Ivy scared him, because he was attracted to her. She was so very real. He wanted to take care of her, and he wanted to have her. In his bed.
If he delved into her life, her past, he would get too involved. He might step over the line. Not only for boss/employee, but for his own personal boundaries.
He didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to give a woman what she needed.
Or maybe that wasn’t true. Maybe he simply didn’t ever want to be so vulnerable. He knew what it felt like to lose someone important. He couldn’t go through that pain again.
* * *
Ivy liked her job. She and Dolly were adjusting well to the new environment. It had taken a couple of days to feel comfortable in Farrell’s fabulous kitchen, but even that was easier by the end of the first week.
One Friday morning, she was surprised when Katie showed up out of the blue right after breakfast. She and Farrell put their heads together for an hour about R & D department issues. Then Katie sought out Ivy at the cabin.
The attractive, sexy blonde made Ivy feel inadequate in all sorts of ways. Not on purpose, of course. But Katie was gorgeous. And confident. And blissfully happy as a newlywed. She was also running things back in Portland while Farrell worked here in the middle of nowhere.
When Katie begged to play with the baby, Ivy got Dolly up from her nap and changed her. As Ivy returned to the living room, Katie grinned. “Is it possible she’s grown since the last time I saw her?”
“Maybe,” Ivy said. “She’s healthy and happy here.”
Katie cocked her head. “And you?”
Ivy flushed. “Yes. Things are going well.”
“Farrell says you cook like a dream.”
“I’m glad he thinks so.”
“Do the two of you get along?”
“We had a few spats the first couple of days. But we understand each other now.”
“Good.” Katie gave her a pointed stare. “I need to talk to you about something. But you have to promise not to freak out.”
“That’s not a reassuring way to start a conversation.” Ivy’s stomach flipped and flopped. “Is it Farrell? Has he changed his mind? And he’s too chicken to tell me himself?”
The last eight words came tumbling out indignantly.
Katie gaped, then laughed. “Farrell Stone is the bravest man I know...after my husband. And no. He hasn’t changed his mind. But you know how I mentioned that Farrell entertains often?”
“Yes.”
“Well, next weekend is a big event. Farrell and I have been trying to pull it together. But we didn’t know until yesterday that it was going to work out. Stone River Outdoors is hoping to partner with a few overseas entities to extend our global reach.”
“I see.” Ivy told herself not to overreact.
Katie continued. “We have some heavy hitters flying in for a ‘summit’ here at Farrell’s house. A watchmaker from Switzerland. A well-known safari company from Namibia. A couple of ecotour operators from the British Virgin Islands. Plus, a husband and wife who organize walking tours in Tuscany. Farrell, Zachary and Quin are hoping to convince them all to use Stone River products, and in turn, we’ll advertise for each of our partners.”
“So lots of cooking.”
Katie looked guilty. “Not exactly. We’re bringing in a professional chef for the weekend. Farrell wants you to act as his hostess. My sister has agreed to come with me and babysit Dolly. Here at the cabin, of course. So you won’t have to worry about her.”
Ivy shook her head, her fists clenching. “Delanna? Oh, no,” she said. “That won’t work.”
“I’ll be here the whole time,” Katie said. “Except at night. Quin and I will sleep at our place.”
“And Zachary? Does he have a significant other? Somebody better suited than me to take over here?”
“Zachary is the quintessential bachelor. He goes where the wind blows him. Although to be fair,” she said quickly, “he really has curtailed his traveling since Mr. Stone died. Zachary is the financial genius at headquarters. He keeps us in the black. He’ll be staying up here, too, but in his own house.”
“When you talked to me about this job back in Portland, I thought you meant the occasional dinner party,” Ivy muttered. “I’m not who you need. Besides, I don’t have the right clothes.”
