Page 1 of Liam

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LIAM

My lawyer clears his throat from across the backseat of the limo. “We should be arriving at the, ah, accommodations soon, Lord Rochester. I called ahead before we left the airport to let them know we’d need some food and a quiet, ground floor sitting room or dining room we could use for a meeting.”

“Thank you, Jeffrey,” I nod without looking away from the window. After an overnight flight from London and then a two-hour car ride with my lawyer, my accountant, my assistant, and a young man who may or may not actually work for me, all I want to do is get out of this car and stretch my legs. Thank God my assistant had the foresight to rent out an entire estate for the week even though I insisted we would only need a couple of rooms, because I already know there will be times when I’ll want to be as far away from these people as possible.

Not that I dislike any of them. To the contrary, I have a good working relationship with everyone in the car. Well, except for the mystery intern or whoever he is that’s been tagging along for God-only-knows what purpose.

The scenery in this part of America is breathtakingly beautiful, with trees that are hundreds of years old and forested hillsides that haven’t been spoiled by the logging industry or suburban housing developments. I could easily spend hours at a time just looking out over the endless expanse of wilderness, and seeing it firsthand like this is a good reminder of why I’m here.

My family has a long history of supporting local efforts to preserve and protect wildlife in countries across the globe, and now it’s my turn as the fourth Viscount Rochester, the head of my family—and my family foundation’s wealth—to help fund worthy causes wherever and whenever I can find them.

It’s the only way I’d likely ever find myself in a place like Kismet Falls or any number of other tiny, rural American towns.

I do need to pull myself away from the scenic views for a little while, though. At least long enough to take care of some business, since that’s why I’ve brought this car-load of people out to the middle of nowhere.

“Brian,” I look over at my accountant. “Can you please e-mail me the funding proposals—both the high and low estimates—for the wildlife refuge? I want to look it over one more time before we meet with the representatives from the non-profit.”

“Yes, sir,” he answers, already typing out the email on his ever-present laptop. “I’ll have it ready for you in two minutes.”

I nod, comforted by the competent, quietly capable group I’ve surrounded myself with.

The mystery intern sighs dramatically and looks over at Jeffrey. “Will there be food for us when we get there? And wi-fi?”

My assistant, Hannah, nudges me as Jeffrey answers. “That’s his nephew,” she whispers before I can ask out loud. “He’s tagging along for university credits or… something.”

At least that question has been answered now.

“Make sure his room is on the other side of the house from mine,” I mutter. “On the other side of the property, preferably.”

“Already taken care of,” she snickers. “You don’t think I’d let you down after all these years, do you?”

I grin despite the momentary irritation and shake my head. “Never.”

My phone pings with the email from Brian, and the car falls silent again as I spend the next several minutes going over the proposals we’ve received from the non-profit handling the wildlife conservation effort here in Kismet Falls.

I look up again as we pull off the main road onto a long, tree-lined driveway. “These proposals look really good. It all looks really good on paper. I suppose we’ll find out soon enough if they’re as organized and capable in person.”

“Oh wow,” Hannah’s eyes light up as the house comes into view at the end of the driveway. “It’s beautiful. Even better than the pictures we looked at online.”

“It does have a certain charm,” I nod, taking in the details of the sprawling Victorian mansion. “The burgundy color seems brighter in person. The yellow trim, too. I’d never guess those colors would work so well on a big house like this one, but they do.”

Our driver stops outside the front door and we begin piling out. I turn to Hannah while everyone else collects their luggage from the trunk of the car. “I hope our rooms are ready. Can you please go ahead and make sure everything is in order? I’ll grab your suitcase and bring it in while you’re taking care of the check-in procedures.”

“Of course,” she nods, turning to walk up the steps to the covered, wrap-around porch. “Our contact person here on the estate is a woman named Rachel and I—oh, this must be her.”

I look up at the door just as Hannah finishes talking—or maybe she’s still talking, I’m not even sure anymore—and stop dead in my tracks as the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen steps outside onto the porch.

“Welcome to the Dodd Estate Bed and Breakfast,” she says, her eyes locking onto mine. “My parents and I are so glad to have you all here for the week. If there’s anything at all I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Rachel.

Rachel.

The pretty name echoes in my head as I try not to stare. Thankfully, Hannah steps right in to deal with the logistics of assigning rooms while everyone else does… whatever they’re doing. I honestly can’t tear my eyes away from Rachel long enough to care about what Brian or Jeffrey or the whiny nephew are up to.

Hannah gestures in my direction, snapping me out of my thoughts just as she says my name. “… and this is Lord Rochester, who—”

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