An Irresistible Bachelor by J. R. Ward Page A

underbrush and trees.
    She picked up her things again and started down the last leg of her journey. She told herself, as she had innumerable times during the trip, that everything was going to be okay. She was going to do a good job and Jack Walker was going to be too busy running his business empire to bother with her.
    And even if it was awful, nothing lasted forever.
    When she rounded a corner, uneasiness came over her like a curse.
    â€œGood fortune” my foot, she thought, looking at the mansion.
    The house, which was painted a dark gray, was a towering mausoleum as it rose from its stone foundation. There were porches and cupolas and a tower at the top and the various eaves and corners threw off a host of shadows that made the place seem even gloomier. The grounds didn’t help lighten the mood any. They were austere, with only clipped bushes and beds of pachysandra to soften the mansion’s footprint. But at least there were several big trees on the property. The oaks and maples arched their limbs over a lawn that was big enough to play pro football on and the grass was just as well tended as any playing field’s.
    She started walking again. The drive was a good hundred yards long and it split to wrap around the house. The left half went to the garage, which was two stories high and had four bays. The other led under a porte cochere that shielded the main entrance of the mansion. She went to the right.
    When she got to the heavy front door, she dropped her suitcase and toolbox. Reminding herself she was an invited guest, not an interloper, she let the brass door knocker fall.
    A woman in her forties answered it. As she looked Callie up and down, her eyes weren’t unkind, but they weren’t exactly warm, either.
    â€œYes?” The air of purpose about her suggested she worked at the house, though she wasn’t wearing a uniform.
    â€œI’m Callie Burke.”
    â€œThe conservationist?” The woman’s expression changed to one of surprise.
    Callie nodded.
    â€œOh—ah, he told us you’d be coming.” The woman frowned, taking in the orange suitcase and the furry coat. “Mrs. Walker was looking forward to your arrival.”
    Mrs. Walker?
    â€œActually, I was expecting to meet Mr. Walker.”
    â€œHe’s not home yet. She is here, though.”
    Surprise, surprise, Callie thought. She hadn’t read that he’d been married, but then, she hadn’t been picking up the paper as much as she used to. The idea that he had a wife made her feel more at ease in a way.
    Unless he really had been about to kiss her in front of her building, in which case she felt worse.
    An awkward silence followed, until Callie said, “Is there something wrong?”
    â€œI’m so sorry. I should be more . . . Welcome to Buona Fortuna,” the woman said, extending her hand. Her eyes began to warm up. “I’m Elsie, Mrs. Walker’s personal secretary. We were expecting someone a little . . .”
    â€œOlder?” As the woman nodded, Callie smiled and shook hands before stepping inside. “I can understand that.”
    Once her eyes adjusted, she saw glowing mahogany walls carved with deep reliefs, a stone fireplace that ran from floor to ceiling, and a lot of heavy European furniture. It was like walking into a Renaissance exhibit at a museum.
    And just about as cozy.
    â€œMrs. Walker will be down in a moment. Why don’t you wait in the solarium and I’ll have your bags taken upstairs?”
    Callie nodded and shrugged out of her coat.
    â€œYou can give that to me. Do you need anything?”
    She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”
    â€œThe solarium is through there, past the library, and out the other side.”
    When Callie finally found it, the bright, sunny room was a relief. The solarium, with its glass walls and pale slate flooring, looked as if it had been decorated by someone else entirely.
    Someone who