Katie juggled Dolly in one arm and reached into an expensive leather tote. “We’re going to take care of that right now.” She pulled out a sheaf of catalogs. “I’ve made a list of everything you’ll want. Farrell is paying, of course. If you don’t like the colors and styles I’ve picked, feel free to say so. I’ve folded down the appropriate pages. We’ll do overnight shipping. If there are things that don’t fit, that will give us time to do exchanges.”
When Katie handed over the catalogs, Ivy looked at them in a daze. Farrell hadn’t been kidding about his efficient admin. Katie was a military general, planning...executing. There were dressy pants and tops. Couture negligees. A trio of cocktail dresses. Casual hiking clothes.
Ivy shook her head. “I can’t,” she said. Her nose burned and her eyes stung. This was a world she knew nothing about.
Katie read her distress. Her smile was kind. “You can do this, Ivy.”
“But I’m not like you.” Ivy indicated the glossy catalogs. “I’ve never worn anything so nice.”
The other woman smiled wryly. “You may not know this, but my life before I married Quin was far more blue-collar than black-tie. I worked with the Farrell men, but that was as far as it went. Now I’m one of the family. It’s been sink or swim. I’ve had to keep up with their lifestyle, but it’s really not as bad as it sounds, Ivy. It’s kind of nice being pampered.”
Ivy changed course. “I don’t even really know your sister.”
“You moved in with her.”
“For three nights. That’s all. She advertised for a roommate.”
“She already loves Dolly. And though my sister can be flaky at times, she’s great with kids. Plus, as I mentioned, you’ll be close by the entire time. Nothing to worry about.”
“Why can’t you be the hostess?”
Katie’s smile was smug. “Because Farrell wants you. I’m a newlywed. My husband and I will go home every evening. You’ll be on hand to juggle any overnight emergencies.”
“Overnight?” Ivy’s eyes widened.
For the first time, Katie looked guilty. “Did I forget to mention that? Farrell wants you to stay in one of the guest rooms.”
“Why didn’t he ask me himself?” Ivy demanded. “This doesn’t sound like him at all.”
“Well, you’d be wrong, then. He says you’re smart and capable, and he thinks you’ll be the perfect person to make his guests comfortable.”
After that, things snowballed out of Ivy’s control. It made sense that Katie was organizing the entire weekend. After all, she had been Farrell’s administrative assistant for a long time. What didn’t make sense was expecting Ivy to jump into a high-octane situation and pretend she moved in these circles.
Over lunch, Farrell added his two cents’ worth. “Thank you, Ivy,” he said. “Katie tells me she went over all the particulars with you. We’ll have barely a week to get ready, but Katie and Quin will fly up Thursday morning to help with final details. Zachary will be in charge of hiring limos to collect our guests at the Portland airport on Friday and shepherd them up here.”
Ivy looked from her boss to the woman who had been instrumental in getting Ivy this well-paid job. Both of them appeared oddly certain that Ivy could handle this extraordinary upcoming event. Both of them had believed in her when she was desperate and had no clue how she was going to support herself and her child.
Already, she was in their debt. What could she say other than yes?
“I’ll help however I can,” she said. “With one caveat.”
Farrell rai
sed an eyebrow. “And that would be?”
“I’ll be the one to put Dolly to bed at night. It doesn’t take long. I don’t want her thinking I’ve abandoned her.”
Katie nodded. “Of course. Besides, Quin and I will still be here that early in the evening. So no worries.”
* * *
Farrell was already second-guessing himself. It was true that he needed a hostess for the weekend. But Katie had served that role in the past and would have done so again if he’d asked. Somehow, though, he believed Ivy would add an important element to the upcoming event. She was practical and adaptable. And she would tell him honestly if aspects of the summit weren’t working.
Right now, she looked uneasy. Katie had thrown a lot of stuff at her, and there would be more to come. Was Farrell pushing her too far?
Before he could answer that question, Ivy stood and began clearing the table. Katie stood, as well. “I can handle cleanup,” Katie said. “Ivy, the chicken salad was amazing. Farrell, you go back to work. Ivy, you put Dolly down for her nap. I’ve got this.”
