Crystal had instantly lost her breath when she’d spied Rory Sinclair at the foot of her stairs.

The man was easily six-two. His dark hair was neatly cut extremely short, however he had a full day’s growth of dark hair covering most of his face. There was a deep dip in his chin, causing her heart to flutter at the thought of dipping her tongue into the spot. His brown eyes watched her every move as she made her way down the stairs.

There were a few things she’d learned over the years. “Never deny instant attraction” was near the top of that list. She’d seen the heat in his eyes as he watched her. When their hands touched, after Ben introduced them, she felt the instant spark and smiled.

They followed her back into the kitchen and now Rory was sitting across the table from her, clearing his second plate of food. He’d tried to ask her questions about her accounting software while he’d eaten, but she’d simply waved his questions off and told him that work could wait until tomorrow.

“Mr. Sinclair, you’re welcome to join my early morning yoga class. We start around six,” she suggested.

“In the morning?” His dark eyebrows shot up, causing her to smile.

“Yes, it’s early enough that others can attend and still get to work on time.” He shifted in his seat and she knew he was uncomfortable. “Maybe you prefer something a little more low key?” she suggested.

“What did you have in mind?” he asked.

“We have several wonderful massage therapists. I can pencil you in tomorrow morning, before we begin?”

He relaxed and nodded. “That would be wonderful.”

“Great.” She smiled. “How does eight o’clock work for you?”

He nodded again. “Ben was telling me your computer was… shot?”

“Yes, a very unfortunate incident.” She got up and carried several empty dishes to the sink. Another thing she didn’t believe in was clutter. She never put off what she could do at the moment. Especially when it allowed her to move about. Sitting still for more than half an hour was not in her best interests. Mentally or physically.

The only time she allowed herself more downtime was when she was holding a sleeping Aurora. Then she figured she could sit in one spot for the rest of her life.

Glancing over at her granddaughter, she smiled as the little girl played and tried to scoot around the portable crib that sat in the kitchen.

“Here.” Strong hands took the dirty pan from her. “Let me help.”

She moved aside for Rory and took up the dishtowel and started drying each clean plate or pan he handed her.

“You’re good at this,” she said.

“My mother insisted I know how to do everything domestic around the house, since my father never lifted a finger around the place.” She could tell he was joking and smiled.

“Wise mother.”

“I’ll tell her you said so.” His brown eyes sparkled as he looked down at her. There was a musky scent to the man and she instantly desired to enjoy it further.

“You’re lucky to have her around still. I lost both of mine years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, glancing at her as he handed her a pan.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“Mom?” Serenity said from behind them. She’d almost forgotten they were still there. “I think we’re going to head out. Aurora and I are beat.”

“Oh, okay dear.” She set the pan down and rushed over to pick up the sleepy baby. “Just one more kiss before you go.”

Serenity and Ben had purchased an older home on the mainland just a few blocks down from Holley Hall. Still, when they both worked and stayed on the island resort, she wasn’t able to see Aurora for days at a time. They were due to leave the following day, and Crystal already missed the little girl.

“Mom, you’ll see her on Friday.” Serenity sighed.

“Not soon enough,” she mumbled as she rained kisses on those chubby baby cheeks she loved so much.

“I’ll be in touch.” Rory shook Ben’s hand after he’d dried it on the towel. “Let you know what I’ve found.”

“Sounds good.” Ben smiled. “If you need anything…”—he nodded to Crystal—“she’s got all my contact info.”

“Night.” Serenity reached up and kissed Crystal on the cheek as she took her daughter from her arms.

“Night.” It was strange. Ever since Aurora’s birth, her daughter had grown closer to her. Motherhood had given her daughter a respect for what she’d gone through.

Shortly after Aurora’s birth, they’d had a long talk about being a single mother and raising a daughter while starting a business. Serenity had finally been handed her father’s legacy, along with the entire Harrison business, Elite Resorts International. Her grandfather, Johnathan’s father, had passed on last year, leaving everything he had to his one and only granddaughter.

