Читать онлайн книгу «Her Millionaire, His Miracle» автора Myrna Mackenzie

Her Millionaire, His Miracle
Myrna Mackenzie
The blind millionaire All his life, rich and powerful Jeremy Fulton had needed no one. Now he was going blind – and he had to reveal his secret to the woman he’d once overlooked: the shy and poor Eden Byars.Accepting her temporary help would be hard – and acting on their unexpected attraction unforgivable… Jeremy claimed he had nothing to offer a woman. But Eden wouldn’t give up on the man she’d loved from afar for so long.Could she find a way to bring light to this proud millionaire’s heart? It would take a miracle…


“Today must have been hard. Having me lean and rely on you to cover for any mistakes I made.”
Eden pulled back. “No! Don’t think that. It wasn’t at all like that. I—you’re so obviously a master at what you do. I was just there today as a helper.”
He cupped his hands around her face. “I don’t want to ask more of you than you feel comfortable giving, so…tell me if I ever cross the line.”
His lips were a mere breath from hers, and he knew he was very much in danger of crossing the line right now. Her mouth was pure temptation, the scent of her drew him, enticed him. Her body felt so right this close. He wanted her.
“Tell me,” he said again.
“I will,” she said, the words coming out on a soft breath. “I promise I will.”
Myrna Mackenzie is a self-proclaimed ‘student of all things that concern women and their relationships’. An award-winning author of over thirty novels, Myrna was born in a small town in Dunklin County, Missouri, grew up just outside Chicago, and now divides her time between two lake areas, both very different and both very beautiful. She loves coffee, hiking, cruising the internet for interesting websites and ‘attempting’ gardening, cooking and knitting. Readers (and other potential gardeners, cooks, knitters, writers, etc…) can visit Myrna online at www.myrnamackenzie.com, or write to her at PO Box 225, La Grange, IL 60525, USA.

Dear Reader
Mills & Boon is celebrating its 100th anniversary! That’s a truly special milestone. For many of us, these were our first romances. They hold a momentous place in our hearts, and I’m honoured to be a part of this celebration of 100 years of joyous love stories and wonderful characters.
So…what makes a character in a story special? What is it that makes us admire certain people more than others? I’m sure we could all come up with a list. Mine keeps growing all the time. Here’s a little piece of it.
An admirable person:

1 Is kind to those less fortunate
2 Notices the shy person and gently helps them into the limelight
3 Takes time to appreciate the now
4 Is grateful for the small, precious gifts life offers and acknowledges them
5 Is polite because he or she cares, not just because of the ‘always be polite’ rule
6 Listens
7 Has a genuine laugh and laughs often
8 Is sincere
9 Is often at his or her best when things get tough
Well…number nine. That’s a difficult one. How a person deals with the tough moments is important, because those tough moments are when each of us has to face our weaknesses and when we’re most likely to feel alone and to fail.
Jeremy Fulton, the hero of HER MILLIONAIRE, HIS MIRACLE, faces a future that would destroy a lesser man. Eden Byars has faced adversity many times. The road ahead holds no certainty or hope of happiness. Yet the minute Jeremy and Eden walked into my imagination I knew they were the type of people who might manage to make something wonderful out of potential tragedy. I couldn’t help wanting to tell their story…because the world can never have enough admirable people—even fictional ones.
Wishing you much hope and joy in this special year
Myrna Mackenzie

HER MILLIONAIRE, HIS MIRACLE
BY
MYRNA MACKENZIE

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CHAPTER ONE
TURN around. Go back home. This could all go so wrong. What was I thinking when I decided to go through with this? Eden Byars tried to appear calm as the housekeeper at Oak Shores showed her into Jeremy Fulton’s north suburban Chicago mansion, but her thoughts didn’t seem to be willing to play the game.
Just keep moving forward, she ordered herself. This was too great an opportunity. She couldn’t let old, uncomfortable memories mess things up.
“Excuse me?” the housekeeper asked.
Eden blinked. Had she spoken her thoughts out loud? Maybe. “The house is beautiful,” she said, trying to regain her poise. “I’d forgotten.” And she had never actually been inside. Not even inside the gates or down the long, winding drive shaded by oaks. In fact, she’d only ever seen glimpses of the imposing mansion in the winter when the leaves had fallen.
The woman tilted her head. “Yes, there’s no other like it. Mr. Fulton is in the library, right through there. He’s expecting you.” She indicated a massive set of mahogany doors and left to return to her duties.
Eden stood before the doors, smoothing her hands over her old navy-blue skirt. Silly to be nervous. She’d barely known Jeremy ten years ago. They’d hardly exchanged a dozen words beyond hello and goodbye. Different social classes, different everything. It had been a nonexistent relationship.
Except for the fact that she’d had an overwhelming secret and painful crush on him until…
Eden’s face grew warm with embarrassment. She took a deep breath.
Dusty history, Byars. He won’t remember. Please. And even if he did, it couldn’t matter. She had to have the job she’d heard Jeremy was trying to fill. Fate had thrown her a curve last month just when she thought she was back on her feet. Suddenly she was down on her luck again. Creditors were calling and all of her plans were on the brink of evaporating if she didn’t do something quickly.
A sick feeling slipped into her stomach. The thought of standing before Jeremy and revealing her desperation while he judged her brought back old flashbacks from high school of never fitting in.
But that had been long ago. Awkwardness was no longer her constant companion. She’d changed.
Apparently, so had Jeremy. In one major way.
Eden closed her eyes, remembering what she’d heard. She tried not to think of how he’d once been with that disarming amber gaze and those wild, reckless ways that made girls forgive him anything. Fast and brilliant and very openly temporary, he had been the most vital, alive male she’d ever known.
And now he was…
Eden backed away from the thought. Don’t think about it. I can handle this, she told herself.
Could she? Maybe. Yes. She had to. Jeremy’s situation wasn’t her concern. No man was, not in a personal way. Besides, he was no longer a boy she coveted. He was just a man with a job to fill, someone who could aid or ruin her, and loitering outside the library wasn’t helping things. If she didn’t prove to Jeremy that she was the best—a term no one would have tagged her with when she was younger—if she didn’t convince him to hire her…
I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for. The distant dreams that had kept her going this past year would never materialize.
“I won’t let that happen,” she whispered. Not again. Ignoring her pounding heart and a lot of unfortunate memories, Eden took a deep breath, pushed at the massive mahogany door and prepared to confront her past.
Jeremy rose from the desk where he’d been sitting when the door opened. His housekeeper had buzzed him to let him know Eden was here several minutes ago and he’d been wondering why she hadn’t appeared yet.
