her. ‘Another tradition?’ she enquired dryly.
‘He and his sister are Alex’s godchildren. Quinn loved your father, Laura. Dislike him as much as you want, but never doubt that.’
She would have liked to, considering his opinion of her, but honesty forbade it. She accepted that Quinn Mannion had one good point. He also had the ability to set her senses whirling like dervishes, even in absentia. It didn’t seem to matter that she disliked the man. Her skin actually prickled with anticipation. Face it, Laura, she told herself sardonically, you’re attracted to him. You react to him as you have to no other man.
It wasn’t a comforting thought.
Yet she was going to have to live with it. It was either that or cancel the trip. She wondered what Jonathan would say if she asked him to take her back. Nothing printable, of that she could be certain, when she had made such an effort to persuade him to bring her in the first place. Anyway, it wasn’t a genuine option. She was not going to turn tail simply because some man was able to light her up like a Christmas tree. She was going to meet her family, and nobody was going to stop her. Especially not Quinn Mannion.
The snow began to fall more heavily as the journey progressed and Laura was glad when, half an hour later, Jonathan turned the car into a gravel driveway and brought it to a halt beside several other vehicles already parked there. She glanced out of the window and her lips parted in pleasure at the sight which met her eyes. It was almost as if they had wandered into one of those glass snow globes. As if someone had just shaken it, the snow was falling over a gabled house which glittered with frost and fairy lights whilst, from inside, house lights issued a welcoming golden glow.
‘It’s beautiful,’ she breathed.
‘I thought you’d appreciate it,’ Jonathan declared with a smile.
Somebody must have been on the lookout for their arrival, because by the time Laura had climbed out of the car the front door was open. A young woman of about her own age, and two children, stood silhouetted in the doorway. A muffled sound from beside her brought her attention to Jonathan, who had frozen on the spot and was staring tensely at the house.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked and, when he didn’t answer, followed his gaze back to the small group. ‘Who are they?’
Jonathan took a deep breath. ‘Quinn’s sister Caroline and her two children. She was widowed a couple of years ago. I had no idea they would be here. You go on ahead and I’ll bring in the cases.’
There was a tone in his voice which warned her not to ask questions and, respecting it, Laura obediently made her way to the house. Her mind was whirring. Could this be the woman he was in love with? It didn’t seem in the least absurd as she climbed the steps and saw just how lovely the woman was. She was clearly surprised by Laura’s presence but, even so, her smile was cautiously welcoming.
‘Hello, I’m Caroline Stevens, and these two terrors are Tom and Ellie.’ Tom, Laura guessed, was about six, and Ellie four. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know your name. Jon never mentioned he was bringing a guest. Come inside. Let me take your coat.’
She urged Laura into the warmth of the house and helped her off with her coat. Laura watched as she hung it in the closet, very much aware that, for all the other woman’s friendliness, she was struggling to be polite. It occurred to her that Caroline Stevens hadn’t expected Jonathan to bring a woman with him, and was surprised to find herself upset by it. Perhaps Jonathan’s feelings weren’t unreciprocated after all.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’
That never-to-be-forgotten voice set the fine hairs all over Laura’s body on end. She turned towards the stairs where the owner of it stood on the half-landing. Against her will, the sheer masculine appeal of him took her breath away. Damn it, she thought as her knees showed a tendency to go disastrously weak, why on earth did this have to be happening to her now? It didn’t seem to matter to her senses that he was glaring at her, and that she actively disliked him; she was responding to the unseen signals he was putting out. It was that left-over animal instinct. Nature was telling her receptive hormones that here was an ideal male with which to make sure of the continuation of the species. Well, she had news for Mother Nature. The man was far from ideal, and she had no intentions of getting within a good country mile of procreation!
‘And good evening to you too, Quinn,’ she greeted him blithely, and he descended the last few stairs in no time at all.
‘Never mind that. Just give me a straight answer,’ he commanded imperiously, and his sister hastily stepped forward.
‘Quinn, for heaven’s sake! She’s a guest!’ She remonstrated with him, but he met that with a snort of derision.
‘Laura Maclane is no guest in this house,’ he returned shortly, and the other woman’s eyes grew round as saucers.
‘Laura Maclane? Oh.!’ She stared at Laura as if she had suddenly grown horns.
‘Is she the witch lady Stella talked about?’ Tom’s young voice piped up, and Laura caught her breath in dismay.
She didn’t think ‘witch’ was the term her half-sister had used but, whatever word it had been, she found it hurt to be spoken of that way. And when Laura was hurt she got angry. How dared Stella talk about her in front of the children? It was inexcusable!
Their mother clearly thought so too. ‘Goodness, Tom, what a thing to say!’ Caroline exclaimed in embarrassment. ‘I must apologise for my son; he had no idea he was being rude.’
Tom frowned heavily, taking exception to the rebuke. ‘Uncle Quinn didn’t tell Stella off when she said it to him!’ he complained, and his mother’s colour deepened.
‘That’s quite enough, young man,’ she ordered in a choked voice, only to hear her daughter put in her ten cents’ worth.
‘Is she really a witch, Mama?’ Ellie asked in a quavering voice, and Laura realised the tot was close to being really scared.
Cursing her insensitive half-sister, Laura quickly set about allaying her fears. ‘Of course I’m not, sweetheart,’ she responded, squatting down so that she could smile directly into the little girl’s eyes. ‘But I think your uncle and I are about to exchange words, so perhaps it would be better if you went inside, hmm?’ she suggested gently, not wanting to alarm her further. Rising, she looked pointedly at Caroline who, after a momentary hesitation, caught her children by the hand and led them away.
Once they were gone, Laura turned to her protagonist.
‘Have you been telling tales about me, Quinn, darling?’ she drawled sweetly, whilst her eyes shot daggers at him. His own eyes took on a sardonic gleam.
‘I don’t need to. Your reputation goes before you. This is the last place you should look to for friends.’
‘I’m aware of that,’ she snapped. It was why she was
here, so she could change the way they thought about her. ‘I’m angry that somebody’s been talking in front of the children. That is unforgivable!’ she responded hotly.
‘I agree, which was why I put a stop to it,’ Quinn replied reasonably, promptly taking the wind out of her sails.
Disconcerted, she eyed him suspiciously. ‘You did?’
Quinn