Serenity had quickly put Ben in charge of Elite, while she’d continued running East Haven Resort. It had been her daughter’s dream to one day become manager of the resort, the one she now owned.

Crystal couldn’t have been prouder of her daughter.

“You have a wonderful daughter and granddaughter,” Rory said next to her. She’d been so lost in her own thoughts, she’d almost forgotten he was standing next to her, still holding the dishtowel in his hands.

“Thank you. Do you have any children?” she asked, turning back to the task of clearing the table.

“No, I was never lucky enough to find someone who could deal with my work schedule and my quirks.”

“Their loss.” She smiled, putting the final dish away. “How about we sit out on the back patio and have some tea?”

“I wouldn’t say no to some coffee,” he replied.

“I might have some instant around here, but tea is better for your digestive system.”

He sighed and nodded. “Tea it is then.”

She moved around the kitchen while he stood back and watched her make some tea. She set the mugs and her great-grandmother’s teakettle on the tray and for kicks added the rest of the loaf of gingerbread she’d made that morning.

He followed her out to the closed-in porch. Her father had sealed in the massive patio area with windows when she was a young girl. She remembered spending half of her summer nights sleeping out here, under the stars of the high glass ceiling.

“Wow, impressive.” Rory glanced around. “This entire place is amazing.”

She smiled. “It’s been in my family for generations.”

“Ben was telling me about it.” He sat down across from her.

She took her time pouring the tea and cutting off a slice of bread for him.

“Thank you.” He smiled and took both of them.

“Ben also mentioned that you were married to Johnathan Harrison. Your daughter Sarah’s father?”

“Married, no. Johnathan and I never needed a piece of paper tying us to one another.” A look flashed across his eyes and she smiled. “Different times. But, yes, Johnathan is Serenity’s father.”

“Forgive me, you call your daughter Serenity, but Ben—”

Her chuckle stopped him. “My daughter was embarrassed by the… free-spirit name we’d given her. She changed her name in high school. Not legally, but everyone around town knows her as Sarah instead.”

“Yet, Ben tells me they named their daughter a name you picked out.”

She smiled. “I forced their hand. I convinced them with one fact.”

“Must have been a doozy.” He sipped the tea. The face he made told her that he liked the brew.

“Aurora was my great-grandmother’s name. The woman my great-grandfather built this home for. Once I leave this earth, the house will once again belong to an Aurora Holley.”

He was silent as he picked up the bread and bit into it. “But isn’t Ben’s last name Rothschild?”

“Semantics.” She chuckled and waved him off.

“This is amazing.” He looked down at the piece of cake like he’d just realized what it was.

“Thank you. My gingerbread has won the blue ribbon several years in a row at the county fair.” She leaned closer. “It was my mother’s recipe.”

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her in the dim light.

“You are a surprise,” he said out of the blue.

“Am I?” she asked sipping her tea.

“You look one way, talk another, yet live like this.” He motioned around.

“Like?” She waited.

“Surrounded by history. You look young enough to be your daughter’s sister instead of a grandmother.”

She laughed and took a bite of the bread.

“Thank you.” She smiled and set her teacup down.

“How old are you?” he asked, setting his empty cup down next to hers.

“A man should never ask a woman such a question.” She laughed.

“I’m forty-two. I’d wager, by your looks, you’re in your early thirties.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“But you’re not? Not unless you had your daughter when you were ten.” He frowned over at her as if he were crunching the numbers in his head.

Her smile doubled. “My grandfather had a saying. If anyone wanted to know someone’s age, all they had to do was look deep into that person’s eyes.” She leaned forward. “You’re as young as you believe you are.” She gathered the tea tray and empty plates. “I’ll show you to your rooms. You’re probably tired after your journey.”

* * *

Rory followed Crystal up the wide stairs, carrying his overnight bag and his laptop case.

