-
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
FEELINGS OF LOVE
Anne Beaumont
The mystery man had surfaced at last!
CHAPTER ONE
Tobias Hunter: Publishing magnate, owner of Woodlands Hall and Felice Lawson's new landlord - or so she hoped!
Of course, she didn't actually have a lease, and there was that little matter of eight years' worth of unpaid rent. But Felice could explain all that, if only he'd listen. If only he'd be reasonable.
Tobias was many things - handsome, dynamic, sexy - but reasonable didn't seem to be one of them. Still, Felice had managed to survive for twenty-six years without allowing anything to sidetrack her. So, she wasn't about to fall apart now, simply because of a kiss...Felice Lawson snuggled deeper into her pillows, the phone held more or less against her ear, her eyes refusing to open. Huskily she grumbled, 'Jack, at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning my sense of humour's a bit thin. This is a joke, isn't it?'
She knew it was a useless protest, that it wasn't any joke. Jack Carter didn't have a sense of humour. He did have a bit of a conscience, though, because he apologised, 'Sorry, Felice. I wouldn't call you out like this if it wasn't urgent. Dave was on his way to make the pickup when his clutch went, and the job is in your neck of the woods.'
'Nothing is in my neck of the woods. You're the one who's always moaning that I live at the back of beyond,' she pointed out, but she knew she was only stalling for time—time to get her eyes open and her head up off the pillow. She needed the extra money she earned as a weekend taxi driver.
Jack knew that, but he also knew she hadn't finished ferrying home the last of the Saturday night disco revellers until just over four hours ago.
'This customer is bound for Woodlands Hall, and that's practically on your doorstep. You can't miss it, it's the only thing that is,' Jack came back at her, sarcasm filtering through his wheedling tone.
Woodlands Hall! Felice sat up, her curiosity getting the better of her sleepiness. 'There must be a mistake,' she replied. 'The Hall's empty. It's been locked up for months. It looks like something out of an Agatha Christie novel, all creepy and shuttered and overgrown. Nobody in their right mind would want to go there, specially first thing on a Sunday morning. I reckon somebody's playing a practical joke on you, Jack.'
That was all right with her, but not when the joke stretched to her losing sleep. She snuggled down again and yawned. It wasn't unknown for somebody to get a kick out of sending taxis out on hoax calls. 'Have you upset anybody lately?' she went on, her voice getting huskier as sleep fought to reclaim her.
'No, I haven't,' Jack replied, incensed, 'and this is a genuine booking. It was phoned through from London yesterday. I'd cover for Dave myself but I'm on the other side of the island and I can't get there in time.'
'Where's "there"?' Felice asked, sighing fatalistically as she sat up again. Even if it was a hoax, she would have to turn out. It was a nuisance, but it was no use fighting it any longer. Jack definitely had a bee in his bonnet about this one.
'Woodlands Airfield, not even ten minutes from you. A chap called Tobias Hunter is flying himself in and ‑'
'Who?' Felice exclaimed, the name working on her like a charm. She flung aside the continental quilt and swung her long legs out of bed.
'Tobias Hunter,' Jack repeated, sounding perplexed. 'He's due in ‑' there was a pause as he consulted his watch ' —fifteen minutes. It would have been twenty if you hadn't argued so much. If he wants to play spooks at the Hall that's up to him. Just pick him up from the airfield and get him there.'
'I'm on my way.' Felice slammed down the receiver and began rushing around like a soul possessed. For a big girl, she was surprisingly swift and graceful, even when propelled by excitement.
So the mystery man had surfaced at last! Nearly six months of nail-biting anxiety waiting to learn whether he even existed, and he had to pick dawn on a freezing February morning to prove that he did.
Wide awake now, she forgave him. She had every reason to. Never before had she been so anxious to meet a man, and providence in the guise of a broken clutch had given her the perfect opportunity. What was more, she'd have him all to herself. She wouldn't waste a minute of it.
