper grow up through the series. I was so moved when readers let me know that she had latched onto their hearts the way she had mine. In Every Serengeti Sunrise, Pippa had grown up and was now in her twenties...and experiencing devastating heartbreak. I had my doubts about Pippa ever being able to trust and love again.

But in this book, widower Dax Calder, an earthquake expert working off the grid in Kenya, shows up at the lodge with his impossibly difficult twin girls. Dax has suffered more than his share of loss and has buried himself so deeply in work, he’s forgotten how to love life or embrace parenthood. Talk about setting both Pippa and Dax up for more heartbreak! Two people who can’t risk falling in love again, yet who each hold the key to healing the other’s heart...and two twin girls who turn their worlds upside down.

My door is always open at rulasinara.com. Sign up for my newsletter, get information on all of my books and find links to my social media hangouts.

Wishing you love, peace and courage in life,

Rula Sinara

To parents and teachers around the world—and often far off the grid—for loving and putting children first, no matter what unique challenges must be overcome. Your patience, strength and dedication to their emotional well-being and education paves the way for brighter futures for each of them and, hence, a better

tomorrow for all.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

THEY WERE MISSING.

Dax Calder muttered a curse and tossed his laptop, satellite phone and several rock samples, on the hand-carved poster bed that occupied the bungalow’s main living space. He double-checked the adjoining bedroom, where his identical twin daughters were supposed to be waiting for him.

The room was in perfect order, down to their suitcases—one purple and one green—sitting uncharacteristically neat and aligned at the ends of their timber-pole framed beds. Two binders of math practice assigned from their virtual classes lay on a small writing table tucked in the far corner. He had a feeling the twins hadn’t touched a math problem since he’d left them three hours ago. Sheer white curtains danced over a colorful, handwoven tapestry rug in front of the sliding doors which led to a private, lava stone patio.

Escaped. Not kidnapped. Or killed. Or—God help him—eaten alive.

He raked back his hair and started for the open door. His flash of panic dulled to a smoldering irritation the second he spotted a piece of paper with a pair of cheeky smiley faces drawn on it taped to the glass behind the billowing sheers. Not again.

Their modus operandi. Cryptic notes. Nothing but the sketched faces and “bored x 2” written under them. How many times had he told them that they needed to stay put until he returned? Three hours was all he’d asked for out of desperation. Their nanny hadn’t arrived in Kenya yet, and the chief engineer overseeing the oil field extension Dax had been contracted to survey had set up a meeting this morning.

Dax ripped the paper down and crumpled it. It wasn’t the first time he’d dealt with their escapades. Using their twin factor to play pranks with hotel staff whenever he traveled was probably half the reason the hotels he frequented knew him so well. He wouldn’t be surprised if his name was tagged with a warning note: Beware of the twins.

Only he’d never stayed here at the Tabara Lodge before. Heck. They’d never stayed anywhere this exotic. He wasn’t worried about them sneaking into a hotel kitchen and switching the salt and sugar, or dressing up as the Grady twins from The Shining and knocking on random hotel room doors at night. No, at the Tabara Lodge he was more worried about what they’d run into. This was Africa...as in safari land.

As stunning as Kenya was, there was dangerous wildlife out there, and the girls’ idea of survival and self-preservation was limited to some pact they had never to rat on each other.

Dax tugged at the collar of his polo shirt, where it chafed the back of his neck. He paused only for a second to secure the door they’d left open.

He’d told them a million times to keep the bungalow locked up so that nothing would get stolen. He’d expected them to stay locked in because it made him feel more secure about leaving them alone for a few hours. Sure, he’d chosen Tabara because it was family friendly and had flushing toilets. But the guests and staff were still strangers. He had also been warned that wildlife here could be unpredictable and that vervet monkeys considered open doors an open invitation. He made a mental note to check his bags and equipment for anything missing—once he found his missing kids.

An area of flowering shrubs and fruit trees that shaded benches fashioned from thick, twisted branches, extended beyond the rustic stone patio. Twelve thatched-roof bungalows, joined by stone-lined dirt paths, sat in a semicircle around the main lodge, complete with reception area, restaurant and pool. Considering the view of the golden savanna in the distance, this upscale safari lodge watered its gardens well. It seemed a wasteful luxury for a region that suffered severe drought seasons, but then again, for what he was paying for an extended stay, the lodge could afford the extra water.

Water. He knew exactly where to look for them first—the one place he’d forbidden the twins to go alone.

He headed for the main lodge, rounding a small cove where urns of flaming red hibiscus surrounded a metal sculpture of a giraffe and its baby. The scent of pool water and earsplitting squeals hit him before he cleared the garden.

“Out. Now.”

“Dad! Jump in!”

Ivy disappeared under the water and shot across the pool so quickly that all he could make out was a blur of purple. Fern popped her head out of the water and pulled one of her green swimsuit straps higher on her shoulder.

Sandy had chosen the two colors when she was planning their nursery and outfits before they were born. The purple-and-green color coding had stuck as a way of telling the identical twins apart and, even now, the girls considered them each their favorite colors because their mother had chosen them. As for Dax, it made life a lot easier when he wasn’t wearing his contacts or when he was too tired to pay attention to their subtle differences, like the fact that Fern had always weighed a pound or two less than Ivy.

“Not happening. Now, both of you, out.”

He grabbed a complimentary towel from a stack and tossed it to Fern as she hoisted herself onto the edge of the pool. Ivy hedged her bets and flipped around for one more lap before obeying.

“You’re not really mad, Dad,” Fern said, wrapping her wet arms around him. “Are you? Because I’d feel guilty, and you know how that knots up my stomach and makes it so I can’t eat.”

Guilt trip, huh? He loved them to death, but these two were going to age him twice as fast. Make that four times as fast if they’d inherited their ability to guilt him into doing what they wanted from his mother.

“I totally am, and I would never make you eat if you weren’t up to it.” Dax tossed another towel at Ivy as she dripped on over to them. “So glad you could finally join us.”

“Oh, come on, Dad. Didn’t you have ‘physical education’ written on the schedule you made up for our nanny? Since she’s not here yet, we figured we should get it done anyway, like the responsible individuals you’re raising us to be,” Ivy said.

“Yep, we’re on time and everything. In fact, isn’t math up next, Ivy?”

Fern smiled at her sister, and something unspoken passed between them. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but his parental instincts screamed conspiracy. Was math a code word or something? Man, he wished he could tap into their telepathic twin phone line. He narrowed his eyes and put a hand on each of their shoulders when they tried slipping past him.

“Math and reading were the only things you were supposed to do the past three hours. That and staying put.”

“But the power went out again,” Fern said.

That would make it twice since they’d arrived yesterday—if she was telling the truth. Being at the mercy of generators was something they’d have to get used to during their stay here.

“You don’t need power. Your math was printed out and there’s plenty of sunlight for reading.”

They started to argue and he cut them off.

“I’m not kidding, you two. I set your ground rules to keep you safe. Swimming without supervision isn’t okay—”

“But we’re good swim—”

“Don’t interrupt me, Ivy. I don’t care if you’re Olympic gold medalists. Things can happen. You could hit your head jumping and get knocked unconscious in the water. Or something even worse. And everyone here is a stranger—staff and guests. What if there was a creep hanging out here? Or a wild animal?”

There wasn’t even a lifeguard on duty, for crying out loud.

The images he’d seen of the South Asian earthquake-triggered tsunami that killed thousands—including families on vacation, lounging around pools—flicked through his mind. He’d been a sophomore in college at the time, and his friend had been on vacation in Indonesia. He’d died in the tsunami, along with his parents and sister.

The entire family. Gone. Unexpectedly.

