CATHERINE GEORGE - Will He Ask Her to be His Bride? - The Millionaire's Convenient Bride / The Millionaire's Proposal / Texas Ranger Takes a Bride

He nodded ruefully. ‘When I tried arguing, she pretended she couldn’t understand me.’

‘Have some coffee, Daddy,’ consoled his daughter. ‘I left you some cakes.’

‘Thank you, cariad . What are you having, Hester?’

‘Tea. And very welcome it is,’ she said fervently, pouring coffee for him.

‘Once we’ve recovered, we’ll explore,’ said Connah. ‘Apparently Flavia normally leaves at five, but stayed later tonight to welcome us. She showed me the cold supper she left for us, and promises to cook whatever we want for lunch tomorrow.’

Lowri was thrilled with everything about the villa, from her airy bedroom next to Hester’s to the big, bright kitchen big enough for three of them to eat meals at the table at one end, and outside the arcaded loggia with table and chairs for the outdoor meals her father had promised. But best of all were the beautiful terraced gardens, which led down in tiers to the crowning glory, an oval pool surrounded by well-tended grass and comfortable garden furniture with shady umbrellas and a view of Tuscan hills that begged to be photographed.

Connah smiled indulgently as he watched Lowri running about in delight to explore everything.

‘Your friends have great taste,’ commented Hester, impressed.

‘And the money to indulge it. Jay Anderson was my partner until I sold him my share of the asset management firm we founded together. I still keep a stake in it, but these days I spend some of my time—and money—on restoration of properties like the house in Albany Square. I bought it with the intention of using it as my headquarters in the Midlands. But the house feels so much like home to me now that I’m not so sure I want to do that.’

‘You could still use it for meetings,’ suggested Hester. ‘The dining room certainly feels like a boardroom, with all those chairs and that long table. Meals could easily be served there if you have business lunches.’

Connah eyed her with respect. ‘You’re right. The room could be a lot more useful that way than for dinner parties.’

‘Can we have a swim?’ demanded Lowri, running towards them. ‘It’s still lovely and warm.’

‘What do you think, Hester?’ asked Connah.

‘Just for a few minutes, then. We’ll unpack the swimming things, but afterwards we must hang up the rest of our clothes before we have supper.’

Lowri was ready to agree to anything as long as she could go in the pool, but Connah declined her invitation to join them.

‘I,’ he said virtuously, ‘will go up to my aerie on the top floor and unpack, then have a shower. I shall join you later for supper.’

Hester was glad to hear it. Her swimsuit was the plain black one she’d worn to teach the twins to swim, and she’d long since lost the puppy fat of her first encounter with Connah. Nevertheless, she preferred to enjoy her first swim with just Lowri for company.

Lowri was out of her clothes and into her bathing suit at the speed of light and harried Hester to get ready quickly before it was too late.

‘The pool will still be there tomorrow,’ said Hester, laughing, as she collected towels.

The pool was set in natural stone and constructed with such skill that it looked as though it had always been there rather than man-made. The water was silken and warm on Hester’s skin as she sat on the edge to dip her feet in it, and she smiled indulgently as Lowri jumped in with a terrific splash at the other end and swam towards her like a small torpedo. She stood up, waist deep, when she reached Hester, pushing her wet hair back from her beaming face.

‘Isn’t this gorgeous?’ she gasped. ‘I just love it here. Come on in. I’ll race you to the other end.’

Lowri counted to three, then they set off for the far end, Hester careful not to overtake the child. They swam several lengths, then Hester called a halt as she saw Connah stroll up to watch them.

‘Did you see us, Daddy?’ said Lowri as she held up a hand. ‘I think Hester let me beat her.’

Connah pulled her out, then held out a hand to Hester. ‘You both looked far too energetic for me.’ He handed a towel to Hester, then enveloped his daughter in the other. ‘Hurry up and get showered and dressed, you two. I’m hungry.’

‘If you’ll give me half an hour, I’ll put supper on,’ said Hester breathlessly. So much for avoiding Connah in her swimsuit.

‘I’ll help,’ said Lowri, hurrying up the steps in front of them.

‘We’ll all help,’ said Connah firmly. ‘This is Hester’s holiday too.’

By the time Lowri and Hester were both dry and dressed and the cases had been unpacked it was rather more than half an hour, and Connah had pre-empted Hester by taking their supper out to the loggia himself.

‘It’s just cold turkey and spiced ham, and tomatoes and bread and cheese and so on tonight, as I asked,’ he said, looking pleased with himself. ‘Plus a pudding Flavia made for us.’

‘Thank you,’ said Hester, taken aback by this reversal of their usual roles.

‘My pleasure.’

As they sat down to their meal the sun began to set and Connah lit the shaded lamp on the table. He filled two glasses with sparkling white wine, and one with limonata , then raised his glass in a toast. ‘Happy holiday, ladies.’

‘You too, Daddy,’ said Lowri happily.

‘Yes, indeed,’ agreed Hester. ‘Thank you very much for inviting me.’

Lowri stared at her blankly. ‘We couldn’t have come without you!’

‘If we had, Hester,’ said Connah wryly, ‘I’d be a broken man by the time we got back if I had to cope with Lowri on my own for four weeks.’

‘I’m not that bad!’ protested his daughter. ‘Oh, look. The stars are coming out and there’s a little moon at the edge of the sky over there by the pool.’

‘All laid on specially for you,’ teased her father.

It was a magical evening, not least because Connah Carey Jones was a very different man on holiday. He treated Hester as though they were just two people enjoying the company of the child and each other, with no hint of employer and employee. The impression grew stronger when Connah insisted that he and Lowri would remove dishes and fetch the pudding while Hester just sat there and counted stars.

‘I will also make the coffee,’ he announced as he came back with a dish of pannacotta , the national favourite, for dessert.

‘There’s a caramel sauce underneath the creamy bit,’ Hester told the child. ‘Shall I spoon it over yours?’

‘Yes, please , said Lowri, licking her lips. ‘Are you having some, Daddy?’

He shook his head. ‘Not for me. I’ll stick with pecorino and another hunk of this wonderful bread.’

They lingered at the table while the sky grew dark and the stars grew brighter. The warm air was fragrant with flowers and new-cut grass and some other scent Connah told Hester came from a herb bed under the kitchen window.

‘Jay Anderson planted it for his wife, and Flavia is only too delighted to make use of it. The scent is a mixture of rosemary, thyme, sage—and basil, of course, and probably a few other things I’ve never heard of.’ Connah leaned back, relaxed. ‘I must tell Jay that if ever he feels like selling the place to think of me first.’

Lowri gazed at him, round-eyed. ‘Would you really buy it, Daddy?’

‘In the unlikely event that Jay and Stella would want to sell, yes. But they won’t part with it, cariad . And who could blame them?’

Jay Anderson had installed a large television and DVD player in the sitting room, but for once Lowri made no protest when Connah said it was late and she must go straight to bed so that Hester could come back downstairs and relax for a while in the warm night air.