She smiled. “It’s a style thing.”

He made another old-fashioned. When they were all seated again, Dagmar beamed at them both. “Isn’t this lovely? I’ve been waiting for the right moment to introduce you two.”

Unity looked more baffled than intrigued. She shifted uncomfortably before glancing at him. “So, um, what do you do?”

“He’s a farmer,” Dagmar said.

“I’m not a farmer.”

“You farm,” his great-aunt reminded him. “You’ve told me.” She looked at Unity. “It’s all very confusing. The man lives in Bellevue, so I genuinely don’t understand how it all works, but he’s very successful.”

He thought about explaining he hadn’t farmed in the way most people thought then decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Instead he smiled and said, “I sold the farm.”

“What do you do now?” Unity asked.

“Some real estate development. Property management. Business turnarounds.”

“He’s very successful,” Dagmar added helpfully.

“That’s a lot,” Unity said, looking more uncomfortable by the second. She’d yet to take a sip of her drink and her fingers clutched the glass so tightly, he was afraid the crystal would shatter.

Unable to help himself, he took the drink from her and put it on the coffee table. She stared at her empty hand, then at him and flushed.

Thaddeus had been in dozens of relationships—some lasting all of two nights and one ending in marriage. None of them had been especially successful. Regardless, he considered himself fairly experienced when it came to women. Unity showed all the signs of someone completely out of her element. She was scared and uneasy and, if her darting glances toward the door were any indication, wishing she could run for freedom.

Which meant she’d had no idea he was going to be here, meaning the setup had been on both sides. What was up with that? Dagmar rarely got into his business. So why was this time different and why was Unity so apprehensive? If Dagmar had never talked about him, then all she knew was what she saw.

He was clear on how the outside world viewed him. He was tall, fit and good-looking enough to be appealing, but not so pretty that it got in the way. He commanded attention and understood his place in the world. But he wasn’t anyone to fear.

“What do you do, Unity?” he asked, deliberately keeping his voice quiet.

“I, ah, own a handyman business. My customers are local. We do home repairs.”

“She’s wonderful,” Dagmar added. “Everyone adores her. She has several employees, all retired men who know exactly what to do in any given situation.”

Unity managed a smile. “They work part-time for me.”

“Did you grow up in the area?”

She brightened. “I did. I went to school here. I married when I graduated and Stuart joined the army. I went with him after he finished basic training.” She paused. “He, um, died three years ago. I moved back here then.”

The widow part. He’d forgotten about that. “I’m sorry for your loss.”