face.
Looking at the vulnerability of her naked face, he found himself experiencing a dismaying surge of protectiveness. He was asking for trouble being here, he’d known that, but he’d still come.
‘That damned car of mine broke down again and Adam very kindly rescued me. Come in and say hello.’
‘Can’t…’ Anna mumbled indistinctly. She was certain those brooding eyes were missing no awful detail of her shabby appearance. She’d planned on looking cool, confident and stunning when she next saw him. She’d been going to redeem her shattered self-respect by showing how easily she could dismiss him from her life.
She’d imagined several scenarios in which he ended up grovelling at her feet. Seeing him in the flesh made her accept that Adam wasn’t a grovelling sort of man!
‘I wouldn’t want to expose Mr Deacon to my virulent bug.’
Actually, she decided spitefully, I’d be rather pleased if his tanned complexion wasn’t glowing so disgustingly with health. Ruining my life obviously agrees with him, she thought resentfully. And not just mine; poor Lindy!
‘Nonsense! You’re not contagious now, just feeling sorry for yourself. I was just showing Adam the—’
Anna darted forward as she saw to her horror what lay open across her mother’s knees.
‘No, don’t!’ She saw the puzzled expression in her mother’s eyes and realised how loud and vehement she’d sounded. ‘I’m sure Mr Deacon doesn’t want to see old scrapbooks.’ She tried to moderate her tone.
Inside she was deeply agitated at the idea of Adam Deacon looking at the old pictures of herself before the knee injury had turned her life in a different direction. ‘We mustn’t bore him.’
‘I’m not bored.’ Anna shot him a murderous look.
‘He didn’t know about your dancing.’
‘Why should he?’ Anna’s hand shook as she placed her cup down on the table.
She felt impatient with herself. Adam Deacon was turning her into one of those silly, fluttery creatures she despised. This wouldn’t do at all! Adam Deacon was bad medicine as far as the Lacey girls were concerned, she concluded dourly. At least Hope was on the other side of the world; she at least was safe.
‘You’ve made a pot of tea. Good. You’ll have one, won’t you, Adam?’ Without waiting for a reply, Beth bustled off.
Aloof lack of interest and cold dismissal were reactions she’d mentally rehearsed. All her meticulous plans counted for nothing now. Finding him here so unexpectedly had chased all these set pieces from her head, especially in light of her recent realisation—poor Lindy!
Her own dishevelled appearance and the fact that he was casually flicking through her life history put Anna immediately on the offensive. She wanted to demand that he explain himself over his callous behaviour towards her sensitive sister. Wasn’t one of them enough? she wondered miserably.
‘What was your injury?’
‘Severed tendon.’ She reached out and closed the heavy book on his fingers. Adam made no comment as she snatched up the collection of newspaper cuttings and held it tightly to her chest.
‘Who operated?’ he persisted, not taking the hint.
‘Sir James Kennedy.’
‘The best.’
‘Isn’t that you?’ she snapped sarcastically. ‘Lindy seems to think so. She was only saying as much to me earlier,’ she said, her voice heavy with meaning. He didn’t even have the decency to look guilty!
‘How is Lindy?’ he asked casually.
‘As if you didn’t know!’ she said scornfully.
‘If I knew I wouldn’t have asked.’ His brows rose at her intensity.
‘She’s missing your godlike presence.’
‘I can understand this antagonism you have towards medicine after your experience, but Jamie Kennedy is the man for knees. Wasn’t the operation successful?’
‘I don’t have any antagonism towards medicine.’ Just you, she thought furiously. ‘What’s this, professional interest?’ She gave a brittle laugh. ‘Actually from your
Looking at the vulnerability of her naked face, he found himself experiencing a dismaying surge of protectiveness. He was asking for trouble being here, he’d known that, but he’d still come.
‘That damned car of mine broke down again and Adam very kindly rescued me. Come in and say hello.’
‘Can’t…’ Anna mumbled indistinctly. She was certain those brooding eyes were missing no awful detail of her shabby appearance. She’d planned on looking cool, confident and stunning when she next saw him. She’d been going to redeem her shattered self-respect by showing how easily she could dismiss him from her life.
She’d imagined several scenarios in which he ended up grovelling at her feet. Seeing him in the flesh made her accept that Adam wasn’t a grovelling sort of man!
‘I wouldn’t want to expose Mr Deacon to my virulent bug.’
Actually, she decided spitefully, I’d be rather pleased if his tanned complexion wasn’t glowing so disgustingly with health. Ruining my life obviously agrees with him, she thought resentfully. And not just mine; poor Lindy!
‘Nonsense! You’re not contagious now, just feeling sorry for yourself. I was just showing Adam the—’
Anna darted forward as she saw to her horror what lay open across her mother’s knees.
‘No, don’t!’ She saw the puzzled expression in her mother’s eyes and realised how loud and vehement she’d sounded. ‘I’m sure Mr Deacon doesn’t want to see old scrapbooks.’ She tried to moderate her tone.
Inside she was deeply agitated at the idea of Adam Deacon looking at the old pictures of herself before the knee injury had turned her life in a different direction. ‘We mustn’t bore him.’
‘I’m not bored.’ Anna shot him a murderous look.
‘He didn’t know about your dancing.’
‘Why should he?’ Anna’s hand shook as she placed her cup down on the table.
She felt impatient with herself. Adam Deacon was turning her into one of those silly, fluttery creatures she despised. This wouldn’t do at all! Adam Deacon was bad medicine as far as the Lacey girls were concerned, she concluded dourly. At least Hope was on the other side of the world; she at least was safe.
‘You’ve made a pot of tea. Good. You’ll have one, won’t you, Adam?’ Without waiting for a reply, Beth bustled off.
Aloof lack of interest and cold dismissal were reactions she’d mentally rehearsed. All her meticulous plans counted for nothing now. Finding him here so unexpectedly had chased all these set pieces from her head, especially in light of her recent realisation—poor Lindy!
Her own dishevelled appearance and the fact that he was casually flicking through her life history put Anna immediately on the offensive. She wanted to demand that he explain himself over his callous behaviour towards her sensitive sister. Wasn’t one of them enough? she wondered miserably.
‘What was your injury?’
‘Severed tendon.’ She reached out and closed the heavy book on his fingers. Adam made no comment as she snatched up the collection of newspaper cuttings and held it tightly to her chest.
‘Who operated?’ he persisted, not taking the hint.
‘Sir James Kennedy.’
‘The best.’
‘Isn’t that you?’ she snapped sarcastically. ‘Lindy seems to think so. She was only saying as much to me earlier,’ she said, her voice heavy with meaning. He didn’t even have the decency to look guilty!
‘How is Lindy?’ he asked casually.
‘As if you didn’t know!’ she said scornfully.
‘If I knew I wouldn’t have asked.’ His brows rose at her intensity.
‘She’s missing your godlike presence.’
‘I can understand this antagonism you have towards medicine after your experience, but Jamie Kennedy is the man for knees. Wasn’t the operation successful?’
‘I don’t have any antagonism towards medicine.’ Just you, she thought furiously. ‘What’s this, professional interest?’ She gave a brittle laugh. ‘Actually from your
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