Lancelot's Lady (5 page)

Without warning, he spun around and caught her staring. He raised one mocking eyebrow, then let out an aggravated huff. He stalked over to her, wrenching the suitcase from her hands. He threw it on top of his boxes and without a backward glance continued tr
ekking through the woods.

Rhianna had a terrible feeling that her holiday had just gone down the toilet.

Chapter 5

Rhianna gasped.
"
It
'
s beautiful.
"

Flowers bloomed everywhere―roses of every color, morning glories and hibiscus. The air was delicately sce
nted with a potpourri of luscious fragrances, each mingling with the summer breeze. In the middle stood a pastel peach-colored house.

"
But it
'
s not the resort you were expecting,
"
he said dryly.

She shrugged.
"
No, but it has its own...charm.
"

The two-storey house had a whitewashed roof and a wide wraparound veranda, complete with a swinging chair and a screened porch.

It wasn
'
t at all what she had expected.

"
I thought the resort was bigger,
"
she blurted.

"
For the last time, it
'
s not a resort,
"
Jonathan said through his teeth.
"
I thought you
'
d figured that out.
"

"
If it
'
s not a resort, then what is this place?
"

"
Lancelot
'
s Landing. I call it home.
"

Stunned by his revelation, she realized that Jonathan was probably much closer to Tyler, the big boss, than she
'
d hoped, which would make it far more difficult to complain about Jonathan
'
s rudeness.

"
Are you all right?
"
he asked, touching her hand.

She couldn
'
t help the quickening of her pulse. She told herself that her reaction was because she was dead tired and stressed. It had nothing to do with the man eyeing her, touching her hand. And it had nothing to do with the yearning she felt when she looked into his fathomless eyes.

No,
she thought.
It has nothing to do with Jonathan.

~ * ~

Jonathan saw the faint blush that brushed the woman
'
s cheeks.
"
Ms. McLeod?
"

"
You aren
'
t joking, are you? I mean, I was told this was a resort. My employer said
―
"

"
Your employer was mistaken.
"
Her hand trembled in his and he sighed.
"
Look, we
'
ll have to make the best of a bad situation. This may not be a resort, but I think you
'
ll survive just fine.
"

Suddenly self-conscious, Jonathan let go of her hand.

"
This way
,
"
he said, pushing the wheelbarrow toward the house.

Leaning against the frame, he held the front door open for her. As Rhianna ducked under his arm, he caught a whiff of fresh citrus and vanilla.

She smells good.

"
Are you coming inside?
"
Rhianna asked.

"
I, uh…of course.
"

He led her through the house, all the while thinking that it had been ages since they
'
d had a real guest.

He caught himself.
No one invited her here.

"
It
'
s beautiful,
"
she said,
"
but I really should go back to the mainland. Can you arrange for a boat to take me?
"

"
There is no boat.
"

The woman looked like she was going to cry.

"
Roland keeps my boat on the mainland,
"
he explained.
"
He
'
s not coming back for another six weeks, when the next supply is due.
"
He ran his fingers through his hair.
"
Mind you, he could return earlier, seeing as he still has to deliver the rest of the supplies.
"

He felt tired and dirty. He had worked longer than usual today, which was why he was late picking up the supplies. All he wanted was a bath and a good night
'
s sleep. The last thing he needed was some spoiled city girl invading his privacy.

"
Can
'
t you just call him and ask him to come back?
"
she begged.
"
I can pay him for his trouble.
"

"
No phone service out here.
"
The disbelief in her eyes made him add,
"
No cell phone service either. No tower. Closest one is too far away. And I haven
'
t repaired the long-range radio yet, but now that I have the parts…
"
He shrugged.
"
It looks like you
'
re stuck here until I fix it.
"

Whether we like it or not.

He watched Rhianna as she examined the spacious living room and settled into a plush chair by the window. Her skin was slightly pink from the sun, and she shifted uncomfortably. For a Miami city girl, she seemed unusually flustered by the heat.

"
Want a drink?
"
he asked, heading for the bar.

"
Water, please.
"

He grabbed a bottle of water from the small fridge.

"
Glass?
"

Wordlessly, she shook her head.

As he handed the bottle to her, their fingers brushed. He jerked his hand away, confused by the sudden energy that fused through his body.

"
Let me show you around, Ms McLeod.
"

"
Rhianna,
"
she said in a weary voice.
"
Since I
'
m stuck here, we may as well be on friendly terms…Jonathan.
"

He frowned.