Well, sort of wondering. He imagined it took a bit of courage to face an old acquaintance under these circumstances. But he refused to examine his circumstances. Too many dangerous emotions down that path, something he’d learned to avoid. Instead he concentrated on the moment…and the woman. He would have preferred someone who’d never known him as he once had been, but Eden had been sent here by her cousin, Ashley, an old friend of his whom he trusted implicitly.
He looked toward Eden, turning his head slightly to catch the best possible view of her. It was a habit he’d had to get used to of late, and it worked, albeit imperfectly.
Showtime, Fulton. Put the big smile on for the lady. Skirting the desk’s perimeter, he moved toward Eden with the skill of recent practice and years of athleticism.
“Eden, it’s good to see you,” he said, focusing on the striking, slender woman. She seemed different, more vibrant than he remembered, and he didn’t think it was just a trick of his vision. When they’d been in high school, he would catch glimpses of her in the hallway, and though she had been pretty with her big gray eyes and long brown hair, she’d always had a scared, shy look about her.
Poised in his doorway, however, Eden didn’t radiate shyness. The details might be fuzzy but he could tell her chin was raised. There was determination in her demeanor. Small and delicate as she was, she still faced him boldly. That determination turned a girl who had once been merely pretty into someone much more arresting, Jeremy thought with sudden awareness.
“You’re looking well, Jeremy,” she said in a low, pleasant and intriguingly soft voice. Only her head drooped slightly before she forced it back up.
Touché, Jeremy thought, catching that slight movement. She knew his situation and she was determined to tough it out and pretend that nothing was wrong with him.
He stepped closer and took a deep breath. Might as well wade in. Anyone who took on this job would have to face some difficult situations, possibly some uncomfortable conversations. It was time to begin the assessment in earnest.
“The Eden I once knew would never have been bold enough to tell me that I was looking well,” he suggested, dropping his voice slightly.
Eden stilled as if uncertain how to react, but she raised her chin still higher. “The Eden you once knew doesn’t exist any longer.”
He nodded, even though he didn’t totally believe her. Everyone carried around pieces of their old selves. He certainly did.
“Well then, welcome, to the new Eden.” Jeremy held out his hand. She placed hers in it. Ever so briefly, he wrapped his fingers around hers. His awareness of her as a woman deepened, but he didn’t let it show. When he’d been young, his anger at his fate and his spiteful guardian aunt had led him into deliberately reckless behavior that won the admiration of his peers and sent his aunt into a rage. But even then, he’d never involved innocents like Eden in his games. Shy, impoverished females had offered risks he hadn’t wanted to deal with.
They still did, and now, more than ever, he tried to control his emotions. Never reveal weakness, never get close to anyone had always been the code he lived by. These days, with his future too complicated and uncertain to even consider getting involved with a woman, his physical reaction to Eden was a sure sign that he should send her away. Still, he had promised Ashley he would give her cousin a fair chance.
“Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll talk.” He gestured toward a bank of sofas, then kept a distance behind Eden as she moved toward them. She was compact and slim, and her movements were graceful. He frowned at the fact that he had been unable to keep from noticing that. The way Eden looked when she moved had nothing to do with this job.
Jeremy pushed his reaction aside. He rested his hips against a cherrywood sideboard that dated to colonial times. “Ashley’s a skilled human resources representative, and she believes that you’re the best person for the job I’m trying to fill.”
“Yes, I know. And I’ve always respected her opinions.”
Jeremy couldn’t help smiling at the audacity of her statement. Had she blushed when she said that? He couldn’t be certain. Colors were getting to be a problem, but he was almost certain that she had blushed.
Interesting. Remembering that younger, shyer Eden, he wondered how much of her assertiveness was an act. The job in question dealt with sensitive issues, and the person he hired had to be just right. He wished he could read her expression better, but there were only six feet between them and at such close range the angle was wrong. Her face wasn’t in focus.
Frustration boiled up, but he carefully tamped it down. His limitations weren’t her fault.
“Ashley led me to believe that you’d welcome this position despite the fact that neither she nor you knows more than the basic requirements and none of the details. Forgive me, but while that tells me that you need the work, this is a special job. It requires honesty and trust, and I have to know exactly who I’m hiring. Despite growing up near each other and having a passing acquaintance, you and I don’t have enough of a history for me to offer you the position without knowing more about you than I already do.”
And there it was. For the first time Eden looked genuinely flustered and nervous. Her hands clutched at her skirt, tightening on the cloth. Even he could see that sudden telling movement. Still, despite the way she suddenly shifted in her seat and the deep, audible breath she took, she stared directly at him. “I’m afraid what little you know of me isn’t particularly complimentary. Our past association…at least that one day…was something I’ve regretted.”
Eden’s voice wobbled slightly, but she held his gaze, dropping that live-ember confession into the conversation. Suddenly the tension rolled in, the past stepped into the present and the elephant he’d been ignoring so far ran loose in the library. Jeremy knew exactly what Eden was referring to. On a day long ago, just before he’d left for college, he had come across her bent over her dog, which had died. Jeremy didn’t remember much about the poor animal except that it had been gray with age. What he remembered was how Eden had looked as if she was unaware of who and what he was for the first time. She had launched her delicate little grief-racked body against him. He remembered how she had held on and clutched at him as he had done what would surely have been natural for anyone in such a situation. Without even thinking, he had placed his arms around her and held her as she had sobbed out her misery. And then, when her last sobs had faded away, she had lifted her tear-streaked face, wrapped her thin arms around his neck and kissed him—a hot, hard and fervently awkward kiss.
His body had instantly responded to the feel of warm, female flesh against his, but some shred of decency had kicked in. Given the situation, he had simply held on and let her kiss him, and soon she had pulled back, her lashes drooping with embarrassment as she stumbled and ran away. Three weeks later he had headed off to Yale and had not seen her since.
Now he relived that moment. She was apologizing, Jeremy realized, trying to clear the air, scrub the past away and move beyond it. Under the circumstances, a gentleman would probably pretend he had no memory of the incident, but if he ended up hiring Eden, he would have to share his own terrible secrets. There would have to be a great degree of trust between them. Pretending ignorance wasn’t an option.
“What was your dog’s name?” he asked gently.
“Elton,” she answered without hesitation. Then she turned her head for a moment as if gathering her thoughts before facing him again. “I meant it when I said that I’m no longer the same person I once was,” she said. “I doubt it was a secret that I had a huge crush on you. Every girl did, but that won’t be a problem now. I’m no longer starry-eyed, and I’m not looking for a white knight to save me.
“In fact, for reasons of my own, I’m not interested in even the possibility of a relationship anymore, so if you hire me you won’t have to worry about me getting all dreamy-eyed or running into walls whenever you’re around, Jeremy. Or…or trying to kiss you again.”
