by Karen Booth
The empty house and Ivy’s depressing thoughts combined to steal the joy from the day. She had been so happy here. A new job. A new friend. And yes, Farrell was her friend, despite everything that had happened.
Perhaps he didn’t have the same regard for her.
Would she have to leave? If one night in Ivy’s bed had spooked him this badly, it was possible they could no longer coexist.
The prospect of going back to Portland was heartbreaking. She loved everything about Farrell’s enclave here in the northern woods. Some women might crave restaurants and nightlife and excitement. But Ivy had never really known that kind of lifestyle. To her, this private getaway was idyllic. If she had kept Farrell at arm’s length, the situation would have remained stable.
Now, because she had let her feelings get out of control, she might lose her job and her home and have to start over yet again.
To distract herself from her dismal thoughts, she climbed to the second and third floors to do one last reconnaissance. Though she touched up a mirror here and straightened a rug there, everything was in order. Farrell’s guest rooms were lovely. Each one had an individual theme or color palette.
Clearly, some had ocean views and some looked out over the forest, but she couldn’t imagine any guest complaining about anything. Luxury stamped each square foot.
She was both nervous and excited about the upcoming house party. Katie would be there to lend a hand with names or any of the million and one details that were bound to crop up. That was a comfort.
But why had Farrell gone to Portland?
What did it mean?
Instantly, she made a decision. Farrell would have no cause to regret sharing her bed. Ivy would make it clear from the outset that she was not emotionally involved…that she intended to move forward with business as usual. If she let him know by her attitude that nothing had changed, perhaps they could go back to what they’d had before. A cautious friendship.
Wednesday dragged. Ivy would like to say she didn’t know why, but the cause was obvious. Farrell wasn’t here to lend his passion and energy to the house. She missed him.
That was a problem. But she would deal with it.
She and Dolly spent a pleasant afternoon and evening together. Ivy went to bed early. The next four days would be busy and challenging. She needed her rest. But her dreams were dark and disturbing. Farrell starred in all of them.
Thursday morning, she was at the big house early. Katie—not Farrell—had sent a text to say the three of them—Katie, Quin and Farrell—would arrive before lunch. Would Ivy mind preparing a light meal?
Of course Ivy wouldn’t mind. It was her job, after all.
She jittered and watched the clock as she grilled chicken breasts and made a pasta salad. There were apples in the pantry that needed to be eaten, so she peeled and sliced them and threw together a fruit crisp.
Soon, the kitchen smelled delightful.
The sun had come out around ten, burning off the fog and drying out the surroundings. That was probably best when having foreign guests. Not everyone appreciated a rainy day the way Ivy did.
When she heard car doors slamming just before noon, she peeked out a window and saw the three adults climbing out of two cars. Her heart jumped and began to beat sluggishly.
Seldom did she have the opportunity to study Farrell unobserved. He looked even taller than she remembered. As she watched, he laughed at something one of the others had said. For a moment, he looked far younger than he was. This was the man Sasha would have known.
When the two Stone siblings and Katie entered the kitchen, Ivy was able to greet them with a smile. “Just in time,” she said. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Quin dropped a briefcase in the hallway and stretched. “We got up too early. I’m starving.”
Katie gave Ivy a quick hug. “Me, too. Everything smells delicious. May I help you?”
Farrell, noticeably, said nothing. He was flipping through a stack of mail in his hands. Perhaps that was his excuse for not acknowledging the woman he’d recently bedded.
Ivy nodded her head. “If you’ll see what the men want to drink, the rest of lunch is ready.” She took three plates and began doling out the meal.
Katie frowned. “Where is your plate?”
“I ate earlier,” Ivy lied. “Dolly was up at the crack of dawn, so I was hungry already.”
Katie seemed unconvinced, but she didn’t press the issue.
Once Ivy put food on the table, she left the kitchen without fanfare and escaped to the study. Quietly, she opened the door and slipped inside. Dolly was still asleep, her little bottom up in the air.
Ivy sat down in a cozy armchair, leaned back and closed her eyes. She ached for Farrell, for the knowledge that he was giving her a wide berth. Had she ruined everything by sleeping with him, by giving in to the madness that had caught them up in a physical relationship that seemed inevitable?
Farrell had been so kind to her. So incredibly sexy. Was it any wonder that Ivy had a crush on him?
Being in bed with him, having him touch her and give her pleasure, had been an experience she hadn’t known she needed.
With Farrell, she felt whole.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Farrell handed Katie a sheet of paper. “Why don’t you and Quin assign the rooms? I’ve penciled in a couple. I’ll go find Ivy and see what else needs to be done.”
As excuses went, it was clunky at best, but guilt burned a hole in his gut. How was he going to explain himself?
It took him several minutes to find Ivy. Only when he eased open the door to the study did he see the sleeping baby and her mother…also dead to the world. Or so it seemed.
Farrell slipped inside the room, closed the door silently and stood with his back to the wall. Watching the two females sleep made his chest ache.
Ivy hadn’t heard him…yet. Either she was very tired, or the white noise of the fan had covered his quiet entry. Until a few minutes ago when he walked into the house with Quin and Katie, he hadn’t seen Ivy since he climbed out of her bed yesterday morning. Thirty hours, give or take.
