Mistresses: Bound with Gold / Bought with Emeralds

by Susan Napier;Kathryn Ross;Kelly Hunter;Sandra Marton;Katherine Garbera;Margaret Mayo

  There seemed to be no one about downstairs. Caitlin went into the kitchen and put on the kettle, then stood at the kitchen sink looking across towards the purple mountains in the distance.

  What would today bring? she wondered. She supposed she should ring her mother and tell her that all was well and she was safe. Where was her phone? she wondered suddenly. She didn’t remember seeing it in her room this morning. Quickly she retraced her steps through to the lounge, wondering if she had left it in there last night. She was searching behind cushions when Ray came downstairs.

  ‘Looking for this?’ He held up her phone.

  ‘Yes.’ Caitlin straightened and watched as he walked across towards her.

  Hell, but he was impossibly handsome, she thought. Like her, he was wearing jeans. They clung to his lithe hips and waist, and the light blue shirt he wore emphasised the breadth of his shoulders.

  She tried to avoid touching him as she took the phone back. Why she didn’t know…he just made her incredibly wary.

  ‘So, did you sleep well?’

  She looked up and met his gaze and felt herself dissolve at the impact of his dark eyes.

  ‘Yes, thanks.’ She tried not to think about her crazy dream.

  ‘Good.’ He smiled and she noticed the sensual curve of his lips. ‘We’ll have some breakfast and go and see about your car.’ He turned towards the kitchen and then glanced back. ‘By, the way you’ve missed two calls this morning.’

  ‘Have I?’ Caitlin looked down at her phone but there was no message to say she’d missed calls.

  ‘Yes. One from your mother, lovely woman—we had a long conversation.’

  ‘I beg your pardon!’ Caitlin hurried after him towards the kitchen. ‘You mean you answered my phone?’

  ‘Yes…well, it was sitting next to me.’

  ‘You’ve got no right to answer my phone.’ Caitlin was furious. ‘Whoever it was could have left a message with the answer service.’

  ‘They did leave a message…with me.’ Ray seemed totally oblivious to her rage. He took some croissants from a bag by the bread bin. ‘Now. I know the English like their bacon and eggs—’

  ‘I don’t want anything to eat.’

  ‘Now, Caitlin, I promised your mother that I would keep an eye on you and that involved making sure you ate something,’ Ray said calmly.

  ‘How dare you speak to my mother—’

  Ray shook his head and glanced over at her. ‘She’s very worried about you, you know. She thinks you have gone far too thin.’ His eyes flicked down over her. ‘And actually I agree with her.’

  Caitlin could feel heat seeping up under her skin and she felt as if she wanted to explode. ‘That is my private phone and you shouldn’t have touched it.’

  ‘So, shall I rustle up some bacon and eggs or do you just want the croissants?’

  ‘I don’t want anything.’

  ‘We’ll have the croissants, then. I have some chocolate ones here and you can go heavy on the butter if you like…I know that is an English penchant.’ The smell of them mingled with the coffee he had set on the stove.

  He pulled out a stool at the breakfast bar. ‘Sit down and relax, for heaven’s sake. So I answered your phone…it was no big deal.’

  Caitlin sat down. ‘So who else rang?’ she asked, her throat tight.

  ‘Someone called…Heidi—yes, that’s it, Heidi, like the book.’

  Caitlin felt herself relax slightly. At least it hadn’t been David. That would have been too awkward and embarrassing.

  ‘Heidi is also worried about you. She seems like a very lovely young woman.’

  ‘Yes.’ Caitlin nodded. ‘She’s my best friend.’

  Ray put the plate of croissants and a cup of espresso coffee in front of her.

  ‘So what was the message?’ she asked shortly.

  ‘They both want you to phone them.’

  Caitlin nodded. It could have been worse, at least her mother didn’t know the circumstances of her breakup with David. If she had started to divulge the details it would have been mortifying. And Heidi was too discreet to have said anything.

  ‘Okay…well, thanks,’ she muttered grudgingly as she took a sip of her coffee. ‘But don’t answer my phone again.’

