She blinked. “Oh.”
Farrell was an engineer. An inventor. Traditionally, he had worked from his state-of-the-art lab here in this building in Portland...on this floor. In the past twenty-four months, though, he had seen his best and newest ideas pop up in the marketplace before he had a chance to get them there.
Though it was possible he was paranoid, the prospect of corporate espionage was something he couldn’t rule out.
“My brothers and I each own homes on the northern coast,” he said. “I’ve recently built a small lab and a guesthouse on my property. As soon as possible, I’m going to move my work up there.”
“Do you mind me asking why?”
“Aspects of my designs are highly confidential. I’ve decided I need to be more vigilant in protecting my research. Not only that, but I like being on my own, and I work best in solitude.”
“Then why does Katie think you need to hire someone?”
He grimaced and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m single-minded when I’m in the midst of a project. I’ve been known to work for thirty-six hours straight if I’m in the zone. I need someone to run my house and prepare meals. Particularly a person who can be discreet and trustworthy.”
An odd expression flashed through her eyes. Something dark. Something that surprised him.
“I can keep my mouth shut, Mr. Stone. I can keep secrets.”
Finally, he asked the question he’d been putting off. “Why would you want a job like this, Ivy? We have internet and TV up north, but nothing else. Not even a convenience store nearby.”
Was it his imagination, or did she clutch the baby more tightly? For the first time, she revealed agitation. Anxiety.
“I have to be honest with you,” she said.
That sexy voice affected him in ways he couldn’t explain. “Please do.”
Her bottom lip trembled the slightest bit. Her eyes sheened with moisture. “I’m desperate, Mr. Stone. My husband died a few months ago. He left me nothing. No life insurance. Nothing. The house was sold, and the money went elsewhere. My parents are gone. I have no other family. I need a job where I can have Dolly with me.”
“Dolly?”
Ivy stroked her baby’s head. “Dorothy Alice Danby. That’s a mouthful, so Dolly for short.” Ivy paused. Stared at him with an intensity that took him off guard. “I know you don’t remember me from our childhood. We were at the same elementary school. But everybody in Portland knows your family—your father, your brothers, Zachary and Quinten. Stone River Outdoors provides hundreds of good jobs. I’m only asking for a chance. I’m a hard worker. And the baby still takes two long naps every day. I also have an infant carrier, so she can stay on my back while I’m cooking or cleaning. If you hire me, I swear you won’t regret it.”
Ruefully, Farrell realized he was regretting it already. His life needed fewer complications, not more. As far as he could tell, Ivy Danby with her artless sex appeal and her tiny daughter was a whole huge bundle of complications.
With an inward sigh, he admitted defeat. “You make a compelling argument. But for the record, I do remember you, Ivy. We were both in Mrs. Hansard’s third-grade class together. You had pigtails. Your desk was in the row beside mine two seats back. I gave you a valentine that year. One I made myself.”
Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed. “Oh,” she said. “You do remember.”
“Give me twenty-four hours to think about it. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what I’ve decided.”
He saw on her face that she wanted an answer right now. Wanted it badly, in fact. But she swallowed the protest on her lips and managed a wobbly smile. “I understand. Thank you for the interview.”
As soon as his guest departed, Farrell stabbed a button on his intercom and barked an order. Moments later, Katie Duncan Stone appeared in his doorway. The blue-eyed blonde was both beautiful and competent. She was also stubborn and dogged about helping people, whether they deserved it or not.
Farrell folded his arms across his chest and glared. “Really, Katie? A new mom with a baby?”
“Don’t be so sexist, Farrell Stone.” She took the comfy seat at his desk that Ivy had recently vacated. “New moms can work.”
“If they have access to childcare. My house is in the woods on a cliff above the ocean.” He ground his teeth, haunted by the memory of entreaty in Ivy’s hazel-eyed gaze, but even more disturbed by how very much he wanted to say yes to this idea.
Katie visibly dismissed his protest. “A hundred years ago, regular women didn’t have childcare. But they worked their asses off. It can be done.”
“Why are you pushing this so hard?” His brother Quin had warned him about Katie’s penchant for rescuing humans and the occasional animal, too. She had a huge heart.
“I met Ivy when I dropped by my sister’s apartment over on Kimball Street the other day. In conversation, we realized that you and Ivy were in school together.”
“Elementary school,” Farrell said with a sigh. “That’s hardly a character reference.”
His new sister-in-law was not to be deterred. “Ivy moved in with nothing, Farrell. No furniture. No belongings. She had two suitcases, a port-a-crib and a diaper bag. Nothing else. Don’t you think that’s kind of strange?”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“She’s hurting. And alone. Surely you, of all people, can sympathize. Losing a spouse changes your whole world.”
Farrell took the hit stoically. Only Katie would have the guts to bring up his past. It had been seven years since Sasha died. Even his own brothers didn’t go there. “Dirty pool,” he muttered.
Katie stood and kissed him on the cheek. “You and I are family now. I get to meddle. But in this instance, I’m begging you, Farrell. Ivy Danby needs a fresh start. She needs a home and security. She needs exactly what you have to
