Free Ready & Willing by Elizabeth Bevarly Page A

in advance, and she wanted her house—and her life—returned to her as soon as possible. Besides, Nathaniel Summerfield seemed like the kind of guy who had to have his life all nice and orderly—something Audrey liked, too—and showing up unannounced would doubtless rankle him, a concept she liked. A lot.
    Having some knowledge of her adversary this time, however, she’d decided to dress in the same uniform he did, so she had dug out the most masculine of her own power suits, a tailored black outfit pinstriped in a dark berry, to do battle with his. She’d also donned her pointiest-toed high heels to increase both her height and her sense of command. Her only concession to femininity was the Art Deco pin affixed to her lapel, black slants complemented by geometric shapes the same dark red color as her shirt.
    His receptionist recognized her immediately and frowned, then reached for the telephone on her desk. Audrey half expected her to call security and have her thrown out, but, surprisingly, she announced her arrival to her employer. Except that she didn’t announce Audrey by name. She simply referred to her as “that woman who didn’t have an appointment yesterday, either,” in a voice that, once again, let Audrey know that, to Nathaniel Summerfield, the only thing worse than not having an appointment was . . . Well, that there was nothing worse than not having an appointment.
    Even more surprising than not being immediately accosted by burly security guards was the fact that Nathaniel Summerfield evidently told his secretary to send Audrey right in. So off she went, back into the lair of Silas Summerfield’s loathsome grandson. Who, okay, didn’t look all that loathsome. There was just no denying the resemblance Nathaniel bore to his dead ancestor. He even sounded like Silas when he thanked his secretary for showing Audrey in.
    The resemblance ended, however, at his attire. As he stood up from his chair behind the big desk, she saw that he was dressed much as he had been the day before, in an overwhelming power suit that had doubtless set him back four figures. But where yesterday’s had been charcoal, today’s was dark brown. Coupled with the ocher shirt and a necktie splashed with a bit of swirling whimsical color that should have looked out of place on him, but somehow didn’t look out of place at all, the ensemble made the brown eyes she’d found so tempting the day before look positively decadent now.
    That almost forgotten heat erupted in Audrey’s midsection once more, and try as she did to tamp it down again, it wouldn’t quite go away. As had happened yesterday, the moment she laid eyes on the man, something inside her that had been smoldering slowly to death suddenly sparked to life again, reminding her of things—of feelings—she’d very nearly forgotten. Things—feelings—she’d been denied for far too long.
    She told herself it was only because he was so handsome, a walking, talking piece of Greek god sculpture wrought by the hands of a master. But were she honest with herself—and Audrey always tried to be that—she would have to concede that it was something more than his good looks.
    She’d encountered dozens of handsome men since Sean’s death, more than a few of whom had made clear their desire to get to know her better. But none of them had even given her pause. There had never been any question since Sean’s death that she would remain single for the rest of her life, because she knew she would never stop loving Sean or be able to open her heart to someone else. Even falling in love with Sean had come as a surprise. She had been convinced, even in adolescence, that she would never marry. Not just because she’d known she wanted to focus on a career, but because she’d always been a solitary person who simply didn’t invite the interest of others. The shy, introspective only child she had been matured into a private, introspective adolescent. And after her parents’