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She had no idea how long a wait she would have for the housekeeper and wished she had a description of her.
Jenna pulled two of the bags behind her, the third hanging from a strap across her shoulder, and headed toward the depot.
“You must be Jenna Craddock,” a cheerful voice said. Jenna paused and looked around. A tall, raw-boned woman of indeterminate age came toward her from the parking lot. “I’m Hazel Pennington, Ian’s housekeeper. I apologize for not being here when you arrived. I got behind some slow traffic, which is frustrating enough without needing to be somewhere on time.” She took one of the bags and started back toward the stairs.
Jenna hurried to catch up. “How did you know which train to meet? I didn’t know which one, myself, until I arrived at the station.”
As they loaded the luggage into a utility vehicle, Hazel said, “Oh, Ian knew. He checked the train schedule and chose the one you’d most likely take. If you hadn’t been on this one, I would have waited until the next one.”
Jenna had many questions about Sir Ian and knew that Hazel would probably be able to answer them. However, she didn’t want to appear too anxious about working for him. She sat quietly and listened to the housekeeper as she pointed out various historical sights along the way.
“If you haven’t visited Stirling before, you might enjoy touring the William Wallace Monument.” Hazel nodded toward a tower in the distance. “The only way up is by stone circular stairs, so you’ll want to be in shape for the climb.”
When Jenna saw the castle high on an escarpment, she made a sound of awe.
“The castle is worth visiting, as well. There’s a military museum there in addition to the carefully restored rooms. There’s a cathedral nearby that has become a tourist favorite, as well.”
Jenna’s excitement grew as she considered the age of so many historic places in the U.K. compared to the relatively newly settled Australia.
She eagerly tried to see everything they passed on their way north. The scenery was breathtaking. She could hardly wait to begin exploring. She would continue to look for a listing for Mr. Dumas wherever she went. Surely, she would find him sometime.
Hazel turned into a driveway no more than half an hour’s drive from Stirling, catching Jenna off guard. From the way Ms. Spradlin talked, Jenna had expected to find an isolated home deep in the countryside.
They followed a narrow lane, and from the way it nestled into the earth, it no doubt had been in existence for centuries. Massive trees marched along on each side, their bare branches arching over like a canopy. Jenna could only imagine their beauty in the summer, covered with green foliage.
She noticed a large and, no doubt, ancient wall that followed beside the lane. If only those stones could talk, she thought. They must have witnessed a great deal of history.
The lane made a sharp turn at the end and Hazel drove through an arched opening. Jenna saw a paved parking area in front of an honest-to-goodness castle. This is where Sir Ian lived?
“This is absolutely wonderful,” Jenna said reverently, looking around her. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to have grown up in such a place. It would be like living in an enchanted castle.”
Hazel opened the back of the utility vehicle without glancing around. “It’s an ancient piece of rubbish, is what it is, but we’re all quite fond of it. It takes a fortune to maintain, of course. There’s always something to repair. If it isn’t the vintage wiring, we’re sure to find a leaky pipe somewhere.” She pulled Jenna’s luggage out and set it on the ground.
Jenna grabbed the handle of the heaviest one and leaned to place the one with the shoulder strap over her shoulder. Hazel stopped her. “I can get these two,” she said, matching her actions to her words. She carried the bags as though they were empty.
Jenna followed her to the entrance. Two beautifully carved doors were set in an arch similar to the one they had driven through. Jenna gazed at the massive example of skilled craftsmanship in awe. Once they entered, Hazel set the luggage into a recessed area near the door and said, “We’ll leave these here for now. Ian is eager to speak with you. Let’s not keep him waiting. Afterward I can show you where you’ll be staying.”
Jenna looked up and blinked. The lofty ceiling of the great hall soared at least thirty feet. Family crests and giant oil paintings of people from earlier times covered the wide expanse. Immediately beneath the ceiling, fan-shaped windows filled both ends of the four-walled entrance room.
Hazel paused in front of a closed door near the wide staircase that curved to the second floor. Jenna could almost see the graceful women who had lived here sweep down the stairs in their beautiful gowns.
The vision abruptly disappeared when Hazel opened the door and said, “Ms. Craddock is here.”
