The Antique Love (14 page)

“I took the liberty of bringing you this.” Kurt proffered his bottle. “Genuine Kentucky bourbon. I fetched it from the States on my last trip home.”

Daniel’s eyes lit with pleasure. The two men fell into small talk on the merits of their country’s respective whiskies, and Penny retreated to fetch a couple of glasses from the kitchen. A shot of bourbon might have helped clear her own nerves, but she decided against it. She needed to keep a clear head for breaking the bad news about David. Knowing Granddad, she doubted it would be long before he would want to bring the small talk to an end and get down to the real reason behind Kurt’s visit.

Sure enough, once the bourbon had been tasted and appreciated, Daniel placed his glass on the side-table and put his hands on his knees, ready to get to the real reason for Kurt’s presence.

But Kurt pre-empted him. His expression sobering, he leaned forward. “I guess you want to know why I’m here.” He looked up at Penny, who tensed miserably. He gave her a reassuring smile before returning to Daniel. “I wish we could have met under different circumstances, but Penny asked me to come here tonight to help her break some bad news.”

Penny watched her grandfather draw back. She bit her lip anxiously.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but I took a good look through the shop’s accounts, and there were a lot of anomalies that didn’t stack up. I began to have serious doubts about your former partner’s actions, and so I checked and double-checked, but in the end, there’s no avoiding the truth. Your partner has stolen a considerable amount of money from your business.”

Daniel’s face whitened, and Penny moved swiftly to his side. He stiffened and sat upright, waving her away.

“Are you absolutely sure of the facts?” His gaze met Kurt’s steadily, despite the slight tremor in his voice.

Kurt nodded gravely. “I wish I could say there was some doubt, but I’m afraid I have all the evidence I need.”

It broke Penny’s heart to see her grandfather sink lower and lower in his chair. Kurt went through the steps he had taken to unearth David’s theft, answering all the older man’s questions calmly and going into details when asked but glossing over their final confrontation in the shop. Penny was more grateful to Kurt for his sensitivity toward her grandfather than she could ever express. He’d shown considerable tact and spared her granddad from discovering that, besides being a thief, David was also a bully. If her grandfather ever discovered the contemptuous way David had spoken to her, it would have hurt him far more than the fact that his partner had been stealing from him for years.

She rose quietly and went into the kitchen, leaving the two of them to talk whilst she finished preparing the meal. As she mixed together the ingredients for a
salse
verde
for their steak, Kurt’s deep, slow voice drifted through from the next room, interspersed with her grandfather’s occasional comment. Kurt had a collected, reassuring way of speaking.

Thanks to Kurt her granddad had taken the news far better than she had expected. She just hoped he would be able to eat after the shock of David’s duplicity. She was just lifting the sizzling beef from the pan when the sound of laughter surprised her as it filtered through from the next room.

She put her head around the sitting-room door. “Dinner’s ready.” She glanced from one to the other. Amazingly, Kurt seemed to have diverted her grandfather from the terrible shock, and they were both bursting with some secret amusement. It wasn’t until she’d seated everyone around the table that they finally filled her in on the joke.

“Kurt’s been telling me how you first met.” Daniel’s eyes twinkled. “I told him I already knew about the
cowboy from White River
story. “

Penny buried her face in her hands. ‘Am I ever going to live that down?” she asked, her voice muffled.

“Well in a strange way, maybe you were right, after all, Penny.” Daniel turned to Kurt. “Penny’s very intuitive about people. You might be no cowboy, Kurt, but you certainly rode to our rescue with David.” He raised his glass in Penny’s direction. “So take no notice when people say you’re a dreamer. You’ve got a rare gift for understanding people.”

Penny flushed warm with pleasure. After all the terrible insults David had thrown at her, her grandfather’s faith in her was like water on a parched rose. She beamed at him, her heart overflowing with tender affection.

* * * *

Kurt looked down at his wine glass. What wouldn’t he give to be on the receiving end of one of those smiles from Penny? But when he raised his head and their eyes met, instantly, just as he knew it would, a veil descended and there it was—that ever-present reserve when she looked at him. The pain her withdrawal caused was like a slice from a knife, but he kept his eyes steadfastly on hers. He raised his glass to her before turning to Daniel.

