Title: The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
Series: Eastport Bay Billionaires #4
Author: Tru Taylor

Genre: Small Town Romantic Comedy
Release Date: October 19, 2021

BLURB

You can’t appreciate all the implications of the word “conflicted” until you come face to face with the guy you’ve been secretly lusting after for weeks… and then learn he’ll be signing your paychecks—Angelina Rappaport

Some people might call me sheltered. That doesn’t begin to cover it. I’ve been practically sequestered my whole life. Constantly warned by my eccentric and reclusive mother against the “dangers of the world,” I was only allowed outside my home to attend a strict girls’ school. No parties. No sleepovers. NO boys.

Ever.

Even now in my early twenties, the extent of my social life is spending time with the adorable three and four-year-olds at the preschool where I work. I’ve hardly ever spoken to a man, except for exchanging morning greetings with the fathers of my students.

And soon, I’ll obey my mother’s wishes and enter religious service, training to be a nun.

But gazing out my bedroom window in the turret of my family’s crumbling seaside mansion, I secretly dream of a different life, one that involves freedom, adventure, love, and children of my own.

I at least want a kiss before I give up and follows my mother’s plan for my life.

Sullivan Reece

As a heavyweight boxing champion in prime condition, I can easily go twelve rounds with the toughest fighters on the planet—but when it comes to my two little girls… I’m a lightweight.

Now that my ex has declared herself “done” with mothering, and my spirited and mischievous daughters are living with me full-time, I’m realizing just how much I don’t know about raising kids. My own upbringing in a tough neighborhood left a lot to be desired—I basically raised myself, and honestly, didn’t do all that great a job of it.

And then there’s my demanding training schedule and the travel required for my career. What I really need is a live-in nanny. Yesterday.

But as newcomer to Eastport Bay, I have no idea where or how to find the right caretaker for the two most important people in my life. So when my neighbors say they know the perfect person, I jump at the chance to hire her. She has experience with children, she needs a place to live, and she’s exactly the kind of classy role model I want for my daughters.

There’s just one problem… the new nanny is everything I’m not—sweet, innocent, good. It goes without saying she’s completely off-limits.

Oh, and she’s a total knockout.

The Baby-whisperer and the Brute is a full-length small town rom com fairytale retelling of Rapunzel. It’s a standalone single dad/forbidden love/forced proximity/slow burn romance with no cheating or cliffhangers but plenty of humor and heat and a gentle bruiser with a heart of gold.

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EXCERPTS

#1

Sully
“So how are the girls?” Wilder asked. “Any great escapes lately?”
I chuckled. “Not one. You did a solid job. Though I could probably leave the doors unlocked these days and not worry about it. Their behavior’s gotten way better lately.”
“Oh yeah? They get used to the new living arrangements?”
“That… and I hired a nanny. She’s amazing with them. They’re like different kids. They absolutely love her.”
He studied me with an amused half-smile. “What do you think of her?”
Shrugging, I looked away at a TV screen, making my tone as blasé as possible. “I like her. She’s good with them. And she’s… nice.”
Wilder sat back in his booth seat, folded his arms across his chest, and shook his head, laughing softly. “Oh man… you’ve got a thing for the nanny.”
My eyes lasered to his, my tone suddenly harsh. “I do not. That would not be… smart.”
He shook his head, still grinning. “No. But it would be understandable. I mean, she’s there in your house every day, taking care of your kids, making your life easier. Is she young?”
I gave him a grudging nod. “Twenty-three.”
Wilder nodded. “Mmmhmm. What’s her name?”
There was a long moment when I hesitated, sizing up my friend across the table. “Angelina.”
Wilder, who’d been in mid-sip, choked on his beer. “Angelina the hot preschool teacher? Oh, dude—you are in so much trouble. That woman is smokin’.”
I battled a surge of possessive animosity, actually had to suppress a growl.
“I hadn’t noticed,” I lied through gritted teeth.
“She’s also planning to become a nun—did you know that?” Wilder said, clearly not buying the lie.
“Maybe. She might become a nun. She’s weighing her options right now.”
Wilder nodded, his lips twisting in a thoughtful expression. “I see. And do her options include being Sullivan Reece’s new woman?”
I frowned. “Of course not. She’s my kids’ nanny. And she’s gonna be a nun.”
“Might be a nun,” Wilder corrected. He took another drink. “Say you didhave a thing for her… would that be so bad? She sounds like the total package. It’s obvious you like her. Yeah, it’s inconvenient that she’s the nanny, but it’s not like it would be the first time in history. I mean, it’s practically a celebrity rite of passage.”
“Yeah, it would be that bad,” I told him, finally starting to crumble under the strain of interrogation.
Rubbing my forehead, I stared down at the scarred wood tabletop. “No matter how amazing she is, how sweet and funny and smart and yeah, ‘smokin’,’ I can’t go there. I don’t want to be thatguy. If I ever made a move… tried to take it to another level, and it didn’t work out… my kids could lose their nanny.”
“So get another one. Date Angelina and hire someone else.”
I shook my head adamantly. “No. There’s no one like her. She’s the best person to care for my girls, and they deserve the best. I’d be the world’s worst father if they lost her because of my selfishness. I’m just gonna… you know, get over it, put her out of my mind… move on.”
My tone of voice wasn’t convincing even to myself, but what else was there to do?

