Unexpected Love (White Oak-Mafia #2) Read Free Page B

his luggage and made his way down, recalling Tess’s assurance her father would never know he was here. Where the blazes were they taking him?
    Fortunately, Steel had no fear since he’d spent a great deal of his life underground, excavating tombs. The narrow stairway would no doubt lead to a dank, narrow tunnel.
    Or not.
    At the bottom of the steps, Steel discovered a well-lit, modern, comfortably-wide hallway with live plants flourishing on coffee tables placed every ten feet. And the air, far from moldy, smelled clean and dry.
    Helen waited at the end of the hall where she held a door open. “Welcome to my home,” she stated with both humor and pride in her voice.
    He walked through the entryway into a large, spacious living room with an open kitchen to the left. The entire east wall of the room was glass, revealing bright stars and the black shapes of trees below them. He abandoned his luggage and approached the view.
    “See the moving lights going from north to south?” Helen asked.
    He nodded.
    “Shipping boats on the Mississippi.”
    “Tess said the sunrise from your house was spectacular. I can’t wait to see it.”
    “I’ll have to wake you early,” she warned.
    “When working in the desert, I always started before sunrise. Those first hours of daylight were the most productive.”
    “In the summer, you’ll find that true here as well. Iowa’s heat and humidity can be formidable.”
    Tess arrived and shut the door he’d left open. “Found our view, did you?” she teased.
    When not being lectured or having her competency questioned, Tess Campbell seemed to have a pleasant personality. He still couldn’t believe he’d botched his chances for the job. Tom Barkman had been very clear that while he thought him perfect for the position, there remained one last person who had to agree before it was his: Tess Campbell.
    Given how rude he’d inadvertently been to her at the airport, he’d seen no chance of getting hired. He would have given up and returned to England if not for two issues and a glimmer of hope. First, he needed this job. The salary was twice what the small college he’d interviewed with had offered, and honestly, since they had yet to check his references, he wasn’t sure there would be an offer forthcoming once they contacted his former school. Second, if he attempted to return to England with such short notice, he’d have to make four or five flight connections, and, God, he hated connections.
    So he got in the car, hoping Tess would prove to be a bit more forgiving than most the females he dealt with. She had shown her good nature when she had “started over” and properly introduced herself, something he’d never expected from a mafia princess.
    Finding her eyes a bit too enchanting, he focused on the stylish, yet comfortable living room before him.
    “I have to admit, when I saw the tiny wood cabin above, I thought I might be sleeping in the car.”
    Helen patted his arm. “Don’t want to do that with Grumpy on the prowl.”
    “Grumpy?” he asked, having some vague memory of Tess saying that name as well.
    Tess came forward, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s the name of the bear I was hallucinating. If he smells food in a car, he’ll roll it over and dig about its belly, or he used to. He seems to have figured out the sides of a car are easier to remove than the underbelly. The Thompsons had their Toyota doors peeled like a banana when their granddaughter left a donut in the back seat.”
    Helen huffed. “I’ve asked the state police to shoot the damn bear, but they keep insisting there are no bears in Iowa.”
    Tess glanced at Steel with teasing eyes, no doubt recalling he’d said those exact words. “The cops just don’t want to ruin their SUVs driving up these roads.”
    Helen sighed. “I expect that’s true.” She then eyed Steel. “So what do you plan to do about Grumpy?”
    He met the old bird’s gaze. “To be honest, I have no answer for you. Until