In record time Felice was in her car and zooming along the winding road that cut through the beech wood as fast as the frosty surface would permit. She glanced at the overgrown driveway to the Hall as she passed it, noting that the ornate iron gates were still firmly padlocked. They'd been that way ever since old Joshua Hunter had died, an embittered eccentric to the last.
She wondered whether this unknown Tobias Hunter was anything like him. Surely not! Old Josh had to be a one-off! In fact, nobody had known he'd had any relatives until he'd died without leaving a will and a search for an heir had been instigated.
Record of a brother, long since dead, had been discovered, then of a nephew, also dead. The last Felice had heard, the search had switched to Canada to discover whether a great-nephew, Tobias, was still alive.
Apparently he was, and very much so if he was hearty enough to fly himself in on a morning like this, Felice mused, as the car dipped into the gentle slope of the valley where the airfield was sited.
It was on Hunter land, although it was leased out to an aviation company, but the fact that it existed might encourage the last of the Hunters to stay. It would be nice for a man who could fly to have an airstrip in his own back yard.
It was very much in Felice's interests that Tobias Hunter settle on the island. The last thing she wanted was for him to take one look at his inheritance then sell up and go away. If that was what he intended, she would do her very best to change his mind, even if she hated him on sight.
Reason told her, though, that he couldn't possibly be as crusty to deal with as Old Josh. Nobody could.
She craned her head around and listened for the sound of a plane as she approached the airfield, but there was nothing. Damn, he must be down already. If he was unfortunate enough to have inherited any of Old Josh's genes he wouldn't appreciate being kept waiting for his taxi. She'd so much wanted to make a good impression, too!
Felice wished she'd got out of bed as soon as Jack had phoned instead of giving him such a hard time, but how was she to know the lost heir was on his way to look over Woodlands? She didn't have a crystal ball, even if her eyes had been open enough to look into one.
She drove on to the airfield, stopped by the small hangar and studied three little planes parked neatly away from the landing strip. There was enough frost on them to show they'd been there all night.
There was no sign of a new arrival, no sign of any life at all. Normally she wouldn't expect any. For one thing it was a Sunday, and for another not much commercial use was made of the airfield until the holiday-makers' joy flights started in the summer season.
Felice looked at her watch. It was twenty minutes since she'd taken Jack's call. She wondered again if this was a hoax, and yet the name Tobias Hunter was authentic enough. It had certainly got her here in double-quick time.
She got out of the car, closed the door and leaned against it, looking up at the sky. She was a vibrant, glowing figure in the grey, winter-bare landscape. She seemed to have the knack of storing summer and always carrying a breath of it with her, no matter what the season.
Her hastily scrubbed face was rosy and her thick hair, scuffed back into a ponytail, was the colour of corn bleached under a blazing sun. Her eyes were the blue of an unclouded August sky, and they were made all the more brilliant by the long dark lashes fringing them. Her teeth were white and gleaming, and her complexion was never pasty. Summer or winter, she was always bonny.
The burden Felice had to bear, as far as she was concerned anyway, was her size. She stood five feet ten inches in her flat-heeled knee-length boots and, although her waist was neat, her voluptuous curves definitely flowed on the generous side.
Yearning, in those rare moments when she had the time to yearn, to be a willowy beauty like Janetta, her younger sister, or Serena, her top-model cousin, she had to settle for being a sturdy Amazon. It was the joker in an otherwise perfect pack.
Men were fascinated by Janetta and Serena, content to worship than from afar if they couldn't get any closer. Felice they grappled, treating her as if she were some kind of all-in wrestler who might get the better of them if they handled her with care.
At twenty-six, Felice was used to it. That didn't make it any better, but she'd learned to be philosophical. She'd long since stopped looking for a man who'd place her on a pedestal alongside her female relations, and she supposed it was just as well.