Just like that, sudden heat slipped through Jeremy’s body. He ignored it. “It wasn’t exactly a hardship having you kiss me, Eden, but you’re right. This would be a different kind of relationship. You would be my employee. I wouldn’t expect physical contact and I wouldn’t try to kiss you, either.”
She froze. He saw that much. “No, of course not,” she said. “Jeremy, I’m only here because I need and want work. I’m here because Ashley thought I could help. I do have significant skills to offer.”
Jeremy studied her for a moment, his admiration growing. Eden was still tense. Even with his poor vision, he could see her fingers curling and uncurling against her skirt. Yet she sat tall and straight and proud. She wasn’t running, despite her discomfort.
“You don’t really even know what the facts surrounding this job are yet,” he said.
“No, I don’t. I’ll want to know the facts, of course, but I’m assuming you’ll tell me what I need to know before either of us has to make a decision.” The visual details of those gray eyes were indistinct, but Jeremy could nonetheless feel Eden’s gaze resting on him. He breathed in deeply and caught a hint of a violetlike scent. No doubt it was the gathering darkness of his condition that forced him to rely on cues other than vision, but he was aware of Eden in a way he never had been. There was almost an electric hum buzzing between them, as if some primal toggle switch had been turned on that long-ago day when they touched, and he was now having difficulty turning it off. That wasn’t good, and yet in these few moments he had decided that he was glad she wasn’t a total stranger. Pride had gotten him through the worst moments of his life. He’d kept his secrets locked inside. Now he had even more secrets, and they were too painful and personal to trust to a stranger. The very thought of the situation that had made this job a necessity nearly doubled him over with regret and anger, but he forced himself to somehow keep standing and breathing. He concentrated on Eden, even though concentrating on her offered clear risks.
“I’ll tell you what you want to know,” he agreed, “before I ask you to take on this task, but I need to ask you some questions first.”
Eden nodded, but she looked suddenly wary. She took a deep, audible breath. “All right. Ask. Let’s get this party started,” she said, then groaned. “I can’t believe I actually said that. I’m really not living in a time warp.”
But the tension that had been ripping through him eased a bit. Jeremy couldn’t help chuckling. “Let’s just say that you have a good memory, Eden. And that’s a good thing. I had almost forgotten how much I used to use that phrase.”
Eden fought to keep sitting still. She hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to find herself this close to Jeremy. He was more handsome than ever, his amber eyes intent, his chestnut hair sun kissed. He obviously still worked out, from the look of his body. Those broad shoulders and lean hips had raised her temperature all too many times.
Only the way he tilted his head and seemed to focus on some point to one side of her face gave away his situation. And the lines of tension that hadn’t been there before. None of that could hide the fact that he was achingly attractive.
And she was apparently lucky that she had remembered that phrase from the past. Back when Jeremy had been young and wild, he had been known to say that frequently, probably to irritate his aunt, from what Ashley had told Eden.
“I guess it was a small detail that stuck in my mind,” she said with a shrug.
He nodded. “Details can be important. Very important in some cases. Tell me a few details about yourself.”
The intensity with which Jeremy was focusing on her moved up several notches, and Eden’s breath stalled in her throat. He had been looking at her all along. Indeed, when she’d made that stupid comment about him not having to worry about her kissing him again, his gaze had locked on her, raising her temperature and her awareness of him as a man. She had cursed herself for even using the word kiss. But this was different. Jeremy’s concentration seemed to increase a hundredfold. Eden could see why he had been so successful at chasing new clients in the field of technology if he went after success with such fervor. It felt as if he was concentrating his whole being on her, as if every cell in his body was waiting for her response.
She had to ignore that if she was going to keep breathing and functioning normally. She couldn’t go silent and shy now.
“I’m not sure what Ashley told you, but as a teacher in a private school in St. Louis, I have my summers free,” she managed to say. “I’m available until the end of August.”
Incredibly available. Six weeks ago her car had conked out and had to be replaced. Then, when her school had been forced to make cuts last month, she’d kept her job but lost all her extracurricular positions. The largest and last of the huge debts her ex-husband had left her with still had to be paid off, and the creditors were growing impatient. All her second chances were gone. With this job, she could get free. Without it, she was staring at bankruptcy.
But as Jeremy nodded, Eden didn’t get the impression that her answer about her schedule had made much of an impact. Ashley had probably already explained all of this to him. She still hadn’t convinced him.
Jeremy straightened to his full height, moved away from the sideboard and took a few steps closer. An errant lock of that chestnut hair fell over his forehead, and Eden felt an urge to lick her lips, to shift nervously in her chair, to get up and pace the room. Instead, she carefully folded her hands in her lap and waited.
“Ashley told me that you raised your siblings almost single-handedly.”
Blinking, Eden forgot to be nervous for a second. He hadn’t known that? But no, why should he have? Just because he had been Ashley’s friend hadn’t meant that he would have been privy to her cousin’s private information. “Yes. My parents divorced early and my uncle, Ashley’s father, let us live in a building on his property, so we had a roof over our heads, but my mother was frequently ill.” Her mother had been an alcoholic before her death last year. She had been loving but mostly unavailable.
“So between your job and your personal life, you’ve had a great deal of experience with children and parents.” Jeremy was studying her more closely now, his expression more intense.
“Yes, of course.” Eden frowned. “I’m afraid… I don’t understand. Ashley told me that you had a short-term project, but these references to children…do you have a child you need me to care for?” She supposed it was possible. Jeremy had surely made love to a number of women, she knew, trying not to conjure up the image of a passionate and naked Jeremy. He might have conceived a child.
“Forgive me, Eden. Just a few more questions. Then, if we’re in agreement, I’ll explain,” he said, his expression gentling.
She understood. If they weren’t in agreement, he would send her home and she would never have any idea what this was about. She would go home empty-handed. “All right,” she said around the nervous lump in her throat.
A few seconds of silence followed. Jeremy tented his fingers. “If you had to deliver bad news to a child or that child’s parents, do you feel confident that you could do so in a tactful manner? And…I don’t mean to insult you in any way, but could you promise that whatever news you were privy to would go no further than the primary parties involved?”
Eden nearly laughed at that. She had spent years explaining her mother’s lapses and absences to her sisters. Plus… “Jeremy, I’m a teacher. Delivering less than positive news is part of the job. I work hard at letting people down gently during those occasions when disappointing news has to be conveyed. As to your second concern, confidentiality is a given in my profession. I deal with touchy issues on a regular basis. Abuse, abandonment, learning disabilities, psychological problems. I would never discuss those situations outside the bounds of the primary parties. I would never betray a child or that child’s parents.” She searched her mind for proof. Words were so easy. They could be so unconvincing. “I never told anyone about the car,” she said softly.
