face. She placed a tray with tea and scones on the coffee table. ‘It’s so nice for Anna to have some company. She’s a very impatient patient.’
Anna simmered as Adam exchanged a sympathetic glance with her mother.
‘He didn’t come to see me,’ she said, correcting the implication that Adam Deacon was out and about visiting the sick and distressed. A saint he was not!
‘All you had to do was ask,’ Adam said with another sympathetic smile.
Anna ground her teeth and glared at the back of his golden head as he turned to speak to her mother. ‘If I wanted company I’ve plenty of friends I’d ask.’ A flush mounted her cheeks as she realised how petulant her retort had sounded.
‘Did Adam tell you about the burglars?’ Beth asked. ‘He caught them red-handed. A gang from out of town.’ Beth gave the impression that no one local would have committed such an uncivilised act. ‘Did they do that to your face?’ With concern she looked at the scrape down the side of his cheek.
‘No, this was a stray cat.’ His eyes tauntingly flickered in Anna’s direction.
His fingers touched the superficial healing scar, and amental image of herself tracing the angry line with her tongue popped into Anna’s head. She trembled with the effort of dispelling the picture.
Beth clicked her tongue in sympathy. ‘Well, I think you were very brave to tackle the thugs.’
Thugs… Anna swallowed, realising for the first time that he could easily have been hurt. The desire to protect him from injury was bewilderingly strong.
‘Stupid, more like,’ she retorted tartly, however. ‘Wouldn’t it have been more sensible to leave that sort of thing to the police rather than act like some sort of macho vigilante? They know what they’re doing.’ She turned a blind eye to her mother’s glare.
‘Your concern for my welfare is deeply touching.’ Adam deliberately misunderstood her comment, but came ironically close to the truth. ‘It would hardly be realistic to expect an overstretched police force to keep a twenty-four-hour watch on an empty house. I’m no hero, Anna.’
‘How cruel of you to shatter my illusions!’ she moaned with a theatrical gesture.
‘Anna, if you can’t be civil…’ her mother began in a severe tone. ‘I know something that might cheer you up,’ she said, diverted from her scolding. ‘You’ll never guess who I met in town.’
‘Mother is a terrible gossip.’
‘Nonsense. I just take an interest, that’s all,’ Beth observed in a hurt tone. ‘If you’re not interested…’
Anna worked her way closer to the door and resisted the temptation to smooth down her spiky hair, all the time conscious of Adam’s scrutiny.
Did he always look perfect? she thought resentfully. In casual cream trousers and a tan leather jacket he looked distractingly gorgeous.
The sound of Adam’s phone made Anna jump.
‘Excuse me,’ he said, fishing the instrument from his pocket. ‘Hello, Deacon here.’
Anna tried very hard to look as if she wasn’t listening. She abandoned this pretence when, after a short pause, Adam exploded.
‘He—they did what ? Why the hell would they do that? What has being three to do with it?’ Adam closed his eyes and groaned.
Anna exchanged a glance with her mother who was just as fascinated by this point as she was.
‘Don’t panic.’ Adam covered the mouthpiece with his hand and looked from Anna to Beth and back again. ‘Nathan and Sam have locked themselves in the bathroom and flooded the place.’
The expression of sheer horror in his eyes made Anna’s lips twitch. Domestic crises were obviously outside Adam’s experience. A small, choked sound escaped her firmly clamped lips. Adam glared at her.
‘I’m glad you find it amusing,’ he snarled sarcastically. ‘Two half-hysterical children are not my idea of a joke.’ He lifted his hand to respond to the person on the other end. ‘Yes, Kate, you did tell me they’re crying.’
‘You need to get
Anna simmered as Adam exchanged a sympathetic glance with her mother.
‘He didn’t come to see me,’ she said, correcting the implication that Adam Deacon was out and about visiting the sick and distressed. A saint he was not!
‘All you had to do was ask,’ Adam said with another sympathetic smile.
Anna ground her teeth and glared at the back of his golden head as he turned to speak to her mother. ‘If I wanted company I’ve plenty of friends I’d ask.’ A flush mounted her cheeks as she realised how petulant her retort had sounded.
‘Did Adam tell you about the burglars?’ Beth asked. ‘He caught them red-handed. A gang from out of town.’ Beth gave the impression that no one local would have committed such an uncivilised act. ‘Did they do that to your face?’ With concern she looked at the scrape down the side of his cheek.
‘No, this was a stray cat.’ His eyes tauntingly flickered in Anna’s direction.
His fingers touched the superficial healing scar, and amental image of herself tracing the angry line with her tongue popped into Anna’s head. She trembled with the effort of dispelling the picture.
Beth clicked her tongue in sympathy. ‘Well, I think you were very brave to tackle the thugs.’
Thugs… Anna swallowed, realising for the first time that he could easily have been hurt. The desire to protect him from injury was bewilderingly strong.
‘Stupid, more like,’ she retorted tartly, however. ‘Wouldn’t it have been more sensible to leave that sort of thing to the police rather than act like some sort of macho vigilante? They know what they’re doing.’ She turned a blind eye to her mother’s glare.
‘Your concern for my welfare is deeply touching.’ Adam deliberately misunderstood her comment, but came ironically close to the truth. ‘It would hardly be realistic to expect an overstretched police force to keep a twenty-four-hour watch on an empty house. I’m no hero, Anna.’
‘How cruel of you to shatter my illusions!’ she moaned with a theatrical gesture.
‘Anna, if you can’t be civil…’ her mother began in a severe tone. ‘I know something that might cheer you up,’ she said, diverted from her scolding. ‘You’ll never guess who I met in town.’
‘Mother is a terrible gossip.’
‘Nonsense. I just take an interest, that’s all,’ Beth observed in a hurt tone. ‘If you’re not interested…’
Anna worked her way closer to the door and resisted the temptation to smooth down her spiky hair, all the time conscious of Adam’s scrutiny.
Did he always look perfect? she thought resentfully. In casual cream trousers and a tan leather jacket he looked distractingly gorgeous.
The sound of Adam’s phone made Anna jump.
‘Excuse me,’ he said, fishing the instrument from his pocket. ‘Hello, Deacon here.’
Anna tried very hard to look as if she wasn’t listening. She abandoned this pretence when, after a short pause, Adam exploded.
‘He—they did what ? Why the hell would they do that? What has being three to do with it?’ Adam closed his eyes and groaned.
Anna exchanged a glance with her mother who was just as fascinated by this point as she was.
‘Don’t panic.’ Adam covered the mouthpiece with his hand and looked from Anna to Beth and back again. ‘Nathan and Sam have locked themselves in the bathroom and flooded the place.’
The expression of sheer horror in his eyes made Anna’s lips twitch. Domestic crises were obviously outside Adam’s experience. A small, choked sound escaped her firmly clamped lips. Adam glared at her.
‘I’m glad you find it amusing,’ he snarled sarcastically. ‘Two half-hysterical children are not my idea of a joke.’ He lifted his hand to respond to the person on the other end. ‘Yes, Kate, you did tell me they’re crying.’
‘You need to get
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