A Man To Tame - Rachel Lindsay (Roberta Leigh) by Rachel Lindsay Page B
Authors: Rachel Lindsay
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the
other housed and see her. As she closed the door behind her she gave a sigh of
relief and went into the sitting room. Here the relief gave way to incredulity
as she stared at the tall, black-haired man bent over the desk in the far
corner.
‘What on earth are you doing here?'
she demanded.
Though he had obviously heard her
come in, it was only as she spoke that he turned in her direction, his thick
eyebrows drawn together in a frown.
'I gave Dr Morris a report that had
been, done on factory conditions and he went off
without returning it to me. I need it urgently tonight, so———'
'If you had rung me, I would have
looked it out for you.'
‘I did telephone you, but you'd
already gone out on a call. As I had a key to the house it seemed simpler for
me to come in and get it myself.'
'Do you normally walk uninvited
into other people's homes?' she asked crossly.
‘This is a company house,’ he said
mildly. 'I didn't consider I was trespassing.'
‘That is exactly what you are
doing!' Anger destroyed her discretion. The house may be your property, but
while I'm living here it belongs to me and you have no right whatever to enter
it without being asked.'
Grey eyes clashed with black ones.
The wide, thin-lipped mouth tightened and the soft pink one moved tremulously.
Then the man stepped away from the desk, his massive shoulders almost
obliterating the window behind him.
'I'm sorry, Dr Gibson,' he said in
a voice that was deeper than usual. 'You're quite right, and had I paused to
think about it I would never have barged in like this.' A slight smile
lightened his features. 'I could have caught you in a state of d£shabill6 or something
more embarrassing ! But that's what comes from living
too long surrounded by men. One tends to forget the feminine niceties.’
She was in no way mollified. That
isn't very complimentary to your wife.'
His head tilted back and he seemed
to tower above her, making her more conscious of his height and strong build.
'I have no wife, Dr Gibson. She died six years ago.'
Aghast, Kate stared at him, and
feeing her discomfiture he took pity on it.
'Don't look
so upset. You haven't committed cardinal sin in not knowing.' He glanced back
at the desk and she knew he had not yet found the papers he had come
'As you are here you might as well
get what you want,' she said slowly, and went across the hall to the kitchen.
She half filled the kettle and put it on the gas stove, then took out a cup and
saucer and the coffee jar. She had forgotten to buy any milk and still did not
know whether it was delivered. She really must talk to her neighbours
and find out. It was odd that they had not come in to see her. In a small town
one expected that neighbourliness. It was something
she had subconsciously looked forward to receiving. But then nothing in Llanduff had turned out the way she had anticipated.
Sighing, she spooned coffee into the cup and was turning to put the tin away
when she saw Joshua Howard watching her from the doorway. He diminished it with
his size the way he did the entire house, making it look Lilliputian.
As if he had picked up her thought
he said: 'You're a slip of a thing to be a doctor.'
'It's brain power that counts, not
muscle power.'
‘You still look as if you should be
engaged in more light-hearted pursuits than mending broken bones and curing chickenpox.'
'I can't see your workmen coming
down with chicken-pox.'
‘You know what I mean.'
‘You're^ making it very clear, Mr Howard. judge the contents of a
book by its cover!'
He took the retort in good part and
advanced into the room. She saw him glance at her coffee and hastily asked if
he wanted one. At his nod she got out another cup and saucer.
'It isn't percolated coffee,’ she apologised, 'I don't have any milk either.'
Then I'll skip it entirely. I've
never cultivated a habit for taking it black.'
The Welsh are tea-drinkers, aren't
they?' She was nervous and tried to make conversation. After all, he was
other housed and see her. As she closed the door behind her she gave a sigh of
relief and went into the sitting room. Here the relief gave way to incredulity
as she stared at the tall, black-haired man bent over the desk in the far
corner.
‘What on earth are you doing here?'
she demanded.
Though he had obviously heard her
come in, it was only as she spoke that he turned in her direction, his thick
eyebrows drawn together in a frown.
'I gave Dr Morris a report that had
been, done on factory conditions and he went off
without returning it to me. I need it urgently tonight, so———'
'If you had rung me, I would have
looked it out for you.'
‘I did telephone you, but you'd
already gone out on a call. As I had a key to the house it seemed simpler for
me to come in and get it myself.'
'Do you normally walk uninvited
into other people's homes?' she asked crossly.
‘This is a company house,’ he said
mildly. 'I didn't consider I was trespassing.'
‘That is exactly what you are
doing!' Anger destroyed her discretion. The house may be your property, but
while I'm living here it belongs to me and you have no right whatever to enter
it without being asked.'
Grey eyes clashed with black ones.
The wide, thin-lipped mouth tightened and the soft pink one moved tremulously.
Then the man stepped away from the desk, his massive shoulders almost
obliterating the window behind him.
'I'm sorry, Dr Gibson,' he said in
a voice that was deeper than usual. 'You're quite right, and had I paused to
think about it I would never have barged in like this.' A slight smile
lightened his features. 'I could have caught you in a state of d£shabill6 or something
more embarrassing ! But that's what comes from living
too long surrounded by men. One tends to forget the feminine niceties.’
She was in no way mollified. That
isn't very complimentary to your wife.'
His head tilted back and he seemed
to tower above her, making her more conscious of his height and strong build.
'I have no wife, Dr Gibson. She died six years ago.'
Aghast, Kate stared at him, and
feeing her discomfiture he took pity on it.
'Don't look
so upset. You haven't committed cardinal sin in not knowing.' He glanced back
at the desk and she knew he had not yet found the papers he had come
'As you are here you might as well
get what you want,' she said slowly, and went across the hall to the kitchen.
She half filled the kettle and put it on the gas stove, then took out a cup and
saucer and the coffee jar. She had forgotten to buy any milk and still did not
know whether it was delivered. She really must talk to her neighbours
and find out. It was odd that they had not come in to see her. In a small town
one expected that neighbourliness. It was something
she had subconsciously looked forward to receiving. But then nothing in Llanduff had turned out the way she had anticipated.
Sighing, she spooned coffee into the cup and was turning to put the tin away
when she saw Joshua Howard watching her from the doorway. He diminished it with
his size the way he did the entire house, making it look Lilliputian.
As if he had picked up her thought
he said: 'You're a slip of a thing to be a doctor.'
'It's brain power that counts, not
muscle power.'
‘You still look as if you should be
engaged in more light-hearted pursuits than mending broken bones and curing chickenpox.'
'I can't see your workmen coming
down with chicken-pox.'
‘You know what I mean.'
‘You're^ making it very clear, Mr Howard. judge the contents of a
book by its cover!'
He took the retort in good part and
advanced into the room. She saw him glance at her coffee and hastily asked if
he wanted one. At his nod she got out another cup and saucer.
'It isn't percolated coffee,’ she apologised, 'I don't have any milk either.'
Then I'll skip it entirely. I've
never cultivated a habit for taking it black.'
The Welsh are tea-drinkers, aren't
they?' She was nervous and tried to make conversation. After all, he was
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