When Ivy disappeared with Dolly in her arms, Farrell shook his head slowly. “Was she open to the hostess idea?”
Katie grimaced. “Not really. I had to sell it hard. But I think you’re right. She’ll be an asset this weekend. And even though she had reservations about being so visible, she’ll enjoy it. I hope.”
After lunch, when Katie had gone down the road to her and Quin’s house, Farrell went back to the lab and tried to work with little success. He wasn’t worried about the summit weekend. The prospect of a new venture was exciting. But Ivy was a conundrum that stuck with him.
This past week, he’d found himself watching her when he thought she wouldn’t notice. The gentle swell of her breasts. The way her hips filled out a pair of jeans. The glimmer of mischief in her eyes when she laughed.
With a mutter of disgust, he dropped his pencil and stood. All he’d managed to accomplish in the last half hour was a series of amateur doodles. He might as well take a break and satisfy his curiosity at the same time.
When he knocked on the front door of the cabin, he took a moment to appreciate how it had turned out. He had envisioned it as an addition to the three large houses he and his brothers had built here in northern Maine.
The cabin was smaller. And cozy. Maybe one day, Quin and Katie’s kids would come stay in the cabin between semesters in college. Or even honeymoon here. It was a great hideaway.
He knocked a second time, and the door abruptly opened. Ivy was visibly shocked. “Farrell. Did you need me?”
Suddenly, he questioned his judgment. Ivy’s face was flushed. One cheek sported a visible blanket crease. “Ah, hell,” he said. “You were napping. I’m sorry. Never mind.”
He turned on his heel, but Ivy’s soft, unintentionally sexy voice stopped him. “You can come in, Farrell. I needed to get up anyway.”
“Is the baby awake?”
“No. She’ll sleep for another forty-five minutes at least.”
He should have walked away. But he didn’t. “I don’t want to interrupt,” he said gruffly, feeling the tops of his ears get hot. There was no reason in the world for him to be here. But still, he stayed.
Ivy opened the door wider and stepped back. “You’re fine. Come on in.”
Together, they took the few steps to the living room. Ivy curled up in an armchair upholstered in moss green velvet. Farrell sat on the green-and-gold-plaid sofa. “Shall I start a fire?” he asked. The day was cold and dreary.
“That would be nice.”
She was eyeing him with suspicion, and no wonder. He was acting weird. Even he could see that.
Conscious of her gaze on his back, he squatted beside the fireplace and put together the kindling and larger logs. With some kerosene-soaked pine cones and newspaper and a couple of matches, he soon had a creditable blaze going.
“There you go,” he said, standing and brushing a bit of soot off his pants. “Is this the first one you’ve had?”
Ivy nodded, wrinkling her nose. “I tried twice, but apparently, pyromania is not one of my gifts.”
“It takes practice,” he said, sitting back down with a sigh. There were worse ways to spend a fall afternoon.
“Shouldn’t you be inventing stuff?”
He chuckled. “Yes. I’m blocked at the moment. It happens.”
“Am I allowed to ask what you’re working on?”
“Of course. It’s a motion-activated emergency signal. Sometimes in an avalanche or a climbing accident, the person involved can’t use their cell phone. Maybe it’s lost. Maybe the signal is poor.”
“Maybe they can’t reach it, or they’re too badly injured to call for help?”
“Exactly. The device I’m trying to create would be triggered when there is an abrupt change in altitude. That signal could be picked up by any number of rescue frequencies.”
“Impressive.”
He shrugged. “It might be, if I ever get it done.”
Ivy picked at a loose thread on the sofa arm. “Why did you ask me to be your hostess this weekend?”
He hadn’t seen that one coming. “Well, uh...”
She pinned him with a sharp gaze. “The truth, please.”
Six
Ivy couldn’t believe she’d had the courage to ask the question, but she badly wanted to know.