  Ray pulled out the chair opposite her. ‘Anyone would think you were in the secret service or something.’

  ‘I just like my privacy respected, that’s all.’

  Ray nodded. ‘Oh, and your mother wants to come out on a visit,’ he added casually.

  Caitlin almost dropped the coffee in shock. ‘You are joking now, aren’t you?’ she asked hopefully.

  Ray shook his head. ‘I’m afraid I had to tell her about the sorry state of your house. She was most concerned.’

  ‘You did what?’ Caitlin put the coffee-cup down in the saucer with a clatter. ‘Are you joking?’

  ‘No. She’s your mother, Caitlin, she asked me directly about your circumstances, so out of respect I had to tell her.’

  Caitlin’s eyes darkened with fury. ‘You did that on purpose, didn’t you?’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean.’ Ray shrugged, but there was a gleam of humour in his dark eyes that said he knew exactly what he had done.

  ‘Yes, you do. You told my mother how bad the house was in the hope she’d talk me into selling to you. That was below the belt, Ray.’

  ‘Rubbish.’ Ray shook his head. ‘But, yes, I have to admit that I hope you will see sense about keeping that place.’

  ‘Just how badly do you want that land?’ she asked suddenly.

  ‘Not badly enough to increase my offer, if that’s what you mean,’ he said succinctly.

  Caitlin pushed the croissants away and stood up. ‘Come on, then, let’s go. The sooner you take me back to the house, the sooner I can decide what I’m going to do.’

  Ray sipped his coffee and made no hurry to follow. ‘You haven’t finished your breakfast. Your mother would be most upset.’

  ‘Well, my mother is not here, is she?’

  ‘Not yet.’ He grinned.

  The drive back to her house was totally different from the journey last night. They had the windows of the car down and the breeze that blew through her hair was warm and scented with the fragrance of the eucalyptus trees that lined the tarmac road. The sky was a dazzling blue, the landscape dotted with wild flowers and as they pulled up at the front of her house even that looked different. Yesterday it had seemed sad and dilapidated, but this morning it seemed to have gained a certain look of charm. The terracotta roof glowed in the sunshine and the peeling yellow paint on the walls seemed almost quaint surrounded by the tangle of ivy and wisteria that curved around the windows.

  ‘It needs a lot of work and money spending on it, doesn’t it?’ Ray said as she climbed out of the car.

  ‘Actually I was just thinking that it doesn’t look as bad as I’d thought.’ She shaded her eyes to look up at it, and then slanted him a wry look over the bonnet of the car. ‘In fact, I’d go so far as to say I’m pleasantly surprised. I really like it.’

  Ray shook his head. ‘It’s up to you what you do, of course, but let me tell you, I know for a fact it needs a new roof, plus it is probably infested with woodworm.’

  ‘No one would ever guess you don’t want me to stay here,’ she said with a grin.

  ‘I didn’t say that.’ He smiled back at her. ‘On the contrary, I was just trying to be helpful.’

  Something about the way he looked at her made her senses swim. Hastily she looked away from him. ‘Sure you were.’

  She walked over towards her car. The mud around the wheels had dried into solid red soil. ‘So, any suggestions on how I get my car out of this rut?’ she asked lightly.

  He didn’t answer immediately, but when she glanced over at him she saw that he was taking a long-handled shovel from the back of the car.

  ‘You are organised.’

  ‘Prepare for any eventuality, that is my motto,’ he said and met her eyes with a co
ol steady look. ‘You’ll have to remember that if you are going to stay around here.’

  She watched as he rolled up his sleeves and then started to dig beside each wheel of the car. He made the work look effortless, but in the dazzling heat of the sun she doubted it was. As his huge shoulders heaved against the hard soil Caitlin wondered idly if he worked out in order to keep such a wonderful physique. There was a raw sexuality about him that despite all her best intentions, drew her attention…fascinated her. But then it had always been like that. From the moment she had opened Murdo’s front door to him, she had been disconcertingly conscious of his sex appeal.

  He turned. ‘Do you want to get in and start the engine now, try and drive it out?’

