“So there’s something I should tell you,” he said as they came up to the huge front door. “Well, two things actually.”

“What’s that?”

He opened the way into the resplendent home. “First of all, Pritchard has the night off. She was a little disappointed to hear that bit of news, but there you have it.”

Ivie felt her body warm instantly. “Oh, really?”

Silas shut them in together, and she dimly noted that he was back in his uniform of a cashmere sweater and slacks with expensive loafers. Everything was a little baggy, but like she cared? Still, they were going to have to loosen up his wardrobe some.

Introduce him to blue jeans. Sweatshirts. A good pair of shorts in July.

“And?” she prompted.

He stopped in the center of the beautifully appointed open space. “I bought us a farm. In the valley over from your parents. Yes, yes, I know I should have asked you, but we need a place outside of the city for privacy and I know you want to be close to your family—and no offense, but I have gin rummy money I need to get back from your aunt—”

She tackled him with a hug. “What are you like! You bought us a farm?”

As he held her against his body, Ivie’s heart was free, her soul was free, and it was at that moment that she knew the fall was over: Back when she had been in that bar and she had seen him and almost looked into his eyes, when she’d had a sense she was going to be forever changed…now she knew, down to her marrow—natch—that all was well and the new era in her life was going to be even better than anything that had come before—

Silas’s mouth found hers and suddenly she wasn’t thinking anymore.

It was all about sensation as they stumbled backward into the drawing room she had waited in when she had come to apply for the job.

Clothes left their bodies, melting away and landing on the carpet, and then they were down on the rug in front of the crackling fire.

“The drapes are pulled,” he groaned against her mouth. “I had everything set, even the fire. For just this.”

He rolled her over and found his way in between her legs to enter her. In response, tears of joy speared into her eyes as she stared up at him and they began to move together.

“I love you, dearest Ivie,” he said to her. “And I’m going to live my whole life with that best characteristic of mine in the forefront.”

Ivie smiled and giggled—yes, giggled. Because sometimes, even hard, tough females like her had too many champagne bubbles in their bloodstream to keep them inside.

“Right back at you, my male,” she replied. “I will love you with everything I am and all that I have…”

At that point, they stopped talking and focused on making love.

Until six p.m…the following evening.