For a start, it would have to be a pretty solid pedestal, and she'd probably be bored to tears up there, anyway. As she looked so capable, everybody always assumed that she was, and from being a young child she'd done all her own lifting and carrying, worrying and managing. No wonder she'd grown up on the bossy side.
It was too late in the day to learn the tricks Janetta and Serena had been born knowing. Anyway, the sad fact was that neither nature nor fate had fashioned her into a coquette. She'd simply never had the time or chance to practise.
And she'd sort of got used to men treating her, after the inevitable wrestling match, more like one of the boys than a prospective bride.
She didn't suppose this Tobias Hunter would be any different, either. If she fluttered her long eyelashes at him, he'd probably ask if she had something in her eye.
Oh, well, Felice thought, ever practical, at least it was easier to deal with men once they understood there wasn't going to be any sex involved. Besides, this Tobias Hunter might be married. She found herself hoping that he was.
The Isle of Wight, separated eons ago from mainland England by a thin strip of water, was a perfect place to bring up children, especially in a spot as rural and beautiful as Woodlands Hall.
Yes, it could definitely help if there were little Hunters running around.
Felice, her curvy thighs encased in faded blue jeans and her page-two bosom hidden under a fur-lined leather jacket, turned up ha collar as the frost-edged wind began to chill her face. She thrust her hands deep into her pockets then cocked her head as the faint drone of an engine gently overlaid the early morning silence.
She shivered, but it was nothing to do with the cold. It was pure excitement. So much depended on what sort of a man Tobias Hunter turned out to be. She pictured him as a younger version of Old Josh, with steely grey eyes, a hooked nose and shoulders as wide as he was high.
In a word, formidable.
Just as well she wasn't easily intimidated, Felice reflected ruefully, as the sound of an engine solidified into a plane circling over the sea to come in. Sometimes it was useful to be big enough to intimidate men.
Felice watched critically as the light plane, buffeted by the gusty wind, lost height and lined up for the runway. In these weather conditions a lesser man would have settled for the train and ferry, and she felt a gleam of admiration for the unknown Tobias.
It seemed he was the type who, having made up his mind about something, wasn't easily put off. If she'd been younger and not set so rigidly in the practical mould nature had made for her, she might have thought he was a man after her own heart.
It was a good thing she was philosophical instead of romantic, she mused, otherwise she might be feeling wistful. A man after her own heart indeed! As if she didn't know that all they were ever after was her body.
Did she feel wistful, anyway? Felice sighed and tried to convince herself she didn't.
She found herself holding her breath as the little plane swooped over the trees, seeming to falter as it fought the wind. She could imagine the tussle that was going on at the controls to keep it on course. It cleared the trees and the high hedge enclosing the runway then flopped down like a tired bird that had flown too long.
Felice sighed with relief as the plane turned and taxied to the only windbreak the airfield offered, the lee of the hangar where the other planes were parked. The engine cut, there was a pause, and then she straightened up as a man emerged.
Her future, and that of her family, was riding on what sort of a man Tobias Hunter proved to be. Surprise was her first reaction. This man was big. He had the height to balance the shoulder-width she expected of a Hunter, having only Old Josh to go on.
He didn't hesitate or waste time looking around him but came straight towards her,; and she got a distinct impression of determination, of a purpose that wasn't easily thwarted.
Felice felt a swift surge of illicit excitement and suppressed it just as swiftly. She didn't want him to be so positively male—not if it made her react in such a positively female way! She hadn't allowed for that, and as she studied him more closely her eyes widened. There were other things about him she hadn't allowed for, either.
He's a good six inches taller than me, she thought, and it took her a few moments to come to terms with that because she'd towered over Old Josh. This Hunter, it seemed, had broken the mould. His shoulders were broad, all right, but he looked perfectly proportioned. His hips were slim and he moved lithely, his long legs cutting the distance between them in no time at all.
He was dressed pretty much as she was, in jeans and a fur-lined leather jacket, and the only thing that was out of place in this rural setting was the leather briefcase that swung from his left hand. His other hand was pushing back a lock of unruly black hair that the wind was tumbling about his forehead.