Jeremy’s intensity eased slightly. He laughed. “You slid that into the conversation pretty smoothly.”
“You hadn’t forgotten?”
“Eden, a man doesn’t forget when he totals an Aston Martin. It’s a life-changing event. I wasn’t even supposed to be driving that car. It was my aunt’s favorite. Practically a family member to her. And while I never liked the woman and she detested me, even so…what a jerk I was.” He shook his head. “And no, I guess you never did tell, because when I came out of the coma two days after the accident, everyone assumed that it was another driver’s fault that I hit that stop sign.”
“It was another driver’s fault in a way. You did swerve to avoid hitting him.”
Jeremy shook his head. “But if I hadn’t foolishly taken my eyes off the road to wave at you, I would have seen the car and slowed. I wouldn’t have had to swerve.”
Eden inwardly cringed at the fact that he had seen her that day. Her uncle had forced her to wear a hideous, orange-and-red-flowered dress from a charity basket—to show her gratitude for the gift, he had said—and she hadn’t wanted Jeremy to see her in it. When she had seen his car, she had tried to hide behind a tree, but she hadn’t been fast enough. The dress was like a flashing beacon. Their eyes had met. There had been nothing he could do but wave at her.
“Well, you did the right thing in the end,” she said. “You told your aunt everything once you were well.”
“But you kept my secret,” he mused.
“It was your secret,” she said simply. She meant every word. A girl who grew up with a mother who was unable to be a parent because of her drinking problem knew too well what it was like to have to face humiliating truths. Between that and this last year after her husband’s desertion and betrayal, she knew what it was to have things she wanted to hide from the world. “It wasn’t mine to tell,” she said simply.
“And what if I had hurt others in that accident?”
Eden closed her eyes and looked away. “I would have told, then,” she said, guessing that was not the answer he sought.
Silence followed. Somewhere a clock chimed. Eden waited, sure she would be shown the door. The clock chimed again.
“I’m going to tell you a secret, Eden,” Jeremy finally said. “And eventually, if you still want the position after you know all that the job entails, then I’m going to hire you. You might regret taking it before the next few weeks are over.”
She was regretting it already. From the minute that Ashley had called her, she had regretted even considering coming here, just as she’d known she would take this job despite any regrets.
“Tell me,” she said. “Whatever it is that I need to know.”
For a second when Jeremy looked toward her, she could swear that he saw her clearly. His expression was that intense. Her heart began to pound. “When I was in college,” he began, “I was a sperm donor. My reasons were…not the usual and they weren’t honorable. I wasn’t in it for the money the way many of the donors were. I wasn’t even trying to do something noble by attempting to help another human being. I don’t want to go into the details, but let’s just say that it was a rash act, and the whole experience was very short term, not nearly as long as the months most donors commit to. Nevertheless, I may have fathered children. I most likely did, even though I have no idea of how many there might be. Not many, I would think, if any. Still…” His jaw hardened.
“I—” Eden’s heart pounded even harder. She didn’t know where this was going, but she could tell that it was going somewhere bad.
He held up one hand, stopping her speech.
“Eden, it’s important that I find any children I may have fathered. I have good reasons, not frivolous ones, and I need…”
She looked up, straight into his anguished eyes. “It’s because you’re going blind. You’re afraid for them,” she said.
“Yes.” He bit off the word harshly.
“The sperm bank?”
“Out of business. I’ve hired a private investigator to help out, but once that bridge is crossed, there will need to be personal contact. Interaction. I’ll want to help anyone affected, to refer them to those who can advise them, to provide money and care if the worst comes to pass. I’ll want them to know what to expect. I have to do this right. Those children and their parents have to be protected. They have to be approached with sensitivity, more than I trust myself to be capable of.”
She stood and moved closer. The desire to touch him was strong, but she wouldn’t do that.
“Tell me what they can expect. What can you do? What can you see?”
He turned and looked down at her, and now, with only a small bit of space separating them, she realized the full impact of being this close to him.
“I can’t do everything I used to do, but I do all that I can,” he said quietly. “And I can still see you. At least for now. I can still see most of you.”
Eden’s breathing kicked up. She had no idea what “most of you” meant, but the mere fact that he was concentrating on her with such fierceness made her heart race.
“You’re good with children?” he asked.
“Yes. Very good. My students are happy. My sisters, whom I raised, don’t live near but they call frequently.”
“You care about young people, then. You can talk to them and their families.”
He was closer still. Somehow she managed to nod. “I can do that.”
“When the time comes,” he continued. “When I find them—and I will—I’ll need someone who understands the complexities and fears and joys of children. I have no experience and I won’t have any. There’ll be no children for me. I won’t risk passing this on to anyone else, but for anyone who might share my DNA I’ll do what I can. I’ll want you to help me research the possibilities for maintaining normalcy from those who’ve lived through it, not just from my doctors. I’ll want you to help me be an example of what can be, not what can’t be. Do you understand, Eden?”
She understood that this man fought demons, that he was racked with guilt, that he had closed off avenues in his future. She also understood what he was asking her and what taking this position might cost her, because he was just as potent as ever.
“I understand. I’m not only an excellent teacher, by the way. I’m an excellent researcher. And I have contacts. People who work with those in need. Discreet people. I know that’s not what you were asking, but it might help you… and in helping you be a help to the children. I think you need the skills I possess.”
He stood there for a minute as if astonished at her words.
“I think Ashley might have been right.” Jeremy reached out as if to touch her before lowering his hand to his side. But despite his failure to make contact, her body jolted. For a long moment she was too aware of herself as a woman and Jeremy as a man she had once longed for desperately. That was so wrong and emotionally dangerous, and every fiber of her being told her to run. Now. Before she got hurt.
The men who’d had had the greatest impact on her life, from her worthless, absent father to her resentful, unloving uncle to her faithless, undependable husband, had only ever brought pain and humiliation into her life. And those had been men she at least had something in common with, not someone like Jeremy, who inhabited a world that didn’t even intersect with her own. So no, she couldn’t risk her heart and dignity again.
Except…she would. Her financial situation was so dire that she couldn’t even consider walking away. And the children facing a frightening future…she couldn’t ignore them, could she?
“Here are the details of your employment,” he told her, and he named a sum of money that nearly made Eden’s head spin. “That as well as room and board. Can you get me started on the path I need to follow? Will you stay with me until this is done or until the summer ends?” he asked.
