‘I realise I’m not taking this too well.’ He gave a rueful grimace. ‘I was wishing the girls’ mother were here. She would have known what to do.’
‘How many daughters do you have?’ Jonas enquired politely, knowing the other man still needed to talk, and remembering having read somewhere that Rome Summer’s wife had died several years ago.
‘Just the three.’ Rome sighed. ‘But sometimes it seems like twenty-three!’
Jonas imagined that Danie Summer could quite easily account for twenty of those in her own right; she was certainly spirited enough to cause any man a headache, let alone her harassed father!
‘Do they all live at home with you?’ he asked lightly, curiosity prompting him to find out if Danie had some poor man as her husband somewhere in the background!
‘None of them.’ Rome shook his head. ‘Harrie was married last month,’ he said with obvious pleasure and pride. ‘Andie is usually based in London, although she’s been staying here with me the last few weeks.’
‘And Danie?’ Jonas persisted softly.
‘I’m based, not wherever I hang my hat, but wherever I fly my aircraft!’ the woman in question told him coldly as she walked unannounced into the room.
Jonas stiffened at the sound of that caustic voice, although he literally froze with shock once he had turned to look at her. The black baseball cap was gone, and he found that those dark lashes and brows had been deceptive. Hair of the most gloriously deep red now cascaded in loose waves down the length of Danie’s spine.
If Jonas had thought her beautiful before, that red hair was definitely her crowning glory, giving prominence to her high cheekbones, bringing out the deep green colour of her eyes. There was no doubt about it—Danie Summer was one of the loveliest women he had ever set eyes on!
He stood up slowly. ‘Your aircraft?’ he questioned silkily, feeling suddenly defensive in the face of this woman’s arresting beauty.
A look of irritation darkened her features. ‘Rome’s aircraft,’ she corrected, before turning to her father. ‘Everything okay?’ she prompted sharply, looking at him searchingly.
Rome seemed to have undergone a transformation in the last few seconds, Jonas noted wryly, that boyish grin back on his face, his worried expression of a few minutes ago completely dispelled. For his daughter’s benefit, Jonas didn’t doubt. Although there was no way Rome would be able to keep the truth from Danie indefinitely…
‘Everything is fine,’ Rome told Danie lightly. ‘Jonas and I were just discussing having lunch before he returns to town.’
Jonas hesitated at the totally erroneous statement. Considering he hadn’t even had breakfast yet…! But, he had to admit, food of any kind did sound rather tempting at the moment…
‘As long as I’m not inconveniencing anyone…?’ he accepted questioningly.
Glittering green eyes were turned in his direction. ‘Since when has inconveniencing someone bothered you?’ Danie snapped.
Jonas’s mouth firmed at the insult, Rome chuckling softly as he saw his reaction. Well, Rome might find his daughter’s rudeness amusing, but Jonas found it exactly what it was—bad-mannered!
‘You can have lunch with Harrie and Quinn any time, darling.’ Rome put his arm lightly about his daughter’s shoulders.
‘But I was having lunch with them today,’ Danie complained.
So she had had other plans for today, after all… Jonas fumed inwardly; it wasn’t his fault she hadn’t been able to carry them through—her father was responsible for that.
‘Wouldn’t you rather have lunch with two attractive men?’ Rome teased his daughter.
Danie turned to give Jonas a slowly dismissive glance from head to toe. ‘Not particularly,’ she finally replied, before turning back to her father.
What this young lady needed was a smack on the backside, Jonas decided grimly. If her father didn’t feel capable of administering it, Jonas was sure there must be plenty of other men who would!
Including him…?
Jonas frowned. He had never lifted so much as a finger against a woman in his life, and no matter how much Danie Summer might deserve a good spanking, he knew he wouldn’t be the one to give it.
He had grown up in a totally female household; his mother had been widowed while still in her early thirties, and left with the sole care of Jonas and his two older sisters. Beautiful and warm-natured though she was, she had remained a widow in the succeeding years, managing, with only the help of a housekeeper, to bring the three children up alone. Meaning that Jonas, as the only male in the household, had been cosseted and spoilt by not just his mother and sisters, but the housekeeper, too.
It had been a charmed and loving childhood, instilling him with a deep respect for his mother and sisters, and a liking of women in general.
Except Danie Summer! he realised irritably.
But that, he considered, was mainly her own fault. Danie was obviously, despite her own privileged background, an accomplished and capable woman, who took her work very seriously. It was just the sharpness of her tongue that needed a little attention. A little…? Make that a lot, Jonas corrected himself firmly.
‘Pity,’ he drawled finally, easily able to meet the challenge in Danie’s dark green eyes.
Danie’s mouth twisted. ‘A little sincerity wouldn’t have come amiss in that statement!’ she countered.
‘Danie!’ Rome chided. ‘Must I remind you that Jonas is here as my guest?’
Jonas watched as Danie underwent a transformation, the tension leaving that beautiful face, to be replaced by a smile of gentle concern as she turned to look at her father.
Jonas felt something lurch in his chest at the difference that gentleness made to Danie; it was akin to the sun coming out in the midst of a stormy sky. And well worth waiting for, he acknowledged a little dazedly. Stripped of the cynicism that seemed to temper most of her conversation, Danie Summer was incredibly lovely.
‘Perhaps lunch would be nice,’ she finally conceded grudgingly. ‘Would you like to freshen up before we eat, Mr Noble?’ she offered with a politeness that had so far been lacking from their acquaintance.
He looked across at her with narrowed eyes, not fooled for a moment by her change in attitude, only to be met with a look of such innocence that he knew his suspicion was correct; Danie Summer had her own reason for her sudden politeness. And he had a feeling it could have something to do with the reason for his presence here today!
Well, she was wasting her time if she thought a little polite civility—something that should have been there from the beginning!—would charm out of him the reason for having come here to see her father. As he had assured Rome earlier, his relationship with his patient was always completely confidential.
As Danie Summer was going to quickly find out if she tried to pump him for information!
CHAPTER TWO
WHAT a complete waste of her time this had been, Danie muttered to herself as she pushed her food uninterestedly around her plate. She had intended originally to go upstairs and have lunch with her sister Andie. She’d only conceded to eating down here with her father and Jonas Noble in the hope of being able to find out a little more of the reason for the younger man’s visit. But her father was close-mouthed on the subject, and Jonas Noble was also like a clam!
Which only succeeded in making Danie’s imaginings even darker than they already were—and they were bad enough already!
Her father didn’t look ill. A little strained perhaps, his ready smile not always reaching the warmth of his blue eyes, but other than that he seemed his normal self.
The trouble was,