The tragedy had hit Dax hard, eclipsing the other disasters ruining his life at the time, like his girlfriend dumping him and his parent’s divorce announcement.

He hated the unexpected.

Dax sucked in a deep breath, rubbed the base of his throat, then put his hands on his hips.

The tsunami was a memory. The past. The reason he’d decided to study quakes. To save people. To stop natural disasters from shaking and tearing lives apart like fissures in the crusty earth. It wasn’t something he talked about, especially not to the girls.

“We’re at a lodge, Dad. I think we’d need to go on a safari to see the wild animals.” Fern folded her arms and shifted her weight to one side. They’d been begging for him to take them on a safari, once they arrived in Kenya, but he didn’t have time for one yet. They weren’t here on vacation. He had work to do. People to answer to.

“Should I forward you the article I read about an elephant that kept breaking onto hotel grounds to drink from their pool? Besides, if gators and snakes can make it into toilets and pools in Florida, then I wouldn’t be surprised if something more dangerous slinked into a pool out here. And by dangerous, I mean more dangerous than the two of you.”

“Very funny.” Ivy grinned. “So, when’s Number Seven supposed to get here?”

“That’s Miss Melissa, to you. Don’t you dare call her Nanny Number Seven. She has no idea how many you’ve been through. Unless you told her.”

“Why would we do that?” Ivy pursed her lips as if to keep from smiling as she dried her hair.

There was that fleeting exchange between them again. Dax pinched the bridge of his nose, then raked his hair back.

Melissa had been with them only a week before he’d signed this contract with Erebus Oil. The contract had been an offer he couldn’t refuse. Due to his expertise and reputation as a seismologist, they were paying him more than he’d ever make in research...even more than he’d made on his last two jobs in the petroleum industry. And the living allowance Erebus offered as incentive was helping him afford Tabara Lodge. He’d told them upfront that he’d need a living situation amnenable to bringing his daughters along. That part of the deal had been nonnegotiable. His daughters and their nanny couldn’t live on-site in trailers, like the rest of Dax’s crew would be doing. He was lucky Melissa had agreed to come with them, and he’d gone over the arrangement with her multiple times. Of course, he had paid for her ticket from Texas, too.

Then he’d bribed the girls.

For every month the nanny stayed, he’d give them an allowance bonus. If their nanny quit, he’d dock their allowance. Reimbursement for his time and trouble. So far, so good.

“Miss Melissa should be here tonight. I was about to check for any flight delays when I returned from my meeting, but as luck would have it, I ended up looking for the two of you. You left the room unlocked, by the way. Strike two. Let’s go.”

“Oops.” Fern linked her arm in Ivy’s and the two vanished down the garden path toward their room. He heard them giggling to each other. Laughter was supposed to be a happy sound, not a worrisome one. He scrubbed his face and shook his head.

“It’s been less than forty-eight hours since you left home, Dax. Man up. You’ll survive,” he muttered. A little sleep wouldn’t hurt. His exhaustion and preoccupation with work gave the twins the advantage. How was it the girls seemed immune to jet lag? He needed a nap but didn’t dare take one. Unless, perhaps, he kept one eye open.

More laughter rang out as he started down the path after them, only this time it didn’t sound like the twins, and it was coming from—

He looked across the pool and beyond an arched stone arbor that led to an outdoor, canopy-covered seating area for the lodge’s restaurant. A woman with wildly curly auburn hair and an equally radiant smile walked past the tables and mass of fig trees that divided the dining and pool areas, making odd gestures with her arms as she spoke. There. He was right to warn the kids that everyone here was a stranger and some were a bit off in the knocker.

A brood of six blond-haired kids emerged from behind the curve of the lodge’s wall, following her like she was the Pied Piper. Okay, so she wasn’t talking to herself, but still, one had to be just a tad nuts to have that many kids. He could barely handle two.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and returned to the bungalow. Reassured by the sound of the twins’ voices in their room, he went straight for his laptop, hoping the lodge’s wifi wouldn’t fail him. It was yet another reason he’d booked this place. Most lodges only offered it in the lounge and restaurant.

The first few emails were from Ron Swale, the chief engineer he’d met with earlier at the survey site. The not-so-subtle yet diplomatic reminder that any seismic data Dax and his team collected was for the purpose of analyzing and mapping the possibility of oil pockets in a field extension near Erebus’s current wells—not research—had set his blood to simmering. It had taken everything in him not to walk away, but he’d signed a contract and his crew was counting on him for their jobs. He needed the income, as well. The fact was, he’d cleared collecting a little seismic data on his own time with management when he’d signed on for this. He’d never been close to the Greater Rift Valley region before. Not studying the area while he was here would be like forcing a kid to walk through miles of toys and not be allowed to touch even one.

Ron’s condescension might have irked him, but it was guilt that really gnawed at Dax.

Giving up on researching earthquake prediction hadn’t been a choice, it had been a necessity. And now any research he did was in the name of serving the oil company.

He knew about the relatively recent uptick in tremor activity in the area, some too weak for anyone to feel, but environmental groups were beginning to make waves. The same anti-fracking environmental groups Sandy used to support. Most oil companies insisted post-fracking water injections had nothing to do with increases in seismic activity.

Dax wasn’t so sure. Yet, here he was. That made him an enabler, didn’t it? But he had debts to pay off and the girls to raise and working for a petroleum company paid well. Six-figures well, which was more than double what he’d been pulling in before from research grants.

Don’t overanalyze. It’s a steady job. Just do it. But “doing it” meant he required full-time help with the twins more than ever. He rubbed the back of his neck as he scrolled down the emails in his inbox, finally spotting one from Melissa. He needed her here yesterday. He opened the email, but the knots in his neck only tightened. You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Ivy! Fern! Come in here. Now.”

The carved wood door to their room swung open and the two appeared dressed in shorts and T-shirts with their wet hair loose and half-combed out. Their eyes flitted toward his laptop and back up to him, widening just enough to look innocent.

“What’s up?”

“Nanny Number Seven quit. What do you two know about this?”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to call her that,” Fern said.

“I’m a little upset here, so I’ll call her Seven if I want to, especially since I now have to take time I don’t have to search for Eight.” He was sounding just like the twins. He squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled, long and deep.

“He’s at a 5.0,” Ivy muttered. “We’ll live.”

“Are you kidding? His neck is red. That puts him at a 6.5,” Fern countered.

Dax ignored their habit of using the Richter scale to gauge how mad he was at their shenanigans.

“It says in her email that the giant spider in her purse was the last straw.”

“It was fake. Besides, that’s such an overused prank, she should have expected it. She’s just a wimp. So much for her acting all sergeant-like. All bark and no bite. And she’s lazy—anyone who uses that as an excuse to quit doesn’t really want to work,” Ivy said.

“And you two certainly are a job.” He had no doubt the spider had only been a warm-up for the twins. A test. It didn’t come close to their somewhat scary creative capacity.

“It was harmless, Dad. We pulled it out of our Halloween supplies. We were just having fun. Fun is a necessary part of raising well-rounded, healthy, psychologically balanced children,” Fern added.

Wow. Just wow.

He closed his laptop. Three years and he still had to pause and ask himself what Sandy would do. Only lately, he kept coming up blank. She didn’t even visit in his dreams anymore...not the way she had after she’d left him and kept the girls. They had been five at the time.

Looking back, he couldn’t blame her for leaving. She’d been right. He’d been too busy chasing after his obsession to find better ways of predicting earthquakes and saving lives. He’d spent more time in tents doing field research than he had at home, protecting his family.

But he had tried to make it up to her. He’d been as present as he could possibly be after her diagnosis...but it had been too late.

He checked his watch again. He was supposed to be at the site by midmorning tomorrow to start setting up equipment, laying out geophones and cables. But now he had no nanny and there was no way he was taking the girls to the site. Too dangerous and not allowed.

