The Jewel of His Collection by Fae Mallory Read Free Book Online

beckoning people in. Mountain Sunrise , which she’d chosen due to her personal fondness for the piece even though it was impractical to display, would be the centerpiece of the entire exhibit.
    It was a risky move, but no one could argue that she was making boring choices. Laughing to herself, Violet grabbed her sketchbook and the photographs of the other paintings, trying to come up with complementary backgrounds and positioning.
    By the time she was finished, the sun was coming up, making her eyes feel gritty, but she had a design. Instead of a formal, austere presentation, she pictured the two side walls wallpapered with clippings about Madden’s life and work, providing a lively backdrop for his paintings which she would display at various heights, requiring the viewer to stretch or stoop to fully appreciate each one, adding an interactive element. In contrast, the far wall would be an oasis where the eye could rest.
    When she presented the sketches to Leroy, he looked at her as though she’d proposed setting the paintings ablaze. “Are you insane?”
    “It’s not boring,” she defended.
    “I feel like I’m going to have a seizure just looking at it,” the burly man complained. “The paintings are going to get totally lost.”
    “No, they’re not because we’re going to use extra wide mats to offset them.” That would be costly, but Violet was certain the finished effect would be worth it.
    Leroy shook his head. “Can we see what Carlisle says before I start making a mess?”
    “Of course,” she soothed. Ian might well tell her that she’d gone overboard in the opposite direction, but her gut was telling her that she was onto a winner.
    However, she had to wait another four days to know for sure. When she called Xavier, he informed her that Ian was in New York on business, but he’d check on her as soon as he returned. That gave her time to assemble the collage of news clippings that she planned to blow up and use to wallpaper the room so she could present Ian with as close to a finished product as possible.
    Trading out her dresses for jeans and a baggy T-shirt that could withstand the onslaught of glue and ink, Violet turned her small office at the museum into a studio, spreading clippings related to Madden out over the floor as she tried to work out the best placement for each. She wanted the overall product to be exciting without overwhelming the eye, which meant that she had to be very careful about combining text size.
    A sharp rap at her office door made her look up as she tried to determine the best location for a headline regarding Madden’s debut show, and when she did, she found Ian peering in at her. “Hey, you’re back!” she greeted, blushing when she realized how happy she sounded to see him.
    “I’m back,” Ian agreed with a faint smile, stepping into her office.
    Violet had to clench her teeth to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. The previous two times that she’d seen Ian, he’d been casually dressed. Now he was wearing an impeccably tailored suit that did nothing to disguise the strong lines of his body, the restrained ensemble only emphasizing the sensual grace of his posture as looked down at her. No man should be able to look that good in business attire.
    Conscious of her own sloppy outfit, Violet lurched to her feet, seeing his outstretched hand too late. “Oh, sorry.”
    “Xavier said you had something to show me?” he prompted.
    “Yes!” She fluttered her hands, feeling breathless. Telling herself in no uncertain terms to calm down, she grabbed her sketchbook and handed it over.
    For long moments, Ian just looked at her sketch, and then he nodded slowly. “Very interesting.”
    “This is what I plan to use for the side walls,” she explained, gesturing down at her unfinished collage.
    He didn’t respond, staring down at the collage as if he was trying to read each article. “And how are you planning to pay for all of this?”
    That was an excellent