Carole Mortimer - The Loving Gift

He grinned confidently. ‘Now there's no reason for you to have to do so. And don't worry about being able to get back later tonight; the Range Rover can easily get through any English snowfall.'

Giving the impression that this man had been in places where the vehicle wouldn't have stood a chance of doing that. Jade looked at him speculatively. Yes, he looked like a well-travelled and intelligent man, someone she would normally have found fascinating to talk to. Normally. Unfortunately, the situation wasn't normal; how could it be, when the man was so outrageous?

Her mouth tightened. ‘Would you care to wait in the living-room while I go and change?’ Her tone was distinctly distant.

He smiled, unperturbed by her offhand manner. ‘I thought you would never ask,’ he murmured as he strolled past her into the tiny room behind, pausing to look around him appreciatively at the antique furniture and décor she had deliberately chosen to complement the olde worlde character of the cottage.

‘Hello, boy.’ He went down on his haunches to tickle Wellington on his silkily soft tummy. ‘At least you have the right idea,’ he continued ruefully, still hunched down beside the cat.

Jade mentally acknowledged that a quiet evening spent in front of the glowing fire certainly held more appeal for her than one spent in this man's company. As for Wellington, he was behaving like a complete traitor; usually he ran away to hide when confronted by someone he wasn't familiar with, which was virtually everyone, but with David Kendrick he looked to be in ecstasies, an uncharacteristic look of total stupidity on his face as he still lay on his back, having his tummy stroked.

‘I'll go and change,’ she repeated stiltedly, turning abruptly to leave the room.

When David Kendrick stood up to turn towards her he was holding Wellington in his arms, still tickling him under the chin—and if Jade hadn't known better she would have sworn the silly feline was actually smiling. Damn it, he was smiling!

‘Mind he doesn't scratch you,’ she warned sharply. ‘He has been known to do that without warning.'

Dark brows rose over mocking blue eyes. ‘It's always the ones that look the friendliest that do that,’ he said softly.

Jade felt the colour warm her cheeks at his obvious double meaning. ‘It's a question of watching the eyes,’ she snapped.

His mouth quirked. ‘I'll try and remember that.'

‘Do,’ she bit out, trying not to hurry from the room but knowing she hadn't really succeeded; something about David Kendrick made her very nervous. Which was ridiculous. She was a teacher, for goodness’ sake, a responsible adult in charge of seventeen pupils on a day-to-day basis—and heaven knew, children could be complex enough to deal with on occasion. And yet David Kendrick completely disconcerted her. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed to have come so close so quickly; usually she didn't allow the type of familiarity he had taken for granted from the first. Whatever the reason, and despite the dinner they would be sharing this evening in the company of Penny and Simon, she had no intention of allowing him to come any closer.

It seemed petty, not to mention childish, to choose her most unattractive outfit to wear for the evening ahead, but she really didn't have that big a selection in her wardrobe. Her only social occasions were spent at the Kendricks', and they didn't bother about ‘dressing’ for the evening. Unless tonight was going to be different because of the presence of David Kendrick… But no, while David's clothes had obviously been fashionable and of good quality, they had been casual clothes, not in the least formal. She would feel almost dowdy against him in her serviceable navy blue skirt and practical cream blouse. Men really shouldn't be allowed to be so perfect to look at that they were almost beautiful!

Remembering the remark he had made earlier about her hair, she pulled the auburn tresses back in so tight a bun that it made her eyes smart! The pressure eased as she loosened it a little, and with a rueful shrug she realised that now she was behaving childishly. She only removed her glasses briefly, so that she could apply a little blue shadow to her lids, before firmly placing the shield back on the bridge of her nose. They acted as a barrier against people like David Kendrick, and she had no intention of going anywhere without them, despite the accuracy of his mocking comment earlier today about them being unnecessary. Or in spite of it!

As she surveyed the final result of her ten-minute change of clothes she knew that she didn't look so very different from when she had started, but she felt comfortable like this, and certainly had no intention of trying to impress David Kendrick.

Her expression was one of challenge as he turned to look at her from contemplating the falling snow out of the window. ‘Is it still snowing as heavily?’ Her tone was defensively sharp as she waited for some critical comment about her relatively unchanged appearance.

‘No,’ he dismissed. ‘You look beautiful,’ he told her huskily.

Her cheeks coloured warmly at the unexpected compliment. ‘We should leave now if we don't want to be late,’ she bit out.

His mouth quirked. ‘Something else I'll have to remember; you don't like compliments,’ he explained self-derisively.

Jade pulled on her coat without asking his assistance, the expression in her eyes enough to warn him against offering.

‘You're right about the eyes,’ he murmured softly, laughter glinting in his own dark blue depths.

She shot him a reproving glare. ‘If you've quite finished amusing yourself…?’ She stood pointedly beside the front door.

David strode across the small living-room with soft footsteps, pausing just in front of Jade. ‘I'm not laughing at you, Jade,’ he murmured softly, perfectly serious now. ‘It's just been years since I felt this damned happy, and I can't seem to stop myself smiling!'

She shot him a puzzled glance as he stood at her side while she locked the cottage door behind them, reminded once again that Penny and Simon had never mentioned he had a younger brother; there was obviously some mystery there, and now she couldn't help wondering if it weren't connected with David Kendrick's past unhappiness.

But who was she to question or speculate about another person's past? Anyone probing into her own past was likely to receive a very cutting reply.

She was deep in thought as they began the drive to Penny and Simon's house, aware of the questioning looks David Kendrick kept shooting in her direction, but doing her best not to acknowledge them.

She would get through tonight because she had already accepted Penny and Simon's invitation long before David Kendrick's arrival, but after that she was determined to stay away from the Kendrick family for the duration of David's visit.

‘You remind me of someone, you know,’ he suddenly said into the darkness, startling Jade out of the hypnotic dream she had fallen into as she watched the snow gently falling against the windscreen.

It was perhaps as well that he couldn't see how pale she had become in the darkness. No one had recognised her since she had come to this quiet little village, her role as a local teacher deflecting questions about her personal life to a certain degree. And now this man, a man who had done nothing but disturb and upset her from the first, claimed to know her.

‘She gave me a black eye at our first meeting, too,’ he continued musingly.

Jade had guiltily noticed that slight discoloration about his eye on his arrival, but had been too embarrassed—and angry!—about the whole incident to bring attention to it.

She gave an irritated frown now, still disturbed by his claim of recognising her. ‘Who did?’ she asked distractedly.