really good artwork and having successful yearly exhibitions, he was a bit of a menace otherwise. The women on the island who had known him longest had learned of his wandering eyes over time, but to him every new arrival was fair game.
Cam wasn’t surprised he’d tried it on with Harmony, but her clear and cutting refusal had been a thing of beauty.
Would she do the same to him, should he try to kiss her?
He realized he wanted to—badly. Every movement of her lips, whether they were smiling, pursed, or speaking, made him want to taste them.
And he wanted to know what she’d feel like in his arms. Those amazing curves snuggled against him, her arms around his neck, his mouth on that long, lovely throat.
Or anywhere else on her body she’d let him get at.
Arousal hit him, heating his blood. Shifting in his seat, he tried to banish the vision of a naked Harmony from his mind, so as to not cause himself any more discomfort. For goodness’ sakes—what was he? Fifteen? Getting turned on just daydreaming over a woman he hardly knew?
Mind you, Harmony would make any red-blooded man think dirty thoughts.
And she made him completely forget what he was supposed to be doing—like actually turning on his computer instead of starting blindly at the still blank screen.
Hitting the switch, he waited for the machine to boot up.
The physical attraction would be so much easier to quell if he didn’t actually like her so much. Yes, she was fussy, and bossy, and on a couple of occasions she had reminded him of why he preferred a single life by giving him one of those “oh, really?” glances that activated his stubborn independent streak. But none of that negated his very real desire to get to know her better.
Much better.
Intimately, even.
She was his employee, though. Temporary, but on his payroll nonetheless. Professionalism dictated that he not get involved with her, no matter how short a time she was supposed to be on the island. Besides, there was an innate danger in getting too close to a woman like Harmony, even for a little while. She had the kind of forever vibe he assiduously avoided.
He might be an adrenaline junkie, but forever was one heart-stopping trip he didn’t want to go on. Not when it would mean changing the life he enjoyed so much, and having someone else to consider every time he wanted to make a decision.
His childhood, stunted by his mother’s fear over his diabetes and his own need to allay her panic, had made him recognize his need to be free of those types of entanglements. Even now, when he was speaking to his mother on the phone, he omitted telling her too much, knowing she’d be frightened to hear about his adventures. That was about enough of an emotional burden as he could manage.
The computer beeped, the cursor flashed, waiting for him to put in his password. Doing so absently, Cam found himself remembering Harmony’s sadness when she’d spoken about how much she missed her grandmother.
He understood, completely. The first Christmas after Grand-Da died had been the hardest of Cam’s life. Only the fellowship of the islanders, who missed the old man as much as Cam did, had eased the pain. It was a shame Harmony and her mother wouldn’t be together to remember the old lady and all the good times the three had shared.
Then he frowned as the first notification to pop up on his screen was an email from Dora entitled To-Do List.
“Really?” he muttered to himself. “Don’t you think that after four years I know what needs to be done?”
Yet still he opened it, and sat running through the various points until the phone rang.
Since Harmony was in the back, he called out, “I’ve got it!” and picked up the receiver.
“Cam MacRurie speaking.”
“Cam? Are you coming by today?”
“Hello, Hillary,” he said, noting the strain in the woman’s voice. “Is everything all right?”
“Oh, yes, of course. I just wondered…”
“My new nurse, Harmony, is scheduled to come out and see you, Hill,” he said gently. “Will that be okay with you?”
“Oh, yes, of course,” she replied, and the automatic answer told him more than her words. “It’s just that I don’t know her. How will I know it’s her? And I haven’t had a chance to tidy up…”
“Don’t worry about it, Hill. I’ll come out with her and introduce her properly. That way next time you’ll know who it is. Will that suit?”
“I… I…”
She faltered, and Cam waited, guessing she was trying to gather her thoughts.
“So you’ll come, then?”
“Yes, Hill. I will.” He infused as much of a soothing tone into his voice as he could. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Thank you.” The relief in her voice was patent. “Thank you, Cam.”
After he’d hung up the phone, Harmony, who’d come to the door, asked, “Her anxiety getting the best of her?”
Cam nodded, pleased that she’d picked up on that from the file. Hillary Carstairs had been born with spina bifida, yet had lived life to the fullest, getting around with leg braces and a cane until her later years. She had two children, one of whom still lived at home and helped his father on the farm.
Now confined to a wheelchair, Hill had developed agoraphobia and an anxiety disorder, which made her increasingly isolated. He’d prescribed antianxiety medication, which she’d refused to take, and offered to refer her to a specialist, but again she’d refused—perhaps because of having to go to the mainland for appointments.
It was at times like this when Cam felt the restrictive nature of the island keenly, and chafed at not being able to provide what was necessary.
“I’ll ride out with you,” he said to Harmony. “It’ll allay some of her stress, and hopefully she’ll be okay with you coming alone the next time.”
“Okay, but it seems a shame to interrupt your day that way. No doubt you have scads of stuff to do.”
Cam happily closed the email from Dora and grinned. “It’s not an issue. Hill’s health is the most important.”
Besides, Hillary and Gavin’s farm was in one of his favorite parts of the island, and showing it to Harmony suddenly seemed like a great idea. In fact, there was nothing he’d like more—although why that was wasn’t something he wanted to think about too deeply.
THE CARSTAIRS’ FARMHOUSE was filled with the evidence of Hillary’s weaving business, although Harmony had seen no sign of the alpacas when they drove up, which was disappointing.
Hillary
