Upstairs Downstairs Temptation (The Men 0f Stone River Book 2) Read online

  She was exactly the kind of woman

  he knew he shouldn’t want...

  “You want to kiss me?”

  He should say no...

  After moving his lab to northern Maine, billionaire inventor Farrell Stone needs a live-in housekeeper. Single mother Ivy Danby needs a job to support her baby daughter. Both problems solved. Except Ivy fascinates Farrell, more than any temporary employee should. Widowed Farrell doesn’t do relationships, but would one sizzling night with Ivy be a huge mistake...or the fresh start they both need?

  USA TODAY Bestselling Author Janice Maynard

  She had marshmallow on her lips.

  Before Farrell could think it through, he leaned forward and licked away the sweetness. “You’re welcome,” he said huskily.

  Her eyes widened. “I didn’t understand you at first. I thought you were a serious scientist devoted to his work. But you’re really a renegade, aren’t you? A hedonist. A rascal.”

  Farrell gave her a lazy smile. “Isn’t it possible to be all those things? Can’t I want to sleep with a fascinating woman in my spare time?”

  She reached out and covered one of his hands with hers. Her smile was shy. “I hope there won’t be much

  sleeping involved. Surely we can do better than that.”

  His heart rate jumped. He twined his fingers with hers. “Don’t toy with me, woman. I need an unambiguous answer. Do you want to go to bed with me? Here? Tonight?”

  * * *

  Upstairs Downstairs Temptation by Janice Maynard is part of the The Men of Stone River series.

  Dear Reader,

  Farrell and Ivy have both been hurt by love. But they are so perfect for each other, I promise!

  For each of them, falling in love again is out of the question. Each is very happy alone, or as happy as they can be under the circumstances. Life is safer that way.

  I hope you enjoy this tale of two people who try their best to go it alone but find out that two hearts are better than one.

  Happy reading,

  Janice

  Janice Maynard

  Upstairs Downstairs Temptation

  USA TODAY bestselling author Janice Maynard loved books and writing even as a child. After multiple rejections, she finally sold her first manuscript! Since then, she has written fifty-plus books and novellas. Janice lives in Tennessee with her husband, Charles. They love hiking, traveling and family time.

  You can connect with Janice at www.janicemaynard.com, www.Twitter.com/janicemaynard, www.Facebook.com/janicemaynardreaderpage, www.Facebook.com/janicesmaynard and www.Instagram.com/therealjanicemaynard.

  Books by Janice Maynard

  Harlequin Desire

  Southern Secrets

  Blame It On Christmas

  A Contract Seduction

  Bombshell for the Black Sheep

  Texas Cattleman’s Club: Inheritance

  Too Texan to Tame

  The Men of Stone River

  After Hours Seduction

  Upstairs Downstairs Temptation

  Visit her Author Profile page at Harlequin.com, or janicemaynard.com, for more titles.

  You can also find Janice Maynard on Facebook, along with other Harlequin Desire authors, at Facebook.com/harlequindesireauthors!

  For Ainsley.

  You’re smart and creative,

  and you always make me laugh!

  I love you bunches...

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Excerpt from Hot Nashville Nights by Sheri WhiteFeather

  One

  Farrell Stone didn’t like asking for help. Rarely would he do so when it came to business, and even less in his personal life. He went his own way. Handled his own affairs. Kept his own counsel.

  Unfortunately, his administrative assistant, Katie, was a pro at butting in...which was why he now found himself in the midst of this odd interview with Katie’s protégée.

  The woman who sat quietly across the desk from him was thin and not too tall. Barely five-three, perhaps. Her thick, shiny hair, the color of rich chocolate, was cut short in choppy layers that emphasized her pointed chin.

  Huge, long-lashed eyes seemed too big for her face. The expression in her wary feminine gaze was equal parts fearful and hopeful. Hazel irises sparkled with flecks of gold and green.

  Though she was not traditionally beautiful, there was something compelling about her. Farrell was drawn to her soft femininity and her almost palpable aura of vulnerability. She was exactly the kind of woman he found sexually appealing. The fact that he felt a flutter of physical response alarmed him.

  He had trained himself to ignore sexual need. Now was not the time to break that habit.

  Though she was originally from here in Maine, Ivy Danby had spent most of the last two decades in South Carolina. The résumé in Farrell’s hand was so slim as to be nonexistent. Graduated high school. Worked a handful of jobs. Married. Then nothing. Although the fact that the woman held a sleeping baby in her arms pointed to a few details that might have been omitted.

  He dropped the single sheet of paper and drummed his fingers on his desk. “I appreciate you coming in for an interview, Ms. Danby, but—”

  She leaned forward urgently, taking him by surprise. Halting his polite brush-off. “Whatever you need me to do, I can learn,” she said. She stared at him, unblinking. As if sheer determination could manipulate him.

  He liked her confidence, but with every minute that passed, he became more sure that he didn’t need the complication of being attracted to an employee.

  The woman’s voice was husky and slow as honey in winter. Whatever you need me to do... It was only Farrell’s surprisingly naughty libido that added the sexual subtext.

