She was young, beautiful, innocent. He vowed to protect her . . . from himself. The scoundrel's surprise... Six years of Lady Shelbourne's School for Girls gave her polish. But nothing could tame the passion Calandra Locke felt for Sir Scarborough Weston, her father's employer, the man she'd loved since childhood. She knew that Scar remembered her as a horseback-riding hoyden, but surely he would be stunned by the woman she had become. Callie was determined to be his wife. No one knew him better, could make him happier than she. If only he would let her . . . The scoundrel's dilemma.... How could Scarborough Weston tell his steward's daughter that his desire for her was the one feeling he could not afford to indulge? After all, he was a notorious rake whose fascination with a woman lasted no longer than a successful seduction. He vowed never to hurt Callie, and tried to keep her at arm's length. But even as he set about finding her a suitable husband, Callie's unconventional beauty tested his resolve, her passionate nature teasing him, tempting him, driving him out of control and making him do the unthinkable. Could he really be falling in love?