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looking for a husband. But she roused something in him—he wanted to fuck her, yes, but also to protect her. Sometimes he could be so stupid—how could he get any sense of who she was beneath that mask? These intuitions he had were usually spot-on. This one flummoxed him.
    â€œWell, here we go,” Jennifer said, stepping aside.
    What stood before him was astounding.

Chapter 5
    J ennifer turned around to face him. He looked mesmerized.
    â€œLegend has it that this cottage was the first one built on the property, that this is where the family first started keeping bees,” she told him. “We’ve always housed a beekeeper here. Of course, gone are the quaint days of yore. You would be overseeing vast amounts of bees and twelve beekeepers. But we do like to keep our tradition as much as possible.”
    â€œFancy those niches,” he said. Four niches for bee skeps, built around the outside doorway. “They’re rare. I’ve seen them before, but not outside of Great Britain. This place is stunning,” he managed to say.
    â€œI’m glad you like it,” she said.
    He ran his fingers over the stone walls of the cottage. “Incredible,” he said as she opened the door and flipped on a light. The stone fireplace, the stone and wood-planked floor, and beamed ceilings seemed to call out to him. He quieted as he took it all in.
    â€œThis is a very old place,” he finally said. “I’d love to live here.”
    Jennifer beamed. She hadn’t offered him the job, yet. But she probably would. She liked him, plus he knew his stuff and was easy on the eye. That couldn’t hurt. He bent over to rub his hand on a bench that sat near the fireplace, showing off his backside. Jennifer struggled not to reach out and feel it. Get a grip, woman. Remember Liam and the complete shambles you made of that—you’re just not ready yet. And then there was whatever the heck it was that almost happened last night. Maybe you should go to the beach with Maeve. You are losing your mind.
    â€œYes,” she said. “Unfortunately, there’s no central air in this place. But it stays pretty cool in the summer.”
    â€œIt was built to be like that,” he said. “Is there a stream nearby?”
    She nodded. “Follow me,” she said, and led him through the bedroom to another door and opened it to the back porch, which may have been her favorite spot on the whole property. It looked out over a creek; its opposite bank was full of wildflowers much of the time. The surrounding trees were ancient and cooling. Every time she walked out here, she felt a wash of peace come over her. She breathed it in.
    â€œNice,” he said. “You seem to really like it here.”
    â€œI’d live here, if it were up to me. But I moved into the big house with my husband. It was what he wanted. Very traditional,” she said. “And I like it there, too.”
    Except that I can’t afford to heat the whole place and have closed off the upper half of it.
    â€œLook,” he said, leaning against the porch rail. “I know what happened. I’d just like to say I’m sorry. It must be tough for you here, alone.” He crossed his muscled arms. The blue of his shirt brought out the blue in his eyes.
    â€œThanks, but I’m a tough bird, Mr. McGhilly, and I’m determined to make a go of it.” Because I’ve sunk every penny I have into it—and I have to . Gone were her romantic notions about doing it for Ren. Well, almost.
    â€œPlease call me Gray,” he said. “I’d like that.”
    â€œAs you wish,” she said, turning to go.
    Â 
    Gray ran his hands through his hair. This was quite a job opportunity, and a pang of guilt shot through him for keeping it from someone who really needed the work, who wanted the work. But he had a job to do, too, and he was confident that his work would give Jennifer some relief, one