Margaret Mayo - Her Wealthy Husband

‘No!’ Lara surprised herself by the quickness of her response. ‘I don’t want that. I could do with a friend.’

‘You have your aunt.’

‘Yes, but she’s family, there’s a difference.’

‘How?’

‘If I say too much to her it might get back to my mother and brothers. They don’t know all the ins and outs of my marital problems. Actually my mother thought the world of Roger. She couldn’t understand why I walked out on him. She did everything she could to try and persuade me to patch things up.’

‘You didn’t tell her the whole story?’

Lara shook her head. ‘No. She’d warned me about jumping so quickly into marriage. It’s what she did with my father. So I always pretended to be happy.’

‘So what excuse did you give her for the divorce?’

‘I just said I didn’t love him any more, that the magic had gone out of the marriage and I wanted out.’

‘And she believed that?’ He looked faintly sceptical. ‘OK, I’ll accept that you can’t talk to your aunt. But if you’re going to behave like a skittish kitten every time we accidentally touch, then I think we have a problem, too.’

‘It won’t happen again,’ she assured him, knowing that she sounded more confident than she felt. She wasn’t even sure why she was pleading for them to remain friends. It made no sense.

As they continued to eat Bryce talked about his childhood. He was an only child and envied Lara her four brothers. ‘My parents both worked and I was left to my own devices most of the time,’ he said. ‘I’m not saying they didn’t love me, but they were so taken up with their careers that they didn’t spare me much time. I was very lonely.’

‘Where are they now?’

‘Dad died two years ago. My mother’s remarried and moved to New Zealand. He’s an OK guy and she’s happy enough. How about your parents?’

Lara shrugged and pulled a wistful face. ‘My father walked out just after I was born. My mother brought us up on her own. She never found another man. My brothers are married now with families of their own.’

‘What did she think about you coming here? Did she want to come with you?’

‘She was pleased for me. Aunt Helen’s my godmother and has always regretted that she’s seen so little of me. But my mother’s afraid of flying. She’s happy with her grandchildren around her. They go and see her most days.’

‘Have you any children?’

Lara shook her head emphatically. ‘No, thank goodness.’

Roger had been definite about not wanting to start a family. ‘I can’t bear the thought of snivelling kids around me,’ he’d said.

‘You don’t want any?’ He looked at her long and hard, as if finding it difficult to understand.

‘Of course I do,’ she said quickly. ‘I’m just glad I didn’t have any with Roger. Because as sure as eggs are eggs he would have kept them from me once we divorced.’

‘It might have helped your marriage.’

‘Nothing could have helped that,’ she said fiercely. ‘It was the worst experience of my life. In fact it’s doubtful I’ll ever get married again.’

‘That’s a mistake. Not all men are like your ex.’

‘Maybe not, but I’m not prepared to take the risk. I shall get a new, better paid job when I go back to England. I shall buy my own place and answer to no one.’

A faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth. ‘What if you meet Mr Right? He’s out there for you somewhere, you know.’

‘Maybe,’ she shrugged. ‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. The way I feel at the moment men are at the bottom of my list of priorities.’

‘You’ve allowed me into your life,’ he pointed out.

Lara gave a wry smile. ‘Am I crazy, or what?’ Was he hinting that she couldn’t be as anti-men as she proclaimed? Was he hoping that their friendship would turn into something more? Had he tricked her?

‘You’re not crazy, Lara.’

His warm smile made her stomach muscles bunch. This was going to be so much more difficult than she’d first thought.

‘You’re a very lovely lady who’s gone through a hard time. And I’m going to do my best to restore your faith in mankind.’

‘It’ll take a lot of doing.’

‘I have the time.’

Lara began to feel uncomfortable. Best change the subject. ‘How did you meet my aunt? She thinks very highly of you.’

‘As I do of her. She’s a great character—warm, kind, witty, charitable. We met at a mutual friend’s. I was fixing a door hinge and she asked whether I’d repair a broken rail on her veranda. We struck up a friendship and I go to see her whenever I can.’

‘That’s kind of you,’ said Lara. ‘Actually I think she regards you as the son she’s never had. What work do you do besides helping my aunt out when she’s in need?’ She still couldn’t believe that all he did was odd jobs. He simply didn’t look the type.

‘All sorts,’ he declared with a vague shrug, pausing in the act of spearing a succulent prawn.

‘You can’t tell me you left school or college, or whatever, with no qualifications, no job in mind.’ She refused to accept that.

He grinned wryly. ‘Well, let’s see. I started in law then decided it wasn’t for me. So I took a course in electronics, then computer programming.’ He studied the prawn on the end of his fork before popping it into his mouth. ‘If something interests me I find out all I can about it. I suppose I’m a bit of a jack of all trades and master of none. I’m a dab hand with a drill and a saw.’

‘I see. Where do you live?’ The more they talked the more interested Lara became, and she was unaware that she was asking the same sort of questions that Bryce had fired at her.

‘I have a little place not too far away. I’ll take you there if you like?’

‘Maybe one day,’ she agreed. But not yet, not until she got to know him better. Her aunt might trust him but it was early days. All Lara knew was that he’d eyed her lasciviously when they’d first met, and now he’d agreed to an innocent friendship. It didn’t add up.

