The Legacy by Fayrene Preston Page B

Aren’t you feeling well?”
    “I feel fine.”
    “What about those shadows?”
    “The sun isn’t out today, and the light is probably making every one of us look ghastly.” She smiled. “Except you, of course. You always look wonderful.” “So do you . . . usually. And you can quit trying to butter me up.”
    She sighed. “I’m telling you, the rain Is giving the light a gray cast.”
    “1 don’t believe a word of it. If you don’t start taking care of yourself, young lady, I’m going to have two patients.”
    “Which you’d love. Come on, admit it. The great sorrow of your life is that you don’t have enough people to fuss over.”
    Ramona’s lined face took on a pensive expression. “I always thought Julia would marry and give you brothers and sisters. It would have been the best thing for her.”
    “I agree.” Caitlin’s words were sincere, but today she wasn’t in the mood to listen to a rehash of what she’d heard time and again. She changed the subject to something she did want to hear. “How’s Nico doing? I haven’t seen him today.”
    Since their encounter on the terrace she’d done some serious thinking, and she now realized that Nico was the one who always pulled back when their encounters threatened to become too intimate or, as on the terrace, too passionate. She didn’t know why he was reluctant to become involved with her, but she was coming to understand that with all his mystery and passion, he represented a danger to her well-being. And she was no clearer how she felt about him.
    Except, she was very much afraid that, in spite of her better judgment, she was falling in love with him. The thing was, she’d inherited the Deverell pride. She’d never in her life pursued a man, and there was no reason why Nico DiFrenza should become the first.
    Except she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Or aching for him.
    “Nico is getting better every day,” Ramona said. “By the way, do you know what kind of surgery he had?” “No.” Caitlin smiled ruefully. “In fact, he’s never admitted to surgery, just some vague illness. But I’m surprised you haven’t asked him. ”
    “Actually, I did. And he told me about his condition. But you know, I don’t think he ever answered my question.”
    “I wouldn’t worry about it. Like most men, I think he’s just very sensitive about being ill. Anyway, whatever was wrong with him has obviously been taken care of.”
    “I suppose.”
    Caitlin glanced at her watch. “I better get moving. Conrad Gilbert is due soon, but before he gets here, I want to run up to the attic. If I remember right, there’s a chair up there with upholstery I want duplicated for a suite of rooms in the northwest wing. ”
    Nico rested on his heels and rubbed his neck. He’d been in the attic for over two hours, and he’d only managed to search two trunks. He had thought that over the years, a family like the Deverells would have devised a more systematic way of storing their things. Apparently though, they were a family who tended to move forward, rather than spending time reflecting on the past. Admirable, but not at all helpful to him.
    The creak of footsteps on the attic stairway took him by surprise. Quickly and quietly he shut the lid of the trunk he’d been searching. By the time Caitlin entered the musty room, he was standing by an arched window.
    “Nico. I didn’t expect to find you up here.”
    And he sure as hell hadn’t expected her to come up here, he thought, eyeing her warily. She was wearing a jade-green tank top with a lacy appliqud on the front and crisscross straps in the back. Her faded denim shorts had a form-fitting waist and full, flirty legs that made it resemble a sexy little skirt. Perfect outfit for mucking about an attic on a rainy day. Perfect outfit for driving him crazy.
    His expression revealed none of what he was feeling but reflected the innocence of a small boy caught in a harmless prank. “It’s the rain,” he said by