“You’re right. Penny has a gift with people. And she makes her antiques come alive in that shop. I love to listen to her. Even though she refused to sell me her love token.” He smiled teasingly in Penny’s direction whilst she rolled her eyes.

Her grandfather gave a laugh. “Is she still holding on to that thing? It’s been in the shop for months. So who’s the right buyer, Penny? Do you think he’ll ever show up?”

“I’ll know him when I see him, Granddad.” Penny shook her head. “I just haven’t had a customer who’s really in love yet.”

“Sometimes Penny gets attached to one of our antiques,” Daniel told Kurt. “She won’t let it go until she thinks it’s
right
. And do you know, in a strange way, her regular customers love it.”

“I can understand that,” Kurt said. “It sure worked with me. She’s furnishing my whole house. I have total trust in her.”

For the first time that evening, Penny’s reserve dropped. Her eyes glowed, and the smile she threw Kurt radiated warmth. He smiled at her as she leaned toward him, a rosy flush deepening in her cheeks.

Beside him, Daniel sank back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face as he glanced from one to the other. Eventually, he cleared his throat, and Penny dropped her gaze.

“So, Kurt,” he said affably. “How is your house in Richmond progressing? Penny tells me you’re getting married. You must be eager to get everything finished.”

Although Daniel’s expression was amiable, there was a slight hint of steel in his words that gave Kurt pause. He answered with a little less than his usual composure. “It’s true. I’d like to get married some day. Start a family. But I’m in no rush. Fixing a house is a first step.”

“You’re right not to rush it.” Penny’s grandfather eyed him. “Marriage is a serious step. An eligible chap like you must have broken enough hearts in your day without adding any more to the list.”

Kurt’s hand stilled on his wine glass. He kept his gaze fixed steadily on the older man’s.

“I don’t aim to break any hearts. And in any case, I expect the woman who marries me will be level-headed enough not to have her heart broken, by me or anyone else.”

His gaze travelled to Penny. She was staring at her plate, eyes lowered, and her face looked pale in the light from the candle. Her grandfather said something, but neither of them replied. For a couple of seconds, there was a hush in the room.

Then Penny stood, pushing her chair back with a harsh scraping sound. “Your house,” she said, turning awkwardly. “What with David and—and everything. I completely forgot to tell you. I was at an auction this morning and bought you quite a lot of stuff.” She looked at him uncertainly. “That is, I hope you don’t mind? If there’s anything you don’t like, I’ll keep it to sell in our shop.”

“Of course. I told you just buy whatever you need. I have total faith in you.”

The rest of the evening was spent poring over the auctioneers’ catalogues. Daniel amused Kurt with stories of auctions he’d been to in the past and the triumphant buys, not to mention the magnificent losses, he’d made during the course of his career. It was an easy, open conversation, and by the time Kurt stood to leave, some sort of ease had been restored between them.

Daniel stood to take Kurt’s hand firmly in his. “I can’t thank you enough,” he said. “Not just for what you’ve done for the business, but for the care you’ve taken of Penny.”

He pressed Kurt’s hand again and a flicker of understanding seemed to pass between them.

“No problem.” Kurt nodded, returning his gaze steadily. “And I hope to return your hospitality once Penny’s finished work on my new house.”

“Yes, indeed. You must keep in touch once you’re married.” Daniel turned to Penny. “Isn’t that right, Penny?”

“Of course,” she said.

Something in the way she spoke made Kurt turn his head. The stiffness in her expression caused his heart to sink.

“Once you’re married, we’d be happy to visit,” she continued, all politeness.

But something in the emptiness of her gaze told Kurt that once his house was finished, she had no intention of stepping over the threshold ever again.

“I always knew David was a creep—but this! I can’t believe he did this to you.” Tehmeena stared at Penny in horror. “Pretending to be Mr Big with the customers when he’s been stealing from us all along.”

Penny nodded. She’d got out of bed that morning still feeling tired and worn and not even the application of make-up could hide her pallor. “If it hadn’t been for Kurt, I never would have guessed. Well, not for a long time, anyway. And I just don’t know what I’d have done if Kurt hadn’t been there to confront him.” She shuddered. “It was horrible.”