  It irked him that he wasn’t entirely ready for this conversation. But opportunity had come knocking, as they say. He sighed. “I haven’t advertised for this position. You understand that, right?”

  Ivy nodded. “I do. But your administrative assistant, Katie, apparently knows something is coming available. And she also knows I need a job. I’m currently sharing an apartment with her sister.”

  Farrell rubbed the center of his forehead with two fingers, trying to stave off a headache. “My admin is now my sister-in-law. She and my brother Quin were married three months ago.”

  The woman lifted an eyebrow. “And she still comes to work every day?”

  The question struck Farrell as odd. “I think Quin assumed she might quit. But Katie is very much her own person. She likes running the R & D department. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.”

  Ivy Danby nodded. “I’ve only met her once, and it was a wonderful conversation. She’s an amazing person.”

  “That she is.” Farrell hesitated. “Here’s the thing, Ivy. The job is in the middle of nowhere in northern Maine.”

  She blinked. “Oh.”


  Farrell was an engineer. An inventor. Traditionally, he had worked from his state-of-the-art lab here in this building in Portland...on this floor. In the past twenty-four months, though, he had seen his best and newest ideas pop up in the marketplace before he had a chance to get them there.

  Though it was possible he was paranoid, the prospect of corporate espionage was something he couldn’t rule out.

  “My brothers and I each own homes on the northern coast,” he said. “I’ve recently built a small lab and a guesthouse on my property. As soon as possible, I’m going to move my work up there.”

  “Do you mind me asking why?”

  “Aspects of my designs are highly confidential. I’ve decided I need to be more vigilant in protecting my research. Not only that, but I like being on my own, and I work best in solitude.”

  “Then why does Katie think you need to hire someone?”

  He grimaced and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m single-minded when I’m in the midst of a project. I’ve been known to work for thirty-six hours straight if I’m in the zone. I need someone to run my house and prepare meals. Particularly a person who can be discreet and trustworthy.”

  An odd expression flashed through her eyes. Something dark. Something that surprised him.

  “I can keep my mouth shut, Mr. Stone. I can keep secrets.”

  Finally, he asked the question he’d been putting off. “Why would you want a job like this, Ivy? We have internet and TV up north, but nothing else. Not even a convenience store nearby.”

  Was it his imagination, or did she clutch the baby more tightly? For the first time, she revealed agitation. Anxiety.

  “I have to be honest with you,” she said.

  That sexy voice affected him in ways he couldn’t explain. “Please do.”

  Her bottom lip trembled the slightest bit. Her eyes sheened with moisture. “I’m desperate, Mr. Stone. My husband died a few months ago. He left me nothing. No life insurance. Nothing. The house was sold, and the money went elsewhere. My parents are gone. I have no other family. I need a job where I can have Dolly with me.”

  “Dolly?”

  Ivy stroked her baby’s head. “Dorothy Alice Danby. That’s a mouthful, so Dolly for short.” Ivy paused. Stared at him with an intensity that took him off guard. “I know you don’t remember me from our childhood. We were at the same elementary school. But everybody in Portland knows your family—your father, your brothers, Zachary and Quinten. Stone River Outdoors provides hundreds of good jobs. I’m only asking for a chance. I’m a hard worker. And the baby still takes two long naps every day. I also have an infant carrier, so she can stay on my back while I’m cooking or cleaning. If you hire me, I swear you won’t regret it.”

  Ruefully, Farrell realized he was regretting it already. His life needed fewer complications, not more. As far as he could tell, Ivy Danby with her artless sex appeal and her tiny daughter was a whole huge bundle of complications.

  With an inward sigh, he admitted defeat. “You make a compelling argument. But for the record, I do remember you, Ivy. We were both in Mrs. Hansard’s third-grade class together. You had pigtails. Your desk was in the row beside mine two seats back. I gave you a valentine that year. One I made myself.”

  Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed. “Oh,” she said. “You do remember.”

  “Give me twenty-four hours to think about it. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what I’ve decided.”

  He saw on her face that she wanted an answer right now. Wanted it badly, in fact. But she swallowed the protest on her lips and managed a wobbly smile. “I understand. Thank you for the interview.”

  As soon as his guest departed, Farrell stabbed a button on his intercom and barked an order. Moments later, Katie Duncan Stone appeared in his doorway. The blue-eyed blonde was both beautiful and competent. She was also stubborn and dogged about helping people, whether they deserved it or not.

  Farrell folded his arms across his chest and glared. “Really, Katie? A new mom with a baby?”

  “Don’t be so sexist, Farrell Stone.” She took the comfy seat at his desk that Ivy had recently vacated. “New moms can work.”

  “If they have access to childcare. My house is in the woods on a cliff above the ocean.” He ground his teeth, haunted by the memory of entreaty in Ivy’s hazel-eyed gaze, but even more disturbed by how very much he wanted to say yes to this idea.

  Katie visibly dismissed his protest. “A hundred years ago, regular women didn’t have childcare. But they worked their asses off. It can be done.”

