Chapter Three
ETHAN COULD HAVE kicked himself for revealing more than he’d intended, although naturally he was shocked she wouldn’t be seeing her partner for six weeks.
What kind of relationship did they have?
Certainly no expert himself, still he needed to raise the question, since they were here together for the foreseeable future, and her boyfriend, like her, was a cheating, headline magnet.
His lips tightened and he glanced at her, walking silently by his side. She should look ridiculous in an outfit clearly not suited for the outdoors and covered in a coat which dwarfed her. She didn’t.
She should look out of place. She didn’t.
She belonged on a red carpet, in the artificial world he detested. Yet something profound had shifted within him as she’d read out their letter. Something had twisted his gut and tightened his chest as her despair and distress had been palpable.
That’s why he’d suggested a walk—a natural reaction to seeing someone in pain.
Yet frustration gnawed at him as he wondered what was real and what wasn’t?
And why was he so interested? He stuck to the facts: he didn’t know her, and what he knew didn’t paint a great picture.
Except Ruby had loved her, trusted her. Even after what had happened at her party.
And Ethan trusted Ruby. And his trust didn’t come easily.
The crunch on the gravel and the howling wind were the only sounds as they continued along the path. He clenched his jaw. She wasn’t going to answer his question about her boyfriend?
‘I don’t have one. I’m one hundred percent single,’ she said finally, ‘and I’d rather you didn’t get your facts from the tabloids, but from me.’
Since when? What had happened with Ben Price, or was it all fantasy from the press? Ivy’s tense features gave no clue. Or was she just like his mother and had grown bored once the damage had been done and the man’s marriage had been shattered?
‘Point taken. I won’t.’ He knew better than that. Something akin to relief landed in his gut, almost calming, until he reared back. He didn’t care if she was single; it was shock—exhaustion, playing havoc with his thoughts. Nothing else.
‘My private life is something I’m requesting you keep to yourself. I don’t want to make this arrangement any harder than it is. I don’t need the press camped out here,’ she said.
‘Let’s get this straight. I won’t be divulging any of your personal information to anyone.
’ Did she think he’d go running to the tabloids?
Not in a million years. ‘I’m not staying to raise my profile or any other crap.
I’m here to honour Ruby’s wishes. For six weeks.
Not one second longer. No hidden agenda. No ulterior motive. Are we clear?’
Ivy glared at him—twin spots of colour high on her cheeks. ‘Crystal. Now would you get off your high horse so we can continue this conversation, like adults?’
He dragged in a lungful of the freezing air, needing to clear his head and lower his pulse. For once, being grateful for the icy day. She riled him and he didn’t do riled—except with her.
He inclined his head in acknowledgment.
‘Good! And I expect the same of you,’ she said.
‘Naturally! I’m not planning on holding a frat house party, but neither will I be cloistering myself. Why don’t you want any visitors?’ Something didn’t add up and he was going to find out what. She wasn’t taking him for a ride again.
She shrugged. ‘It makes sense. Easier. Less complicated.’
Excellent! Because having a procession of Hollywood stars and their lackies traipsing through WillowGlen was never going to be an option. ‘What about your filming commitments?’ She’d been in a series of back-to-back blockbusters—she’d likely have engagements planned years in advance.
‘The movie I was meant to be filming was canned due to financial difficulties, so that makes it easier, but I would have made it work anyway, since that’s what Ruby wanted.
The premiere for When Hearts Break is just over six weeks away, so I won’t miss that.
’ Vulnerability crossed her face so fleetingly he was sure he’d imagined it.
‘Since it’s question time, do you have a partner?
Someone special who will visit?’ She turned to him with a look in her eye that he couldn’t name.
‘No.’ He dated exclusively, always ending the relationship whenever he moved from one hotel site to the next.
His way of life had never sat well with Ruby, who’d wanted to see him meet someone special and settle down.
Concern would cloud her eyes, and he’d reassure her he was okay as he was.
They weren’t conversations he relished, especially as he never planned on having a permanent someone special in his life.
He’d never allow himself to become that vulnerable by becoming wholly emotionally reliant on one person— something he’d never revealed to Ruby, who was adamant she wanted to see him matched up before she passed.
His gut rolled. At least he could honour her final wish regarding WillowGlen.
‘What about your work? Where’s your latest hotel?’
‘In Sardinia.’ He ran a hand through his hair and tried not to show how rattled he was at the thought of staying here.
He travelled constantly. Always had. It was his way of coping with the trauma of his early years.
Just like working non-stop, keeping himself constantly busy and a low profile; he was never at the opening of his hotels, nor present when the guests arrived.
‘Right! It’s up to each of us to honour her wishes. I’m certainly not going to be policing you.’
‘Ditto,’ he asserted as they continued along the pathway leading back towards the Manor.
The time stretched before him, all the way to the start of the English winter, something he’d normally avoid at all costs.
It was no secret he preferred a warmer climate and followed his resorts like a sundial.
He had been looking forward to the warmer Sardinian weather.
Right on cue, another gust of wind seeped into his bones.
He jammed his hands further into his pockets, remembering the freezing day his parents had died.
Their argument had echoed throughout the LA mansion he’d grown up in.
He’d never heard his father even raise his voice to his mother before, never mind yell, but inviting her latest lover to the event they were soon to attend had finally tipped him over the edge.
Still, they’d headed off to the party with his father behind the controls of his helicopter, and they’d never returned.
Their crash had made headlines around the world.
As if a trickle of icy water had run down his spine, he shivered and purposely shut down memories of the past. He was focusing on the next six weeks, nothing more.
Ivy kept pace alongside him like she was wearing sturdy boots, not completely unsuitable heels that would cripple most people. His frustration raged. Ruby had been warm and welcoming but also shrewd. What had she seen in Ivy that made her trust her so?
He’d learnt to rely on his gut instinct. That’s why it was even more galling he’d been taken in by Ivy that day. Why?
For a pair of alluring hazel eyes?
A red dress that had had his blood pumping?
The tender way she’d been with Ruby?
She’d been bright, funny and utterly captivating, and all he’d wanted was to get her alone, to spend time with her in his favourite spot on the estate. The irony wasn’t lost on him. They’d never been alone, far from it.
He’d never forget she used people, but it was never going to be him, ever again.
‘Okay, let’s get settled tonight and have our first meeting tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.,’ she said.
‘Works for me.’