Unknown by Unknown

independent project. The residences were all brick-fronted, styled to remind one of the Colonial period. There was a park with a lake in the northern corner and a large fenced playground in the centre, along with a small shopping area. It was well designed and the homes were being sold even before they were completed. Those that had been finished were already occupied. ‘Are you having trouble at The Pines?’ she asked, feeling suddenly very alone with the man now that Steve was gone.
    ‘One of our caterpillars ended up in the lake last night. More than likely it was just a couple of kids out for a joyride. They probably scared themselves so badly they won’t try anything else, but Steve thought it wouldn’t hurt to add a little extra security for a couple of days.’
    ‘He’s a very cautious man,’ Sara commented, her muscles beginning to tense as Brad continued to stand in the doorway watching her.
    ‘I know. That’s why I hired him. Sometimes, however ...’ he allowed the sentence to fade without completion as his features darkened momentarily, then regained their shuttered expression.
    Feeling a desperate need to escape the man’s scrutiny, Sara stood up and smoothed out her jeans. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m starved. Since I’m now the cook and it’s lunchtime, I’ll go downstairs and see what I can find to whip up.’
    ‘Make it sandwiches,’ he directed. ‘I have plenty of cold cuts and very little else.’
    ‘All right,’ she threw over her shoulder as she started down the stairs, only to discover he was following her.
    ‘I’ve set up a household account,’ he explained as she extracted the necessary ingredients from the refrigerator and set up the coffee pot. ‘If you’ll sign this card, I’ll drop it off at the bank and you can start writing cheques today.’
    Pausing momentarily, she did as requested. As she accepted the chequebook he handed her, their fingers touched, and she jerked away from the disturbingly fiery sensation. There was an intimacy about being alone in this house with this man she could not deny, and it caused her to have serious second thoughts about her present situation.
    His mouth hardened into a tight line as he hooked his hands into his pants pockets and continued to watch her.
    ‘What kind of sandwich would you like?’ she asked, clearing her throat self-consciously under his steady gaze.
    ‘Ham and Swiss,’ he returned curtly.
    She considered apologising for her abrupt behaviour but what could she say that wouldn’t be equally embarrassing. Choosing to pretend that nothing had happened, she continued preparing lunch. His eyes never shifted from her, and by the time she poured his coffee her nerves were near to breaking point. Picking up the plate with the sandwich, she carried it along with the coffee into the dining room and set them down on the table. For a moment Brad looked as if he was going to protest his ostracism from the kitchen table, then with an indulgently raised eyebrow he sat down.
    ‘Do you want milk or sugar or both for your coffee?’ she offered, her tone a stiff imitation of a stage-play maid.
    ‘Neither,’ he replied, matching her formal manner.
    With a nod, she left. Back in the kitchen she made herself a sandwich, but when she tried to eat it, the thing tasted like cardboard. She did not understand what was happening to her, and this frightened her. Never had she been so suddenly or so keenly aware of a man. With Steve’s departure, the reality of what she had got herself into was becoming more and more acute. The three-storey house was beginning to feel about as big as a doll’s house. Angrily shoving the plate away, Sara chided herself for overreacting.
    Brad Garwood’s cool reserve should have convinced her that he had no designs on her. Then the thought that his attitude during the morning could have been an act for Steve’s benefit suddenly popped into her mind. But Steve had been gone quite a while and Brad had