Good Deed Bad Deed, Marcia Morgan [summer beach reads TXT] 📗

necessary to the interview. However, they were necessary to her, considering the feelings of attraction that continued to flourish in his presence.

Ben broke her concentration by announcing his intention to shower, shave, and dress. He assured her that while performing those rituals he would try to think of a way to keep them both from a day of boredom. Leaving her to her own devices he headed upstairs. She wandered around the kitchen, cleaning up a few crumbs, emptying grounds from the coffee maker. She paused at the window above the sink and looked out at the all-encompassing green of the back garden. Ana remembered being cautioned to stay in the house, but the grounds beckoned to her. When they arrived she had seen only the black of night, dark shadows and lighted windows. She wanted to see the house from the outside and thought about sneaking out to take just a short look while Ben was upstairs. With quick steps she left the kitchen and found her way to the foyer. Just as she opened the front door, Ben appeared on the stairs and called to her.

“Hey! Hang on there, Ms. Doherty!” He hurried down and all but dashed to the one open door, pushing it closed before leaning against it. “I don’t really think you’ve forgotten what my father told us, have you?”

“No, I haven’t, but I was just going to stand in front of the house for a minute to take a look. Last night I saw nothing but darkness.”

She looked down, and Ben was put in mind of a small child caught with a hand in the cookie jar. He hadn’t meant to sound angry, or to admonish her as a parent might, but she was his responsibility. Still leaning against the door, he relaxed his stance and crossed his arms. Ana turned away, but he went to her then held her at arm’s length. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to sound angry, but you gave me a scare. I brought you here to protect you, and that means you go nowhere without me. You really need to take this seriously.”

“I can see that the McKinnon men know how to take the bull by the horns. I’m glad you’re on my side—both of you.”

“Very funny,” he said, locking eyes with her. She returned his gaze and for a moment it seemed to be a standoff. The tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the hall was the only sound for at least a minute before Ben spoke. “Okay. We go out together—just for a minute. You will hold my hand and do as I tell you.”

Ana found his authoritative tone rather arousing and assured him she would acquiesce to his instructions. Ben opened the door, took her hand, and they crossed the portico, stepping down onto the gravel driveway and continuing to the round planted area with its stone fountain. She turned to face the house, shading her eyes with her hand. It was built of rich honey-colored stone, aged enough to have a few chips and holes well hidden either by lichen or moss. With the gabled roof and chimneys it reminded Ana of the houses in the storybooks of her childhood, and those she had admired in English films. The windows were made of leaded glass panes, and on either side of the portico, trellises of climbing roses displayed blooms of deep scarlet. To the left of the house was a wall of the same stone, covered here and there with Virginia creeper, its five-pointed leaves sprouting from a maze of clinging tendrils.

In the other direction, a gravel pathway led through a carefully trimmed boxwood arch and around the other side of the house to a destination Ana could not see. The path was lined with white daisies and assorted colors of iris, and to the right, some yards away, was the entrance to what appeared to be a typical kitchen garden. The space was defined by a short wooden fence bordered with fragrant lavender bushes in the full flush of summer. A once-white gate stood ajar, and wild morning glory was making a valiant attempt to engulf the fence, its electric violet blooms more of a visual delight than a weed to be challenged. Ana took it all in, and she was charmed beyond all expectation. The early afternoon sun had somewhat diffused all the color that surrounded her, and she looked forward to seeing everything at its most vibrant—perhaps in the morning, or later when Ben’s parents returned.

It had likely been only ten minutes, maybe less, when Ben said they should go inside. Now that she had seen what had been lost in darkness the night before, the outdoors drew her even more. She longed to wander the grounds, make discoveries, and encounter nature at the apex of the season. Practicality told her that this would be an unlikely endeavor, given the situation. Yet if Hugh had gained more information, learned something that would relieve all their concerns, she could be free to embrace the English countryside, which she had never expected to fall in love with so easily.

Ben suggested that she get comfortable in the sitting room while he put a call in to his sister, Olivia, to ask if she would like to come up from London for the rest of the weekend. Olivia had evidently not answered because she heard him leave a message. He returned to the sitting room and flopped down in one of the overstuffed chairs.

“I’m not surprised that she didn’t answer. She must be at work and can’t take a personal call. I’ll try again later if she doesn’t call me back. Can’t believe I haven’t talked to her for months.” He paused, deciding how much to reveal to Ana. “The fact is, last time I saw her there was a bit of a ‘situation,’ and she ended the evening abruptly.” His expression revealed that he found his sister to be a challenge. “I’ve