“I still can’t believe it. And turning nasty like that. It’s so lucky Kurt was there with you.”

Penny grimaced inwardly. Hard to believe it was only a matter of weeks since Kurt first walked into her shop. In that short space of time, she’d come to rely on him so much. Too much. Something desperately needed to be done about that. Kurt still intended to marry the right woman—someone
level-headed
as he’d made plain during dinner—and once he was finally married, he would have other priorities. Penny would only be getting in the way, like a kid sister tagging along. It was time to draw a line in the sand before it was too late.

“Kurt’s been great.” She tried to make herself sound collected. Tehmeena was about to break in, but Penny turned the subject, afraid if her friend probed her feelings she would crack. “Now David’s gone, we’re going to be really short-staffed. Maybe we should think about taking someone else on?”

Tehmeena was successfully diverted, and neither of them mentioned Kurt again. As it turned out, the next few days were so busy, they had no time to chat at all. The arrival of fine spring weather brought an influx of customers, and besides her usual workload, Penny also had to pay several trips to Kurt’s house in Richmond. The decorators were almost finished, and once the house was complete, she’d be able to bring in the rest of the furnishings she’d chosen. But there was still one room that was just an empty shell—the master bedroom. The workmen were waiting for Penny’s instructions, and for once, her imagination failed her. One day Kurt would be sharing this intimate space with the woman he married—whoever that level-headed person might turn out to be—and whenever Penny tried to picture his future wife, all her ideas faltered and dried up completely. As an experiment, she tried putting Cass in the scene, and at first, it worked quite well. She imagined the sort of room Cass might like—something eminently practical, with plenty of fitted wardrobes and maybe the odd country touch, like some white cotton curtains or floral cushions. Penny closed her eyes, allowing her imagination to weave a slow picture. A few horsey prints appeared on the walls and a family photo on the bedside table. Okay, this was good. But just as she was getting there, Kurt stepped into the imaginary bedroom and looked straight at her, his eyes grey and steady, the handsome half-smile on his lips that he reserved for her. Her vision shattered.
No, no, no!
She shut her eyes again, but it was no good. Everything had vanished. As soon as Kurt opened the door in her mind, there was room for nothing else.

After yet another call from the increasingly impatient decorators, she decided the only thing to do was phone Kurt himself and ask for help. She had resolved to have as little to do with him as possible, but the decorators were at a stand, waiting for her decision. Since it seemed she was incapable of making one, there was no other option but to ask Kurt to step in.

His mobile rang only once before he picked it up.

“Hey, Penny. Everything okay?”

His deep voice had quickened with the familiar greeting. She’d forgotten how damn sexy he sounded. She closed her eyes. This was going to be even harder than she imagined.

“Penny?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” It was a lie, but at least her tongue had finally loosened.

“You heard from David?” There was a rough edge to his voice. “Is he giving you trouble?”

“No, no it’s nothing like that. There’s no problem. I just need some advice. About your house.”

“Uhuh? Go ahead.”

There was no help for it. Taking a deep breath, Penny plunged in.

“The decorators have just about finished. There’s just one room left to do before I can bring in all the furnishings.”

“Oh? What’s left?”

“Your bedroom,” Penny blurted out. “I don’t know what you want to do in there.”

There was a small pause. Then Kurt came back, the unmistakeable hint of amusement flavouring his deep voice. “You don’t know what I want to do in my bedroom?”

“Yes. I mean no.” She stopped. It was a good job Kurt was on the other end of a phone. She’d been trying to stay cool and now this. This wasn’t how the conversation was supposed to be going at all.

“Should I come over? I can show you what I want, if you like.”

Penny stood still. Kurt’s voice had slowed, and his question hung quivering between them. There was a pause which seemed to go on and on, although it could only have been a couple of seconds. She heard him breathe in and then out again.

“Penny, if it were anyone else, I would be straight over on the back of that offer to show you exactly what I mean.” All of a sudden the smile had gone out of his voice. He carried on abruptly. “How about I meet you there tomorrow? It will give me a chance to look over the rest of the house.”