about that.’ She tugged the towel a little closer to her chest. ‘I don’t have any hot water in my house at the moment. The plumber has the flu. Won’t be back to work for another few days. And I like a bath.’ Her tongue flicked out over her hot lips and every male hormone in his body pinged to attention. ‘Sorry.’
‘No problem.’ Scott smiled and ran his hand over his beard before saying in a casual voice, ‘Stay the night if you want. You won’t be disturbing me.’
‘Really?’ Antonia asked, her voice a high-pitched squeak.
‘Sure. How about some dinner? It smells good. See you downstairs in...’ Then his throat went dry as the back of the towel slipped a little, revealing a back with flawless creamy skin which was moist and warm and smelt of all of the good sweet things in his life which he’d been putting on hold since he’d divorced Alexa.
She turned slightly towards him and he noticed for the first time, in the warm ceiling lights, that Toni’s eyes were not brown but a shade of copper the colour of autumn leaves. The same colour as the highlights that burnished her damp hair. And at that moment those eyes were staring very intently at him.
On another day and another time he might even have said that she was more gorgeous than merely pretty. Slender, funny and so sharp-witted that she matched him round for round.
But even the loveliest of girls had their flaws. He had learnt that from bitter experience.
Even sweet Antonia Baldoni would be hiding something from the world.
He leant closer into the light and in the harsh shadows her cheekbones were sharp angles and her chin strong and resigned. Strong. Stubborn, that was sure. But not harsh or cruel. He couldn’t see that about her.
‘Twenty minutes.’ He grinned then waved towards her head. ‘Hairdryer. Okay.’
Then he turned and almost jogged back to his room and the hot shower he wanted and the cold shower he needed.
* * *
The howling icy wind had finally eased away when Toni gave up tossing and turning from side to side and threw back the covers on the perfectly comfortable double bed in Freya’s spare bedroom.
Somewhere in the house a large mechanical clock was striking every quarter hour with a musical chime but, apart from that comforting sound, the house was completely silent, as though it was a sleeping giant waiting for some magical spell to be broken.
Scott looked so exhausted and jet-lagged after dinner that he must have dropped off to sleep the minute his head hit his pillow.
The pest.
How did he expect her to sleep after walking into her coming out of the bathroom like that? She couldn’t go home to have her bath—she didn’t have any heating! But that didn’t mean she was any less embarrassed.
To make it worse, he hadn’t once mentioned seeing her half naked during one of the most awkward dinners that she had ever eaten. It was almost a relief when Scott covered a yawn with his hand and said goodnight.
She peeked out through the bedroom curtains to see that the rain had cleared, leaving a lovely clear frosty night with a bright new moon and stars. Perfect for stargazing. And, seeing that Scott was asleep...
Toni tiptoed over to the bedroom door and slowly turned the handle and peeked out through the gap. She couldn’t hear any snoring or tossing but the last thing she wanted to do was wake Scott up. No repeat performances, thank you!
Slowly and quietly sneaking open the door, she stepped outside on to the landing and then crept down the staircase one stair at a time, cringing every time her slippers made the stair creak.
She could see lights from the house on the other side of the street but, apart from that, all was still calm and serene.
Toni drew back the curtains in the living room so that she could see the stars. She snuggled up on the sofa and soaked in the silence as though she were drinking the contents of a deep well of cool refreshing water. True silence like this was so rare in her life that, when it happened, she took the time to appreciate the tranquility, no matter how temporary it might be.
Especially after the roller coaster ride of the past twenty-four hours.
It was going to take a while to process everything that Scott had told her. Just when things were going so well and she’d thought this would be an easy commission and she could finally put the brushes and paints away for good.
Today had been a nightmare of such conflicting emotions. One minute she could have cheerfully taken the fee Scott was offering her...and the next?
She liked him. Heaven help her, she might even feel sorry for him.
Scott had taken on an enormous task, alone. The deal they had made could work. She knew that the longer she spent working with Scott the more she would learn about him to help her create a likeness which captured something of the real man.
But who was the real Scott Elstrom? The frostbitten lumberjack rough and tough guy who had walked into her party? Or the other Scott Elstrom who was working so tirelessly to save his heritage from the jaws of defeat and closure?
There was one thing she was certain of—everything she turned her hand to seemed to make her life more difficult instead of easier.
Even her plumber had gone down with the February flu!
The New Year had seemed so full of possibility—a white clean space just begging to be filled with activity and life and...a loud clattering sound quickly followed by a low mumble rang out from the other side of the patio doors and she practically jumped over the sofa. The sound ricocheted like a bullet around the house in the deep background silence.
Toni grabbed the sofa cushion and, holding her breath, she slowly slipped off the sofa and listened for any further signs of movement as she carefully edged her way towards the kitchen.
Perhaps she should wake up Scott?
No. Bad idea. She was embarrassed enough for one night, thank you.
There was only one thing for it—she would have to go outside and find out what was going on. And if it was a burglar, she could deal with it.
Grabbing a large wooden pepper grinder from the table with one hand, Toni carefully turned the creaking handle of the heavy doors that opened on to the patio, anxious not to make too much noise, and stepped out on to the stone patio.
The wind might have dropped but it was still freezing, with a feeling of ice in the air.
The only light was from the street lamps and local houses but, as she gingerly strolled towards the side garden in her slippers, even that background light was blocked by the house.
‘Too hot? Can’t blame you; it’s much cooler out here.’
She practically jumped out of her skin.
There was a movement from a bench at the far end of the patio and, as her eyes became more accustomed to the low light, she saw Scott stretched out with his long legs crossed at the ankles, hands behind his head. He seemed to be fully dressed with only a light fleece jacket and she could only hope that her thin