He stared pointedly at each one. They looked so much like their mother all three could have been triplets, but for the generation gap. Their hair had lightened back to dark blond as it dried, and their hazel eyes sparkled with hints of gold that matched the freckles on their noses. That reminded him to pull out the sunscreen from their bags.

“Ivy. Fern. You need to think before you act. Everything you do has consequences.” Now he was sounding like his mother. He cringed. “That fake but—according to your nanny—very realistic spider caused her to scream and jolt. That caused her to spill her hot coffee all over her hand and into her purse, which resulted in both a burned hand and a fried cell phone, which I’ll be paying to replace. Nope. Correction. Which you’ll be paying to replace.”

Ha. There was an inkling of parental genius in him yet. The twins crinkled their foreheads, and the corners of their mouths sank.

“We’re really sorry,” they said simultaneously. It almost...almost...sounded rehearsed. Like synchronized swimming. Maybe he should look into signing them up for a class. Burn off some of that energy.

“Apology accepted.”

“So how do we earn the money to pay for her cell phone? We need jobs, right?” Fern asked. Always the logical one.

Jobs. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. Darn it. At their now-rented-out house in Houston, he could have had them weeding for the neighbors. But here? No way were they sticking their hands under shrubs where predators could be lurking. Not that the lodge needed any help with weeding. There were no jobs for eleven-year-olds here, not even lemonade stands or bake sales or... It hit him. That was Fern’s not-so-innocent point. No job availability. They were trying to get out of paying. Not happening. He scratched the back of his neck and stood up.

“You’ll stick to our bargain regarding your next nanny. Behave and you’ll get an allowance bonus. Consider yourselves docked for losing Melissa, so you’ll have to earn that back, too. And for now, your allowance goes to paying it off. Plus, I’ll pay a few extra bucks for keeping your room clean, beds made and bathroom wiped down.”

“Sounds fair,” Ivy said.

“Good. Now go brush out your hair and get your shoes on so we can get a bite to eat.”

The two closed their room door behind them, and Dax leaned his head back against the wall. The tribal mask hanging over his bed on the opposite side of the room scowled at him, as if it disapproved of his parenting skills. This was going to be a long day.

He started to head for his bathroom, but their whispers stopped him. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop—or maybe he did. The words he picked up required listening to. It was his parental duty.

“Doesn’t he realize?” That was Fern.

“Are you kidding? Maybe there’s an advantage to him being too busy to pay attention to us most of the time. It makes it easier to get away with things.”

“Yeah, like the fact that, technically, he’s the one paying for the broken cell phone. If you take into account that cleaning up is part of getting our allowance to begin with, then add the bonus for doing so, it covers what we were docked and then some.”

“And on top of that, we have a little freedom before he hires us a supervisor. But do you think we should get rid of the worms we put in his shaving kit before he opens it in the morning? If he docks us for that, we’ll be in the red.”

“You’re right. He hates worms about as much as Number Seven hates spiders.”

My shaving kit?

Dax gritted his teeth and eyed his toiletry bag. He’d always wanted to try the short-stubble look.

God, he needed to focus on his job, not the twins’ antics. He needed to be able to work without worrying. He’d made a lot of sacrifices to get through the past few years, but having the twins grow up away from him was where he drew the line.

He’d promised Sandy that he would stay with them. Keep them safe. Their grandparents disagreed with him moving them every time his job took him somewhere for months. They had insisted that the girls required structure and time management. As far as he was concerned, he could provide that. Sticking to a schedule wasn’t rocket science.

He just had to find a nanny who could do it.

* * *

PIPPA HARPER TUGGED against the stiff leather of her watch band and finally forced it to unbuckle. She shuddered as she shoved the new gadget in the pocket of her khakis and rubbed the imprint it left on her wrist. If anything ranked up there with flies and mosquitoes buzzing persistently around her face or deceptively delicate ants forging a trail up her back during a relaxing nap under the Serengeti sun, it was wearing a watch or following someone else’s schedule.

She unfolded a handwoven, flat-weave rug over the dusty, red earth that flowed through the small Maasai village enkang and beyond its thorny fence, then stretched out on her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. The tribe’s oldest child, Adia, sat down next to her. At thirteen, she was making huge progress with her fourth-grade-level reading and writing. Pippa was proud of her.

“I’m ready and listening,” Pippa prompted with a smile. Adia was used to her relaxed teaching style. Of course, she sat up and gave the lesson more structure when they were writing or doing math, but reading was different. Reading was meant to be enjoyed. She wanted the kids to see that.

Adia opened the book to her marked paged and began reading. Her musical lilt drew Pippa into one of her favorite storybooks. The girl had a future ahead of her, so long as her father agreed to let her leave home and continue her education beyond what Pippa could offer. Trying to teach the children of the Maasai and other local tribes—particularly the young girls, who weren’t always given the opportunity—was a lot for one person. Thankfully, she wasn’t the only teacher who was trying to help. Some well-known people from the university...some who were born in these villages...had programs to teach and give back. But a few people and a couple of programs weren’t enough to teach all the rural children in Kenya and the children in the tribes around here were counting on her. She needed more money to help them. She was spread thin, traveling on different days to different enkangs. At some point, the girls had to be given the chance to move beyond her limitations.

She closed her eyes and raised her face to the sun as she listened. It felt so much better not to have her watch on. Who needed clocks when they had the sun and stars? Who needed alarms and schedules when all they had to do was listen to the diurnal rhythm and sounds of wildlife announcing everything from daybreak to dusk to the coming of rain?

Rain, fluid. Earth, solid.

The simple facts flashed through her mind the same second that the ground rippled against her like a river current against the belly of a wildebeest trapped during the floods.

She stilled and pressed her palms against the rug, her mind registering fact and logic. Earth. Solid. She glanced around. Adia’s rhythm hadn’t faltered. The others in the village were going about their routines.

The herdsmen had taken their cattle and goats out to pasture, and the enkang’s central, stick-fenced pen, where their goats were kept safe from predators at night, stood rigidly against the backdrop of the Serengeti plains. Women were laboriously mashing dried straw with cow dung and urine for the mud walls of their small, rounded inkajijik. Simple homes made with what the earth offered. The solid earth.

Clearly, she’d imagined the ripples. No one else seemed fazed. Maybe the sun was getting to her. It had shifted in the sky, stealing away the shade that the branches of a fig tree had offered. She took a deep breath and sat up, brushing off her hands, then pushing her curly hair away from her forehead.

“Is everything okay? Should I stop reading? Did I make a mistake?” Adia fingered the rows of red and orange beads that graced her neck, then smoothed her hand across the vibrant patterns of her traditional wrap dress.

“No, no. It wasn’t you. I need to get out of the sun.”

There was no point in frightening the girl. Unless... No, she doubted it. She hadn’t felt a tremor in forever. Sure, they happened here. She’d studied geology as an undergrad. She knew all about the earth’s tectonic plates moving.

She’d felt mild quakes in the past. The Great Rift Valley ran through western Kenya, including the Maasai Mara and the area where the Serengeti ecosystem lay and merged across the border into Tanzania’s famous Serengeti National Park. There was more earthquake activity in that region, but minor events happened here, too. Even to the east in Nairobi.

But what had happened a minute ago had been a different, odd sensation. Nothing had shaken. No one else had noticed. Most likely, the sun had made her dizzy. She got up and sat upright next to Adia.

“Okay, you can keep reading. Let’s get to the end of the chapter before we stop. That way you can write me a summary for next time.”

Adia looked down uncomfortably and bit her lip.

“What is it?”

“I shouldn’t ask you for more.”

“Adia, if you need something, ask me.”

