Bachelor's Special Read Online Free PDF Page A

gazed out her side window at the imposing two-story brick Tudor.
    For a second time, she glanced at the business card between her fingers. She brushed over the embossed lettering, then matched the address to the numbers on the address plate to the left of the double doors.
    Even with the candy to act as a lubricant, her throat dried. Yep, this is the place.
    She’d never been this close to a mansion before, and she pressed her palm into her stomach. Certifiable insanity, that must be what made her agree to this. For the millionth time, she questioned her choice in accepting Chet’s proposition. How could she back out of this gracefully?
    Two massive stone chimneys rested on either end of the house, towering into the sky like bookends protecting the spectacular stories of adventure and wealth printed on the walls between them. Steeply pitched, multi-gabled rooflines and decorative half-timber framing drew the eye downward to drink in the beauty of diamond-patterned, multi-paned windows.
    Chet appeared through the large wooden doors beneath an extended arch that slanted off the roof, then dipped to the well-manicured lawns. He was dressed in faded jeans and a black T-shirt that smoothed across his chest to show off every sinew of muscle. Her stomach flipped.
    Down, girl, he’s off limits.
    No way could she date someone she worked with, no matter how enticing. And she didn’t just work with him, she worked for him. She stepped from the car. Though she turned the key off, the engine knocked and sputtered before it groaned, then settled with a soft thump.
    “Is it okay to park here?” A new car would be the first thing on her list after she purchased a cargo van for her business.
    “Sure, or if you want a stall, pull around the side and down the drive.” He gestured toward the north side of the house, where a small paved slope revealed the long rooftop of what she assumed was a detached garage.
    “Does my car embarrass you?” As soon as the words left her mouth and his jaw tightened, she knew how ridiculous she sounded. He recovered quickly, flashing her with a tight smile.
    “Hardly. You should’ve seen some of the cars I drove while I put myself through school.”
    Yeah, like you’d have car issues. I’m sure driving a year-old BMW compared to a brand-new shiny Porsche was torture.
    “Let’s not start off on the wrong foot.” His jaw relaxed and his smile turned dangerous, one that could liquefy bones. “I get the impression you’re trying to pick a fight in hopes we’ll part ways.”
    “Am I that easy to read?” Jill tried to chuckle, but the sound that escaped was more like a strangled frog. She cleared her throat. “You’re right. I’m nervous. This all seems so…surreal.”
    “Relax.”
    Easy for you to say. We’re on your turf.
    Later she’d move her metal heap out of view, but she wouldn’t take a stall. She’d hate for her car to leak oil on his, probably immaculate, garage floor.
    Chet grabbed the suitcase she gripped. “Come on, I’ll show you around before you check out your room.”
    “No butler?”
    His chuckle eased the tense muscles bunched along her shoulders.
    “Nope, it’s only me. No servants or help besides Gretchen, who comes out to clean once a week, and now you.” He winked at her over his shoulder.
    Great, apparently Gretchen hadn’t needed to strike a bargain with her employer requiring her to move in. When Jill accepted this gig, she just assumed all rich people employed maids, butlers, pool boys, and assorted staff that saw to their every need. But no, leave it to her to agree to live with a rich guy who didn’t believe in hired help 24-7. Maybe he was a tyrant? That could be why his last cook left and he hadn’t managed to find a replacement. She swiped her palms down the side of her pants, sending up a silent prayer that she’d survive her time at the mansion on the hill.
    Had she gone mad? Accepting an offer to shack up temporarily with a man who scrambled her