There had been a time when she would have given all that she was to hear Jeremy ask if she would stay with him, but that had been a young girl’s dream. A shimmery, no-connection-to-reality dream that was, thankfully, long gone. This was entirely different. It was real, and it was simply work, she told herself.
“I’ll stay,” she promised. Just to help and to work, she reminded herself again.
“Good,” Jeremy said with a sudden brilliant smile that turned him into pure male temptation. Eden wanted to groan. “You’ve made me a happy man.”
The comment made Eden wonder how many women Jeremy had said that to and under what circumstances, and she knew then how risky this situation was. The fact that she was even wondering about Jeremy’s love life meant that she was just as susceptible to Jeremy’s charms as she had always been.
But she had no choice. And this time I’m notgiving in to temptation, she told herself. That’s a stone-solid promise. And she always kept her promises.
CHAPTER TWO
“I’D LIKE you to start immediately just in case the private investigator turns in some results soon,” Jeremy said. “Since you’re not from the area, I’ve taken the liberty of having the guest house readied.”
“You were that sure I would suit and that I would take the job?”
He laughed. He hadn’t been sure of anything and still wasn’t. “The guest house had been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. It needed work, anyway. Come on, I’ll take you there.”
Automatically he held out one hand for hers and dropped a pair of sunglasses on his nose with the other. Then he smiled.
She hesitated, then took his hand. Heat flowed from her fingers to his. He ignored it.
“I’ll lead,” he told her just in case she thought that by taking her by the hand he had been asking her to help him. Pride had been his lifelong companion. It had made life with a dysfunctional past and a guardian who despised him bearable. And pride didn’t allow pity.
“I’ll follow,” she agreed, and as he let go of her, she dutifully did just that. They traveled in silence across the broad expanse of lawn that he’d covered so many times in his youth that the path was emblazoned on his brain.
When the first fuzzy outlines of the house came into sight he heard her gasp.
“It’s small,” he explained. “Only three rooms. My aunt didn’t particularly care for guests.”
“The size doesn’t matter. It’s gorgeous, cozy and such detail!” Then her voice tailed off. He knew what she was thinking.
“Don’t do that, Eden. No, I can’t make out all the small stuff these days, but if you’re going to spend a lot of time trying to spare my feelings or worrying over every word you say, I’m going to be sorry we decided to work together.”
“Maybe I wasn’t worried about your feelings but about my own for saying what might have been misconstrued. I’m supposed to be aware of the situation and in control if I’m going to be able to help you. At all times. But I spoke without even thinking. That isn’t allowed. At least not in my book.”
“Nice save,” he said with a smile. “You are professional.”
She hesitated. “Thank you,” she said primly.
Which only made him want to smile more. “Give yourself a chance,” he told her. “I’ve had months to get used to this and to learn everything I needed to know. This is all new to you. It’ll take some time. And yes, the cottage does have very nice details,” he said, moving up the three steps to the small porch. “A spindlework beaded frieze over the porch, a patterned gable with a finial on top, fish-scale shingles. It’s definitely a textured house.”
And textures, touching, which had always been important to him, had taken on a new importance these days.
He had stopped at the right angle so that he caught part of her smile. “What?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just that this doesn’t seem like a house that you would own.”
He lifted his left eyebrow, wondering where this was leading. “Why not?”
“I don’t know. I picture you in either something horribly elegant the way the mansion is or else in something terribly masculine, all stone and massive timbers. This house is…”
“Too pretty with all that china-blue and lacy-white paint? Too fussy?”
She laughed, and it was such a lovely, foreign sound that he wondered if he had ever heard her laugh before.
“Not fussy. Cozy,” Eden corrected, “but yes, it’s a bit of a Hansel-and-Gretel gingerbread of a house. A fairy-tale house. You sound as if you have some affection for it.”
Jeremy shrugged. “It made a good hideout for me when I was growing up.”
“I’ll bet your friends loved it.”
“You might say that.” He had mostly brought girls here. They hadn’t noticed the details, and he hadn’t pointed them out, but he had no intention of mentioning that to Eden. There was already too much electricity arcing between them.
“I’ll have one of my employees bring in your bags. You’ll want to have some time to yourself.” He moved down the stairs and away. “The place is open right now, but the keys are on the kitchen table. Use them. This is a safe neighborhood, but I don’t believe in taking chances.” Not anymore.
“Jeremy?”
He stopped and turned.
She frowned. “Until there are some children and parents to talk to, what do you want me to do?”
Come closer, automatically came to mind, followed immediately by Don’t come closer. “Prepare yourself,” he said, instead. “Read up on my condition and the risks inherent to any children I might have fathered so that you’ll be able to understand and explain it to those you’ll need to talk to. I have plenty of material in the library as well as banks of computers. I’ll show you after dinner. For now, just get your bearings and the lay of the land.”
She furrowed her brow. “That’s all? That is, I’m a good researcher and I’m sure that will take some time but…you’re paying me well. Isn’t there anything else I can do?”
Jeremy blew out a breath and thought about the fact that a few years ago he would never have believed he would have a need to hire Eden at all. Now she was a necessity, and the reason for that was too unnerving, frustrating and despair making.
He slowly shook his head and felt the slick slide of regret and anger push at him from all sides, but he battled it into simmering submission. He had to, because if he didn’t, his anger might show. It might come bubbling out, and it wasn’t Eden that he was angry with, but life, and his life was not her fault. For once, it wasn’t even his fault.
Carefully he searched for the words to explain. “I’m sure you know this, Eden, because you grew up in this area, but I have servants who clean and keep my house and who cook for me. I have gardeners and accountants. Those people have always been a part of my life, and the only new people I’ve hired are the investigator and you. He’s investigating. You’re… getting ready and waiting. The getting ready is really important, but it’s the afterward that’s most important. So, the answer is no on having other work for you. Other than what I’ve told you, you can’t help me. You really can’t help me,” he repeated.
His words and his tone had come out too harsh, and Eden was looking wary. “I didn’t mean to appear flippant,” she said.
He held up a hand to stop her. “I didn’t think you were being flippant. But, this situation…” He blew out a breath. “The situation is this. You’re here because there may be a child or children who need your help. If I could go back and change the past, I would never have risked fathering a child, but it is the children I’m asking for your help with, and…I’m not a child.”
“I know that.”
“You don’t. Not in the sense that I mean. You see a man disintegrating from what he was, one no longer as capable as he once was. You see a need and you want to help. That’s…nice, but understand that that kind of help isn’t what I need.”
She stood there, silent, tension hanging in the air. “What do you need?”
To be whole, to be a complete man, to rewrite the past and change the future. “Why does it matter?”
“Your needs will be their needs if the worst comes to pass,” she said simply. “Isn’t that important?”