“Good,” a rumbling voice said. “Send her in.”
Chapter Three
Jenna caught herself holding her breath. She consciously took another deep breath, exhaled and stepped into the room. Once inside she discovered a book-lined library that would cause an avid reader—which she was—to mentally salivate with anticipation. She almost chuckled at the idea of living in a castle with access to such a treasure trove of riches. The idea sounded too good to be true.
She took in everything in the few seconds before she looked at the man standing in front of the fireplace. Once she focused on Ian MacGowan, the room faded into the background. The commanding energy emanating from him inexorably drew her eye.
She immediately revised her mental picture of a white-haired elderly curmudgeon. Sir Ian bore no resemblance to such a person. For one thing, he was far from old—somewhere in his early to mid-thirties, she guessed. Instead of white hair, his was light brown. It curled riotously over his forehead and around his ears like a young child’s—and looked so soft and silky, her palms itched to touch it.
She had a sudden vision of a laird standing there, the family crest mounted above the mantel. Golden brown eyes beneath thick brows scrutinized her. A noticeable cleft in his chin drew her eye, and she thought he would be quite attractive if it weren’t for the frown that seemed etched into his face.
He held a cane in his left hand and she noticed that his weight rested on his right leg. A scar ran along his temple and a smaller one bisected his left brow. There were signs of suffering in his face.
“Come,” he said, motioning his hand impatiently. “I won’t bite you, for God’s sake. Stop hovering at the door.” He motioned to one of the chairs arranged in front of a brisk fire. “Sit.”
Now that he had spoken, Jenna could better understand Ms. Spradlin’s reaction to him. His deep voice sent a shiver of sensual awareness through her even while his manner of speaking irritated her. If she was going to be working for him, she needed to set some ground rules.
“Yes, I will, thank you,” she replied graciously, crossing the room. “As you know, I’m Jenna Craddock and I’ve come to transcribe your work for you. However, I would appreciate your not using dog commands when speaking to me. I’m perfectly capable of responding to entire sentences.” She held out her hand to him.
He looked at her hand in surprise before he briefly shook it. “Ian MacGowan,” he muttered brusquely, his frown deepening. With exaggerated politeness, he said, “Please have a seat, if you would be so kind.”
No eye-rolling, she reminded herself. If she intended to work for the man she would need to adjust to his sarcasm and abrupt manner.
Once she was seated, Sir Ian limped to a nearby chair and carefully lowered himself, his jaw flexing when he bent his left knee. She made a point to focus on his face, most especially his eyes. When he made eye contact she smiled at him, folded her hands and waited for him to speak.
Abruptly, he said, “You’re not what I expected.”
Her smile widened. “You come as a bit of a shock, as well,” she said, intending to voice her thought that he would be older. “Mrs. Spradlin didn’t mention—” That was as far as she got when he interrupted her.
“I’m sure my reputation precedes me,” he said irritably. “That ninny Spradlin must lead a very boring life to get so much titillation out of my search for a decent secretary.”
Oh, my. Sir Ian was definitely an irascible sort. “She mentioned that you’ve been without an assistant for a few weeks.
“Through no fault of my own, I assure you. The woman has an absolute knack for sending me the most inept or overly sensitive women who fall apart whenever I frown at them, raise my voice or point out a typing error. The last one left in tears, the silly thing. You’re from Australia.”
Jenna blinked at the sudden change of subject. “Yes, Sir Ian, I am.”
He rolled his eyes. “Forget the title and call me Ian.” He pulled at his earlobe. “I’ve asked Ms. Spradlin more than once not to use my title but she’s too busy chattering on to hear me.”
From her observation during the conversation in Ms. Spradlin’s office, she knew he had been busy interrupting while Ms. Spradlin was speaking.
“I would think being a knight is a great honor,” she said lightly.
“You would, would you? Tell me something about yourself,” he said abruptly. “You’re young— I can see that. Are you single?”
One brow lifted. “Yes.”
“I don’t want you to think you can move someone else in with you—married or single.”
That comment didn’t merit an answer.
“Why did you leave Australia?”
She held his gaze and smiled deliberately. “To see the world.”
“Why Scotland?”
“Why not? I like it here.”