Farrell’s expression was hard to read. He shot her a glance and then stood to poke the fire. When it blazed up to his satisfaction, he leaned an arm on the mantel and faced her. “You could say my motives were multilayered.”
It was difficult to stay focused when he was such a beautiful man to look at. Despite the cerebral nature of his work, it was clear he spent a great deal of time outdoors. The honey streaks in his brown hair were natural. His skin was tanned to a golden color, and his sinewy muscles were that of an experienced athlete.
She had studied up on the Stone brothers. Google was a wonderful thing. Quin, Katie’s husband, had missed a gold medal for skiing by a fraction of a second. She’d seen photos of a laughing Zachary camel racing in Morocco. And as for Farrell, well, he seemed to have been everywhere and done everything. Maybe grief had made it too hard to stay in Maine, or maybe he simply liked the challenge of climbing mountains and flying over glaciers.
“Multilayered,” she muttered. “That’s not an answer.”
“Fine,” he said, sounding grumpy. “I thought it would be fun for you.”
“Wait, what?” As the words penetrated her fog, she frowned. “Since when do I need to have fun?”
“Everybody needs to have fun, Ivy. And I’ve been told that new moms sometimes struggle, because they get overwhelmed with the demands of a baby, and they begin to miss adult interactions.”
“I don’t want you handling me,” Ivy said defensively. “I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.”
His green eyes sparked with irritation. “Of course you are. But I also thought you might be an asset this weekend, because you aren’t part of Stone River Outdoors. I was hoping you could give us a new perspective. We want to do more of these co-op weekends. You can comment on things that Zachary and Quin and Katie and I might not see, because we’re too close to the subject matter. I’d like to hear what you think when it’s all over.”
Shame was not a good feeling. “Oh,” she said stiffly. “Well, that’s different. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”
Her prim assurance made him grin. “No, you’re not. But you’re also probably a little bit curious. So you agreed.”
“I agreed because you’re my boss.”
His face went blank. “I see.” He stood abruptly and headed for the door. “Then forget about it. Katie will handle what needs to be done. I’m sorry to intrude.”
Now she had really done it. “Wait,” she cried. She ran after him and caught him at the door. Whe
n she put her hand on his forearm, all the air left her lungs. Until Farrell entered her life, she hadn’t touched a man who wasn’t her husband in over a decade. From what she remembered of the opposite sex, those long-ago college boys hadn’t felt like this.
Farrell’s arm was muscled, warm, strong enough to rescue a woman if she needed rescuing. “I’m sorry,” she said urgently, making herself step back. “You’re right. I was curious, and even though I’m scared, I’m honored that you offered me this opportunity.”
“I don’t want your gratitude,” he snapped. He ran a hand over his face and leaned back against the door. “I don’t understand you, Ivy, but I’m trying. I’m not the enemy here.”
“No,” she said. “You’re not.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” His green-eyed gaze, clear and steady, told her he had pieced together at least some of her truth. On his face, she saw compassion. Kindness. Wariness.
She wanted to... She desperately wanted to tell him everything that had happened to her. But she was so ashamed. “No,” she said. “Not today. Maybe never. But it’s kind of you to ask.”
“I’ll tell you about Sasha,” he said abruptly. “If you ever want to know. Not a quid pro quo. My tragedy is further in the past than yours. I don’t expect you to bare your soul to me.”
Tragedy wasn’t the right word, but she couldn’t explain. “Now,” she said quietly. “Tell me about Sasha now. If you have time.”
Some of the tension in his shoulders relaxed. “I don’t talk about her often. But you’re someone who would understand.”
“Then sit down,” Ivy said. “I’ll behave.”
He touched her cheek with a single fingertip, barely a brushstroke, the flutter of a butterfly wing. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
They had reached some kind of milestone, Ivy realized. She had let down her guard, and Farrell, without her noticing, had slipped into her heart and made a place for himself.
Upstairs Downstairs Temptation (The Men 0f Stone River Book 2) Page 5