“Yes.” But conceding that was getting too close to admitting things he wasn’t prepared to admit yet. Not to anyone other than himself.
“Besides,” she said, taking a step closer and standing taller. “I won’t lie to you. I need this job. I have plans and goals, but before I can make those plans a reality…”
She looked uncomfortable.
“Eden?”
An audible sigh escaped her. “My husband emptied our bank accounts when he left me. He owed money, and I was the one who had to pay the bills. I’m still working on that.”
“I see. I could help you.”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I’ve already done the dependence routine too many times, and it’s a really ugly feeling. I need to take care of this on my own. I can’t take unmerited help. I just…I earn my way, and I don’t take money I haven’t worked for.”
“And you feel that’s what I’m asking you to do?”
“Yes. In a way.”
“What way?”
“In the way people used to act when I lived here. Almost everyone in the area is rich and they all knew that we weren’t. They would give us the clothes and furniture they didn’t want anymore. I know their intentions were good, but we went to school with their sons and daughters, and taking their charity made us feel as if we were lacking in some way. Equality wasn’t possible.”
“And you want to be my equal?”
Oh, that definitely was a blush spreading up from the neckline of her white blouse. This time he saw the contrast for certain, and what that did to his imagination was…intriguing and disturbingly erotic.
But Eden had crossed her arms. “I am your equal.” She said it boldly, even though there was a noticeable tremble in her voice as if she didn’t believe her own words.
What could he do? He tilted his head. “Agreed. Absolutely.”
She waited. “Work?” she asked.
He searched his mind, then turned his head to the side. “All right, I do have an extra job you can do to earn your keep, since you insist I’m overpaying you.”
“You are overpaying me. Even a rich boy like you knows that.”
“A rich boy?” He couldn’t help the mock-indignant look that turned into a smile.
“It’s what you are and always have been,” she told him. “You wanted me to be truthful.”
“But not brutal,” he said, intending to tease.
Instantly those crossed arms dropped. “I’m sorry.”
“I was kidding. I know what I am, Eden. I’m what you said, and I don’t apologize for it.”
She nodded. “Don’t apologize. You got me through a lot of tough days when I was young.”
“I did?”
Her chest rose deliciously. “Yes, you were the fantasy boy girls daydreamed about at school, but don’t let it go to your head. I was young and stupid then.”
“And now you’re not.”
“And now I’m definitely not. No more fantasy men in my life. Not even you.”
He couldn’t help grinning. Was that an answering grin on her face? “Well, it’s good that we’ve established the fact that you’re impervious to my wealth and my charming ways.”
“We have.” But as he stood there gazing her way, charmed by this new impertinent Eden, she took a slight step back. “Now about the extra work…”
Oh yes. Reality. “I’m a computer consultant. I spend all my time with the newest toys in the business,” he told her, “but I haven’t gotten around to researching the toys that will make those children’s lives easier if they should need that kind of help. Oh, I know the possibilities, but there’s been no hands-on stuff. I haven’t actually tried any of the available tools.”
“Because you see well enough.”
“Well enough,” he agreed. And because he wasn’t ready yet to give up even a centimeter he didn’t have to, but…
“The children might need some of this stuff. If you could read up, order some samples, try things out…”
“I can do that. And if I need you?”
He couldn’t help blinking.
“As a guinea pig, I mean,” she explained.
No, he wanted to say, but then he was the one who had suggested the task and he really did want to understand the results for the sake of his offspring if he had any.
“If it proves necessary,” he finally said, and he took a step closer and took her hand. “Thank you, Eden, for offering to do what I hadn’t even asked. You’re…very different from what I remember.”
He was too close for details but he could tell she was smiling. “You don’t really remember much of me,” she accused. “Truthfully.”
What could he say? Jeremy shrugged. “Truthfully, I don’t remember much.”
“You were pretty busy in those days.”
“I was self-absorbed.”
“That, too.”
He chuckled. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked for truthfulness.”
“I would have given it to you, anyway. I need truth in my life now.”
Jeremy nodded. He released her hand, because the truth was that standing this close to her made him remember one thing. She had kissed him once. Obviously, it wasn’t going to happen again. She clearly regretted that first time, and given their situation, he knew it would be the worst kind of idea for them to touch.
Still, he’d never been the type to deny himself pleasure just because it was a bad idea. He definitely was attracted to Eden Byars with her clean violet scent, her soft skin and her pretty laugh. He had an aching hunger to feel her lips against his. Just a quick taste. But that was one bit of truth he wasn’t offering up. There were some things a man couldn’t fight, but sexual temptation could be easily overcome. He wasn’t going to touch this woman.
As promised, an employee, Donald, had brought Eden’s bags in. “Anything else you need, ma’am?”
She needed him to stop calling her ma’am and looking at her as if she were nobility when she was probably no wealthier than he was. Eden shook her head. “Thank you, no. I appreciate you carrying my things in and taking care of my car.”
“Mr. Fulton says that you’re to change or pack away anything in the house that doesn’t suit you. He had it restored to the way it was years ago, but it’s yours while you’re here.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
Donald nodded. “Sometimes Lula comes in and leaves a few things.” His tone was casual but vaguely uncomfortable.
Eden blinked. “Lula?” Was this house where Jeremy brought his women friends?
“Lula’s the cook. She was here when Mr. Fulton was young, and when his aunt would get mad at Mr. Fulton—which apparently was a lot—the woman would throw away his stuff. Lula salvaged some of the things and hid them here. She put them away when they were fixing the house, but lately she’s been bringing things back piece by piece.” Donald smiled.
Eden practically groaned. Not only was she working for Jeremy and living on his property, she was staying in his childhood hideaway surrounded by his boyhood treasures.
“I’m sure everything will be fine. I’m not planning on settling in for very long,” she told Donald and herself. “I just—Mr. Fulton just has a job for me to do,” she finished lamely, not knowing how much, if anything, Jeremy’s servants knew about why she was here. Clearly Ashley hadn’t known about the possibility of children.
“It’s okay. We know it has something to do with Mr. Fulton not seeing as well as he used to. We know about that, but we don’t talk. He really doesn’t like people to know.” Donald looked at her pointedly, as if to warn her.
Eden didn’t know whether to be insulted that Jeremy’s servants were issuing not-so-veiled warnings to her, touched that they cared about him that much or alarmed that she felt a rather childish urge to cross her heart and hope to die before she revealed Jeremy’s secrets.
“Some things are just off-limits,” she said, which pretty much summed up her feelings about the whole situation and seemed to satisfy Donald. She wasn’t going to discuss Jeremy with anyone. She didn’t even want to think about Jeremy, and she absolutely did not want to explore her feelings about the day and this necessary but emotionally dangerous situation she was in.