It seemed an eternity.
He’d been an ass in the kitchen just now. His first glance at Ivy had knocked the wind out of him. Pretending to read the damn mail was all he could manage, because he hadn’t known how to act or what to say.
At the very least, Ivy deserved an apology.
On the other hand, if he wasn’t planning to sleep with her again, it would be best to pretend everything was normal. Could he do it? Could he act as if sharing Ivy Danby’s bed hadn’t been the best thing to happen to him in the last seven years?
After several long minutes—when Ivy didn’t stir—he decided Fate was giving him a nudge. Leave well enough alone. Water under the bridge. Never look back. Any number of clichés came to mind.
Though his conscience and his heart were unsettled, he made himself slide to the left, reach behind his back, turn the knob and exit the room.
* * *
Katie tapped her old-school yellow legal pad with the tip of her pencil. “I think that’s it. The caterer will be here at eight in the morning. She’s sent me all of the weekend menus for approval. We have one vegan. One peanut allergy, and two gluten-free. I think we’re in good shape.”
Quin kissed the top of his wife’s head. “Isn’t she amazing?”
Farrell chuckled. “She was my admin long before she was your wife. I’m fully aware of Katie’s credentials.”
“Not all of them.” Quin waggled his eyebrows and kissed the side of Katie’s neck.
“Eww, gross,” she said, shoving him away. “This is a business meeting, Quin. Try to be an adult, please.” Her bashful smile took some of the sting from the rebuke.
“Yes, ma’am.” Quin’s hangdog expression was patently false.
Farrell stood and stre
tched. “Well, if you two lovebirds have everything under control, I think I’ll hit the lab. Once the chaos starts, I’ll be losing ground until Monday.”
“How’s the altitude-signaling device going?” Quin asked. “Any leaks?”
“None that I’ve heard of, which means there’s a good chance the Portland lab really was vulnerable.”
Quin sobered. “Zachary is trying to find an expert to analyze all the work computers.”
Katie nodded. “But it sounds like a gargantuan task. If things are going well here, Farrell, I vote you continue working remotely until we know something for sure.”
Farrell frowned. “What worries me is that we may never know.”
Quin paced the kitchen restlessly. “If Stone River Outdoors has a corporate spy or a hacker or whatever they call it these days, we’re gonna find out. End of story.”
Farrell nodded. “I want to believe that. But the police don’t have the manpower to pursue this. The suspect in your and Dad’s car crash is dead. He was a drifter. A drug addict. And there’s no evidence the crash was related to the theft of my designs, or that it was anything more than an accident.”
“So we just drop it?” Quin’s raw question held both anger and frustration.
“No,” Farrell said. “As long as you and Zachary agree, I’d like to hire a private investigator.”
“That will be damn expensive.” Quin chewed his lip.
“But money well spent, right?”
“Yep. You have my vote.”
Katie gathered her things. “I think an investigator is a great idea. But we have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Let’s go to our house, Quin.” She glanced at Farrell. “We’ll be back at seven tomorrow morning. And what about Ivy?”
“What about Ivy?” Farrell tried to make the question casual, but Katie was eyeing him strangely.
She shrugged. “I wondered if you had filled her in on all the details, or if I need to do that?”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate anything you have to offer,” Farrell said. “I think she’s in the study with the baby. Dolly is usually awake by now. Feel free to check on them.”
* * *
When Farrell strode out of the room, Katie glanced at her husband. “Was that weird?” she asked.
Quin rummaged in the cabinet for a new coffee filter. “Weird, how?”
“I don’t know,” Katie said, frowning. “They barely spoke to each other when the three of us arrived. I thought by now Farrell would feel comfortable with Ivy and vice versa.”
“Katie,” Quin warned. “It’s not any of our business. You already made him hire Ivy. I think you’ve done enough.”
“Hey,” she said, hoping he was teasing. “It was the perfect solution.”
“Maybe. But our Farrell is a certified hermit. Losing Sasha all those years ago changed him. He likes being alone. Having a live-in housekeeper and a little baby around may be wearing thin.”
* * *
Ivy paused just outside the doorway, trying not to let on that she had overheard the entire conversation. Her face was hot and her stomach churned. Was it true? Had Farrell decided that peanut-butter sandwiches were preferable to having Ivy and Dolly underfoot?
Was he regretting the sex?
The hurt burrowed deep.
Half an hour ago, she’d been lightly dozing when Farrell sneaked into the study. She had snapped awake at the first tiny click of the doorknob. New mothers were trained that way. Any out-of-the-ordinary sound could be cause for alarm.
Holding her breath, she had waited for him to speak, thinking she would open her eyes when he did. Instead, he’d simply stood there and watched her. What thoughts had gone through his brain?
Perhaps he had come to tell her that this weekend would be the last of her duties. That he had changed his mind about needing a housekeeper. If so, why hadn’t he done it?
Surely he hadn’t come to talk about their momentary indiscretion. Not that they’d been indiscreet, not really. Two grown adults. Single. Available. It wasn’t as if the two of them had done anything scandalous.
