by Sonia Parin
Her Charming Heartbreaker
Sonia Parin
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2015 Sonia Parin
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
To JG, thank you for being there when I most needed you and for sharing a very special journey. Also, to the two people I most wanted to share this with, J & E, thank you for everything. And to Lollie because you said I should.
Chapter One
The dart missed Theo by a hairsbreadth. He should have moved or at least flinched, but instead, he pushed his gaze toward the dartboard hanging several feet away from him and, switching off the heated debate raging inside his head between his resident fools and angels, he cleared his throat.
“I’m here about a room. I have a booking.” Even as he spoke, he sensed the precise measuring of intention, the forward and backward motion of the dart thrower’s wrist, and then, he’d swear on his life, he heard the distinct sound of a dart swishing through the air.
It hit a bullseye.
Another one followed, hitting its target.
A mishit.
Two bullseyes.
And a flaming red-haired dart thrower.
The combination should have triggered alarm bells or at least prompted Theo Kendrick into reassessing the scene he’d walked into, but if he did that, he risked setting off a snowball of rethinking every decision he’d made in the last few days, and he’d come too far to do that.
He’d already clocked up a fifteen-hour flight from L.A. to Melbourne, then a three-hour drive to Eden, a small town nestled in a valley, surrounded by the hills and mountains of the Victorian alpine region. While he hadn’t come to terms with the reasons for his trip here, any more delays would have crammed his head full of guilt, uncertainty, and...
It didn’t matter. He had business to take care of.
“I emailed three days ago,” he said turning toward the woman.
She lifted an eyebrow and he imagined her thinking, “I nearly killed you and that’s all you have to say?”
He took in her long legs and subtle curves, her jeans hanging low on her hips with a western style shirt tucked neatly into it. Her face looked pale but the lift of her chin told him she’d stand by her dart throw, no matter what.
She didn’t look old enough to be Claire Muldoon. At a guess, he’d say his assailant was in her late twenties and, by the looks of it, in no hurry to leash her attitude.
Whipping a dishtowel off her shoulder, she rocked on her heels and sent her large brown eyes skipping around his body. “We’re fully booked.” Then, with a shrug of indifference, she turned toward the bar and proceeded to ignore him by giving the counter a brisk wipe.
Theo’s resting heart rate twitched. If the circumstances that had brought him here hadn’t been dire, he’d suspect someone had engineered an elaborate hoax. Everything looked so contrived, even the girl with the attitude…
Moments before Theo had stepped inside The Gloriana Hotel, a small town pub displaying an eclectic collection of stuffed animal heads that made him think of an English hunting lodge he’d stayed at the previous fall. There’d been several patrons hovering around the pool table, a few hunched over the bar, a lost-love-broken-heart tune playing in the background, and the redhead beauty standing in the middle of the bar, her feet slightly apart, her body relaxed as she’d taken aim. Then she’d noticed him, and in that split second, the dart had left her hand.
Theo drew in a deep breath.
He could handle a bit of attitude.
He’d grown up in California where his father had made a career in film, appearing in a string of movies that had turned him into a screen icon. His mother was in the same business, but she’d chosen the stage to strut her stuff, so Theo had firsthand exposure to people pretending to walk the walk.
Going by the light blush coloring her cheeks, he’d say she was doing a fair share of pretending.
He approached the bar and, leaning against the counter facing her, he searched his jetlagged brain for a contact name. “I have a confirmation email. Eddie. Eddie Faydon sent it to me.” Drawing in a breath, he scratched around for some charm, but found none. “I’ve had a long drive and an even longer flight before that, so I wouldn’t mind—”
“Just a sec,” she said turning her attention to pouring a draft beer. After serving it to her customer, she strode back, the edge of her lip lifted forming a dimple on her cheek. “I flew once. It took days before I got my hearing back.” Her voice took on a teasing tone. “Maybe you’ve got a case of blocked ears.”
Theo relaxed his jaw before speaking. “There’s nothing wrong with my hearing.”
Her eyes danced around his face. “Are you sure you have the right place? The roads around here can be tricky. You might have taken a wrong turn.”
“I entered the directions in my GPS—”
She shook her head, her eyes showing a spark of amusement. “Those things aren’t always reliable.”
“This is a state of the art one.” Courtesy of his luxury rental car. “Then there’s the email Eddie sent me. He gave me clear directions. I set my mental compass to them.”
She chuckled. “Aha, that’s where you went wrong. It’s the roads in these parts. They play havoc with mental compasses and make you do crazy things like pointing your car in the wrong direction.”
This time, it took all his effort to relax his jaw. “I can assure you, there’s nothing wrong with my aim.”
She tilted her head and her smile turned impish. “I can’t pinpoint your accent. It’s American, but with a difference.”
Anglophile-American, his father called it whenever he regretted funding Theo’s Ivy League education—in his opinion, a dead-end indulgence.
