The Reluctant Heiress

He stood watching her and nodded. “You’re the first woman who has ever been down here.”

“I’m honored,” she said.

“Sophia,” he said and stopped. He stared at her intently.

“Yes?”

“I just wondered what you think about all this. Although I suppose I need to show you a finished product before I ask you that,” he replied.

She had the feeling that he had been about to say something else, and she wondered what it was. The slight frown on his face made her curiosity deepen but she was certain if she asked, she would not get the answer.

She walked to a table to run her finger along the smooth finish. “This is beautiful, Garrett.”

“That still needs a lot of work. It’s intended to be a reproduction of a French walnut refectory table. I also enjoy history.”

“So do you do this when you can’t sleep?” she asked.

“Do you paint when you can’t sleep?” he said, by way of answering.

She smiled at him.

“C’mon. I’ll show you some finished pieces.”

As they made their way out into the hall, she still felt as if he towered over her—a unique sensation and one she enjoyed.

They paused by an elegant reproduction of a 19th-century French sofa with embroidered rosebuds in beige damask upholstery. “Here’s a finished piece,” he said.

She had expected his work to be nice, but this was beyond nice. “Garrett, this looks like a well-preserved antique. It looks like the real thing.” She ran her fingers over the smooth wood. “This is truly beautiful,” she said, impressed. “You could make another fortune from your craft.”

He smiled. “That’s the best compliment I’ve ever received,” he said. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “You do look stunning, Sophia. Do you mind?” he said while he reached up and pulled a pin out of her hair. Locks spilled on her shoulders as she gazed up at him.

He stood close, removing pins, causing a gentle tingling sensation on her scalp. She looked at his mouth and her heart drummed. She wanted him to kiss her right now and was tempted to pull him to her.

Instead, she kept quiet while Garrett finished and her hair cascaded across her shoulders. She moved her head slightly, shaking out her hair and letting it swirl across her shoulders. She still watched him while he gazed into her eyes. His attention shifted to her mouth.

“Garrett, show me more of your work,” she said, her voice breathless. She wanted his kisses, yet she felt she should resist and have some control. Garrett had come into her life like a whirlwind and she needed to show some resistance before he totally uprooted her career and schedules. Deep down, she had an instinctive feeling that Garrett was more than just an appealing man who excited her.

“Better yet, come with me and I’ll show you where I want to hang your painting. There are two possible rooms—one is the billiard room, the other is a large living area. I entertain there and it’s not as formal as some of the other rooms.”

She followed him down the wide hall. “You really need a map for this mansion.”

He smiled. “Your place wasn’t small either.”

“I’m so accustomed to it, I don’t give a thought to the size.”

“Nor do I.” He motioned toward open double doors. She entered a large room that had two glass walls. One end of the room bowed out in a sweeping glass curve, giving the room light and a sensation of being outdoors. The other end featured a massive brick fireplace. Leather furniture and dark fruitwood lent a masculine touch.

“This is a livable room. Very comfortable,” he said. “I’m in here a lot.” He led her across the room and she saw a familiar painting she had done a year earlier.

“I like it there,” she said, looking at her painting on his wall with others in a grouping. “A prominent spot in a room you like and live in. Now you can think of me when you see it,” she added lightly, teasing him.

“I’ll always think of you when I see it,” he said, his solemn tone giving a deeper meaning to his words.

“Sure you will,” she said, laughing. “Is this the room where you’d like to hang the other painting?”

“Yes, possibly. Where do you think it should go?”

Aware of his attention on her, she strolled around the room, selecting and then rejecting spots until she stopped. “I think this is a good place.”

“It is. One other possibility you should consider is over the hearth. It’s a sizable painting. I think it fits this room.”

“That would be the most prominent spot in the room,” she said, surprised and pleased.

“I think it would look good there.” He shed his coat. “Let me hold it up and see what you think.”

She watched as he picked up the painting and held it in place.

She smiled at him. “It looks great there. Are you sure?”

He grinned. “I’ll get tools and hang it.”

“What can I do?” she asked.

“Let’s have a drink and you can supervise the hanging.”

“I can get the drinks,” she said, moving to the bar in the corner of the room. “What would you like?”

“I think I’ll have beer.”

“And I’ll have red wine,” she stated. While she got a wineglass and opened a bottle, he disappeared. By the time he returned, she was on a leather couch in front of the fireplace with the drinks on a table. He placed an armload of tools on a chair and pulled off his tie. He twisted free the top buttons of his shirt—something so ordinary and simple yet it filled her with heat and she longed to get up and unbutton the rest for him. He picked up his beer, raising the bottle high.

“Here’s to improving the looks of my house by adding a Sophia Rivers painting.”

“I’ll drink to that,” she said, standing and picking up her drink to touch his cold bottle. Again, when she looked into his eyes, her heart skipped a beat. Each time they almost kissed, her longing intensified. How soon would they be in each other’s arms?

Sipping her red wine, she stepped back. His gaze remained locked on hers. Watching her, he sipped his beer and then turned away, breaking the spell.

He picked up the painting. “I’ll hold this and you tell me when I have it in exactly the right spot.” He held the painting high, and then set it down. “Just a minute. I can put myself back together later,” he said as he took off his gold cuff links and folded back his immaculate cuffs. “Now, let’s try this again.”

Slightly disheveled, he looked sexy, appealing. She tried to focus on the painting, but was having a difficult time keeping her attention off the man.

“To the right and slightly higher,” she said. After several adjustments, she nodded. “That’s perfect.”

He leaned back to look while he held the picture. Setting it down, he picked up chalk to mark a place on the bricks before pulling the tape measure out.

She sipped her wine while he worked. In an amazingly short time he had her painting hanging in place and he stepped away.

“Let’s look at it.”