Scent of a Woman by Joanne Rock Page A

the world, she was still disarmingly attracted to Adam Burns.

    “Yes?” She hoped her answer sounded cool and controlled, because even if she still wanted him, she would never make a show of it the way his starlet did.

    At least, not until she was more sure of his trustworthiness.

    “I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier. That definitely wasn’t the way I wanted to greet you on our first chance for a real date.” His blue eyes were troubled. Intent.

    “I do not offer trust easily, Adam, but I will trust you this once more since I have been the victim of bad timing before myself.” Awkward moments could happen to anyone, right? Still, a sliver of unease slid up her spine.

    “Thank you.” He lifted her hand to his lips and planted a kiss on the back of her fingers. “I’m going to make it up to you.”

    She could not deny a thrill at the feel of his lips on her skin, but she forced herself to simply smile as they continued toward the library.

    Two men played chess at a wooden game board just outside the library, while inside the warm-colored woods gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the windows.

    Bookshelves lined the walls, and comfortable chairs invited reading. The scent of leather and paper relaxed Danielle as she entered, another testament to the power of smell. She had read all the studies that proved the scent recognition center for the human brain was situated near the one for memories. That proximity accounted for perfume’s ability to evoke strong emotional reactions, since memories were tagged with scent associations.

    “Welcome.” A tall brunette with pretty blue eyes and a fashionable pair of reading glasses rose from her desk to greet them as they walked in. “The library closes at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon, but feel free to browse until then. I’m Ariana Bennett, your librarian. Just let me know if I can help you find anything.”

    “Thank you.” Danielle returned the woman’s smile, noticing a dictionary of ancient Greek on Ariana’s desk. “We are just going to look at the reproductions from Father Connelly’s talk.”

    “Of course.”

    Was it Danielle’s imagination, or did the librarian’s smile tighten just a bit? She had heard there was some tension between the original American crew members who had remained with the ship and the staff hired by Argosy Cruises, the new owner. But then, Danielle knew both Father Connelly and Ariana were Americans. Perhaps she’d imagined the librarian’s reaction.

    “There are cheat sheets,” Adam called over to her in a stage whisper from the middle of the library. He was pointing to a glass display case filled with replicas. “Bingo.”

    Danielle passed a special section of science-fiction and fantasy “feature reads” to join him, her eye drawn to a half woman, half cat statue that she hadn’t seen during Father Connelly’s lecture. The animated priest from the Midwest had been affable and entertaining, but Danielle had found herself longing for a few more dates and details on the pieces. Maybe the cheat sheets would answer her questions.

    “What about this one?” she asked softly, not wanting to disturb the two other library patrons who were reading in opposite corners of the room. Ariana Bennett was back at her desk, bent over her Greek dictionary and a notebook.

    “Ah. Don’t you recognize—” he looked down at the notes near the silver statue “—the famous Egyptian cat goddess, Bast?”

    His imitation of a stuffy professor made her laugh despite her desire to stay quiet.

    “No, I did not. I guess I will leave that up to the expert in the field. What kind of goddess is Bast? Fertility?” The statue had the body of a woman and a feline face.

    “Apparently its significance is disputed, but it suggests here it was a protector goddess and had the face of a large, predatory cat before history corrupted later incarnations to take on domestic cat features.”

    Danielle could not deny a small