#2

Angelina
The girls reached the inflatable bouncer and scrambled inside. One of them squealed, “Let’s hide from Daddy in here. He’s too big to fit.”
With Sullivan only steps away now, I also had the impulse to hide.
Stepping to the opposite side of the bounce house, I watched the children inside through its mesh window. I could also make out Sullivan’s large form as he stood and looked in from the other side.
He shifted back and forth with impatience, appearing barely contained and a little bit dangerous.
Though I knew he was wealthy, he looked slightly rough around the edges, like maybe he’d started life somewhere very different from an opulent Eastport Bay mansion. And while he was dressed nicely, I had the impression he’d be more comfortable in a pair of worn jeans or maybe gym shorts and a t-shirt
Inside the bounce house, Sullivan’s daughters ignored his watchful presence, springing around like popcorn kernels, their wild hair flying with each jump.
He called out to them. “We’ll go home, change real quick, and come back. But only if you get out of there right now and come with me.”
In spite of his deep voice and intimidating size, I was surprised to hear no sternness in the man’s tone. Rather, he sounded like he was begging these infinitely smaller humans to cooperate.
Suddenly I understood what was going on.
He was the one who was intimidated. And his daughters knew it.
Like any children, who would gladly accept any and all power you would give them, the adorable little girls were playing him.
Sullivan Reece might look like a bruiser, but inside he was a marshmallow, at least when it came to these two girls.
The spark of sympathy grew into something larger, something warmer. The man needed help. And if I’d learned anything during my time as a preschool teaching assistant, it was how to get unruly children to cooperate.
“I. Want. To. Keep. On. Bounce. Ing,” one of the Reece girls said in an obstinate tone as she jumped even harder and higher.
“I mean it now,” her father said, sounding increasingly frustrated. “If you two don’t listen to me, I’ll…”
His threat trailed off into nothingness, and he looked heavenward as if seeking wisdom from a higher power. That was when I started moving, walking around to the side of the bouncer where he stood.
When I reached his side, he still stood with his head dropped back on his shoulders, his hands low on his hips as he breathed in and out with audible gusts, perhaps struggling to remain calm.
His sleeves were rolled up to expose his forearms and one of those tattoos I’d noticed from afar. I also noticed he wore no jewelry.
No wedding ring. My heart gave an extra thump.
He was even larger up close than I’d anticipated. Being next to him was something like standing near a high stone wall, though this particular stone wall smelled amazing. Some sort of cologne or manly soap, I guessed.
And the texture of his hair was anything but rough. The shiny, dark locks looked so soft and touchable I felt a literal ache in my fingertips from resisting the impulse to reach out.
What was wrong with me? I’d never felt an inappropriate urge to touch a stranger before.
And this man was clearly in distress. The last thing he needed was a ridiculous girl ogling his various physical attributes.
Swallowing down the large lump that had mysteriously formed in my throat, I managed to find my voice.
“Kids that age can be a handful, huh?”
Sullivan dropped his arms to his side and swiveled abruptly in my direction, looking down to locate me. His mouth opened slightly, though he didn’t immediately respond, and his eyelids flared wide, revealing the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.

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AUTHOR BIO

Award-winning romance author Tru Taylor writes romantic comedies to make you swoon, smile, and snort with laughter.

She runs on Coke Zero and dark chocolate, lives for lunches with her girlfriends, and drives to the town beach several times a week to watch the sun set over the water.

She loves LOVE and will attempt to turn any show or movie she’s watching into a romance whether it is one or not. Star Wars? A romance. Lord of the Rings? Clearly a romance. The Expendables? Okay, well not even Tru can redeem that one.

When she’s not writing, Tru enjoys watching movies and reading books with happy endings, spending time with her husband and two kids, and sneaking Hershey’s Kisses from the top shelf of the freezer throughout the day. (Top shelf because… two kids. Enough said.)

Tru is the author of the Eastport Bay small town rom com series and loves living in a small New England town where she’s surrounded every day by the beautiful coastal setting you see brought to life in her books.

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