“It sounds stuffy,” she said under her breath.
Another flush of red swept up to her cheeks, a hint she might not be entirely comfortable with the way the conversation was going. For some reason, it made him want to apologize.
The last few days had been a whirl of activity, worrying, and waiting. He hadn’t actually slept on the flight over. His mind had been too busy trying to sort out his thoughts and decide how he’d deal with the fool’s errand he’d been sent on. However, he could still engage his senses long enough to sniff out a hint of desperation. She didn’t want him here. And she seemed almost pleased to try anything she could to get rid of him.
“I’m from California.”
“I bet you favor British spelling.”
More often than not, yes. Two of his degrees were from Oxford, and years of living and studying in England had been habit forming. But that was all beside the point... “About that room—”
“Like I said, we’re fully booked.”
“No, we’re not.”
In the blink of an eye, her gaze shifted from amused nonchalant to deer caught in headlights. The reaction lasted only long enough for the man who’d spoken to reach her side and stand close enough for her to elbow him in the ribs.
He matched Theo in height but his survival instincts were sharper. Stepping back, he leaned against the opposite counter, his hand giving his rib a discreet rub.
“You must be Theo Kendrick. I took your booking.”
Theo felt his relief in the next breath he took. “You must be Eddie.”
“No, that’s my sister here. She usually takes car
e of all the admin stuff. It was her day off.”
Eddie? “I guess that explains the mix-up.”
“I’m Matthew Faydon, welcome to Eden.”
“Good to know I’ve landed in the right place. There was some confusion about it.”
“Well, it’s all cleared up now.” Turning to his sister, he put his hands on her shoulders. A sensible precaution, Theo thought. “I’ll look after the bar while you show Mr. Kendrick to his room.”
* * *
Eddie ducked into the small office next to the bar. She didn’t have a suitcase, but she could use her backpack and stuff all her essential belongings inside and... and leave.
Pushing out a breath, she sank against the edge of her desk.
“You’re twenty-nine years old, not six.” Leaving was no longer an option the way it had been when she’d dragged out her bubblegum pink school bag and had threatened to follow the yellow brick road because anything was better than living with selfish, insensitive little toads. Her threats to leave had been a constant source of amusement to her brothers who’d followed several steps behind her, making sure she didn’t stray too far. They’d always managed to entice her back home with underhanded tactics and pretend acts of contrition, giving her sweets and ice-cream…
She should have learned by now. Men were not to be trusted.
Pushing off the desk, she snatched a key for a room furthest away from the residential side of the building, and returned to the bar where she found her brother deep in conversation with their new guest.
Eddie pressed her lips together, and turned toward the stairs. Personal feelings aside, she knew she needed to apologize to Theo Kendrick, but then she’d have to explain what had happened...
“This way,” she threw over her shoulder.
“I guess I’ll get my luggage later.”
“Suit yourself.” Edwina! She groaned silently. Could she try a little harder and switch off the urge to bite his head off?
If she hadn’t done a last millisecond adjustment on her shot to avert certain disaster, Theo Kendrick would be on his way to hospital instead of following two steps behind her. As wrong as it was to wish anyone ill, anything would be better than having him stay.
Anything, Eddie? How about facing jail time for attempted maiming?
He hadn’t made a fuss. But that didn’t get her off the hook. She had to apologize.
Eddie drew in a shaky breath. She’d never live this down. Everyone knew better than to start discussing it in front of her, but now that she’d left the bar, that’s precisely what they were doing, putting their heads together like the worst type of sewing circle. And once word got out, the day’s takings would soar with people piling in to gawk at the one-woman freak show she’d become.
How could she have lost it? It had only been a split second. Long enough for her to imagine Adam had changed his mind.
Fool. Did she think he’d walk straight into the pub, make a public declaration, and sweep her off her feet like in An Officer and a Gentleman?
Sadly, yes.
It was all she’d been thinking about for the past week. This would never have happened if she hadn’t had so many bees buzzing in her ear urging her on, like her own personal cheering squad.
Put it out there. Rah, rah, rah.
You’ve got nothing to lose. Rah, rah, rah.
Eddie squared her shoulders. Even if Adam did change his mind, she wouldn’t spare him a second look. She still had some pride left. Not much since she now had another Eddie Faydon embarrassing moment to replay in her mind. That near miss had cost her another layer of pride. She never missed her target. Not even on a bad day.
It wouldn’t take a mathematical genius to add two and two together and come up with the answer burning on everyone’s lips. She’d mistaken Theo Kendrick for Adam.
At first glance, they might have looked the same. But on closer inspection, she realized the resemblance was coincidental since the average male in Eden had light brown hair and just about every male she knew stood a head taller than her. If she’d spared him more than a brief glance, she might have noticed everything that set him apart from everyone else—the expensive clothes and haircut, the square jaw, the chin with a dimple in the middle, and eyes that looked like the deepest part of the ocean.
