Alex was trimming hedges, but he was watching for her and stopped what he was doing when he saw her car enter the circular driveway.

As she got out of the car, holding the bags from the grocery store in one hand, he came toward her, his stride eating up the grass.

Jenny’s entire body stood up to take notice.

Alex wore his usual work “uniform,” consisting of a deliciously bare chest, khaki cargo shorts and work boots with white socks peeking out the top. His skin shone with perspiration that dampened his chest hair and made his abdominal muscles glisten.

He was gorgeous, sexy and, judging by the wide smile on his face, very happy to see her. “This is such a nice surprise,” he said as he approached her, bending his head to kiss her cheek and then her lips.

Jenny wanted to cling to him and lose herself in one of his unforgettable kisses. But that wasn’t why she was here, so she reluctantly pulled back from him.

“Sorry, I’m all sweaty, and you’re so pretty and perfect.”

“I don’t care if you’re sweaty.” To prove her point, she ran her index finger over the moisture on his chest, stopping when she reached his belly button and noticed the hard ridge of his erection.

She looked up at him. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” he said, his tone rife with double meaning that had the full attention of all her most sensitive places. “Let’s find some shade.” He took her hand and led her to his truck, where he retrieved a beach towel that he flung over his shoulder. “Glad this was still in the truck from the last time I went surfing.”

“You surf?”

“Yep. I could teach you if you want.”

“I’d love to learn.”

“We’ll do that sometime.” He strolled toward a grove of trees on the far right side of the area where he’d been working. “You’ve got to see this.” Parting a curtain of willow tree branches, he gestured for her to go ahead of him into a garden in full bloom, surrounded on all four sides by tall hedges.

“Oh my goodness!” Jenny turned in a complete circle, taking in the incredible sight of thousands of blooms: lilies and roses and sunflowers, and those were just the flowers she could easily identify. “It’s incredible. And the scent…”

“Isn’t it crazy? The Chesterfield estate pays us to take care of it, even though no one lives here anymore. It was Mrs. Chesterfield’s pride and joy.”

“I can see why. It’s amazing.”

He gave her a quick tour of the garden, dazzling her with his in-depth knowledge of every type of rose and how they were germinated as well as the Latin name for every plant in the garden.

“How do you know all this?”