But when Donald had gone and Eden wandered inside, she was pleasantly surprised. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to find, but there weren’t any visible traces of Jeremy. Just beautiful, old cottage-style furniture in cream and gold and cornflower-blue. Very comfortable and tasteful. Better quality than anything she had ever owned or ever would own but still homey.
This is nice, she thought, until she opened a drawer on the nightstand and found a stack of old photos. Women. Well, much-younger women, that is. Many she recognized. Rich, gorgeous, the cream of the area. She knew what these were. Mementoes that had been given to Jeremy a long time ago. There was Lara Pettison wearing a skimpy skirt and a midriff top, grinning at the camera as if her expression was all for Jeremy. There was Mindy Tarrant in her cheerleading outfit with “Love ya, Jer. Really!” written on the border in purple ink with a purple kiss drawn next to the writing. For half a second, Eden was back in school, watching Jeremy walk away with a girl who wasn’t her. In the next second she wondered if Jeremy knew these were here. She felt like some kind of icky voyeur.
“Does it matter?” she asked herself. “None of this has anything to do with you or your work.” Searching around for a box, she laid the photos carefully inside, then put it in the closet and closed the lid. There. She felt a childish sense of satisfaction, as if she had managed to put Jeremy in a box at last.
Maybe she had.
But in the next moment she heard sounds outside and looked out her open window. Jeremy was running past, a pair of runner’s shorts revealing strong, muscled thighs. His chest was bare. His broad shoulders glistened with sweat. He gave a quick wave but kept going.
As she watched him moving away, Eden’s heart raced. Had she really thought she could ever be completely immune to this man’s physical appeal? What woman could?
Her next thought was that she wondered that he could run, given his situation, but he appeared to be doing just that. And moving quickly, too. She remembered him telling her that he did all he could though his sight was failing.
Reckless, she thought. Driven. Still wild. Still dangerous.
Tomorrow she was going to attack her work with a vengeance. She was going to do all that she could. Staying here too long couldn’t be good for her. She was, literally, sleeping in Jeremy’s bed, and the very thought made her tremble.
“Blinders, Byars,” she told herself. “Some people can’t handle cigarettes or alcohol or food. You can’t seem to choose or handle men very well.”
It was time to do what she had learned to do best. Move beyond the bad, threatening things in her life. If she could just survive Jeremy one more time, everything would be fine. Surely she could do that, couldn’t she?
Yes, darn it. But handling things was easier when a person was fully prepped. Information made good armor, so tomorrow she would go hunting. She hoped she’d find something useful.
CHAPTER THREE
THE woman was prompt. He had to give her that, Jeremy thought, when he came downstairs for breakfast the next day.
“Ms. Byars is in your library,” his housekeeper told him. “She said to let you know that she has questions when you have some time.”
He immediately put down his napkin. “Show her in.”
In less than a minute, Eden was in the doorway. “Have you eaten?” he asked her. He’d had the cottage stocked.
“Just coffee. I’ve never been a breakfast person.”
Because her family hadn’t been able to afford much food when she was younger, he would guess. She still was almost too slender. “Mind if I am?”
She tilted her head inquisitively.
“A breakfast person,” he explained.
“Oh. No. This can wait.”
He shook his head. “Sit. We’ll talk. I have a meeting in an hour.”
Immediately Eden moved into the room, but off to one side where his peripheral vision was best, Jeremy couldn’t help but notice. The temptation to turn so that he was facing her more directly warred with his need to see her better. He had a strong desire to form a full picture of what Eden looked like now. Which was alarming. Eden might have that cool, forthright exterior, but he sensed emotion and complexity beneath the surface. Given his situation and his priorities, that meant she was one woman he needed to keep in a compartment. Business. All business.
“Sit,” he said again, a bit too forcefully.
She sat where he directed her, beside him where Mrs. Ruskin had had the maid put an extra place setting. Some people might think he was being overly personal having her sit next to him rather than across from him, but he hated explaining. He turned to get the best view, focusing his full attention on her.
Her response was immediate. She sat up taller, then went totally still, almost rigid. He got the feeling that while Eden might need this job, she wasn’t too thrilled about working with him. He remembered what she’d said about having had a crush on him. No doubt she regretted having admitted that.
“I’ve been reading,” Eden rushed in. “I understand the basics, the fact that this condition usually manifests itself earlier in life than it has with you, the fact that it’s genetic and that you have a sensitivity to light and only your peripheral version remains untouched.”
Ah, so he didn’t have to explain why she was beside him and that he wasn’t some lech trying to rub knees with her. And yet…she’d made the comment as if she had read his mind. Had he revealed any emotion? Demonstrated any awkwardness or weakness? If so, he would have to watch that. Visible chinks in the armor were unacceptable.
“That’s right. If you were in front of me this close, parts of you would be blurry, but at this angle I can see that you’ve pulled your hair back, you have dangling earrings and you’re wearing a blouse with contrasting buttons. The top one is open.”
Those big gray eyes flew open wide. Jeremy suppressed a smile. “Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help noticing, but I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
She lifted her chin, her color high. “No, that’s all right. It helps me to know what the situation is, and I really do need to understand, but…”
He waited. The tension emanating from her was palpable, practically electric. His fingers itched to touch and soothe. With effort he restrained himself.
“Is that how you’re able to run?”
Without thought, he turned toward her even though she blurred a bit more. “Partially, yes. I can see part of the ground and things at the edge. What I can’t see is what’s too far ahead, but the estate is familiar territory and the grounds are well kept. I don’t have to worry about hazards or holes or traffic.”
“I’ve had students who were runners. You have a nice form. I mean—”
He held up his hand to stop her. “I know what you meant. You don’t have to watch your words or worry that I’ll misread anything you say. I think we’ve established that whatever lay in our past is in the past and this is just business. While I find you attractive, I’m not going to jump you.”
For a second she looked startled. “I never thought you would. And…I wouldn’t jump you, either. That is—”
He smiled. “It’s okay, Eden.”
“Not to me, it isn’t. I never stammer anymore. It’s unprofessional, and I’ve trained myself not to. Besides, all I really meant to say was that you could have been a runner on the school team. I can see you’re that good.”
“No. That wouldn’t have happened,” he said with a small smile. “I never stuck to anything that long.” He’d been too busy causing trouble, but there was no reason to say that. They both knew it.
Eden shifted on the seat beside him. Her prim skirt brushed against his leg. An innocent occurrence that connected them for half a second and sent a current of awareness through him. Quickly she smoothed the cloth away, and he controlled the urge to lean closer. She might project a cool, calm demeanor, but there were still traces of the younger, skittish Eden. She’d obviously been hurt by men, and he was her employer, a man she had a right to trust.