They had each wanted and needed the other.
Dolly chortled loudly, meaning that Ivy could no longer hide her presence in the hall. Besides, this wasn’t the time to analyze why Farrell Stone had made love to her like a movie hero and then shut her down cold.
Ivy cleared her throat, put a hand to her hot cheek and made herself walk into the kitchen. “Did I hear my name?” she asked cheerfully.
Katie looked stricken.
Quin smoothed the situation like a pro. “Katie was saying she needed to give you the update on our guests. Last-minute details. You know…”
“Oh, sure,” Ivy said. “I need to know what you all want me to do this weekend.”
Katie took Dolly and handed her off to Quin. “Grab her coat in the hall and walk her on the front porch for a few minutes, will you? Ivy and I need to put our heads together.”
When Quin and Dolly exited, Ivy sat on a stool at the island. “Give me the rundown,” she said.
Katie nodded and slid her notepad to Ivy. “Why don’t you take a picture of this with your phone? It will help you keep the names straight. And the second page is all the dietary stuff. But the caterer has that under control.”
Ivy frowned. “Your brother-in-law is paying me a generous salary. I feel like I should be the one cooking.”
“Nonsense. He’s been very clear. Farrell wants you as hostess.”
“I’ve never done anything like that. My husband didn’t even like to entertain on a small scale.”
“That’s the first time you’ve mentioned your husband to me,” Katie said softly. “Are you handling things okay?”
Ivy nodded. “I’m fine. It wasn’t a happy marriage, Katie.”
“Oh.” The other woman’s eyes rounded. “I didn’t know.”
“No way you could have. I didn’t even tell your sister when she advertised for a roommate. I was still processing Richard’s death and what it meant for me and Dolly. Still am, I suppose.”
Katie’s gaze was filled with sympathy. “Would it make you feel better if I came to the cabin with you and we can choose outfits for the various parts of the weekend?”
Ivy exhaled. “Oh, gosh, yes. I’ve been agonizing over what to wear.”
“Let me tell Quin where I’m going.”
“Will he be okay with Dolly?”
“Of course. And if Dolly is her cute and charming self, perhaps she’ll give my husband a few ideas.”
Fifteen minutes later, Ivy unlocked the cabin with Katie right on her heels. Katie looked around with interest. “I like how you’ve settled in.”
Ivy snorted. “If that’s a polite way of saying we have toys everywhere, then yes. We’re settled in.”
Katie laughed. “It’s organized chaos. I love it.”
They made their way to Ivy’s bedroom. Fortunately, Ivy had made her bed and tidied up that morning. “I’ve hung everything and pressed the wrinkles out of the few items that needed it. But there’s so much.”
Katie riffled through the hangers. “This for lunch tomorrow. First impressions and all that.”
The outfit Katie indicated was a sophisticated black pantsuit with a teal satin tank beneath and matching jewelry. Ivy had a hunch that the necklace and earrings probably cost as much as her first week’s salary.
The black leather flats were designer-made. The fact that she now also owned a half-dozen new bras and undies still made her shake her head in disbelief. “And after lunch?”
“The Stone brothers have planned a three-mile hike, nothing too strenuous. They want to show off the property and in the process demonstrate a few of our most popular pieces of outdoor gear. You saw that I ordered you hiking boots and trail pants that dry easily. You’ve got several options for tops.”
&nbs
p; “No wonder Farrell wanted a caterer. If he’s going to take the group on a forced march, they’ll be hungry.”
Katie grinned. “Indeed.” She held up a hanger. “I love this. It will be perfect for tomorrow evening. The men have planned for cocktails overlooking the ocean and then a formal dinner.”
The dress Katie had picked out from a catalog had three-quarter-length sleeves, a curved neckline and a hem that came down to just above the knee. But when Ivy tried it on several days ago, the deep red silk clung to her body in such a way that every one of her curves, modest though they were, presented a provocative image.
Ivy hesitated. “It’s awfully…red,” she said.
Katie laughed. “Of course it is. And it looks amazing with your skin tone. It’s really very modest. You can pull it off.”
“Maybe there’s something else a little less fitted?”
“Red for tomorrow night,” Katie said. “No question. Hold your head up and be fabulous.”
“I don’t think be fabulous is in my repertoire.”
“It’s in every woman’s repertoire,” Katie insisted. “But sometimes we let ourselves believe the negative messages. From others and from ourselves. You’re a lovely woman, Ivy. I’m sorry you had an unhappy marriage.”
Ivy shrugged. “Maybe I’ll tell you about it someday. Suffice it to say, Richard would never have let me out of the house in something like that. But I’m in charge of me now.”
“All the more reason to shine. You’re starting over, Ivy. Whatever the reason, crossroads in our lives are opportunities for growth.”
Ivy smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, fingering the crimson fabric of the dress in question. “I’m beginning to see why you were the perfect person to bring Quin out of his funk. No wonder he fell in love with you.”
“It wasn’t me,” Katie said. “I just gave him a nudge. Quin had to deal with the loss of competitive skiing on his own. Like any grief process, it took time. I’m really proud of him.”