“Does anyone call you Theodore?”
“My mother. But not often.”
She pushed the door to his room open. “This is it. There’s no room service. If you want something to eat, you’ll either have to go down to the pub or find your way to the local restaurant. We have a cleaning service, which starts at ten sharp, so try to be out of the room by then. If you can’t manage it, put a sock on the doorknob. Otherwise, Dani will barge right in.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. “You’re not blinking. Is something wrong?”
“I’m… savoring the unique flavor of local hospitality.”
She shrugged. “There’s a bed and breakfast just outside of town. It caters to your type.” Making it worse, Eddie? Yeah, sure. Why not?
“What type might that be?”
He wore a Tattersall check shirt and tweed sports jacket matched with equally expensive looking pants and Oxford brogues. The guy looked like he was headed to a wild game shooting party. While no one in their right mind would label her a fashion expert, she recognized the country squire look because Charles Granger had introduced locals to the style when he’d settled in Eden a dozen years before to open his deer farm, complete with a replica of the manor house he’d left behind in England.
“The afternoon tea with dainty finger food type. You know, tally-ho.” Although, to be fair to him, he wouldn’t look out of place watching a football game while tossing back a few beers.
“I think I’ll pass. I don’t mind roughing it for a while. And as the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you, only gives you more stories to tell back home.”
Just great. Her pitiful life was about to go international. And…
He still sounded stuffy, albeit in a gruff, masculine, melt in the mouth... Ugh! Get a hold of yourself, Eddie.
“The bathroom is across the hallway.” She couldn’t help lifting an eyebrow. She might not be well traveled, but she suspected people like him liked their convenient bathroom facilities. “You’ll be sharing.”
“Not a problem.”
“Sharing with other people. Strangers…”
He drew in a breath that appeared to call for calm. “If royal visitors to Buckingham Palace can put up with the inconvenience of having to share bathrooms down the hallway, then who am I to complain?”
“You’re pulling my leg.”
He shook his head. “My in-flight reading material was rather trite. Okay, truth be told, I enjoy my share of trivia. The magazine I read had an interview with Crown Prince—”
“How riveting. I’m sure you’d be a perfect trivia night partner.”
His eyes swept around her face. “I doubt I’ll be here long enough to take part in local activities.”
She frowned. Had she sounded friendly enough for him to assume she was trying to flirt with him?
He looked inside the room and then back at her, at first not quite managing to meet her eyes. But when his gaze finally landed on hers, she knew he’d pulled down a shutter. He was looking at her, but he wasn’t seeing her.
Yes, Eddie thought, this is an awkward moment. And all of her own making. At this rate, her pride would be scraped right off the bone…
“Well, I suppose you want to get on with whatever business brought you here, so I’ll leave you to it.” Handing him the room key, she strode away, her focus on making her legs work.
As the only female in a male dominated household, she was used to being surrounded by over inflated egos packed full of testosterone. She only wished they weren’t so obvious about it.
She drew in a breath and tried to relax the tightness in her chest. Somehow, she had to get through the rest of the day. From experience, she knew it was always better
to dive headlong into the deep end. Get it over and done with.
Bracing herself, she started down the stairs. Even with the heavy thump of her boots echoing in the stairwell, she could still hear the buzz of conversation coming from the bar.
Her last birthday had brought her a year closer to thirty. People were starting to notice. People were starting to think she was getting desperate. Never mind that she’d given them reason to think that after the stunt she’d pulled with Adam…
You and me, Adam. What do you reckon? Let’s give it a go…
It should have been a private conversation. The words punctuated by her thumping heart. No one else had been meant to hear… but everyone had. The whole Friday night crowd who’d turned up for Karaoke night.
A new face in town should have created a timely diversion, giving everyone something else to talk about. Instead, she’d single-handedly stoked the fire…
Belatedly, Eddie realized she’d forgotten to apologize to Theo Kendrick.
Chapter Two
“Eddie! This is the second morning in a row you’re having breakfast here. What’s up with that?”
“Keep it down. I’m trying to avoid drawing more attention to myself.”
Joyce laughed. “You don’t have to try. I’m so used to seeing you at the pub, I didn’t recognize you outside of it. It’s to do with how our brains perceive information. If you don’t expect to see something, you don’t see it, even if it’s standing right in front of you. Hang on a tic, I’m going to get myself a coffee.”
Another trivia buff, Eddie thought as she recalled the brief conversation she’d had with Theo Kendrick a couple of days before.
So far, he’d had all his meals at the pub, which made avoiding him near impossible. Not that he’d made any effort to engage her in conversation. In fact, he always seemed to be on the phone. Desperate to at least spare herself the sight of him first thing in the morning, she’d been hiding out at Joyce’s Café down the street.
