Harlequin Romance April 2015 Box Set by Jennifer Faye and Kate Hardy Jessica Gilmore Michelle Douglas Page B
Tags: Love Inspired Suspense
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hope one day your new mistress gets herself her dream car. She’ll know exactly how to enjoy it.’
Bandit wagged his tail, following Mac all the way through the house and up to his bedroom.
Mac rifled through drawers, looking for a hat. ‘Don’t look at me like that, dog. I’m not your master.
She
is.’
Bandit justwagged his tail harder. Mac shook his head and slathered sunscreen across his face. What on earth did Jo think she was going to do with a dog?
She was waiting on the veranda when he finally returned. She wore a basketball cap. ‘I always have one in The Beast,’ she explained when he glanced at it. ‘Sunstroke is no laughing matter on a survey camp.’
‘It’s not a laughing matter anywhere,is it?’
She shrugged and pulled her hand from behind her back to reveal a tennis ball. Bandit started to bark.
‘He came amply provided for.’
With that, she threw the ball and Bandit hurtled after it. She set off after him, turning back after four or five strides.
‘Well? Aren’t you coming?’
The previous two days he’d walked the property line behind the house and away fromthe sea. With an internal curse he kicked himself into action, trying not to let the holiday spirit infect him. But when Bandit came back and dropped the ball at Mac’s feet and Jo gave a snort of disgust all he could do was laugh.
‘Shut up and throw the ball for the ungrateful bag of bones.’
So he did.
They walked down a steeply inclined field, and then across level ground, andthe whole time Mac tried to ignore the scent of the sea and the tug of the breeze caressing his face and the feeling of ease that tried to invade him. He hadn’t realised it but he’d grown cramped in the house these last few weeks, and moving now was like releasing a pent-up sigh.
He didn’t deserve to enjoy any of it.
He slammed to a halt. But it was going to prove necessary if he wasto remain healthy. Jo was right about that. And he had to remain healthy. He had a debt to pay off.
‘Are you okay?’
That warm honey voice flowed over him, somehow intensifying the sun’s warmth and the silk of the breeze.
‘Not tired out already, are you?’
He kicked forward again. ‘Of course not.’ That wasn’t to say that the hill on the way back wasn’t going to give him a runfor his money. ‘I’m just...’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m just trying to figure out the best way to apologise for my behaviour on Monday, when you arrived.’
‘Ah.’ She marched up a low sand dune.
He didn’t want to go onto the beach. He hadn’t guarded his privacy so fiercely to blow his cover now. As if sensing his reluctance, she found a flat patch of sand amongst a riot of purple pigface andsat to watch as Bandit raced down to the water’s edge to chase waves. After a moment’s hesitation he sat beside her. He kept his right side towards her.
‘You
were
expecting me on Monday, weren’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then why the foul temper? You didn’t seriously expect to live under the same roof as someone and manage to avoid them completely, did you?’
Had he? He wasn’t sure, buthe could see now what a ludicrous notion that was. ‘I’ve obviously fallen into bad habits. It wasn’t deliberate, and it certainly wasn’t the object of the exercise.’
‘By
exercise
I suppose you’re referring to holing up out here in royal isolation? What’s the object?’
‘The object is to write this darn cookbook, and I was having a particularly rough day with it on Monday.’
She letout a breath. ‘And I waltzed in like a...’
‘Like a cyclone.’
‘Wreaking havoc and destruction.’
‘And letting in the fresh air.’
She turned to stare at him. His mouth went dry but he forced himself to continue. ‘You were right. I’ve been shutting myself up for days on end, hardly setting foot outside, and some days barely eating. If you hadn’t shown up and shaken me up I’d havebeen in grave danger of falling ill. And I can assure you that’s
not
what I
Bandit wagged his tail, following Mac all the way through the house and up to his bedroom.
Mac rifled through drawers, looking for a hat. ‘Don’t look at me like that, dog. I’m not your master.
She
is.’
Bandit justwagged his tail harder. Mac shook his head and slathered sunscreen across his face. What on earth did Jo think she was going to do with a dog?
She was waiting on the veranda when he finally returned. She wore a basketball cap. ‘I always have one in The Beast,’ she explained when he glanced at it. ‘Sunstroke is no laughing matter on a survey camp.’
‘It’s not a laughing matter anywhere,is it?’
She shrugged and pulled her hand from behind her back to reveal a tennis ball. Bandit started to bark.
‘He came amply provided for.’
With that, she threw the ball and Bandit hurtled after it. She set off after him, turning back after four or five strides.
‘Well? Aren’t you coming?’
The previous two days he’d walked the property line behind the house and away fromthe sea. With an internal curse he kicked himself into action, trying not to let the holiday spirit infect him. But when Bandit came back and dropped the ball at Mac’s feet and Jo gave a snort of disgust all he could do was laugh.
‘Shut up and throw the ball for the ungrateful bag of bones.’
So he did.
They walked down a steeply inclined field, and then across level ground, andthe whole time Mac tried to ignore the scent of the sea and the tug of the breeze caressing his face and the feeling of ease that tried to invade him. He hadn’t realised it but he’d grown cramped in the house these last few weeks, and moving now was like releasing a pent-up sigh.
He didn’t deserve to enjoy any of it.
He slammed to a halt. But it was going to prove necessary if he wasto remain healthy. Jo was right about that. And he had to remain healthy. He had a debt to pay off.
‘Are you okay?’
That warm honey voice flowed over him, somehow intensifying the sun’s warmth and the silk of the breeze.
‘Not tired out already, are you?’
He kicked forward again. ‘Of course not.’ That wasn’t to say that the hill on the way back wasn’t going to give him a runfor his money. ‘I’m just...’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m just trying to figure out the best way to apologise for my behaviour on Monday, when you arrived.’
‘Ah.’ She marched up a low sand dune.
He didn’t want to go onto the beach. He hadn’t guarded his privacy so fiercely to blow his cover now. As if sensing his reluctance, she found a flat patch of sand amongst a riot of purple pigface andsat to watch as Bandit raced down to the water’s edge to chase waves. After a moment’s hesitation he sat beside her. He kept his right side towards her.
‘You
were
expecting me on Monday, weren’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then why the foul temper? You didn’t seriously expect to live under the same roof as someone and manage to avoid them completely, did you?’
Had he? He wasn’t sure, buthe could see now what a ludicrous notion that was. ‘I’ve obviously fallen into bad habits. It wasn’t deliberate, and it certainly wasn’t the object of the exercise.’
‘By
exercise
I suppose you’re referring to holing up out here in royal isolation? What’s the object?’
‘The object is to write this darn cookbook, and I was having a particularly rough day with it on Monday.’
She letout a breath. ‘And I waltzed in like a...’
‘Like a cyclone.’
‘Wreaking havoc and destruction.’
‘And letting in the fresh air.’
She turned to stare at him. His mouth went dry but he forced himself to continue. ‘You were right. I’ve been shutting myself up for days on end, hardly setting foot outside, and some days barely eating. If you hadn’t shown up and shaken me up I’d havebeen in grave danger of falling ill. And I can assure you that’s
not
what I
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