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he didn't spend all his time here alone apart from sporadic visits from
Molly, that was after all?
It figured, really. He was an attractive single man of thirty-eight. It would be
more unusual for him not to have a female friend, in the circumstances. That
would be taking his hermit-like existence too far!
Crys found herself wondering, as she deliberately blocked out the soft
murmurings behind her and finely sliced the carrots, what this Caroline was
like. Not that it was any of her business, but it would be interesting,
nonetheless, to know what sort of woman could manage to attract this
ultra-critical man. A woman with extreme tolerance if she could cope with
Sam's sudden mood swings!
'Perhaps you would care to share the joke?'
Crys gave a guilty start at being caught unawares yet again! Smiling to
herself, no less. Really, this man moved with such a cat-like tread it was
completely unnerving to find him suddenly standing beside her. As he was
now...
'No joke,' she answered him briskly, moving slightly away from him. 'My
thoughts were miles away, giving you the privacy to to enjoy your call.'
'Good of you,' he drawled.
Angry colour brightened her cheeks at his obvious sarcasm. 'I thought so,'
she snapped back, eyes flashing.
'I just said so, didn't I?' he dismissed irritably. 'Will the main course be
long?'
'Fifteen minutes or so?'
'Fine.' He nodded. 'I just have a couple of things to do first.' He turned
abruptly on his heel and left the room.
Crys visibly wilted after he had gone, leaning back against one of the
kitchen units. Well, at least the telephone call had interrupted what had
developed into a rather tense conversation even if it hadn't been Molly,
after all.
So much for the relaxing week in Yorkshire that Molly had promised her!
The most she could hope for at the moment, it seemed, was not to venture
onto any more subjects innocently or otherwise that might prove
explosive. The problem with that was she had no idea what those subjects
might be.
And so she did what she always did when she was worried or
disturbed she cooked. It didn't take very long to find ingredients and whip
up a creamy chocolate dessert, and she was just placing it in the fridge to
cool when the telephone began to ring again.
So much for the recluse theory; this was the third telephone call Sam had
received in the last few hours!
She listened to the rings, counting them without even realising she was
doing it. One, two, three right the way up to twelve. Then they ended
abruptly. Before the ringing started again.
So it was a family member calling. Or another female friend, she
acknowledged ruefully.
Except...the telephone just continued to ring. Wherever Sam was, he
obviously either hadn't heard the telephone or wasn't in a position to answer
it.
What should she do now? She knew without even asking that Sam would be
furious if she were to answer his call. But she couldn't just let the thing
continue to ring, either. It might be a family member checking up to make
sure Sam was okay, and when he didn't answer
'Leave it!' he ordered harshly as he entered the kitchen just as Crys was
about to pick up the receiver.
Crys removed her hand as if the receiver had just burnt her, moving hastily
out of his way as he moved to answer the call himself.
'This is ridiculous,' Crys muttered to herself as she busied herself serving up
the vegetables to accompany the beef. She had only been about to answer
the telephone, for goodness' sake; she hadn't been caught rifling through the
man's personal papers! But from the way he had behaved, the fury in his
face when he'd glared at her before snatching up the receiver himself, she
might just as well have been!
It was no good; she simply couldn't stay here with this
'Molly would like to speak to you.'
Crys looked up accusingly. Molly! After all that fuss, Molly was on the
telephone!
Crys gave Sam an exasperated look as she moved to take the receiver from
him, taking two calming breaths before lightly greeting her friend.
'You made it!' Molly came back happily. 'What do you think of Falcon
House?' she added mischievously.
With Sam standing only feet away from her she wasn't really in a position to
say! 'Interesting,' Crys replied non-committally.
Molly gave a gleeful laugh. 'I would ask what you think of Sam, too but I
have a feeling you would nrobably give me the same answer!'
'You would probably be right,' Crys answered awkwardly, very aware that
the brooding Sam was still in the kitchen.
'He isn't doing his growly bear act, is he?' Molly sobered worriedly. 'He
promised me faithfully that he would behave himself,' she added
exasperatedly.
'Your brother has been very welcoming,' Crys assured her, not quite
truthfully. Sam's initial reaction to her had been antagonistic, to say the
least, but he had been polite, if not exactly gracious, once he'd realised she
was Molly's friend Crys. Besides, she had no intention of confiding the real
situation to Molly over the telephone like this. Maybe she and Molly could
have a laugh over it together once her friend arrived. When she arrived...
'Look, I'm really sorry I wasn't there to greet you when you arrived.' Molly
seemed to pick up on some of Crys's thoughts. 'I'm flying back to London
tomorrow night, and then up to Yorkshire the following morning. Do you
think you'll be able to cope with Sam on your own until then?'
She would have to, wouldn't she?
Although a brief glance at Sam, his expression challenging as he confidently
met her gaze, told her it wasn't going to be easy!
CHAPTER FIVE
'DID your mother ever tell you that the way to a man's heart is through his
stomach?' Sam drawled self-derisively as he looked up and saw her
watching his enjoyment of the portion of fillet of beef and roasted
vegetables she had placed before him minutes earlier.
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