He leaned back in his chair, staring at her from beneath his frowning brows. He had to be aware of how intimidating he looked. She wondered if he used that look to keep his employees in their proper place. She almost smiled at the thought. He might be laird of his castle but he would quickly discover that she wasn’t easily intimidated.
What did it matter to him why she was there? she wondered. Perhaps he enjoyed irritating people.
After a rather lengthy silence while he stared at her, he said, “Okay, now I get it. This is a joke, isn’t it? Todd told you to show up here, didn’t he?” He spoke in short, abrupt spurts. And his mind seemed to jump around like a grasshopper. She wondered if he was on pain medication. Being on drugs might explain his lack of focus and, to her at least, his strange remarks.
“Todd?” she repeated.
“Yes, Todd, my supervisor. He probably got tired of hearing me complain about not being able to find decent help and sent you to help out. Not that I’m bothered by the ruse, you understand. I need someone competent and Todd would make certain of that, at least. But there’s no reason for you to hide the fact.”
“Since I’ve no idea what you do for a living—other than write, that is—I have no idea who your supervisor might be. Why would you think I would lie about my reasons for being here? Are you always so suspicious of people?”
“Yes.”
Great. Paranoid, as well. He was going to be a joy to work with, she could see that already.
“Your story doesn’t quite work,” he said gruffly. “There’s no reason that I can see for you to come to Scotland in the first place, much less apply for work. If you’re serious about living in the U.K., London would be the most logical place for you to search for work.”
Was this some kind of test? Was she supposed to break down in tears at this point? Calmly Jenna replied, “Do you have a particular reason for questioning my honesty, sir? You may not believe me but I have no reason to lie to you.” She stood and ran her hands down her thighs to smooth her skirt. “You’ve made it quite clear that once again you’re displeased with Ms. Spradlin’s choice. I respect that. You certainly have the right to disagree with her.” She picked up her handbag. “I do want to reassure you, however, that I didn’t accept the position with some nefarious plan in mind. I merely wanted a job. Your family’s heirlooms would have been safe with me.”
Jenna walked toward the door, mentally telling the rows of books goodbye.
“Oh, for God’s sake, stop being so melodramatic,” Ian snapped. “Come back here. I don’t want to be hopping up and down every time I say something that displeases you.”
She turned and looked at him. “It isn’t melodramatic to dislike rudeness, sir. I’m capable of dealing with a great many foibles, but I will not tolerate your disrespect.”
He pushed himself out of his chair and faced her. Their gazes locked and she, for one, did not intend to back down. She felt a small victory of sorts when he glanced away and muttered something that might have been an apology.
Or a curse word.
“Let’s start over, shall we?” he asked, running his hand through his hair. Definitely irritated, she thought to herself. Well, so was she. “Please sit.” When she was seated once again, he said, “May I see your references?”
Without replying, Jenna reached into her purse and brought out her résumé and two letters of recommendation. After handing them to him, she waited for his next salvo.
After reading the documents, he looked at her and said, “According to this, your previous employer is convinced you walk on water. With this glowing recommendation, I’m surprised he allowed you to leave.” He studied her for a moment. “Did your departure have anything to do with a lover’s spat? Because if it did, I see no reason to have you settle in here only to receive an apologetic phone call from him that will send you scurrying back to Australia…with all due respect.”
“Not that such information is any of your business, but since Basil Fitzgerald is sixty-five years old with several children and grandchildren, I doubt he could have found time for an affair…and if he had ever entertained the idea, Mrs. Fitzgerald would have bashed him on the head for considering it.”
“If I seem to be prying into your personal life, Ms. Craddock, I do apologize. I need an assistant who will focus on my work. What you do on your own time is up to you. Just so we’re clear about our arrangement, I’m not looking for a personal relationship with you. I don’t have time for flirting or any of that nonsense. I need a skilled assistant. That’s all.”
Jenna fought to hang on to her temper. Fighting for control, she studied the man, allowing her gaze to slide over him from his curls to his rather large feet. Eventually she raised her eyes to meet his and said, “Tell me, Sir Ian, are you always this obnoxious or did I luck out and catch you on a bad day? I can’t for the life of me imagine why you think that I—or any other self-respecting woman, for that matter—would be interested in having a relationship with you.”