Somewhere on the other side of thirty, she guessed. An interesting age...
Felice had just a few seconds more to concentrate on his face, and she made full use of them. Not a handsome man, she thought, as she took in his craggy features, then immediately wondered if that impression was fair. With a strong nose, chiselled cheekbones and chin, firm lips and a scar or two, his was definitely a man's face. It had its own power to attract—or would have done, she corrected herself hastily, if she'd been a romantic.
Besides, only seconds ago she'd realised it wouldn't do for sexual overtones to clutter up her relationship with Tobias Hunter. And, since she'd already managed to survive for twenty-six years without allowing sex to sidetrack her from what was really important, she wasn't about to fall apart now.
Silently applauding her own good sense, Felice told herself that if she'd felt a momentary weakness it was only because this man was so different from what she'd expected. After all, she was an assertive, capable woman. It was the helpless ones who were vulnerable to first impressions. If anybody was going to be overpowered here, it was likely to be Tobias Hunter.
Like it or not, it was the effect she had on men, and she couldn't see this encounter on a freezing February morning making any difference.
Did she feel a twinge of regret about that?
No, Felice told herself sternly, and forced herself to think about the wife and children she wanted to move into Woodlands Hall. This man couldn't possibly be a bachelor—not looking the way he did and sending out sexual signals that even she could pick up. When her mind was on other things, too! Or supposed to be.
Her moment of weakness past, and very much herself again, Felice seized the initiative as a matter of course. Tobias Hunter had stopped just one pace away and she held out her hand, saying, 'Felice Lawson.'
All right, so taxi drivers didn't usually introduce themselves, but she wasn't the usual sort of taxi driver and it never occurred to her to meet anybody on less than an equal footing, even Tobias Hunter. They were going to be neighbours.
If all went well...
To give him his due, he looked more amused than affronted. He took her hand, and said, 'Tobias Hunter. I wasn't expecting a female driver.'
Felice would have preferred 'lady' to 'female' but she smiled, and she had a smile that wasn't easily forgotten. It started in her eyes, lifted her lips and brought an added glow to her face. 'Most people don't, but you can relax. I guarantee not to wrap you around a tree,' she replied easily, used to men making a thing out of her driving a taxi.
'What else do you guarantee?' he asked, a pleasant hint of a drawl in his deep voice.
She liked his voice but was startled by his question. This wasn't the usual reply she got to her working patter—and he was still holding her hand. His grip was firm and strong. His warmth transmitted itself to her gloveless fingers and, she thought a trifle breathlessly, something of his strength was transmitted as well. It was a nice feeling.
She realised then that, whatever effect she was having on him, she wasn't overpowering him. Respect dawned. She didn't quite know where they were going from here, but respect was a pretty good place to start.
'You're not afraid of me,' she said impulsively. 'Most men are. They take one look at me and feel their manhood threatened.'
'My manhood's more secure than that,' he replied, answering her smile with a knockout of his own, 'and I'm still waiting for an answer to my question.'
Felice chuckled. It was a novelty to meet a man who wasn't easily side-tracked. She drew her fingers out of his but the warmth remained. She knew why. She liked him, and the feeling that she'd met a friend was spreading the warmth pleasantly through her entire body. It was something separate from sexual attraction, something she valued.
'Do I have to guarantee anything else? Most men, when confronted with a lady driver, are happy to settle for a safe arrival.'
'You'll have to stop confusing me with other men,' he replied, his eyes teasing hers. They were grey, but not steely like Old Josh's. They were darker, warmer, more intimate...
Felice felt breathless again, and gave herself another scold to scotch the wild idea that he was flirting with her. This man was a Canadian. Naturally he'd be less formal than the Englishmen she was used to, and consequently more friendly. She could scarcely pick nits about that. After all, she'd given him the lead.
