Business Arrangement Bride. Jessica Hart

the long climb up the stairs to her office the next morning.

      She liked her attic office in the city centre. Dating from the seventeenth century, the building had higgledy-piggledy rooms, sloping floors and dangerously low beams. It was charming but there were times, like now, when she had Bea on her hip and two bags to carry, that she wished for a few more modern amenities. Like a lift, for instance.

      Plodding upwards, Mary made it to the first landing and hoisted Bea higher on to her hip as she pondered her accommodation problem. Her mother was happy for the first time in months, and if she and Bill had some space and some time on their own, Mary was sure that they could work things out.

      If only Alan would release her money from the house, there wouldn’t be a problem. As it was, Mary was beginning to wonder if she would ever get her money back. She had put the savings that she had into renting this office and getting the agency off the ground, but the only way that she had been able to afford that was living with her mother. She couldn’t borrow while Alan was being so obstructive, and her income from the agency was sketchy, to say the least.

      She had thought it was such a good idea to set up her own business when she moved back to York. It had seemed her best hope of generating an income while still giving her the flexibility to look after Bea herself, but perhaps she would have to think about applying for a job after all.

      That wouldn’t solve her immediate problems, though. It would take too long for her mother and Bill and, anyway, she would have to find a job that earned enough to cover childcare costs. What she needed right now was some money to put down as a deposit on a flat and cover the first few months rent until she had some proper income from the agency but, short of robbing a bank, Mary couldn’t think where she was going to get it.

      Her thoughts were still circling worriedly as she puffed up the last flight of steps and rounded the landing to stop dead when she saw who was waiting outside her office door.

      ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘It’s you.’

      Her heart had lurched violently at the sight of him, leaving her breathless and a little shaken. Tyler Watts was the last person she had expected to see this morning.

      He looked as grim as ever and his massive presence was overwhelming on the cramped landing. Mary was suddenly very conscious of the fact that her skirt was creased, her hair unwashed and she hadn’t even had time to put on any lipstick.

      She had overslept after a broken night and had fallen into yesterday’s clothes as she hurried to get Bea ready for the day. Normally her mother would look after her, but Virginia was preoccupied with her coming meeting with Bill. Bea wasn’t sleeping well at the moment and Mary would have been exhausted even if she hadn’t had her own worries to keep her awake long after she had got the baby back to sleep.

      She had spent half the night replaying that conversation with Tyler and wishing that she hadn’t lost her temper. His attempt at blackmail had been outrageous, of course, but it wasn’t as if he had been trying to force her into white slavery, was it? All he wanted was a bit of coaching.

      Would a few tips on how to make a relationship work have been so hard to do? Mary asked herself. It was only what she would discuss over a bottle of wine with her girlfriends, after all. They were all relationship experts now. And, in return, she could have had an introduction to Steven Halliday and a chance at a contract that would save her agency.

      But no, she had had to get all righteous and uppity because he unnerved her. The way he was unnerving her now.

      ‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded rudely.

      Tyler was looking from her to Bea. ‘You’ve got a baby.’

      ‘My, he’s a quick one.’ Bea got very heavy after three flights of stairs and Mary shifted her to her other hip. ‘We can’t fool him, can we, Bea?’

      ‘Is she yours?’

      ‘She is, and before you ask, no, her father’s not around.’

      Mary pulled her bag round and fished one-handedly for the key. Having already accused him of being a bully, a blackmailer and being emotionally stunted, it seemed a bit late to try sucking up to him, and she was too tired and fed up with her whole situation to make an effort any more.

      ‘What do you want?’

      ‘To see you,’ he said and then looked at his watch. It was half past nine. ‘Do you always start work this late?’ he asked disapprovingly. In Tyler’s world, everyone was at their desks at eight o’clock on the dot, and he was probably at his even earlier.

      ‘No, not always,’ said Mary, still searching for the key. ‘It’s been one of those mornings.’

      Where was that key? She sucked in her breath with frustration. Of course, she hadn’t had time to transfer the contents to a different bag so she was still carrying the one that had broken so inopportunely last night, and the muddle at the bottom was even worse than usual. She had managed to knot the broken strap together, but it hardly made for a professional image.

      Still, it was too late for that.

      This was hopeless, thought Mary, rummaging fruitlessly. She glanced at Tyler, still waiting for her to open the door. Her unwelcoming greeting didn’t seem to have put him off, but then she guessed he was a man who didn’t go until he had said what he was going to say.

      ‘Look, would you mind holding her a moment?’ she said, handing Bea over to him before he had a chance to answer. ‘I’ll just find my key.’

      Appalled, Tyler found himself holding the baby, his arms extended stiffly so that she dangled from his hands. He stared at her nervously and the baby stared back with round eyes that were exactly the same grey as her mother’s.

      ‘Ah…here it is.’ Mary produced the key from the depths of her bag and inserted it in the lock. She opened the door on to a room that was surprisingly light as the autumn sunshine poured through the two windows set into the sloping roof, and she waved a hand with a trace of sarcasm. ‘Come into my luxury penthouse,’ she said.

      CHAPTER THREE

      TYLER was left literally holding the baby as Mary went in. He followed hastily and stood waiting for her to take it back, but instead she went over to the desk and switched on the computer.

      ‘Er…Mary?’ he said to remind her and she glanced up from her keyboard.

      Good God, you’d think the man had never held a baby before! Mary smothered a smile. She had never seen anyone look so awkward with a small child. He was holding Bea at arm’s length and his expression, normally so grim, was distinctly alarmed.

      Who would have thought that a baby was all it took to put the ferocious Tyler Watts at a disadvantage? Pity she hadn’t taken Bea with her last night. Things might have been very different.

      As Mary watched, the alarm changed to horror as Bea’s little face crumpled and, terrified that she was going to start crying, Tyler jiggled her up and down a bit. To his surprise, the baby paused, as if unsure how to react. For a breathless moment she looked extremely dubious and it was touch and go until, just as Tyler was convinced that she was going to bawl after all, she dissolved into a gummy smile.

      Absurdly flattered, Tyler jiggled her up and down some more. Apparently deciding that this was a good game, Bea gurgled triumphantly. ‘Ga!’ she shouted, smiling, and, succumbing to that irresistible baby charm, Tyler smiled back.

      Mary froze over her keyboard. She had never seen him smile before and the effect was startling, to say the least, lightening the grim lines of his face and making him look younger and more approachable.

      And disturbingly attractive.

      Swallowing, Mary straightened. She had wondered what he would look like if he smiled, and now she knew. Amazing what a mere crease of the cheek could do. Watching him smile was making her feel quite…unsettled. She wasn’t sure it wasn’t easier to deal with the grimly formidable