arrived in the dining room this morning. In her place was charming, confident sex on legs, and very beautiful legs they were, too, he admitted as he admired the slim turn of her ankle and the slender, yet shapely, calf muscles heading in the opposite direction on a pair of colored icepicks that defied logic and gravity in one, literally, easy step.
He shook himself out of his daze as she disappeared from view. Just as well, he thought, or he might even have been tempted to follow her.
True to her word, she was back in only a few minutes, delivering him a shy smile as she returned.
“All ready?” he asked, his mouth drying as he studied her anew.
The purple of the dress did something striking to her brown eyes, reminding him of pansies. Bold, yet fragile at the same time. God, he groaned inwardly. What the hell was wrong with him? Next he’d be acting like some crush-struck teenager.
“I certainly am,” she replied, falling in alongside him as he headed for the door. “Where are we going?”
He named a vineyard and winery that was only a fifteen-minute drive away. “Their restaurant is immensely popular for lunches and their wines are world renowned.”
Tamsyn rubbed her flat tummy and laughed. “I certainly hope you’re right. I’m famished after all that shopping this morning.”
“You won’t be disappointed,” he assured her.
He kept up a bland running commentary on the surrounding countryside and their destination, to fill in time as they drove to the vineyard.
“This place sounds a lot like home,” Tamsyn commented. “We run a similar operation with cellar door, restaurant and winery. It’ll be fun seeing how they do things. I could almost tell myself it was work if—” Her voice broke off.
“If?” he coaxed.
“If I hadn’t resigned and walked away from it all,” she said with a brittle smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Oh? Sick of the daily drudge?” he probed, curious to know her answer.
If she was the spoiled princess he’d always imagined her to be, then his guess would fit right in with that. He used that thought to quell his firing libido.
“Something like that,” she answered noncommittally and turned her head to stare out the window.
Something like that. Huh. What he wouldn’t give to find out what that “something” was. Then maybe he could resolve his conflicted feelings. On the surface, Tamsyn Masters had proven true to form. She’d turned up at his doorstep unannounced, which, if it had been Ellen’s home, could have had devastating consequences. She spent money like water, which made him wonder if she’d ever had to work hard for a single thing. And, by her own admission, she’d simply walked away from the family business and whatever responsibilities had been hers while she was there.
All in all, her actions made her appear to be an unappealing package—a package not unlike Briana had proven to be.
So why on earth did he find her anything but?
Five
Tamsyn woke the next morning filled with a renewed vigor to face the day. Lunch with Finn had been delightful, far better than she’d anticipated, although the setting had sharpened her homesickness for The Masters. Her host, however, seemed to read her mood instinctively and had distracted her with his knowledge of the immediate district. It was obvious he cared about the area and the people within it, and several other diners had stopped by their table at the restaurant to give their regards.
While Finn had introduced her politely to each and every person who had spoken with him, he’d made it subtly clear at the same time that he didn’t want additional company. She’d been a little surprised by how efficiently he’d closed people out. She’d also been frustrated as she’d wanted to ask each of them if they’d heard of her mother. Despite that, by the time they were enjoying their coffee and a shared apple tarte tatin for dessert Tamsyn had begun to feel more relaxed than she had in a very long time.
And there was something else. She’d felt protected, almost cherished, which was weird considering she’d only just met Finn, but his behavior toward her was caring and solicitous. She’d thrived under his undivided attention. It was a luxury she couldn’t remember experiencing in a very long time.
After a delicious leisurely lunch, their sightseeing had taken them well off the beaten track and away from populated areas. Tamsyn had fallen in love with the amazing vistas that looked out over the Marlborough Sounds and then the stunning valleys and hills on the journey home that led them back to the river plains and her hotel.
As lovely as yesterday afternoon had been, today promised a different and perhaps more challenging agenda. Moving into the cottage. She understood it had been vacant for a couple of weeks. Hopefully that didn’t mean it would be musty and in need of heavy cleaning when she arrived.
“Are you all set?” Penny asked as Tamsyn wheeled her new gleaming blue suitcase containing her recently acquired possessions toward the front door.
Tamsyn had told her hostess last night that she’d be checking out in the morning. Penny hadn’t been able to keep the surprise from her eyes when Tamsyn had told her where she’d be staying but had swiftly covered that with an offer to provide her with some food supplies to take with her.
“Yes, I am, and thank you so much for a lovely stay.”
“You’re welcome, any time,” the other woman smiled. “Are you sure you want to go out to a place on your own? You’ll be a bit isolated there.”
“You know, my life has been so frenetic lately, I think I’m going to relish the peace and quiet of being on my own. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever just had to bear my own company. I’m actually looking forward to it.”
“Well, don’t be a stranger, feel free to pop in for a cuppa if you’re passing,” Penny invited.
Tamsyn drove to the address the letting agent had given her, missing the entrance completely the first time. After executing a U-turn she inched back along the road until she saw the slightly overgrown access to the driveway. It was obviously a good place to go when you didn’t really want to be found, she thought as she drove up the dusty unsealed track and toward a small cottage nestled at the bottom of the hill. The very hill, in fact, that was crowned by Finn Gallagher’s opulent stone-and-cedar palace.
She hadn’t realized she’d be this close. She could hop a fence and walk through the vineyard that stretched up the hill and be at his place in little more than a vigorous ten-to fifteen-minute walk. It was both unsettling and reassuring at the same time. At least knowing someone was close in case she needed help was a bonus...but Finn Gallagher?
As attractive as he was, and as immediate as her reaction was to him, he still unnerved her on some levels. His attentive behavior since their not-so-friendly first meeting definitely was appealing, as was the way he looked at her as if she was all woman, but coming so close on the heels of her broken engagement she still felt nervy, distrustful. And while it was flattering at the time that he’d obviously wanted to keep her company all to himself yesterday, when she’d thought about it late last night she’d started to get the niggling feeling that he had some ulterior motive for doing so.
Maybe she was just overreacting. After all, it wasn’t every day a woman had to accept that she’d been efficiently lied to for the better part of two years by a man she’d trusted enough to want to marry. The dull ache that seemed to permanently reside in her chest intensified.
In the clothing store, wearing a beautiful dress and anticipating an afternoon with a handsome man, it had been easy to lay the mess of their shattered engagement entirely on Trent’s shoulders...but deep down she felt it had to be her fault. How could she not have seen Trent and Zac’s interest in one another? How could she never have suspected a thing? Sure, her relationship with Trent had been cool, their sex life minimal, but she’d put that