She'd wanted Tobias Hunter to be a friend. It had just happened a lot sooner than she'd expected, that's all. She should count that a plus and stop making these unnecessary emotional waves.
She was congratulating herself on getting her head together when she noticed he was watching the play of emotions across her face with a slight smile on his lips. She had the awful feeling he'd been reading her mind, and very nearly blushed.
'Can I take it you won't confuse me with anybody else again?' he asked, his voice strangely challenging.
Felice almost felt cross. Tobias Hunter was seizing the initiative at every turn, and just as shamelessly as she normally seized it herself. It was another novel feeling, having the tables turned on her, but it didn't do her respect for him any harm. She gave him a thoughtful look, and replied, 'I think I'm getting your measure now.'
'Good. I think I'm getting yours.'
What am I supposed to make of that? Felice wondered. Then she told herself she was being ridiculously sensitive, and she laughed.
'I like that,' he said.
'What?'
'The way you laugh.'
Damn, he'd done it again. Knocked her sideways by saying the unexpected. She recovered quickly and quipped, 'It beats crying.'
It was his turn to laugh, and she liked the way he laughed, too. She realised she was beginning to enjoy herself, perhaps because she'd always enjoyed a challenge—and Tobias was definitely a challenge. Again she felt a swift rush of warmth towards him. It was so long since she'd met anybody to stimulate her, to laugh with. It was almost as if he were a kindred soul.
Her delight was mirrored in her eyes as she said, 'I'm glad you're amused, because I doubt if you will be when you get to the Hall. It's been shut up since Old Josh died. I hope somebody warned you about that.'
'I thought I'd been warned about all the hazards of my inheritance but ‑' his eyes swept deliberately from her golden head to her size nine boots '—I think the most obvious hazard was missed out. Nobody said anything about Amazonian blondes.'
Felice's eyes sparkled with a mixture of indignation and amusement. 'Thanks very much! I'm not part of the Hunter inheritance.'
'I didn't expect everything to be perfect,' he replied smoothly.
'You're not likely to be disappointed, then,' she retorted, determined he wasn't going to fluster her again.
Tobias just smiled and opened the car door for her, a courtesy she didn't expect, since he was the customer. She was touched, though, and so she had to joke, 'Are you sure you wouldn't like to drive as well?'
'Don't you trust your driving?'
'Of course I do!' she exclaimed.
'Then so will I.'
Felice stared after him as he closed her door and walked around the car, wondering if she really had his measure, after all. He attacked—then disarmed—with a very potent blend of challenge and charm. No wonder she was having such a hard time discovering whether she was on her head or her heels.
More to the point, he was earning all the Brownie points and she had to win some back. It wasn't at all like her to be so dozy. She leaned across and opened the other front door. 'Why don't you sit beside me?' she suggested quickly. 'We're very friendly down here.'
'I've noticed,' he murmured as he got in beside her, and immediately her roomy saloon seemed to shrink. He was a big man, all right.
Felice gave him a sidelong look as she started the engine. She was trying to judge whether their friendship had developed enough for her to presume on it. Her blue eyes met his grey, and it was hers that broke the contact. Better wait a while, she decided, and smothered a sigh as she swung the car out on to the road. Patience wasn't her strong point.
'Say it,' he prompted.
'What?'
'Whatever you nearly bit your tongue off not to say.'
She was startled into taking a bend too fast, fought to hold the car steady as the wheels skidded on the frosty surface, and muttered under her breath as she regained control.
'You can say that, too, if you like,' he offered.
Felice began to laugh again. There were certain things she wanted from this man, very important things, but she was having trouble concentrating on them. Tobias kept turning the tables on her, beguiling her into behaving as though this were some kind of outing. Somehow he made her feel frivolous, light-headed—and feminine.
It was the feminine bit that worried her the most.
'Mr Hunter ‑' she began, ignoring the road that led to the Hall and nosing the car into a high-hedged lane that led upwards to the cliffs.