“I can’t write a summary. A goat ate the pencil and paper you gave me. I set it down to help my sister when she fell down. And then the goat ate it.”

Pippa gave her a reassuring smile. If this had been anywhere else and a student had told her teacher that the dog had eaten her homework, she would have been accused of making up stories. But this wasn’t anywhere else, and Adia was as honest and conscientious as a kid could be, which meant a goat really had eaten her pencil and paper. She placed her hand on Adia’s shoulder.

“Not to worry. I have some extra supplies in my jeep.” Pippa reluctantly pulled the watch out of her pocket. She glanced at the time and stuffed the watch away again. “I didn’t realize how long we’ve been sitting here. You are reading so beautifully, you made me forget. And you’re at my favorite part in the book, too. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve read or heard the story, I still feel my heart race when Captain Hook hears the ticktock of the crocodile approaching.”

“Me, too,” Adia said. She smiled and marked her page. “Thank you for teaching me to read.”

“You’re a fast learner. You can do anything you set your mind to. I hate to leave. On my next visit, you can help me teach the little ones, then we can talk about what I mentioned last time.” Pippa sighed as she stood. This is why she hated schedules. It didn’t seem fair to end class right when a student found his or her stride. Not that this was an official class or standard school, but still. She could remember the day Adia had read her first words when she was nine. Pippa hadn’t been teaching formally back then, but she had been donating books to some of the local Maasai villages her entire childhood.

She had taught a few of the kids to read back then because she wanted to. It made her happy. But it took years for her to realize teaching was her passion.

Adia and other children had missed out on lessons when Pippa left Kenya two years ago and spent a year traveling and studying in Europe—an escape she had needed after having her heart broken. But she was glad to be back home this past year. And dedicating herself to teaching children who otherwise had no access to education was more rewarding than she ever could have imagined.

She wanted others to read their first words, too, which was why making it to the tourist lodge on schedule mattered just as much. She had an arrangement with the lodge and the guided children’s hikes she provided there allowed her to earn money for teaching supplies. She also hoped to save for a small schoolhouse—or school hut—where she’d be able to teach children from different homesteads all at once, rather than losing so much time driving long distances across the savanna.

The problem was that tourist schedules weren’t sun—or Africa-time friendly. Five minutes late and they’d start complaining. Five minutes late was nothing around here, but add an hour or two and she’d have no customers at all.

She had found that out the hard way a few weeks ago. No one had even cared about the fact that a male ostrich had decided to challenge her jeep. And then she’d inadvertently driven too close to a rhino and her calf in the brush. She’d made her escape only to hit a piece of scrap metal in the middle of nowhere that resulted in her having to change her tire. No doubt, the lodge director and tour group parents had thought she was making up stories when she’d finally arrived at the hotel.

The trumpeting of elephants in the distance shook the air as if to give her a warning that she would be running late soon. She gave Adia a hug, then quickly scanned the enkang. The place bustled with activity, from the familiar act of women grinding corn, to making beaded jewelry and continuing to repair and build their huts. The village would crumble without the tireless work the women did here. Most had never left their clan, yet they had the focus, strength, persistence and motivation that so many students and people Pippa had met during her recent year of travels lacked. People who took the opportunities they had in life for granted.

“I don’t see your father. Did you talk to him?” Pippa asked as they walked toward her jeep. She really hoped that Adia’s father wouldn’t be opposed to the girl pursuing an education in Nairobi. Adia scratched her tightly cropped hair, then fidgeted with the colorful bracelets that ran halfway to her elbows.

“No, not yet. I’ll talk to him when you are here next time. With you. Please?”

“Okay. But I don’t want to offend him. This discussion is between you. The decision is his.” There was a fine line between advocating for a kid like Adia and crossing boundaries when it came to family, expectations and culture. The fact that everyone knew Pippa around here might help a little, but upsetting the tribal leader might put a hitch in her efforts to teach others in the village. She respected the Maasai and this particular family tremendously, and offending them was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Of course,” Adia said, following her outside the enkang’s fence to where the jeep was parked. Pippa reached into a backpack on the passenger seat and pulled out another pencil and small notebook. She handed them to Adia, gave her a hug and waved as the girl hurried back to her hut.

Pippa settled behind the wheel of her jeep and looked one more time at her watch. Talk about addictive. No wonder people succumbed so easily to the power of clocks and schedules...and stress and anti-anxiety drugs. How would someone like Adia adjust to that world? Would she lose her bond with and appreciation of her culture? Was Pippa causing more harm than good?

She took a deep breath, and her stomach rumbled as she started the ignition. Her home in the Busara Elephant Research and Rescue Camp was along the way, but she didn’t have time to swing by for a bite.

She had six kids booked for the hike, and she couldn’t risk being late. There weren’t a lot of opportunities out here for her to save up. As much as she hated the outside world leaving its footprints on this majestic land, being near the Maasai Mara meant tourists hungry for a glimpse of Kenya’s Serengeti and its wonders—and that meant money.

Funny how the things that annoyed her were the very things that she relied on to achieve her goals. Balance rarely happened without sacrifice. Everything from relationships, marriage and the circle of life that surrounded her proved it. The balance and beauty of the savanna relied on both predator and prey. Death was a necessary evil, but it provided for new beginnings. It, paradoxically, gave hope. She floored the pedal and held her breath till the dust she roused was nothing but a dissipating cloud in her rearview mirror.

She was making it to Tabara Lodge on time if it killed her.

CHAPTER TWO

THE FOOD AT the lodge was better than fantastic and the atmosphere was incredible. Nothing came between them and the outdoors except canvas curtains that Dax was told were only drawn in bad weather. Natural wood covered the ceiling and walls and African art adorned the place. The restaurant opened onto a breezeway that overlooked grasslands dappled with acacia trees and boulders. The view from their table was breathtaking. Dax had been too rushed earlier to really appreciate it. He set his napkin down and looked at the barely touched dishes in front of Ivy and Fern. They’d eaten the chapati flat bread, but the stew hadn’t been much more than picked at.

“You have to at least try it.”

“I can’t identify all the ingredients,” Fern said.

“The waiter told you how it’s made. Three times.”

“Smells...different.” Ivy crinkled her nose.

“It’s called spices and the stew is delicious, so if you don’t want it, I’ll eat it.” He reached over for their plates, hoping they’d stop him. They didn’t. Fine. Their choice.

Living outside of the United States was going to be good for them. They obviously needed to learn to try new things. Houston was full of great, authentic, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, but come to think of it, he couldn’t recall taking them to any. When he ate out, it was usually with a colleague at lunch. He added their stew to his empty bowl and took a bite. “You can’t live on bread forever. If you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat.”

“Yes, we know. There are starving children in Africa.”

“You’re in Africa.”

“We know that, too.”

“Have it your way,” Dax said, spooning more food into his mouth. Man, the spinach, potatoes and lamb were good.

“I’m a vegetarian,” Ivy said. Fern stilled for a fraction of a second, then pursed her lips and nodded in agreement. Dax set his spoon down and rested his elbows on the table.

“A vegetarian. You, too, Fern? Or did you become one a second ago?”

“We’re definitely vegetarians,” Fern said.

“You both begged me for hamburgers before our flight here. I recall you eating every last bite, too.”

There was no comment. Dax sighed. As if they weren’t picky eaters already.

“You do know that even vegetarians don’t live on bread? That you’ll have to eat more vegetables and beans?” They hated beans, unless they were baked beans that came out of a can and were loaded with sugar. Neither twin made a comment. Stubborn times two. “Okay, then. We can order you vegetarian meals. They had plenty of options that weren’t on the dessert menu.” He gave them a knowing look. No doubt they were hoping he’d give up on real food and let them order anything they wanted, so long as they didn’t starve.