He looked startled for a moment, then gave her a boyish grin that was wholly unexpected…and devastatingly attractive. “You’ll do, Ms. Craddock. You’ll do.” Before she could find her voice to tell him that she wasn’t at all certain she wished to work for him, Ian mentioned a salary that made her eyes widen. The sum was at least twice what she’d expected to receive, taking into account that her room and board were part of the compensation. For that amount of money, she’d be willing to work for Attila the Hun. From what she had gathered so far, the man could very well be the reincarnation of Attila.
“I hope you’ll find your stay here satisfactory,” he said. He stood, wincing as he straightened his left leg. “I’ll have Hazel show you to your room.”
He touched a button on the extension phone next to his chair and Jenna heard Hazel’s voice. “Yes?”
“I believe Ms. Craddock and I have dealt with the necessary hiring procedures. Will you show her to her room, please?”
“Certainly.”
Jenna rose and walked to the door. When she opened it, she saw Hazel striding down the hallway toward her. As Jenna stepped through the doorway, Ian spoke again. “Ms. Craddock?”
She turned. “Yes?”
“Do I have your permission to call you Jenna?”
She doubted the sincerity of his conciliatory tone. With a regal nod, she answered, “Yes.”
His lips twitched. “Well, then, welcome aboard, Jenna. I would appreciate your returning as soon as you’ve settled in. I hope you won’t feel too rushed to begin working today. As you’re aware, I’ve been without help for some time.”
She lifted one brow and said, “Imagine that,” before quietly closing the door behind her.
Chapter Four
Ian drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair and stared into the fire as he waited for Jenna Craddock.
He’d never met anyone like her and he hadn’t expected her to be so young.
When he’d spoken to Violet Spradlin many weeks ago, he’d made it clear that he wanted a competent, no-nonsense assistant. He’d pictured a middle-aged woman who did what she was hired to do. Someone dependable…like Hazel. Most of the women he’d interviewed fit that description.
The last thing he’d expected was a petite woman with sparkling eyes and a charming smile. Not that she’d been smiling by the time their meeting was over, he reminded himself. She might as well learn that he didn’t have time for social chitchat. He had a busy schedule, what with his physical therapy three times a week, the exercises he needed to do to get back in top form and working on his novel.
He’d been grateful to have something besides pain to occupy his mind these past months. Who would have believed that he would find enjoyment doing something so out of his professional field? But he’d always been an avid reader. He wasn’t certain when he first thought about writing a book—probably during one of the nights when pain kept him awake. Whatever the reason for beginning the project, he was hooked.
He’d had no idea what he was doing when he started out, but somehow he began to realize what he wanted to say. He would revise, and revise again, until the story read more like the one he could hear in his head.
Life was full of surprises.
Jenna Craddock was one of them.
Her looks should be irrelevant but he’d turned into something of a hermit since the accident. His only visitor was Hal, his physical therapist, who irritated him to no end, always harping about not overdoing it.
He would do whatever was necessary to get back to top form. He’d devoted twelve years of his life to his job, and he wouldn’t allow his injuries to put an end to his career.
That career didn’t leave him time to develop a relationship with a woman. Therefore, he’d never been seriously involved with anyone. One woman went so far as to point out that he was married to his career, “whatever it was.” All she knew was that two to three months would pass without word from him. There were very few women willing to see him on his schedule.
His mother had already despaired of becoming a grandmother, he thought, amused. Not that she ever gave up haranguing him about the notion. He’d tried to convince her that he couldn’t find another woman like her, but she would have none of it.
Now he was faced with a situation where he’d become unavoidably celibate. The last thing he needed was a nubile young woman around him on a daily basis as a constant reminder of what he was missing.
He would work around the problem, that’s all. He’d make certain to maintain a professional relationship with her. Since he took most of his meals in his room anyway, he doubted he’d see her when she wasn’t working.
The important thing was to finish the novel. Once it was done, she would be leaving. Another spur to finish the novel as rapidly as possible. If by some fluke he actually sold the thing—and what a long chance that was—he intended to use the money for needed repairs to his home.