  ‘Yes, certainly.’ Annoyed by the thoughts that had been going through her mind, she took her keys out of her bag and unlocked the car. Okay, he was a very handsome man, she told herself, but he had danger written all over him, she wasn’t interested in him. The next man she got involved with was going to be safe and dependable, a true family man. She certainly didn’t want any dizzying heights—it was too far to fall.

  A wall of heat hit her as she opened the car door, along with the smell of burning vinyl. Gingerly she slid into the driving seat and started the engine. It spluttered into life and on Ray’s instruction she eased it forward so that it climbed easily out of its hole and back onto the solid safety of the road.

  Relief flooded through her. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said as she got out of the vehicle, this time leaving the windows down. ‘You’ve been very kind and I’m totally in your debt,’ she added impulsively.

  ‘That’s true.’ He smiled at her, a teasing light in his eyes. ‘So, what are you doing on Monday night?’ he asked suddenly.

  Her stomach seemed to go into free fall. ‘Monday?’ She stared at him blankly, the question catching her completely by surprise.

  ‘Day after tomorrow,’ he informed her, leaning back against the bonnet of her car and fixing her with that nonchalant dark-eyed stare that seemed to slice straight through to her bones.

  She rubbed the palms of her hands against her jeans and found they were wet with a perspiration that had little to do with heat, and her mouth felt suddenly dry with panic.

  He noted the sudden vulnerable light in the beauty of her green eyes, before she looked away from him.

  ‘Well, if you are asking me out, Ray…I’m not really ready to start dating again.’ Her heart hammered fiercely against her chest. She felt like a teenager who had never been asked out before.

  ‘Relax.’ In contrast to her he sounded totally cool. ‘I’m not asking you out.’

  ‘Oh!’ Her glance skated back to meet with his and she could feel her cheeks going from orange to a shade of beetroot. ‘What are you asking me, then?’

  He grinned. ‘I’m giving a dinner party for some business clients, and I could do with someone to assist me.’

  ‘You want me to cook for you?’ She was startled by the request, and to think she had imagined he was asking her out! Embarrassment mingled with annoyance now. Honestly, the cheek of the guy! she thought crossly.

  ‘No, I don’t want you to cook for me. I’m getting caterers in. All I really need is for you to act as hostess for the evening, just so things are kept flowing easily.’

  ‘Oh!’ She was momentarily puzzled. ‘I’m not so sure about that,’ she said cautiously. ‘Isn’t that something your girlfriend should be doing?’

  ‘It’s okay, you won’t be treading on anyone’s toes, I assure you,’ he said with a smile, then added with a teasing gleam in his eye, ‘I’m between lovers at the moment so you’d be doing me a big favour.’

  ‘Well…’ She wasn’t quite sure what to say to that.

  ‘Thanks, Caitlin.’ He swept on decisively. ‘Tell you what, I’ll come back this afternoon to see how you are getting on here and we can make arrangements for the evening then.’

  Before she had a chance to say anything else he had turned away and was heading back towards his car. She watched helplessly as he opened the boot and threw the shovel in, before driving off with a casual wave of his hand.

  Caitlin shook her head and felt slightly bemused by the speed with which she had been railroaded into that! ‘Honestly!’ she muttered to herself as she opened her bag to get the key of the house. As if she didn’t have enough to think about.

  The front door squeaked in protest as she pushed it open and peered inside. If the outside of the building had suddenly acquired a charm of its own under the blaze of the Mediterranean sun, the same could not be said about the interior. It was just as dark and just as creepy as she had thought it was yesterday. The floorboards were uneven and the staircase looked as if a few of the steps were rotted through. Maybe Ray was right about the woodworm, she thought as she walked across the lounge area. Gingerly she felt around the casement of the window looking for the fastenings so that she could throw open the shutters.

  When she finally found them sunlight flooded into the room, and for a moment all she could see were dust particles dancing in the air. Then slowly she took in her surroundings. It was a good-sized room with a huge stone fireplace at one end. Hastily she flicked the dustsheets off the furniture. The blue sofa looked soft and comfortable. A large cream rug covered the centre of the room; it was covered in a grey layer of dust and had definitely seen better days. But she felt a stir of excitement inside her—the place had definite possibilities.