'Tobias,' he interrupted.
Felice nodded in unconscious agreement. Of course it was Tobias. From the word go there'd been no formality between them, so it would be ridiculous to start now. 'Tobias,' she began again, and stopped.
'Yes?'
'I like you,' she said, and then really could have bitten off her tongue. Curse her impulsiveness! That wasn't what she'd meant to say at all...
CHAPTER TWOWhat an idiot he must think her, and what an idiot she felt! How could she have blurted out anything so inane? He must think she was chatting him up and she wasn't! At least, not in the you-man-me-woman sense. All right, so he'd had a certain physical impact on her, but she was over that now. They were friends, and that was the most important thing.
Felice thought of the wife that must be somewhere in the background, and the little Hunters, and almost died of embarrassment. She said quickly, 'I didn't mean that the way it sounded.'
'Don't disappoint me now,' he replied. 'I was just about to say I like you, too.'
Felice felt relief whoosh through her and said eagerly, 'You mean in a friendly sort of way?' She didn't wait for an answer but rushed on, 'That's what I meant, too. I'm just so pleased you're nothing like your great-uncle that my enthusiasm ran away with me.'
'That's shot me down in flames,' Tobias replied.
The last of Felice's embarrassment vanished and she chuckled. 'Who are you kidding? It would take more than me to shoot you down. When we went into a skid back there you didn't turn a hair. You didn't even remind me I'd guaranteed not to wrap you around a tree. Most men would have.. .when they'd stopped screaming!'
'But we've already agreed I'm not like most men,' he pointed out.
No, you're not, she silently agreed. like Old Josh, you're a one-off, but in a much more attractive way. She was wondering how to put that into words -without sounding flirty when he said, 'Do you know your meter isn't running?'
'Yes, I know,' she replied, grateful for the change of subject. 'This part of the ride is a diversion. My idea, so there's no charge.' She bit her lip as she wondered how he would take that. A new friendship was a fragile thing. She could be guilty of pushing it too far.
'Am I being kidnapped?'
Felice shot him an apologetic look. 'Do you mind? I promise it's only temporary.'
'Somebody should have warned me that life on the Isle of Wight was this exciting. I'd have brought my tranquillisers.'
He looked so relaxed that Felice had to fight down a bubble of laughter before she could reply, 'Life here is one long tranquilliser.. .more peaceful than exciting. Do you have any children?'
'Not that I know of.' Tobias glanced at her profile with a puzzled frown creasing his forehead.
'Damn,' Felice breathed. 'I was depending on your having children. Next you'll be telling me you're not even married.'
'I'm not.' He swivelled his big bulk in his seat to study her more closely. 'Should I be?'
'Yes! The island has a lot to offer a married man with children. I'm not so sure about a bachelor. You might be bored stiff and then you won't want to stay.'
'Do you want me to stay?'
'Gosh, yes!' she exclaimed, sounding more sixteen than twenty-six.
'I'm flattered.'
'You might not be when you know the reason,' she confessed.
There was a pause while Tobias assimilated this, then he suggested, 'Why don't you sock it to me straight? A few minutes with you has made me as shock-proof as I'm ever going to be.'
'They'd reached the top of the cliffs. Ahead of them were the wind-frothed waves of the grey, wintry sea. Not exactly a sight to encourage a stranger that the island was a good place to live. Felice turned the car so that they faced the valley, heaved on the handbrake, and repeated in dismay, 'Shock-proof? I'm not that bad, am I?'
'I wasn't thinking of bad, just different,' Tobias replied, and his voice sounded vibrant in the silence that enveloped them as she cut the engine.
Felice grimaced. 'You mean I'm not the sort of woman you meet every day of the week?'
He smiled. 'I should think once in a lifetime would be enough.'
'My turn to be shot down in flames,' Felice sighed, more resigned tha...
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
- doc.pisz.pl
- pdf.pisz.pl
- wzory-tatuazy.htw.pl