“We’re not really hungry anyway,” Ivy said. Fern shot her a frown.

“I am,” Dax said. “So you’ll have to sit and wait while I finish this delicious, savory dish.” He took another bite. “Man, this hits the spot. Really good.”

Ivy and Fern rolled their eyes and pulled out their e-readers. Their grandmother had bought the gadgets for them last Christmas and got them both international charging kits for this trip. He didn’t condone reading during a meal, but right now, if it kept them busy and cut the smart-mouthing he had to listen to so that he could actually enjoy his food, he’d let it slide. Besides, between virtual schooling, e-readers and the occasional movie or game, any pediatric recommendations on limiting screen time were null, void and completely archaic. It had taken him a while, after becoming a single father, to finally figure that out. Nutrition, however, wasn’t. Sooner or later, they’d need to eat something. He hated it when they challenged him like this. It was as if they were in a staring contest, waiting to see who’d give in and blink first.

A laugh broke through the monotonous buzz of lounge conversations and clinking of flatware. That laugh. He recognized it immediately and glanced toward the lodge foyer. The wild-haired lady with the six kids, who were all trailing after her again. A person had to have patience to be happy with that many kids to keep in line. He shoved another bite in his mouth and raised a brow. Maybe it wasn’t a blissful laugh. Maybe it was a delirious, I’m-going-to-lose-my-mind-someone-give-me-a-kid-break-or-bottle-of-Prozac laugh. He couldn’t help but glance back in her direction. Something about her was hard to ignore.

She pushed her hair to the side after giving the youngest kid a hug. She had a clean, natural look about her. Down-to-earth, like Sandy had been. She didn’t seem old enough to have six kids, though. Midtwenties maybe? A couple hurried over to her and began apologizing for being late. Something about the massage they’d been getting. It hit him. Those weren’t her kids. Those weren’t her—he grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth, then signaled over to the nearest waiter.

“Ivy, Fern, stay here a minute. Don’t go anywhere.”

The older fellow approached and started to refill his drink. Dax waved his hand to decline.

“No, thank you. But would you mind standing here just for a few minutes? If you could just watch over my daughters a moment—” he glanced at the man’s name tag “—Alim. I’d really appreciate it. And I won’t be long.” He didn’t dare trust the twins alone again. At least not today.

Alim looked a little nervous when Ivy and Fern smiled at him. He raised a brow.

“Sir, I don’t watch children. I have other tables to wait on.”

“I’ll tip you extra. Just give me five minutes.”

Alim hesitated, rubbed a hand over his short, salt-and-pepper hair, then nodded.

Dax narrowed his eyes at the twins.

“Stay put. Read the menu and find yourselves something to eat.” That would occupy them. Maybe. Alim grimaced and gave the girls a stern look. Clearly, kids weren’t his thing, but Dax didn’t have time to worry about the poor guy. He needed to catch Miss Curly Q. He ran out to the foyer, but there was no sign of her. The reception desk. Yes. It was near the wide-open archway that served as the lodge’s entrance. She couldn’t have left without their noting it. He reached the desk in two strides.

“Excuse me. That lady who was just in here. Reddish-brown, curly hair? Does she work here? I noticed she was watching a group of kids, and I’m hoping to hire a baby—a child sitter.”

“No, sir.” The concierge straightened his uniform and cocked his head politely. “She’s not a Tabara employee. She has an arrangement with us to offer the occasional nature hike and mini safari to the young children who visit. It’s part of a package we offer to parents who wish to take advantage of our spa.”

Dax drummed his fingers on the sleek wood counter. He needed to think. Occasional wasn’t going to cut it. He had to catch her before she left.

“Thank you.” He ran outside the lodge and stopped to get his bearings. She wasn’t hard to spot. She was headed toward a grungy, mud-coated jeep with a bounce in her step. He jogged up behind her. “Excuse me. I’m sorry to bother you.”

She spun around and slapped a hand to her chest. Dax held up his hands.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you would’ve heard me coming.”

“No. No, it’s fine. I was thinking about something and...never mind.” She looked up at him with glistening, green eyes and cleared her throat. “Can I help you?”

He wasn’t so sure anymore. The scare he’d given her wasn’t enough to make anyone teary-eyed. Whatever she’d been thinking about was none of his business, but when he saw a person’s mood shift so drastically—from laughing and bubbly when they were surrounded by people, to down and withdrawn when they thought they were alone—it pinched at him. Sandy had done that when she was sick. She used to put on a happy face for everyone, not wanting to cause worry, but then he’d catch her alone, depressed and concerned about what would happen to her children after she was gone. He knew pain. He’d masked it plenty of times himself.

“Is everything all right?” He hadn’t meant to ask. Asking meant getting involved and trying to help—in short it meant opening a can of worms. He’d learned that lesson with Nanny Number Two. He shifted his stance and practically held his breath.

“I’m completely fine. This is nothing,” she said, wiping the corner of one eye. “I got some bad news, but it’s taken care of and everything is fine.” She smiled, but there was something cloudy and faraway in her eyes.

“Okay.” He scratched the back of his neck. No can of worms.

“Okay.” She hooked her thumbs on the belt loop of her khakis and waited. “You wanted something?”

“Ah, yes. Yes. I’m hoping you can help me out. I saw back there that you work with kids. I have two girls and—”

“You’d like to book a kid safari. Excellent.”

Her face lit up and her smile warmed. She was unassumingly pretty. Just a fact he registered. He was a scientist. He was simply making an observation.

The twins had had one sitter who’d been more concerned with her layers of makeup than with tending to the kids. She didn’t last long, not because she’d quit like the rest, but because he’d let her go. He didn’t want his girls to become makeup obsessed. At least not for as long as he could help it.

“Would after tomorrow work? Noon-ish? If I could get their names...?” She pulled a mini notebook out from her back pocket, but couldn’t seem to find something to write with. “I’m sorry, I had a pencil here somewhere. Oh. I gave it to someone to use.”

Noon-ish? Just when he thought he’d found someone...a reality check. He had a schedule to keep. Ish didn’t cut it in his life. She seemed disorganized, too. Great.

Maybe if he went back and spoke to the concierge, the man could help Dax find someone else. Then again, Dax needed to be at work in the morning. There wasn’t time to waffle or get picky. He really was desperate for help. Not just any help, either. He needed someone who could deal with the twins and, from what he’d seen, this woman had a healthy dose of patience. Ivy and Fern required an endless supply of that.

“I was thinking more like eight. Sharp.”

“In the morning?” She stopped her pencil search.

“Of course, in the morning,” he said. Eight at night didn’t even make sense. “Look, I should have introduced myself first. Then I’ll explain everything. I’m Dax. Dax Calder.” He held out his hand and, after a brief hesitation, she shook it.

“Pippa.”

“Pippa. That’s easy enough to remember. Like that book my daughters used to read. Pippa Longstocking. Or something like that.”

Pippa’s smile flattened and she raised her brows.

“It’s Pippa Harper. If you were referring to the book character with braids sticking out at right angles to her head, that would be Pippi. Not Pippa.”

“Oh. Right.” Dax swiped a hand across the back of his neck. It was the little things that always reminded him that Sandy had been a far better parent than he could ever be.

The girls used to read to him. Not the other way around. And they used to accuse him of not paying attention to the story. Clearly, he hadn’t. He closed his eyes briefly. “Miss Harper, I’m here on business—long-term-ish—and I thought that maybe you would be interested in...” What would she more likely say yes to? Homeschooling them? Babysitting them? Nanny sounded like a career position, and she obviously already had work. “I need help with my two daughters. The nanny I had arranged to come stay with us here in Kenya couldn’t make it over from the US, and so I really have to find—”

“A babysitter. I’m sorry. I’m not a babysitter. Good luck in your search and have a nice day.” The sparkle in her eyes had dimmed and the softness of her features tightened. She turned on her heel and took long, quick strides toward her jeep. She grabbed a bottle of water and a book from the back seat and hurriedly climbed behind the wheel as he approached.