“My troublemaking days are over,” he assured her.
“Because of your…”
“My blindness? No. It’s because I choose for them to be over.” Which implied that he might just as easily choose to start them up again.
She nodded. “What else do you do?” she asked, and he saw then that she had pulled out a pad of paper.
He reached out and gently pulled it away. He took her hand and felt her long, slender fingers in his grasp.
“I’ll help you with your research when I can, and I’ll even try the instruments out when it’s necessary, but don’t use me as your model. The things I do—well, it wouldn’t be wise to make those kinds of promises to a child or a parent. I don’t want to be a role model. That’s not me.” And never had been.
He felt her tremble and take a deep breath. “You’re not still the wild one?” she asked, raising her chin as if daring him to answer.
He laughed and gave her back her hand. “Not as wild as I’d like to be. I’m a businessman these days. Boring.”
“We’ll see,” she said with a smile of her own. “And I won’t make any promises I can’t keep to a child. I don’t like disappointing them.”
Something warmed inside him. “Ashley chose well,” he said.
She shrugged. “I’m her cousin, and she knew I needed the money.”
“No. She’s a pro. It’s more than that. Despite your situation, she wouldn’t have recommended you if you weren’t suitable. You care about kids more than the average person, don’t you?”
“I don’t know about that, but I like them a lot. I even plan to have a few of my own, even without a husband. And I want to start a private school where I can help disadvantaged children and make the ones who never feel special realize their potential. So don’t think I won’t consider your children’s needs first. I’ll run everything by you before I make any promises.”
Your children. Jeremy’s breath froze in his throat. He’d never gone so far as to think of them in those terms.
“They’re not mine. I don’t want to stake a claim on those children or have my own. I wouldn’t allow that to happen.”
She bit her lip. “I just meant—I spoke without thinking.”
Jeremy instantly regretted his knee-jerk reaction. He shook his head. “No, I overreacted. But having a family or children…that’s completely out of the picture for me.”
Thank goodness Eden had just told him that she intended to have some. Because while he found her desirable and could tell she wasn’t immune to him, her need to be a parent threw up an impassable barrier that would keep them apart. That was good. It would make working with her in close quarters much easier.
“Jeremy?”
“If you need anything, just ask,” he said. “And if you don’t eat and take care of yourself you won’t be any good for me or for helping the children.” His tone was light, but he meant every word.
Her answering laugh was delicious.
“What?”
“Forgive me, but that was such a pathetic ploy to get me to eat breakfast. I would think that someone who’d been born a rebel would know more about getting a rebellious person to do something,” she said, rising.
He followed her up so that they were both standing. “What do you mean?”
She tilted her head. “When you were a kid breaking all the rules, what would someone have to do or say to persuade you to do things their way?”
He knew what she was trying to do. “Nothing would have persuaded me if I really didn’t want to do something,” he told her in a low, conspiratorial voice.
For half a second she looked disappointed, but then she quickly recovered. “Exactly. And if I don’t want to eat breakfast, you can’t make me.”
He grinned at her.
But Eden was looking aghast. “I didn’t mean that to come out the way it did. That sounded childish, didn’t it?”
“It’s okay, Eden. I know you’re new at this rebellion thing. You always did what was expected of you, didn’t you?”
She frowned. “Always.” And then a triumphant look came over her. “That’s why I need to assert myself now and be a bit more forceful.” She picked up her pad of paper. “No matter what you think the children can and cannot do, I think that matter might be open to speculation. No one should be limited by one person’s opinion. Each person is an individual and some can do more than others, right?”
Okay, now he knew she was trying to manipulate him, but he couldn’t help applauding her tenacity. “I’m sure you’re right, Eden,” he said.
“Now…what other hobbies do you have besides running?” she asked, fishing a pen from the pocket of her skirt.
Appreciating how a woman looks when she believes she’s about to experience something wonderful came to mind.
Irrelevant, he reminded himself. And anyway, she had bested him and deserved to be rewarded for her efforts. “I play basketball when I can get Donald in a free moment,” he said, searching around for one of the less challenging of his activities. Nothing where a child would get hurt.
“Basketball? That’s wonderful.”
“Do you play?”
“No. I’m afraid I’ve never been good at anything physical.”
If he’d been drinking coffee he would have choked. As it was, she was the one who looked flustered.
“I mean, I never played sports in school.”
“Then you might have a talent for the physical that you haven’t discovered,” he said.
She looked up at him, blushing furiously. “I might, but I probably won’t find out. Too busy. Work to do.” And she scooted away, headed for his library.
Jeremy wondered which one of them had won that bout, but then he shook his head. Maybe both of them had won. Somehow he had managed not to touch her. Which was, of course, a good thing.
Eden carefully closed the library door behind her, then shut her eyes and slid to the floor. Her heart was racing faster than the winner of the Kentucky Derby. That interlude with Jeremy, all that sparring had been…
Invigorating, exciting. “Dead wrong,” she muttered. He was her boss, not some teenage fantasy crush she was still nurturing. And yet, when he had held her hand, it had been all she could do to sit still. She probably shouldn’t have challenged him. She was out of her league. With Jeremy, and in this town, she had always been out of her league.
But at least I got him to help me. She looked down at the almost-empty sheet of paper. Only one item was listed, but she had added to the knowledge she’d need to help any children. From here on out, she was going to absorb as much as she could by observing Jeremy.
Because while she wanted to escape the crushing weight of debt, the bad memories of this town and the all-too-potent aura of the man, she also did care about the children she would be responsible for guiding into a possibly new and scary life. She really did need to look at things from all angles, and that meant studying the man who was a walking laboratory for her research.
Maybe that was how she should think of him. An experiment, a laboratory subject. But then she thought of his skin against hers when his hand had closed over her fingers and how she had had to look up into those dimming but still-fierce eyes, and everything in her world seemed to narrow to him and her and—
“Okay, not a lab experiment. A man who, unfortunately, makes you hot.” One it was dangerous to stare at too much.
“Too bad, Byars,” she told herself. She had signed on the dotted line. Jeremy Fulton was hers to watch. For now.
CHAPTER FOUR
IT HAD been a reasonably successful week, Jeremy tried to tell himself as he shuffled papers at his desk. The private investigator had met with him and Eden and had reported that he had located a former employee of the sperm bank and hoped to be able to finagle a lead out of that. In addition, Jeremy’s business was going as well as it always had.
So, it wasn’t business that was bothering him right now. It wasn’t even his blindness, at least no more than usual.

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