  She walked through to the kitchen. It had a quaint old-fashioned charm, the units were dark wood and some of the doors were hanging off. But there was a large Belfast sink and what looked like an old wood-burning stove. A dining room led off to the left. But instead of walking through there, Caitlin unbolted the back door and walked outside. She found herself in a sunny courtyard with a crazy-paving path that led down through a small grove of almond and olive trees. She walked through the dappled shade down the path and as it turned a corner she found herself in a field criss-crossed with the stubbly growth of vines. Someone had tied a rope swing from an almond tree and she perched herself gingerly on the old wooden seat and looked back towards the house.

  She could see that some of the red roof tiles were missing and one of the chimney pots looked as if it had a bush growing from it. The place definitely needed a lot of money spending on it, money she probably didn’t have. But that didn’t stop the pure burst of joy that assailed her. The house had definite potential and she loved it! Loved the red roof and the old shuttered windows, loved the blue irises that lined the path and the blossom on the almond trees. If it took every ounce of her energy and her last penny, she wanted this property.

  When Ray returned it was late afternoon. The front door was open and he stood on the doorstep and called her name. There was no answer so he stepped inside. The strong odour of bleach hit him. The lounge was completely empty of furniture; the windows were open and the floors scrubbed to a deep honey yellow.

  ‘Caitlin.’ He raised his voice an octave but there was still no reply. Gingerly he made his way over the clean floor and into the kitchen. And that was where he found her. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a blue halter-neck top and she was on her hands and knees on the floor, scrubbing with an old wooden brush, singing tunelessly at the top of her voice as she worked. It took a moment for him to realise that she was listening to a Walkman because she had her back to him and he couldn’t see the earphones. It was only as she turned slightly to rinse her brush in the bucket of water beside her that he saw the wire leading up under her dark hair and saw the blue machine clipped to the front of her belt.

  She still hadn’t seen him and he smiled to himself as he watched the way she was working. Her energy fascinated him, as did the wiggle of her very shapely bottom in the tight-fitting shorts.

  She sang away to herself as she sat back on her heels to survey her work; stretching slightly as if her shoulders were stiff. Ray had a brief glimpse of her flat midriff and the up-tilted swell of generous breasts. A
nd from nowhere he felt the heat of sexual attraction hit him hard.

  ‘Caitlin.’ Impatient with himself, he stepped forward into the periphery of her vision.

  ‘Oh, gosh, you startled me!’ Flustered, she pulled the headphones off her ears. Her hair fell glossy and fluid around her shoulders as she threw it back from her face to look at him. The sound of music, tinny and contorted through the wire, sang on for a second before she clicked a button off. ‘How long have you been standing there?’

  ‘Only a few minutes. I did call you several times but you were too busy singing.’ He noticed with amusement that she blushed. He liked the way he was able to make her blush; it stirred up a feeling of devilment inside him, made him want to wind her up…see the soft swell of colour increase even further.

  ‘You could enter for the Eurovision with a voice like that,’ he added softly. ‘Incredible!’

  ‘Very funny.’

  He smiled as he saw the soft pink glow spread over the top of her cheekbones. He wondered if she would blush like that if he kissed her…what she would look like with her hair spread out around her on white pillows, the flush of lovemaking still on her skin.

  ‘I see you’ve been down to the village.’ He transferred his attention to the basket of groceries that was sitting on the sideboard.

  ‘No, I haven’t ventured as far as that. I just went into the little shop a couple of miles down the road.’ She got to her feet and lifted the bucket of water to throw it away. ‘I was pleasantly surprised to find that they stock most things.’

  ‘Ah, Madeline’s shop.’ He nodded. ‘Yes, it’s very convenient.’

  ‘She’s very friendly as well and spoke perfect English. She was telling me that her nephew is a builder. She is going to send him up to see me so that he can give me an estimate on work that I want doing.’

  Ray’s eyebrows rose. ‘From that…and all the work you are doing here, am I to deduce that you have made up your mind to stay?’