“Wait. Just give me a second. Please. They’re not babies.” They’d be a lot easier to handle if they were. “There wouldn’t be diaper changes or anything like that. The girls are very smart and they don’t bite. Their names are Ivy and Fern.”

“Did you name them after characters in a novel? Or search through a gardening book?” She flashed him a fake, close-lipped smile.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded.

“I get it. If I insulted you, I apologize. It wasn’t intentional.” He looked down the red dirt road that stretched, tired and dry, across the savanna until the tall grasses devoured it. “My wife named them.”

“If you and your wife want time alone, then sign up for the spa treatment package and your kids can enjoy a safari hike with me.”

“She’s dead. Their mother...she died three years ago.”

Something shifted in Pippa’s face. She blinked and rested her hands in her lap.

“I’m sorry. I just assumed. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”

“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

“It’s just that it wouldn’t be the first time I wasn’t taken seriously, and it has been a long day. I was being a tad defensive. But the truth is, I don’t babysit and I’m not a nanny. I have other things on my schedule and a long drive to get out here. I’m sorry I can’t help. Maybe check with the lodge staff.”

“I have to go to work tomorrow and I can’t leave them alone, nor can I take them with me. I’m begging you to just hear me out.”

“You’re here for work? Not a family holiday?”

“Yes. And I’ll pay well. I need someone to make sure they’re safe and keeping up with their schoolwork while I’m gone.”

“Schoolwork?”

“I travel for months at a time and don’t want to leave them behind, so they’re homeschooled. We do some of the classes virtually and some are sent in.”

“I know how that works. I was schooled the same way. I grew up a couple of hours from here. An orphaned-elephant research and rescue camp. My mother is a wildlife veterinarian. There aren’t traditional schools out here.”

This was good. They were connecting. He was getting her on the same page.

“Great. Then you’d know exactly what to do.”

“But, as I said, Mr. Calder, I don’t babysit.”

“But earlier I saw you handle that group of kids like a pro.”

“I was teaching them about the natural environment here and why it’s so important to protect the land as well as the animals from being destroyed by human ignorance and man’s greedy actions. Not babysitting.”

It did make sense that she’d be involved in environmental awareness, her mother being a vet and all. Mental note: Tell the twins not to mention his contract with Erebus Oil.

“I understand, but I would pay you double whatever you’re making for tours. And it’d be just until I find a nanny replacement.”

“I’m not a nanny, either. I told you, I teach.”

“But isn’t a nanny like a...a hybrid between a teacher and a sitter?”

She gave him a dirty look and started the ignition.

* * *

PIPPA COULDN’T BELIEVE this guy. He saw a woman with kids and the first thing he assumed was that she was babysitter material. Now she knew how her Aunt Hope felt when guys who noticed her wearing scrubs assumed she was a nurse instead of a doctor. Oh, and the hair thing. Had he really compared her to Pippi Longstocking? Her hair was hard to control, but that comment had been plain low. She reached up and self-consciously tucked a lock behind her ear as she revved the engine. The corkscrew curl sprang right back out.

His wife had died. Pippa took a deep breath. Her Aunt Zoe had been killed the day her Uncle Ben had returned home from duty many years ago. Being a marine thrown into raising three young kids while mourning hadn’t been easy. Pippa had been a little girl at the time, but she remembered how much her cousin Maddie, then ten, had really suffered and struggled with coping after her mother’s death. Maddie had been close in age to this guy’s daughters, then. It had been Aunt Hope who’d helped them survive that trauma.

Pippa had also grown up around baby elephants orphaned by poachers. It didn’t matter that they weren’t human. They knew grief. They suffered the loss, too. Pippa hated witnessing that kind of pain.

Dax placed his hands on her door frame. She recalled from his handshake that his fingers were strong and calloused—nothing like the majority of men who stayed at Tabara Lodge, married or otherwise. This place catered to business types in search of an exotic getaway and spa treatments. It attracted the wealthy because one had to be rich in order to afford the rates. Guests here were looking for a safari experience without sacrificing modern conveniences, like flushable toilets and running water. The guests here could likely afford maids and chauffeurs and people to raise their kids for them. Calloused as his hands were, this man was probably no different—after all, he was wearing slacks and a polo shirt at a safari lodge. Outdoorsy people didn’t do that. But he did say he was here for work.

“Look, bottom line is that I’m in a bind and desperate enough to pay well. How long are your tours?”

Desperate. That was Pippa. The runner-up. A last resort. Just like she’d been with her childhood friend Haki. He’d considered her his girlfriend and almost married her...until his first choice—her cousin Maddie—had stepped back into his life.

Pippa pressed a hand against the twinge in her chest. She was over it. She really was. But sometimes the hurt resurfaced, like when she’d seen the happy couple who’d picked up their six kids after the tour.

A year and a half ago, she’d pictured her future like that: happily married and ready to start a family of her own. Not anymore. Her kids were all the children in the tribal villages who were counting on her for an education and more possibilities for their futures. She tapped her steering wheel.

Fine. It wouldn’t hurt to hear him out. Money was money. Still, she wasn’t going to sacrifice time in the villages to teach a rich man’s children unless it was worth it. She had not spent the last year and a half figuring out what she wanted to do with her life only to get sucked into someone else’s schedule and responsibilities.

She turned off her ignition and looked up at Dax.

“My tours are three hours. Ish. I try to be on time, but this is the wild and if that means I’m delayed because we come across something the kids should see, then we see it.”

“I assume you do two tours in a full day, then. I’ll pay you twice what you’d make taking those groups out.”

Pippa’s pulse scattered, but she bit the inside of her cheek to hide her shock. Good-looking and daft. Definitely not business minded...unless he had more money than he knew what to do with.

“But you don’t even know my price yet. Per child.”

“Come on. It’s a tour. It can’t be that much. I know what I can afford. I told you I’d pay well. Deal or no deal?”

She was so going to raise her price just because of his condescension, but heaven help her. Easy money. One week would add up to more cash than she could make in two months. She couldn’t even begin to wrap her head around all the school supplies she would be able to afford, and how much faster she’d be able to get a small school built where the tribal children could gather for lessons.

Play it cool, Pippa. She shrugged.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to watch your girls morning till night, every day, until you can get a permanent nanny.”

“Permanent...yes.”

“Because you’re here for...” She never pried when it came to the parents of her tour kids. It wasn’t professional to do so. But he wanted her watching his daughters full time and she was getting curious about what he did for work.

“I’m here on business.”

Ah. Okay. That was the polite answer for “none of your business.” Fine.

He scratched his head, and his chocolate-brown hair stuck out where his fingers had been. His eyes were the same color, and the laugh lines at the outer corners gave his eyes a serene, kind look. Too bad his personality didn’t match. He seemed too obsessed with his work to laugh enough for creases.

“Getting a replacement might take a few weeks,” he continued. “But yes, you have the idea. I have a schedule laid out for them, so you don’t have to do any prep work. Could you be here by eight tomorrow morning? I have to leave by then. All you have to do is stick to the schedule and keep them with you at all times. Trust me, it’s just easier that way. I want them safe.”

She thrummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Rich and private about his business and out here in the middle of nowhere for work. She had it. Maybe he was a silent partner for Tabara Lodge. That would explain him wanting to keep his identity under wraps and it’d also fit in with his being able to afford Tabara for a long stay. She looked at him.

“How old are they?” she asked. He made it sound like she’d need car seats and safety gates, or pens of some sort.

“Eleven.”

