It was the last place I wanted to be—or ever thought I would be.

Yet when I looked at the little nugget sitting to my left, a smile spread from my heart straight to my lips. Mackenzie Mills, my new little ward sang the chorus at the top of her lungs; sometimes on key, and sometimes not so much.

A scowl formed on my new employer’s face as his blue eyes connected with mine and his forehead creased in a deep frown, as though he were scolding me, as though he disapproved of smiling in church.

It took all my willpower not to roll my eyes although his eyes widened as mine narrowed slightly. I didn’t try to hide my disdain.

I was tired of churchgoers who pretended to be saint-like, claiming to be followers of God even, who really wanted people to pretend to be something they’re not simply because they are inside a church building.

It made my blood boil.

I turned back to the reverend standing at the front behind a large oak pulpit, but I didn’t hear anything he was saying. I was seething with anger.

This was exactly why I didn’t attend church, but it was a condition of my employment contract—the good doctor wanted the nanny for his daughter to set a good example—and this was only day number one.

My thoughts wandered to my new employer—Doctor Gabriel Mills. There was a lot to learn about him. I’d researched him extensively prior to my interview for the nanny position—an interview that took over five hours.

Gabriel Mills, M.D., was a renowned psychiatrist and worked part-time for the government. For some unknown reason he’d chosen to settle in the small, obscure town of Yarmouth, Maine a year after the tragic death of his wife.

I had applied to his ad for a nanny on a well-respected and nearly impossible to get into national nanny service. The ad was detailed, which I appreciated. I wanted to know exactly what was expected of me and how much time it would demand from my true purpose in considering Yarmouth as my new home and nannying Mackenzie.

Now that I’d spent a few hours with them, I realized that the detail behind the ad said a lot about the good doctor. Would I have applied if I’d known?

At this point, I’d have to say yes, although at the moment, I’m stuck in church, and it was my first visit to a church in a very long time.

I’d found most churches to be filled with hypocrites, so I’d made the decision to follow God in my own way rather than in a traditional church-going-kind-of-way, years ago. But for this job—attending church was something I could endure.

He was still scowling when looked back so I responded to his scowl with a sweet smile and gently nudged Mackenzie to sit as the song came to an end.

Mackenzie looked as though she’d been shaken from a trance, and I glanced back at her a second time.

For a five-year-old, she’d already been through a lot with losing her mom and having to move to a new state and town. Yet there was an innocence about her, and the joy that shone from her eyes.

Longing flooded my chest—I’d felt that way once, too, but the innocence of child-like faith felt far removed from me now.

Mackenzie snuggled up against me and I put my arm around her, suddenly overcome with the need to protect her from the real world, from knowing how harsh and non-God-like it really was.

My breath caught at the ache to shield her—protect her—to keep her in that place of innocence as long as possible. I instinctively kissed the top of her head, and little Mackenzie intertwined her fingers with mine, and at that moment I fell in love.

Just like that.

I felt Dr. Mills’ eyes on me, studying me. My friends had always told me I was an open book and easy to read. I felt heat creep into my cheeks but met his eyes dead on, lifting both eyebrows in a challenge before turning my attention back to the message.

My stomach flipped—he might be a well-respected psychiatrist, but I wasn’t about to let him intimidate me. I was here to do a job—to take care of his daughter and to do it well—but I’d be damned if I were going to let him into my life any more than that.

I couldn’t get distracted from my goal. This job was going to provide me with the time needed to make it happen and pay the bills.

My mind wandered, walking through step-by-step how I would accomplish it, imagining exactly how I would spend my time off away from Mackenzie.

Before I knew it, the reverend was inviting people to bow their heads and close their eyes—and I had absolutely no idea what his sermon had been about.