The last thing he wanted was to get friendly with this castaway. But God only knew how long she
'
d be stranded here.

He swallowed hard.
"
Do you want a tour?
"

~ * ~

Rhianna was surprised by Jonathan
'
s question. He hadn
'
t seemed too happy about her intrusion. Why was he being so nice all of a sudden?

Then she remembered.

He doesn
'
t want me complaining to his boss.

She followed him into the kitchen. There was a large island in the center with a grill for indoor barbecuing. A skylight had been installed above the island, filtering in beams of warm sunlight. The dining nook area harbored a small oak table and two chairs, an oak china cabinet, and a number of potted plants.  A sliding door near the table led onto a two-tiered cedar deck.

"
It
'
s not much, but it
'
s home,
"
he said.

"
I think it
'
s lovely. How many people live here?
"

"
Besides the help? Two.
"

Tyler must be married,
she thought.

"
Are you hungry?
"
he asked.
"
We already ate supper, but I think there are some leftovers.
"

She stifled a yawn.
"
I ate on the plane. All I want now is to crawl into bed.
"

"
Well, lucky for you, I
'
ve got an empty bed you can crawl into.
"

A fiery heat rose from her neck to the top of her head. She turned away, praying to God that he hadn
'
t noticed.

"
Can you show me my room?
"

Jonathan led her into the den. It housed an enormous library, one she
'
d give anything to explore. From the look of Tyler
'
s collection, she surmised he must be a wealthy man. There were books of many genres, including children
'
s books.

"
A collector?
"
she asked Jonathan.

"
Yeah. It
'
s a hobby.
"

She waited for him to say something more about his enigmatic boss, but he beckoned her upstairs. On the second floor, they walked down an open hallway that looked down into the living room. They reached the door at the end of the hall.

"
This is the only unoccupied room,
"
he said, pausing.

When he opened the door, Rhianna blinked twice. The bedroom was stunning. Someone had decorated it with pale lilac wallpaper, delicate watercolor paintings and leafy potted plants. An antique cedar dresser and vanity stood in one corner of the room. French doors led to a small balcony that overlooked part of the back yard. On the far side of the room, under an arched window with aqua and mauve sheers, was a large four-poster bed draped in lilac sheets and a satin rose comforter.

Her eyes lingered for a moment on the tempting sight. She was so tired and confused by the day
'
s events that all she wanted to do was curl up on the bed and sleep. For a week. But reality set in. She was staying on a private island, uninvited and unwanted. Her holiday had turned into a nightmare.

How could this have happened?
she fumed.
How could JT have made such a mistake? He
'
s always so organized, and Higginson confirmed all the details.

She had heard JT tell him to make sure everything was arranged. Now here she was trapped on this island with a man who obviously didn
'
t want her around, and a boss she dreaded meeting.

"
Do you like this room?
"
he asked.

She turned to him.
"
It
'
s beautiful. Thank you.
"

"
No problem,
"
he said with apparent relief.
"
If you need anything…
"

Her skin burned at the suggestiveness of his words.

Had he meant it that way?

Convinced that she had just imagined it, she said,
"
When can I meet your boss?
"

Jonathan
'
s mouth thinned.
"
Trust me, all your questions will be answered in the morning. Have a good night.
"

After he was gone, Rhianna stared at the closed door and wondered what she
'
d done to make him so angry. With a frustrated sigh, she wandered around the room, fingers trailing over polished wood and soft fabrics. Someone kept the place spotless.

There must be another woman on the grounds.

She hooked a finger on one of the sheers and pulled it aside. Her room overlooked a backyard deck. Not a soul was around, but off in the distance she noticed two smaller buildings. She was sure one was a barn and she wondered what kind of animals it housed. A thin
trail of smoke rose from the chimney of the other, a small cottage that looked like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting.

I wonder―

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. When she opened it, the only thing in sight was her suitcase. Jonathan
must have brought it up.

The man was a mystery. One minute he was cold and unwelcoming, the next minute thoughtful.

"
Tonight you need to de-stress,
"
she said aloud.

In the adjoining bathroom, her eyes widened at the sunken Jacuzzi in the corner and the jar of rose oil on a shelf above it.
"
Yes, that
'
ll do just fine.
"

While waiting for the tub to fill, she twisted her hair and fastened it with a clamp. Then stripping off her clothes, she lit the candles that surrounded the tub, turned off the overhead light and stepped into the scented water.