  “Why are you pushing this so hard?” His brother Quin had warned him about Katie’s penchant for rescuing humans and the occasional animal, too. She had a huge heart.

  “I met Ivy when I dropped by my sister’s apartment over on Kimball Street the other day. In conversation, we realized that you and Ivy were in school together.”

  “Elementary school,” Farrell said with a sigh. “That’s hardly a character reference.”

  His new sister-in-law was not to be deterred. “Ivy moved in with nothing, Farrell. No furniture. No belongings. She had two suitcases, a port-a-crib and a diaper bag. Nothing else. Don’t you think that’s kind of strange?”

  “Maybe, maybe not.”

  “She’s hurting. And alone. Surely you, of all people, can sympathize. Losing a spouse changes your whole world.”

  Farrell took the hit stoically. Only Katie would have the guts to bring up his past. It had been seven years since Sasha died. Even his own brothers didn’t go there. “Dirty pool,” he muttered.

  Katie stood and kissed him on the cheek. “You and I are family now. I get to meddle. But in this instance, I’m begging you, Farrell. Ivy Danby needs a fresh start. She needs a home and security. She needs exactly what you have to offer. Please give her a chance.”

  * * *

  Ten days after the uncomfortable interview at Stone River Outdoors headquarters in Portland, Ivy found herself in an expensive luxury sedan being driven north by Katie Stone, herself.

  Ivy had been shocked when the big boss contacted her. In a terse, four-minute conversation, Farrell Stone had offered her the job and a salary that made her eyes bug out. Katie called soon afterward to outline the specifics. As Farrell’s admin, Katie knew what would be required of Ivy. She also knew that Ivy had no car, no furniture and no money.

  Katie had a solution for every problem. She insisted she needed to check on her husband’s house, now hers also, and thus it would be no trouble at all to take Ivy and Dolly to their new home.

  The trip had been pleasant so far. Dolly babbled and played in the back. When she became fussy, Katie found a rest area and pulled off so Ivy could prepare a bottle for the baby, get Dolly out of her car seat and feed her comfortably.

  They rolled down the windows and enjoyed the pleasant breeze. Katie’s gaze was wistful. “I want to have kids,” she said softly. “I don’t know if my husband is ready, though.”

  Ivy cradled Dolly’s cheek. “You haven’t been married long. There’s plenty of time.”

  “I know,” Katie said. “But that biological clock you hear about is ticking loudly.” She flicked at a mosquito that tried to enter the car. “How did you know you wanted kids?”

  Ivy stiffened, keeping her eyes locked on her daughter. “I didn’t,” she said. “It just happened.”

  “Ah, well, I guess you were one of the lucky ones.”

  “I suppose.” Ivy’s throat was tight. She let the silence build, knowing she had to keep it together. Crying over the past at this stage in the game might cost her this precious job. “She’s had enough,” she said, gently loosening the baby’s lock on the nipple. Dolly’s mouth and tiny tongue still made little sucking motions, but her head lolled back. “We can get on the road.”

  Katie grinned. “Ah, to be that young and innocent again.”

 
While Ivy tucked Dolly back into her car seat, Katie visited the restroom and then Ivy took her turn. Soon, they were driving north again. For so long, Ivy had kept her emotions in lockdown mode. But today, of all days, she had reason to smile. She was headed to a job and a place to live and a salary that would support her tiny family. On this warm autumn day with the sunshine beaming down and the skies a brilliant blue, a tiny sprout of hope unfurled.

  Birches, oaks and maples put on a fantastic display of color. Vibrant reds and orangey golds...deep yellows and every shade of brown. Mother Nature had outdone herself this season.

  Maybe by next year Ivy would have the opportunity and the financial means to explore this area with her daughter. The prospect seemed like a really wonderful fantasy.

  She shook herself inwardly. Grief had stolen her hopes and dreams, but that was in the past. She was rebuilding her life, reinventing who she was. Nothing was beyond her reach if she believed in Ivy Danby.

  The fact that Farrell Stone was the author of her good fortune gave her pause. She liked him. A lot. He was honorable and handsome and sexy in a gruff, understated kind of way.

  She honestly thought her life experiences had erased her ability to feel like a woman. But when she sat across the desk from Farrell, she found herself wanting more than a job. Maybe a smile. A shared laugh.

  She would have to be very careful not to make a fool of herself.

  Ivy had plenty to think about as Katie concentrated on the traffic. In Bangor, they merged south and east onto the narrower 1A toward Bar Harbor. At Ellsworth, just before the crowded tourist playground that included Acadia National Park, they turned onto a less traveled road for the last leg to Stone River.

  Here, nobody but locals traversed the winding rural highway. Nothing much to see but acres of forest and fields and peaceful ponds and lakes. The pastoral scenery soothed some of Ivy’s apprehensions.

  Katie glanced at the clock on the dash. “Not much longer now. Can you tell we’re near the ocean?”

  “Actually, yes. Living in Charleston for so long taught me the smell and feel of the air at the coast. It’s not as warm or humid here, but I remember the northern sea from my childhood.”