“And the other one?”

“Um...eleven.” His forehead creased apologetically.

“Twins?”

“Identical. Didn’t I mention that?”

“You skipped that part.”

“Does it really make a difference? Two kids is two kids.”

Then why was that expression “double trouble” so well-known? Pippa studied him, then hugged her book and water bottle to her chest and got out of the jeep.

“Are they around? Maybe I should meet them before I make any final decisions.”

Dax glanced toward the lodge and cranked his neck to one side, then the other.

“Okay. I suppose that’s a good idea.”

He didn’t sound convinced.

“After you,” Pippa said.

He led the way back through the lodge’s foyer and to the dining area.

Alim stood next to a table where two girls sat, one wearing a purple headband and the other a green one. They were otherwise identical and quite pretty. She guessed, by the fact that their eyes were hazel and their dark blond hair was lighter than Dax’s, that they looked like their mother. E-readers were on the table next to three dessert plates—one in front of each girl and one between them—all piled with a powdered-sugar-covered mandazi. A small ramekin filled with chocolate dipping sauce, typically used with fruit, sat within their reach. That was a lot of fried dough—not to mention sugar—for two kids. What was their dad thinking?

“Enjoying your desserts, girls?” Dax said. There was an edge to his tone.

Both girls immediately sat up straight. Chocolate clung to their fingers and the corners of their mouths and powdered sugar spotted their cheeks and clothes. They wiped their mouths and put their hands neatly in their laps. Well behaved enough. This was going to be easy money.

“Um, yes. They’re delicious,” the one in green said, biting her lower lip.

“He brought them to us,” the one in purple quipped, pointing at Alim.

“They ordered them,” Alim quickly said, scowling down at the girls. “When you left, you told them to look at the menu. They said you had given them permission to have dessert. You were gone much longer than five minutes.”

“Three desserts?” Dax raised a brow. “I’m guessing the third wasn’t mine, considering it’s half-gone, too.”

“They said they were ordering for their sister. The one you left to go get from your room. I was explaining something to a new waiter and when I turned around, they were eating their sister’s dessert. I will have another brought out free of charge,” Alim said.

“You didn’t mention three girls. I’m positive you said I’d be helping with twins, not triplets,” Pippa said.

“I did. Interestingly, I’ve never met this sister of theirs and I’m pretty sure they haven’t, either. Alim, another dessert won’t be necessary. I apologize for taking longer than I expected,” Dax said, reaching into his wallet.

Alim shot the girls a disapproving look, then held out his palm. Dax put a bill in it. The palm remained extended. Dax frowned at the girls and gave Alim another bill. He’d paid a waiter to watch his kids? Overprotective much? At that age, Pippa had been climbing trees, working with elephants and disappearing into the tall savanna grasses on wild, exploratory adventures.

“Kuwa makini,” Alim muttered as he passed Pippa on his way back to the kitchen. Really?

“Ku-what?” Dax asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Pippa said. Alim had given her fair warning to be careful. But then, he never did like dealing with children at the dining tables. All things considered, she probably would have pulled a trick for extra dessert, too. Their dad moved the plates next to his half-eaten meal. Not exactly out of reach, but his message was clear. No more dessert.

“We’ll discuss this later,” he told the twins.

“Hi there. I’m Pippa.”

“Yes, sorry. Ivy and Fern, this is Miss Harper.”

“What are you reading?” Fern asked.

Pippa held up the cover of the book she was holding.

“A mystery I found in an antiques bookstore when I was in Spain. Apparently, it’s out of print and a rare find. I didn’t have a chance to start it until yesterday, but it’s such a page-turner, I’m already near the end. The best part of a mystery is when you finally get all the answers and all the pieces fall into place, isn’t it? What are you two reading?”

Pippa wasn’t big on e-readers. Having to rely on generators for power made printed books more convenient out here. And even though she read books on her computer on occasion and could have an e-reader now if she wanted, she preferred to feel and smell the pages. She wanted to be able to read perched on a boulder in the savanna without sun glaring off her screen or the battery dying and having to drive back to camp for a charge. Besides, she taught reading in the villages using print books and liked to be able to share. The Maasai children didn’t have electricity. Their children didn’t have modern distractions like cell phones or televisions or movie theaters. Just books.

“History of the Civil War. It’s for homework,” Ivy said.

“You two must be diligent students.”

“I told you they were smart,” Dax said. “Girls, Miss Pippa has agreed to help look after you for a while.”

Had she actually agreed? Pippa pressed her lips together and peered at him. He cocked his head and gave her a silent, pleading look. Like his future was in her hands. Okay, then. She was in it for the money. And the girls seemed pretty sweet, too. She’d be reducing their sugar intake drastically, though.

“I suppose we should exchange contact information,” she said.

“Yes. Absolutely. I don’t have business cards on me, but I can write down a number for when I’m not at the lodge. I should have a satellite phone on me most of the time and I brought one to leave in the bungalow, just in case I need to be reached. If it works. I’ve been warned reception is spotty.”

“It can be.”

Pippa set her book and water down on their table and pulled out her mini notebook.

“The bartender will have a pen,” she said.

Dax told the girls not to move and followed her to the bar at the end of the room. They scribbled down their info and swapped papers.

“I hope you don’t mind my asking you a few questions. I mean, since you’re going to be caring for my kids. Normally, I would interview anyone I planned to hire to watch my kids, but I figured if the lodge let you take off with the children of their guests, they know you pretty well.”

“Feel free to ask questions, but you already know my name. My vehicle. Where I work and, therefore, my references. I already told you my mom is a vet. She founded the Busara Elephant Research and Rescue Camp twenty-four years ago. The same year I was born. I’ll add that my father is a geneticist. I also have a large extended family that includes friends living at Busara or within a few hours of it. Anything else?”

“No wonder everyone seems to know you around here.”

There was an awkward moment of silence. Eye contact she wanted to break but couldn’t seem to. One of the twins calling out to her dad saved Pippa from the trance.

“I should get going,” she said.

“Yes. I need to get back to my girls.”

They both hurried to the table, and Pippa picked up her things. She’d planned on sitting under a tree and reading for a bit before heading home, but that wasn’t happening now. She wasn’t going to risk Dax shirking parenthood and leaving the kids with her before she was on the clock tomorrow. She wasn’t going to risk any more awkward moments, either.

“Ivy and Fern. It was nice to meet you. I’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?”

“Sure. See you in the morning,” Fern said.

“Bye. Let us know how your mystery turns out if you finish it.”

Pippa noticed that one of the dessert plates had inched its way a little closer to Ivy. The tablecloth between Ivy and the dish was sprinkled with sugar and had a smear of chocolate on it. The girl grabbed her napkin and wiped the evidence off her mouth and fingers before her dad could notice.

“I will. And you can tell me all about war and battle strategies because history isn’t my thing,” Pippa said.

“Totally. We can teach you all about battle strategies,” Ivy said.

Something in the tone of her voice made Pippa a little uneasy. Alim looked over from another table he was serving and gave her a pitiful head shake.

Dax grabbed her hand and shook it while placing his other hand on her back and guiding her swiftly out of the dining hall. Her skin felt warm under his hands.

“Thanks so much. I’ll have a partial advance on your salary ready for you in the morning. You won’t regret this.”

An advance? He was trying to make sure she showed up tomorrow. As for not regretting this, she wouldn’t. This one job would change everything. She’d be able to bring an education to so many more kids so much faster. But the sudden twist in Pippa’s gut had her wondering who was more desperate about this job.

Dax...or her.

CHAPTER THREE

DAX CRACKED OPEN the girls’ room door and peeked in. Two totally precious, harmless angels—when they were sound asleep. He closed the door and padded barefoot over to the small teak writing desk by his bed. Not being able to sleep had its advantages when it came to getting work done. He’d pay for it tomorrow, though. Especially since he had an early morning.

