Lion of Caledonia: International Billionaires VII: The Scots by Caro LaFever Page B

now.
    “Go away,” he barked at the door.
    “Mr. Steward.” His housekeeper’s voice was firm. “You’re needed.”
    His boy. Something was wrong with the boy.
    He jerked to his feet, all thoughts of interrogation swept away by the need to get Ms. Douglas away from the second floor and far from his son. Striding past her, he yanked the door open.
    Mrs. Rivers’ eyes widened when she saw the mouse.
    “You’ll escort Ms. Douglas to her room,” he ordered. “I’ll take care of the problem.”
    “Yes, Mr. Steward.” His housekeeper’s eyes returned to their usual bland gaze. “Come along, Miss.”
    He didn’t waste his time making sure the mouse had left his bedroom. He had more important people to deal with.

    * * *
    S he did not want to be here.
    Jen stared at the wooden face of the jester set in the library door.
    Yesterday had been a disaster of monumental proportions and she’d barely escaped. Only the unlikely appearance of Mrs. Rivers had saved her from spilling her guts.
    A close escape.
    Because she’d wanted to. She’d desperately wanted to tell Cameron Steward why she was really here and beg him to give her the ring.
    Please give me the ring.
    Not until she’d dived into her cozy little nest on the third floor had reality snapped her back into sanity. Her grandfather had begged. He’d written letter after letter to Mr. Steward’s literary agent with no response. He’d called this very house time and time again—and been rejected.
    Just as she would have been.
    No, she’d been seduced by those big arms holding her in their tender grasp. Seduced by the kindness in his odd eyes and the concern in his rich voice. Seduced into thinking she was safe with him.
    Safe with Cameron Steward.
    Jen snorted at the jester and at her thoughts. There was no such thing as safe. She’d learned that lesson in a hard and permanent way when she’d been only five years old. It was a lesson she’d never forget.
    “Time to get to it,” she whispered to herself before putting her fist to the door.
    Her knock went unanswered.
    She hit the door again.
    Again, nothing.
    Mr. Steward. You’re needed .
    Needed for what? She’d spent the night wrestling with that question, along with banishing any lingering need for seductive safety. What or who needed him? Was he still attending to that need, even now?
    Jen gave the door another tentative knock.
    Silence.
    Though she dreaded the confrontation, now, when it appeared there’d be none, her heart sank. Her stupid, stupid addiction to him.
    Wanting to ignore that, she pried the door open and peeked inside. The library’s fire wasn’t roaring as it usually was. The antique light hanging above the desk wasn’t lit. No big man paced by the windows.
    Her heart sank further, making her angry at herself.
    Easing herself into the room, she pushed the door shut behind her with a soft snap.
    “Instead of thinking of him,” she said to the empty room. “Think about searching this place for the ring.”
    She’d never been alone in here, not since the first day when Mrs. Rivers had surprised her. Her speculation that the ring could well be in this room rushed back. He had all his mementoes here. She’d spotted every one of his thrillers lined up on one shelf. Why wouldn’t it be reasonable that the ring was in some drawer or on some shelf in his lair?
    Jen glanced at the grandfather clock.
    Nope, she wasn’t late. He was. And that gave her an opportunity. Perhaps only a small one, but one she needed to take. Her grandfather was running out of time.
    Walking to the desk, she began her search there. At first, she only found mounds of his usual papers, with his familiar chicken scratch she could barely read. It seemed he wrote down every stray thought about his story before he began to tell it in his luxuriant voice.
    All four drawers on the one side were filled with only papers.
    She yanked the front drawer out to find an assortment of pens lined up in rigid military order on