“It’s merely one of those household complications that can’t be helped,” Owen said. “But today I do need to get work done before the buyer arrives and I don’t have time to—”
“May I be of help?” Chris asked. “I’ve run my father’s house for years.”
“We can’t ask you…” Owen began, then halted. “Diana, I’d be eternally grateful if you’d help. Unity has her hands full and doesn’t have the time. Five minutes ago, my gardener said he has to go to San Francisco to take care of a sick sister and he’s hired his cousin to run my gardens, only I don’t know this man and it’ll take me days to tell him how I want things kept.”
“Leave it to me,” Chris said. “I’ll take care of everything. Where are the gardeners? The old one and the new one? I’ll get instructions from the old one and give them to the cousin—and I’ll ask for references.”
Owen was looking at her with his head cocked to one side and Chris thought maybe she’d made a mistake. Diana Eskridge was supposed to be a mouse of a woman, not one who took over someone else’s household. But then, men rarely thought anything about housework. A woman could run an army of servants yet a man’d think she didn’t have sense enough to handle a twenty-dollar bill.
“Diana, I’d appreciate it very much if you’d help me with this. Domestic responsibilities are my downfall.”
Chris gave him a demure smile. “I’d like to help all that I can.”
“Al is waiting in the garden for me with his cousin. I give it all to you.”
Chris was glad for something to do and she went to the garden with a smile. Maybe she’d be able to find out something if she had access to some of Owen’s time. He’d be more likely to tell her something if she were helping him in whatever way she could.
She was walking around a corner when she came face to face with the one man she did not want to see. “You!” she gasped. “Get out of here!” She turned on her heel and started back toward the house.
Tynan caught her arm. “Is that how you treat the new gardener? Will you tell Hamilton that you can’t hire me?”
She stopped and glared at him. “I told you that I never wanted to see you again.”
“And I told you that you were my responsibility until I returned you to your father. I’m not leaving you alone until you’re in his care.”
“You were also to bring me back in love with Asher. I can do that on my own. I’m staying here with Ash and I plan to fall in love with him.”
“Good. Great. Glad to hear it. I wish you both the best in the world, but you’re staying near me too until I personally hand you over to your father.”
“That may be what you think but I’m going right now and tell Owen that you are unsuitable as a gardener. I’ll tell him that you are untrustworthy, that you may use a gun to do the weeding.”
“I hope you do,” he said, starting to walk beside her. “I never wanted to be a gardener anyway. I’ll just tell Hamilton the truth about who you are and we can go back to your father and we never have to see each other again. And I can get my pardon and you can have your wedding to the illustrious Mr. Prescott and I can get my money for pl
aying Cupid. This suits me fine.”
She stopped. “I want to stay here and find out about Lionel. I made a promise to a dying woman.”
“Ah, I see, your promise to someone you don’t know is sacred but my promise to your father isn’t worth anything, is that it?”
“No, you’re twisting my words. You have self-interest in this, I don’t.”
“Enhancing the reputation of Nola Dallas with a story that will break the readers’ hearts isn’t self-interest?”
“Get away from me,” she said but she didn’t walk toward the house any longer. “I am perfectly safe and I don’t plan to get into any trouble. I’ll write a letter to my father saying that you’ve fulfilled your obligations and he’s to give you your pardon and the money. I’ll even pay the money from my mother’s estate. Now, will you go?”
“And leave you here to take care of yourself? If Hamilton is doing something illegal, do you think he’ll stop at violence when he’s been discovered? Someone has to protect you from yourself.”
“Asher can protect me.”
Tynan gave a sound that bordered on a laugh. “And who’ll take care of him? You have a choice: either I stay here as the gardener and keep an eye on you, or we both leave now.”
Chris hid her fists in the folds of her skirt. “How did you find out where I was?”
He moved his face closer to hers. “Through wearing out three horses and two saddles. Lady, I have done nothing for the last few days but follow you and try to find out where you were. I finally got the sheriff to tell me something about it.”
“And what could he know?” Chris asked, glaring at him.
“More than you could guess. He’s heard of Owen Hamilton. The man does some big business dealings, controls a lot of money. You’re not dealing with a simpleton like Prescott who you can wrap around your little finger.”