by. Would’ve saved me a pile of trouble.’
Her expression changed, from annoyed disinterest to stilted comprehension. ‘Y-you didn’t know her?’
‘You think I have some crazy cousin in the family?’
‘Not a cousin…’
The penny dropped along with his jaw. ‘Oh, Eden, no. You didn’t think that woman and I were an item?’
‘All the pieces seemed to fit.’ The confusion in her eyes cleared. ‘I should’ve guessed the other explanation.’
As her words trailed, a cold splash landed on his nose at the same time the earthy scent of rain hitting hot cement rose off the pavement. He shot a glance at the churning grey sky. A heartbeat later, the heavens opened up.
Eden yelped, hunching over as icy needles pelted down. Thinking for them both, he gathered her close, threw his jacket over their heads for protection and scooted towards a shallow alcove set in the building’s façade. Tight but room enough for two.
As he shook out his jacket she let go a sorrowful wail. ‘I’m soaked!’
‘It’s not fatal. You’ll dry.’
‘Not before this outfit is ready for the trash. It’s new-season fine wool blend. Strictly dry-clean only. It was going in my window Monday morning. Hundreds of dollars, and orders besides, down the drain.’
He’d known she owned a boutique in town. Given the snippets he’d gleaned from ladies at recent black-tie functions, Temptations had built a reputation for its classy inventory. And that dress was a knockout, soaked through or not. Tasteful yet sexy, a far cry from the hip-riding jeans she’d worn—and he’d loved—when they’d first met.
Beside him, she trembled, hugged herself, and his arm instinctively went out to warm her. ‘You’re cold.’
She shied away. ‘I shake when I’m mad.’
He relaxed and hid a grin. He remembered. She shook at other times too.
‘Things could be worse.’
Pressing herself to the wall, she recrossed her arms and thinned her lips.
He laughed. ‘Oh, come on. When did you become such a sourpuss?’
‘Since your brother began dating my sister. And before you start, you’ve made your stand on that subject very clear. I’d rather not go there again.’
She was right. There was nothing more to discuss on that issue. Nate could work out his own affairs. However, confined as they were because of this downpour, now seemed an ideal time to touch on that other long overdue matter.
Devlin propped his shoulders against the wall, jacket draped over his crossed arms, and gazed casually out at the veil of teeming rain.
‘Eden, why didn’t you return my calls?’
‘You called back yesterday?’
He turned his head to stare down her Miss Innocent look. ‘I mean three years ago.’
Her green eyes cooled and she shook her head slowly. ‘I shouldn’t be surprised.’
He cocked a brow. ‘That’s not much of an answer.’
‘Here’s the rest. I shouldn’t be surprised by your unwillingness to take responsibility.’
Her grave tone was meant to bite. Instead her indignation shot a searing arrow straight to his groin. Damn, she was cute when she was mad. Didn’t mean he had a clue what she was on about.
‘So I’m irresponsible now?’
‘I know it’ll come as a shock,’ she stated, ‘but not all women are prepared to hang around to watch the final curtain fall.’
He pushed off the wall.
Okay. He had a slippery handle on this now. He enunciated each word carefully so no one got confused. ‘You’re saying you dumped me before I could dump you?’
‘You left for the UK that last morning without saying goodbye.’
Correct. ‘You were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.’
‘You didn’t call when you landed.’
His brow lowered. ‘I didn’t realise I had to check in.’
‘You took another flight and boarded a ship that capsized in the freezing waters of the North Sea.’
He held off from rolling his eyes.
Here it comes.
Before he and Eden had even met, he’d organised with an industry colleague to check out their operations west of the Shetland Islands. The vessel—an anchor-handling tug—had been commissioned to recover and relocate the eighteen-tonne anchors of an oil drilling rig. A manoeuvre, preparing for a hard turn to starboard to increase stability, had resulted in the winch chain snapping across the deck and around to the port side. The tug had been pulled over. Human, technical or design error…the investigation into the accident had come back inconclusive.
He rubbed the corner of one eye. ‘Look, I understand you were worried. I spoke with you as soon as I could.’
Her stony mask broke. ‘Devlin, the accident was on the news! I couldn’t get hold of anyone who knew anything. I was worried out of my mind. And when I finally spoke to you, you as good as told me I was overreacting.’
Her heart was there, shining from the depths of her eyes and, irrespective of the fact he’d done nothing wrong, his chest squeezed around a fist full of guilt.
‘Nobody died,’ he reminded her, recalling the blaze of cameras when he’d finally got to shore after the accident. ‘I was fine.’
‘Just like you’re fine when you fly your ultra-light planes?’
His nostrils flared. ‘It’s a hobby I enjoy.’
‘Just like you’ll be fine when you finally climb Eiger’s deadly North Face?’
‘I was kidding about that.’ Until he had more Alps experience, anyway.
‘Like you’re fine when you, you—’ she flung a frustrated arm towards the rain ‘—when you wrestle with maniacs in the street.’
His groan was half growl. ‘Eden, please—’
‘You don’t shy away from danger, risk, adventure,’ she went on. ‘While I, on the other hand, am a big fan of silly things like safety, security, predictability. It was nice while it lasted, Devlin. Really nice. But let’s face it…’ Her green eyes glistened and her voice lowered. ‘I wasn’t exciting enough for you. We’d drifted apart even before you left for Scotland that day.’
The pain and regret in her eyes faded before resignation dropped like a mask over her