‘You still don’t trust me?’

Lara was aghast that he’d read her thoughts. ‘What makes you think that?’

‘The look in your eyes. Your husband really did a hatchet job on you, didn’t he? It’s going to be my pleasure to prove that I’m nothing like him. Tomorrow I’ll pick you up and we’ll go out on the harbour. Would you like that?’

Although Lara would have liked to say no, that it was too soon to spend so much time together, she found herself nodding. ‘I’d love it.’ He’d cleverly guessed she would be attracted by the harbour.

His smile reached out and hustled her heart into overdrive, sent a hot, warning prickle over her skin, and for the rest of the evening Lara felt an awareness that was troubling. This shouldn’t be happening, she thought. I’m off men completely. What has this man got that is so compelling?

It was an easy answer. He oozed sex appeal. But it was not only that. Most men who were good-looking thought they were God’s gift to women and expected to be worshipped. Bryce wasn’t like that. She had thought so in the beginning but was quickly discovering her mistake.

He was forceful; he liked to get his own way—he’d shown that when he’d insisted they become friends—yet he was considerate too, more of a gentleman. He would never harm her, she was almost sure about that; her feelings would always be considered. Her aunt’s recommendation had been enough, but her own gut instinct confirmed it.

At the end of the evening she felt mellow and happy, and much more relaxed than she had in a long time. Bryce dropped her off at the door with the promise to pick her up at ten the following morning. She thought he was going to kiss her, felt the rapid thud of her pulses as his head swooped low, but all he did was drop a light kiss on her brow.

‘I’ve enjoyed this evening, Lara,’ he said in his deep, toe-curling voice. ‘I hope you have, too?’

She nodded, suddenly shy. ‘I have, very much.’

‘And I’m looking forward to tomorrow.’

‘Me, too. You’re very kind. You don’t have to go out of your way to entertain me, you know.’

‘Believe me,’ he said with a slow smile, ‘I wouldn’t do it unless I really wanted to.’

Those magnetic, smoky eyes of his darkened as he looked at her, sent tantalising shivers down her spine, twisted her stomach into knots. It was time to go in. She turned her key in the lock. ‘Goodnight, Bryce. Thank you again for a lovely evening.’

Helen was waiting up for her. Lara expected a rash of eager questions; instead her aunt said worriedly, ‘I’ve had a phone call from your mother.’

LARA’S eyes shot wide. Panic set in. ‘My mother is all right, isn’t she? Oh, Lord, I knew I shouldn’t have left her.’

‘Of course she’s all right,’ assured her aunt quickly. ‘It’s just that Roger’s been in touch and—’

‘Roger?’ queried Lara loudly. ‘What the devil did he want?’

‘He was asking about you. He apparently wants you back.’

‘What?’ Her mouth fell open; her heart slammed into her shoes. ‘I wouldn’t even want to be in the same room as him. I hope my mother told him where to get off. Would you mind if I rang her?’

‘I said you’d do it tomorrow.’

‘I’m going out with Bryce again tomorrow,’ she said, remembering.

Helen beamed. ‘You had a good time, then? He’s lovely, isn’t he?’

‘Yes, he is nice,’ she agreed, ‘but I don’t want you getting any ideas, dear aunt. We’ve agreed to be friends, and that’s all.’

Helen’s brows rose, as if to say, How can two beautiful people like you not fall in love? But she made no comment, merely smiled.

And when Lara went to bed she asked herself the same question. How could she stop herself falling in love with Bryce Kellerman?

Lara looked in astonishment at the speedboat hitched up behind Bryce’s car. ‘You’ve surprised me. I imagined we’d be going on one of the harbour cruises.’ And she couldn’t help wondering how he could afford such a boat. These things didn’t come cheap. Obviously doing odd jobs paid better than she’d thought.

‘I wouldn’t have you all to myself, then.’ His voice was low and sexy and deeply meaningful.

Alarm bells rang in Lara’s head. Had she underestimated this man? ‘It sounds as though your motives are not entirely honourable, Bryce Kellerman,’ she said sharply.

Immediately his smile faded. ‘I can assure you that wasn’t my intention, Lara. I thought it would be fun. But if—’

She shook her head, instantly regretting her harsh words. ‘You don’t have to change your plans. It’s just that it wasn’t what I expected.’ Or was it that she was afraid of spending so much time alone with him? She had thought there would be other people around, no chance for quiet, intimate conversations such as they’d had last night.

‘Good, we’ll get going, then.’ There was a grimness to his mouth now as though she’d annoyed him with her suspicions. And in the car he hardly spoke.

She had no idea where they were when he drew up at the water’s edge, reversing expertly down the ramp. He kicked off his shoes as he let the boat slide into the water, and only then did he speak. ‘Do you think you could hold the boat steady while I park the car?’ he asked with exaggerated politeness.

Lara nodded, wishing she’d said nothing of her suspicions because already it was spoiling the day.

Soon they were out on the harbour, the boat bouncing over the waves as Bryce opened the throttle, and Lara loved every minute. She wished she could tell him. But his face was still set and he didn’t look once in her direction.