He Signed Me As Nanny Not Wife For Ten Years Chapter 07

He Signed Me As Nanny Not Wife For Ten Years Chapter 07

Sitting in the moving bus, I vaguely thought I heard someone screaming my name as if his heart were breaking.

When I turned around, all I saw was a sea of people.

I could not find where the voice had come from.

The long trip was rough and exhausting.

Nellie curled in my arms.

Her small body was no longer tense. Once she relaxed, she fell asleep against me.

I gently patted her back.

The heavy stone that had been pressing on my heart seemed to be left far behind as the bus pulled away.

The convoy headed toward the rural Southwest.

Every time we passed a town or settlement, someone got off and went to their assigned placement.

In the end, only Nellie and I were left on the bus.

Northern New Mexico in September was so beautiful it almost did not feel real.

Nellie’s mood had improved a lot.

Still, the few words she had said that day remained like a thorn lodged in my chest.

She was my daughter.

I did not want her to carry the emotional burden of adult betrayal so early.

At her age, she should be playing happily and growing up healthy.

When we arrived in the small town where I had been assigned, it was noon.

Wildflowers covered the hills, and sheep grazed lazily in the distance.

Nellie took two steps, picked a flower, then took two more steps and picked another.

She looked up at me with a smile. “Mommy, is this place a big garden?”

Looking at her sweet little face, my heart softened completely.

“Do you like it here, Nellie?”

She nodded hard.

Then, as if one nod was not enough, she said again and again, “I like it, Mommy. I want to live in the garden forever.”

I smiled. “Then from now on, this will be our home.”

The person who came to pick me up was a surgeon who had started his placement there the year before.

His name was Ethan Hayes.

When he saw me with Nellie, he naturally took the luggage from my hand and smiled.

“This is the best season here. Welcome, Dr. Hart.”

His gaze fell on Nellie, and he hesitated for a moment.

Nellie lifted her head and stared at him without blinking.

Then she smiled, showing two tiny dimples. “Mister, you should welcome me too. I’m Nellie.”

I breathed out in relief.

On the trip here, Nellie had rejected everyone.

Even when familiar doctors and nurses tried to tease her, she only pressed her lips together and said nothing.

I had been worried those events had hurt her emotionally.

But seeing her smile and speak to Ethan, I finally relaxed a little.

Ethan smiled too.

Then he held out his hand to her with mock solemnity.

“Welcome, Nellie.”

Ethan told me that because this community was fairly large and close to the county seat, they had kept two medical outreach doctors there.

I nodded.

Our housing had been arranged in a small one-story cottage not far from the rural clinic.

Ethan lived on the left side.

Across a shared kitchen was the room where Nellie and I would temporarily stay.

The room had already been cleaned.

The windows were bright, the table was spotless, and I could tell whoever had prepared it had done so carefully.

Nellie squatted in the yard and played with the flowers she had picked.

She sorted the yellow ones with the yellow ones, and the purple ones with the purple ones.

Whenever I looked up, I could see her.

That made me feel at ease.

After putting away our luggage, I went straight to the clinic.

The equipment inside was very basic.

I frowned.

With the current conditions, we could only handle simple fevers, headaches, and minor issues.

Anything more serious would require more equipment and medicine.

Seeing my serious expression as I checked and sorted supplies, Ethan rubbed his nose.

“Most people here only come in for small problems. If it’s serious, they make a trip to the nearest town.”

“Honestly, this clinic doesn’t always treat people.”

I looked at him in confusion.

Very soon, I understood exactly what he meant.