When he’d met Serenity, or Sarah as she liked to be called by anyone other than family, he’d been surprised at how much the pair of them looked alike. There were only slight differences in their hair and height, and he could see slight signs of age on Crystal.

He would have easily mistaken them for sisters instead of mother and daughter, if he hadn’t known better.

As they moved through the house, he tried to take in everything he could about the massive place. Even on the second floor, the holiday decorations were everywhere. He vaguely wondered how long it had taken her to put everything in place.

He had to agree with her on one thing, he was tired.

The tea and bread she’d given him had hit the spot and filled him to the brink of sleepiness.

He normally didn’t sleep more than five hours a night and did some of his best work early in the morning before all the calls and emails usually started. Which was one of the reasons he’d turned down the early morning yoga. That and he didn’t like the idea of trying something new in front of a room full of strangers.

Crystal was walking in front of him, and he watched her hips sway as she moved. The sweater skirt looked soft and his hands itched to touch it and her skin, which looked even softer.

“Here you are.” She broke into his thoughts. “You’re welcome to use the room there as an office.” She motioned to the next door. “It was my father’s study. The wireless password is on the desk.” She walked into the bedroom and turned on the light. “The bathroom is through there.” She motioned to a heavy wood door. “If you need anything”—she walked over to the phone—“just dial pound. It will ring me upstairs.”

She turned to go. “Thank you,” he said, setting down his case. The room was big and decorated much like the rest of the house. He imagined the bed had belonged to her great-grandparents. The classic style of the furniture told him that it had been in the rooms since the house was built. The fact that it was still in like-new condition told him that it had been taken care of all that time. “Miss…” He stopped when she raised her eyebrows at him. “Crystal,” he corrected. “I’m not sure what I can do to help you find your money, but I can assure you that whoever did this, by the time I leave, will never be able to take anything from you again.”

Her smile was quick. “I believe you, Rory.”

Hearing his name come from those sexy lips had him daydreaming again as she shut the door softly behind him.

Once alone, he glanced around the massive space, void of the holiday cheer. He decided a warm shower was needed, then he’d dig into his computer and find out everything he could on Crystal Holley and her family before he started work tomorrow.

The bathroom attached to the room was beautiful. He had always loved classic architecture, one of the many reasons he loved to travel to new places.

There was more Italian marble in the space than he’d seen in all the places he’d visited in the past few years. The floors, shower, and bathtub were all surrounded by it. Even the walls were covered with the soft color. It appeared that the room had recently been upgraded, since the shower was glassed in with new showerheads and a large seat that ran the length of it.

The bathtub, a massive sunken square with jets on every side, made him think of bathhouses.

He itched to give it a try, but knew he’d probably fall asleep and drown in the thing before it filled up all the way.

Flipping on the shower, he smiled when the water instantly heated. Pulling off his clothes, he folded them and laid them across the marble countertop.

It took him a few minutes to adjust the half dozen showerheads spraying him, but finally, he got them to hit his lower back just right. He’d been struggling with aches and pains for the past year.

By the time he stepped out of the shower, his body was completely relaxed. Just the thought of pulling out his computer caused him to groan out loud. So instead, he pulled on a pair of boxers and fell face first onto the king-sized bed.

He hadn’t planned on falling fast asleep and not moving once during the night, but when he woke, his neck and back ached all over again.

He’d slept outside of the covers, and his body shook from the cold as he waited once more for the water to heat. When he stepped under the spray, he sighed with relief.

The last time he’d slept the entire night through had been shortly before he’d started Sinclair Financial Security Firm, or as he liked to call it, SFS.

Running his own business had taken its toll on his body and his state of mind. It was different when you could count on a steady paycheck from an employer, but knowing that his income was a direct result of his getting work caused more stress than he’d ever imagined. Not that he would give up the chance of working for himself. He never wanted to go back to working for someone else again.

After getting dressed, he sat down at the enormous oak desk in the room down the hall, logged on to the internet, and started his search to find out all he could on Crystal Holley.