A woman? That perked up Rachel’s interest. The man couldn’t be so bad if a woman were in residence. He must have to control his temper sometimes. “I’d be very interested to meet his wife,” she said with rising hope.
The man’s chuckle was her first warning. “Molly isn’t anyone’s wife,” Emerson replied. “She’s the ruler of that house. She’s probably there now cooking. She only comes by to make dinners and clean as well as to make sure everything is running as she deems fit. She stops by when Watson isn’t there so she can make sure he hasn’t messed anything up.”
Rachel sighed as her hopes were mercilessly dashed. “So he’s such an ogre that even his housekeeper can’t stand being around him,” she replied, her shoulders drooping slightly. “Thanks for the warning.” Shaking her head as if to banish such weak thoughts, she rallied quickly, refusing to give up on her quest. “Better to be alert,” she told him and forced a smile to her face and smoothed down her jacket. “I’m off. Thank you very much for the information.”
With that, she forced herself to turn around and walk down the gravel road and no matter how many times she wanted to, she didn’t allow herself to turn back to take another glance at the man’s enticing anatomy. She was fairly certain he was watching her though. A tingling in the center of her back told her that his eyes were watching her as she carefully walked down the irritatingly long, gravel road.
It took her another ten minutes and by the time she rounded the last corner, her feet were aching. She might love these shoes, but her feet didn’t love walking in them. The soles were so thin, she could feel every sharp corner of every piece of rock over which she’d traversed this morning.
When she finally caught sight of the house, the pain in her feet disappeared as she looked out at the gorgeous view. The enormous house was set up high on the cliff looking out to the ocean and it was possibly the most beautiful, peaceful scene she’d ever encountered. The structure had an ultra-modern feel, but there were quirky touches that helped the house look warm and comfortable with a cottage feel to everything. The cedar shingles added a coastal edge but it occurred to her that she couldn’t imagine why one man needed so much space. The house was enormous! There were turrets and long walls of windows, at one point, she could see through the house to the ocean. The space seemed to be some sort of hallway that connected the main house to a smaller area that was still larger than her whole apartment.
In a word, the house was magnificent.
She jerked herself out of her gawking and forced her aching feet to walk up the wide, stone steps to the front door. She pretended like her fingers weren’t shaking as she reached out and rang the doorbell, then held her breath, mentally preparing herself to deal with any kind of anger or irritation at her uninvited presence.
When a stern looking woman answered the door, Rachel felt an almost painful letdown mixed with relief.
“May I help you?” she asked, her voice polite, but not very impressed with Rachel’s presence.
Rachel took a breath, praying that her efforts would pay off. “I’m here to speak with Mr. Watson if he’s available.”
Molly looked the young, beautiful woman up and down, approving of the woman’s gumption if not so much her business suit. “How did you get up here? The driveway isn’t wide enough for a car to get through.” Molly looked down at Rachel’s red shoes with confusion.
Rachel was surprised by the abrupt words and only a half-hearted greeting. “I walked,” Rachel said with a bright smile. “It isn’t very far.” Which was a complete lie when one was walking in three inch heels. “Is Mr. Watson available?”
Molly leaned against the doorway, pressing her lips together as she contemplated how to answer the lovely woman’s question. “That man is out there somewhere,” she said, looking out over the flowering bushes that seemed to be everywhere. “He’s not here but then, he’s rarely inside on a day like today.”
Rachel felt defeated and flustered. “Oh,” was all she could say at the moment, her green eyes clouding over with temporary defeat. But she wasn’t going down yet. The man had to come home some time, didn’t he? “Do you know when he usually returns?”
Molly looked out into the sunshine as if trying to find the answers in the chaos of the Maine landscape. “That man has the oddest schedule you’ll ever find,” she explained. “He does what he wants, when he wants. He works when the mood strikes him but all other times, he’s out working on one project or another. I can’t tell you when he’ll be here, but I’d put money on him being at the Eager Beaver a bit later, a bar over on the other side of the peninsula. He generally gets a beer or two there most nights.”
Rachel sighed with exasperation. This wasn’t sounding like the man she wanted to emulate. He didn’t work a normal schedule? She’d always thought that being regimented and on a strict schedule would help her get ahead. Most mornings, she was the first one into the office and she stayed late each night while the foreign exchanges were still thriving. It was all very confusing.
“Thank you for your help,” Rachel said as the woman tucked a dishrag into the waistband of her apron.
Molly chuckled at the lovely woman’s disappointment. If Molly had her way, the man in question would be right here, getting to know this pretty stranger and settle down. Molly wanted some babies to take care of and that obstinate Emerson Jackson Watson wasn’t getting on board quickly enough. “Good luck finding him. He’s a wily devil.”
Rachel walked back down the stone steps, squinting her eyes against the sunshine as she considered her options. It was only ten o’clock in the morning. She’d gotten the earliest flight out of Dulles Airport so she could arrive here early enough to catch him before the famous Emerson Watson started his day. Now she was finding that he never really started his day. How exasperating.
She wasn’t giving up though. It was Friday morning which meant she had all weekend to try and catch the man. Tenacity was the way to go, she told herself, trying to pep herself up. She hadn’t caught him yet, but she still had until Sunday evening before she had to fly back to Washington, D.C.
Rachel walked back, her knees shaking once more as she rounded the corner where the handsome man had been twenty minutes ago. Sure enough, there he was, standing on the ladder, his shoulder muscles flexing in the sunshine, looking amazingly strong and virile.