Aldon hung up and resumed carrying his bags up to the veranda of the castle, where he unlocked the tall arched wooden doorway and ventured inside.
The high ceilings of the foyer lent an echo to the sound of his footsteps in the empty house. The caretaker had clearly been doing their job, because even though no one had inhabited the castle for years, it seemed to have been recently cleaned. He didn’t know how often the person came by, but if they didn’t come during his stay, he’d have to leave a note of thanks. Perhaps he could speak to the steward who oversaw his estates and see to some sort of holiday bonus.
Clean, quiet, and unoccupied. Aldon welcomed the alone and quiet part of the equation, but the castle almost felt ghostly. Why would he have expected an empty castle to feel cozy?
Suddenly, the sound of giggling lit up the foyer, causing Aldon to jump with surprise then turn in a circle to decipher where the sound had come from. A woman’s voice called out from down the hallway. If Aldon remembered the layout of the home correctly, the sound was coming from the servants’ quarters.
“Please be patient and wait outside,” the voice said and then began humming a song Aldon didn’t recognize.
He followed the sound to its source, a separate wing of the castle that was accessible through a door off of the foyer.
The moment he walked through the door to the servants’ wing, he sensed an atmosphere of happy activity. The space was so unlike anything he’d expected from the castle, the complete antithesis of uninhabited. The furnishings were far less grand than those in the main part of the house, but with the framed photographs of smiling people decorating the walls and the seating strewn with blankets and puffy pillows, this part of the estate felt downright homey. Aldon strode into the estate’s large, galley-style kitchen, and even this cavernous, industrial space—designed to provide feasts for dozens of guests, if needed, looked brighter and cheerier than he’d expected. The windows and doors to the grounds out back were flung open to let in the fresh air and sunlight. A twenty-something woman, wearing gardening coveralls but no gloves stood at the kitchen sink, filling a watering can. Although the woman was filthy dirty—weeds dangling from the tendrils of fiery-red hair and soil both beneath her fingernails and studding her chin, Aldon couldn’t help but see past the grime.
God, she’s beautiful.
He swallowed and shook away the thought. The last thing he needed was to become attracted to another woman while he was still reeling from Carrie’s infidelity. He cleared his throat, in hopes that the woman at the sink would notice his presence and stop her incessant humming.
“Oh, my God!” she exclaimed, and in her surprise, tossed the watering can up and out of her hands. The yellow plastic pitcher came down with a splash, landing at her rubber-booted feet.
Aldon rushed to help her wipe up the watery mess.
“I’m so sorry to have startled you,” he said and placed the half-full can on the kitchen counter. Luckily, it hadn’t spilled, just splashed. “I’m Aldon Ashton, the owner of this estate.”
The woman grabbed a terry dish towel from the counter and used it to pat her face dry. When she was finished, there were smears of mud across both of her cheeks. She looked like she was ready for a rugby match. Aldon had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing.
“No, no, don’t apologize!” the woman exclaimed, seeming to still be rattled by his arrival. “The steward called to say you’d be paying a visit, but I must have gotten the day wrong. I thought you’d be arriving tomorrow.” Her face suddenly paled, and she hurried to speak her next words. “Don’t worry, though. I have everything ready for you. The cupboards and fridge are stocked. Sheets are freshly washed. I just have to make up your bed.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I wasn’t worried.”
She met his eyes, and he couldn’t help but notice that hers were the most brilliant shade of green. Emerald, like the bright and beautiful shrubbery that had welcomed him as he’d pulled up to Thistledown Castle a few moments ago. She smiled and held out a crusty-nailed hand to shake.
“I’m Piper Mackenzie,” she said. When she noticed the uncertain look he gave her hand, she quickly turned to the sink to scrub away the dirt. “Sorry for my appearance. I’m a mess!”
She laughed, and Aldon was struck by her beauty once again.
“Don’t apologize,” he said. “So, you’re the gardener here, I’m guessing?”
“Groundskeeper and caretaker,” Piper replied. “I take care of everything here at the castle, inside and out. Living on site makes it easy.”
Wait.
Back. Up.
“You live here?” he asked.
“Well, yes. I’ve been here for a few years now.”
He stared at her, still stuck on the fact that this lovely creature lived here and would be sharing the space with him. He bit his lip and tried to think of something to say as Piper tucked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear and grinned innocently. How was he supposed to concentrate on economics and solitude, knowing this gorgeous creature was just a few steps away?
Why was she, a young and beautiful woman, working as a caretaker and living at an old castle, all alone? It seemed quite an isolating career choice for someone as youthful and lovely as Piper.
Aldon cleared his throat and summoned his best—I’ve dealt with it—face. He would have to figure out how to ignore her presence for the next few days and focus on the reason he was here—for respite, not for rebound.
“Will you be staying at Thistledown long?” Piper asked.
“A few days,” he said. For a moment, he wondered if Piper followed the gossip columns. Did she know anything of his “postponed” wedding?
“Well, let me help you get settled,” she said. “Do you have many bags?”
“Just a few. They’re in the foyer.” Once again, he caught himself stuck inside her green eyes. “I don’t really know my way around the place,” he said. “I haven’t been here in years.”
“No worries. I can show you around,” she said and winked. “Just let me get out of these dirty coveralls.”
Aldon couldn’t tear his eyes from her as she worked off her muddy boots and wiggled out of her gardening clothes, hanging them on a hook next to the kitchen sink. He felt like a voyeur but couldn’t help himself. Beneath the coveralls, Piper was dressed in cute pink socks, hip-hugging shin-length jeans and a tight, peacock-blue tank top that did nothing to decrease Aldon’s attraction level. She shook out her hair and faced him, looking willowy and feminine.
“Ready?” she asked.
Was he ready? His jaw was squeezed tightly in an effort to keep his mouth from hanging open at the sight of this delightfully disheveled groundskeeper.
“Uh…” he managed. “Thank you.”
He followed her back through into the main part of the castle and up a set of stairs to the master bedroom, unable to keep his eyes from wandering over her curves.
“Here we are,” she said and led him into a brightly lit room with a four-poster bed in its center and floor-to ceiling bookcases lining one wall. Aldon was curious as to which titles lined the shelves, as reading was one of his greatest passions. Still, his interest in Piper outranked his preoccupation with books at the moment.