The Beautiful Widow. HELEN BROOKS

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girls being written off as ‘domestic arrangements'. Purposely, she said, ‘Thank you, that would be welcome, although very little will change at home. As I mentioned before, my parents are on hand to take care of Amelia and Daisy. What—what would be my normal working hours?’

      Amelia and Daisy. Were they two little miniatures of her or did they look like their swine of a father? Repressing the notion to ask her if she had a photograph of the children, he said quietly, ‘It’s the sort of position where “normal” working hours won’t apply some of the time, as I’m sure you’ll appreciate having seen jobs for James’s practice through from beginning to end. However, I do expect my staff to put in a good day’s work for a good day’s pay, but as long as you do that the hours can be flexible within reason. I have other employees with children on the payroll and, depending on nursery or school hours and the various panics and situations which occur in family life, they juggle their hours accordingly.’

      Steel could tell from the widening of the velvet brown eyes that she hadn’t expected him to be so reasonable. He was glad he’d been able to surprise her, but it rankled she obviously thought him something of a tyrant. Keeping the annoyance he was feeling out of his voice, he went on, ‘There will be times when you will be able to work from home if necessary and other periods when it will be essential you are in the office or visiting the site. At those times I expect my business to take precedence over anything else, barring life-or-death family issues, of course.’

      ‘Of course.’ She nodded briskly.

      ‘Pay-wise, you were earning a good salary four years ago. James obviously valued you highly.’ He hesitated, mentally doubling the amount he’d previously considered and not pausing to think about it—another first—as he made the offer. He watched warm colour stain the high cheekbones, which was reward enough for his magnanimity.

      ‘I—That’s—I mean—’ Toni pulled herself together. ‘That’s extremely generous,’ she said faintly. Understatement of the year. Was he paying her so much because she’d told him about her debts? Well, she didn’t care. She would be able to give her parents board and lodging for herself and the girls and an extra sum for all they would take on now she was working again, and still have a massive amount she could save each month. The debts that had looked to be a millstone round her neck for the next decades would now be able to be dealt with in two or three years if she was frugal. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’

      ‘Don’t thank me too enthusiastically, Toni. I’m a hard taskmaster and you’ll earn every penny,’ he drawled, only partly tongue in cheek.

      She spoke from the heart. ‘I don’t mind what you ask of me, Mr Landry, and I’ll work my socks off. I can promise you that.’

      Steel slammed the lid on the reply his suddenly out-of-control libido suggested, keeping his voice bland as he continued, ‘The package will include private health insurance for you and immediate family, namely your children in this instance, and a company car will be available when required. You don’t have a car of your own, I presume?’

      Toni shook her head. It had been tubes and buses lately.

      ‘One last thing. I thought we had progressed to Steel.’

      ‘Oh, yes, of course.’ Nervously she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. ‘I’m sorry.’

      Steel’s eyes followed the motion and again his body reacted in the age-old way. Cursing himself for the ridiculousness of the situation he found himself in, he said quietly, ‘I’d like you to take the plans and anything else you need away with you tonight and familiarise yourself with the project before Monday. My secretary will send you a formal offer and all the relevant paperwork tomorrow.

      Toni nodded as Maggie bustled through from the house with their first course. ‘Thank you,’ she said again.

      ‘Here we are, then.’ Maggie placed a plate in front of her as she said, ‘I hope you like asparagus, young lady.’

      ‘Yes, I do, and this looks delicious.’ The asparagus and ham parcels were covered in a crispy crumb and suddenly Toni was ravenously hungry. They lived up to expectation when she took her first bite; obviously Maggie was a wonderful cook.

      ‘Do you live to eat or eat to live?’ Steel asked after a moment or two, his gaze running over her slender shape.

      Toni froze for a moment. Naturally slim, she knew she was too thin at the moment and her clothes were hanging on her and immediately took the question as a subtle criticism. She’d had to alter the waistband of the skirt she had on that morning, and although her white silk shirt was supposed to be loose it didn’t fit her as it had when she’d bought it a year ago. Sleepless nights spent worrying over the last four months had taken their toll. She took a sip of champagne and nerved herself to look into the handsome face. ‘I like food so I suppose the former. Yes, definitely the former.’

      He grinned. ‘Me too.’

      The beat of sexual awareness that vibrated through her veins almost caused her to drop the champagne flute. Horrified at herself, she prayed frantically he hadn’t noticed. It had been that smile, the way it had mellowed the hard planes and angles of his face and crinkled the silver-blue eyes. But he was her boss, well, practically. And she was in his world now. A world where sophisticated, worldly men and women could share a meal and eat and drink and converse as colleagues and nothing more. Besides which, if she ever got involved with another man in the whole of her life it would be too soon. All she wanted was to bring up the girls the best she could after she cleared the mountain of debts Richard had left. They were her life now and there was no room for anyone else, not that a man like Steel Landry would remotely be interested in a widow with two small children in tow.

      The conversation was inconsequential while they ate and she found Steel had a wickedly dry wit, his observations on day-to-day life turning fairly mundane happenings into something hysterically funny. He had it all, she thought as she savoured the marinated chilli and ginger steaks Maggie had brought for the next course. Looks, personality, wealth. Women would throw themselves at him till the day he died; he was that sort of man. How would a girlfriend or wife cope with that? They would have to be very sure of their own worth and of him too, but could you ever be sure of someone like Steel Landry?

      Dessert was a frothy chocolate concoction with a raspberry sauce that was tangy and complemented the rich chocolate perfectly, and by the end of the meal Toni was very full and more relaxed. But only up to a point. Steel simply wasn’t the sort of man you could relax around—or maybe she should say the sort of man she could relax around, she acknowledged silently. He was too … disturbing.

      Maggie had gone home once she had brought out the dessert and coffee, and now Toni said, ‘Maggie’s a wonderful cook. Has she worked for you long?’

      He nodded. ‘A good few years. She comes in most afternoons and prepares an evening meal unless I’m going out, and sees to the apartment and laundry and so on. Her husband died shortly before she came to work for me and left her fairly well off, but she likes to keep busy. She looks after one of her grandchildren every morning so the hours here suit her.’

      Toni thought back to the motherly way Maggie had with her. ‘She likes to feel needed.’

      The observation seemed to surprise him. ‘Needed?’ He considered this for a moment. ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right, I hadn’t looked at it like that. She was very happily married, by all accounts, so I suppose it must have been hard when her husband died, especially as it was a long illness and she nursed him herself. She’s a good person.’

      And devoted to

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