He checked a surface map of the field extension site he was surveying. Most of the data analysis would happen on-site using high powered computers housed in trailers, but he could still work on paper and make notes from here.

His small crew, who’d been working with him ever since he quit research to start up a small company specializing in subterranean mapping for the petroleum industry, were already at the site. Erebus had provided multiple trailers to cover their needs, including housing, meals and one trailer that served as their recording station.

His crew looked all set to start work when he saw them earlier at the meeting with Ron. A part of him yearned to be out there in the field spending nights under the stars like he used to when he researched quakes.

He hated that Erebus and a few other companies had gotten concessions to explore parcels of land in Kenya’s wilderness. The region was an environmental wonder. It was famous for its beauty, wildlife and indigenous people. It was also known in his academic circle for its fault line along the Great Rift Valley. Not an ideal place to drill and frack—two things Erebus had already been doing...with government approval, no less.

He could see their tank farms, wells and trucks from the area his team was supposed to map out. In fact, that chief engineer, Ron, had mentioned that if things went well with this project, they might have him do another seismic survey in their current drilling field to map out more definition between the subterranean structures shown in their original models. They wanted to improve efficiency in hitting their jackpots and zeroing in on oil pockets. Dax was building a reputation for himself.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He really did need to get a little sleep before his morning commute. Erebus Oil had provided a driver, so he wasn’t worried about getting to the site again. He was worried about the girls, though. He would be an hour away, and it was their first day with a new caretaker. Pippa seemed fine, though. Plus, he’d done some checking up on her after she left. He’d told himself it was necessary and responsible to do so. For the twins.

The elephant rescue she’d mentioned had a big website, and most of the photographs on it were credited to Pippa Harper. They were good, too, though he really hoped she’d used a super zoom lens on some of those close-ups. According to some of the lodge employees, she also had relatives with connections in security and the Kenyan Wildlife Service. The twins were probably in safer hands with her out here than with a professional nanny who freaked out at the sight of a toy spider.

He reviewed the list of rules and the schedule he’d laid out for tomorrow. Nothing was missing as far as he could tell. If all went well, they’d be done with their list by the time he arrived back from the site.

I was teaching them about the natural environment here and why it’s so important to protect the land as well as the animals from being destroyed by human ignorance and man’s greedy actions.

Pippa’s voice filled his head loud and clear. She may not have been referring to him at the time, but according to her worldview, he was selling his soul by working for an oil company.

And wasn’t he? He’d abandoned his research on earthquake patterns and prediction. He’d forgotten the Dax who’d become a seismologist because he desperately wanted to figure out how to save people. The Dax who believed in climate change, and wanted to preserve the land, sea and sky and all their inhabitants.

Maybe he wasn’t destroying any of that directly with this new job, but he was guilty of aiding and abetting. He was using his skills and expertise in reflection seismology to analyze and develop subterranean maps that would in turn tell them where to drill...or even frack if they chose to.

One of these days, he’d have to explain it all to Ivy and Fern and hope that they’d forgive him. He was doing this for them. And as far as Pippa was concerned, she knew nothing about him. She had no idea what it was like to raise the twins alone. He was doing what he had to do. Besides, she drove a jeep, and it sure didn’t run on air. Who was she to judge? And why did he care what she thought of him anyway? Why did he suddenly feel guilty?

It didn’t matter. She was responsible enough to watch the girls until he found someone else. That’s all he needed. So long as she kept the girls safe for the next few weeks, Pippa Harper could think whatever she wanted of him.

* * *

PIPPA PROPPED HER feet up on the rattan ottoman, threw a light shawl over her knees and leaned back in the rocker that sat on the front porch of the Busara house.

The full moon cast shadows on the opposite side of the camp, where the old framed tents she’d grown up in still stood, decades later.

Her parents, and Kamau—the other vet who ran Busara—and his wife, Niara—Pippa’s mother’s best friend—hadn’t built the house until Pippa was five years old...right after her father had discovered she existed.

The fact that she still lived here wasn’t all that weird. It wasn’t like there were apartment complexes every block so she could move out—not that she wanted to move away. The year and a half she’d spent traveling had been enough to stretch her wings and make her miss home. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Maybe if she ever made enough money to invest in herself, she’d be able to build her own cottage nearby. It seemed like a waste of resources, though. There was room here. And whatever money she made, she preferred to donate to her education project or funding wildlife projects, like at Busara.

A lamp from inside cast just enough light through the nearby window for her to read the book in her lap. The house was quiet; everyone was asleep. The rise and fall of cricket and cicada song lulled her into a dreamy, relaxed zone, perfect for reading. Dark. Breezy. Alone. Perfect for a romantic mystery.

She opened her book and vanished into the story. It sucked her in. Page after page. The thrill of not knowing...like that first spark of attraction or first crush. Dax’s face flashed in her head and she rubbed at her eyes. Where had that come from? She glanced at the page number and paragraph she’d just read. Nope. She wasn’t falling asleep. She’d read that. It had just been an exhausting day, that’s all. She shifted in her chair and kept reading.

This was it. The moment of truth. The whodunit. A wild dog howled in the distance, and the brush beyond the elephant pens rustled. Her pulse raced, and she flipped the page.

“What in the name of thunder? No!” she growled.

She double-checked the page numbers. It wasn’t a typo. The page was gone. The page with the whodunit. She stretched the binding apart just enough to spy the jagged remains of a torn page. White powder shook onto her lap. White powder. Sugar. A brown smudge stained the following page. Chocolate.

“They. Did. Not!”

The twins had torn out the page. Who did that? Who damaged books like that? A rare copy, no less.

“Those freaking girls. I’m going to—” She grabbed fistfuls of her hair and braced her head against her knees. “I swear they better not have thrown it away.”

The screen door to the house creaked open and her mother appeared, half-awake.

“Pippa, what in the world is going on? You’re going to wake up the entire camp.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t realize my voice had carried. It’s just these twins I’ve agreed to look after. This whole thing might not be worth it. I’m pretty sure their dad knew they were a handful. He lied to me by omission. Alim tried to warn me. I should have listened.”

Her mom sat on the corner of the ottoman and put her hand on Pippa’s knee.

“Since when do you back down from a challenge? You seemed so excited about this at dinner and you haven’t seen them since you left Tabara. Why the change of heart in just a few hours?”

“They tore my book.”

“Ooh, that’s bad. Girls their age should know better. You ought to call in first thing and quit.”

“Just like that?” Pippa sighed and slumped back when Anna smiled. “Am I ever going to outgrow your reverse psychology tactics?”

“Nope. Because we parents know our kids so well.”

Just how well does Dax know his daughters?

“I guess. I just never met a child who would tear up a book. They’re evil little monsters.”

“A harsh label for girls so young. I love you to pieces, Pippa, but I’m pretty sure a few of my gray hairs were caused by you.” She gave Pippa’s hand a loving squeeze.

“Just a few?” Pippa tipped her head up and stared at the moon. “I’m sorry I woke you. Go back to bed. I’ll be in in a sec.”

“Okay. But just remember, Pip, you’re the one in control. This can’t be that different from all the tours you’ve given at camps and lodges in the past. You’re the leader. You make the rules and set the boundaries. Maybe these girls need some. Maybe they need someone like you.”

“You’re right. I’m the one in control.”

Her mom nodded as she disappeared through the screen door. Pippa got up, wrapped the shawl around her shoulders and filled her lungs with night air.

You have them at your mercy, Pippa. Don’t lose it. Use it.

Civil war history and battle strategies, huh?

She had a few battle plans herself.

And if Dax didn’t like her methods, he was on his own.

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