The Wells Brothers: Luke (3 page)

That could mean anything - Aaron
suspected something, Aaron had a gut feeling about something, Aaron knew
something no one else did.  Luke scratched his head.  “Am I looking for
anything or anyone in particular?”

“Just anything unusual.”

“Do I need to be worried about
anything?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay, then.”  Used to Aaron’s
sometimes mysterious ways that occasionally seemed to pan out to nothing - or
that anyone knew of, but that was anyone’s guess for Aaron now and again did
things no one knew about - Luke continued rubbing Dog’s belly with the bottom
of his boot.  “You want me to report in with updates?”

“If there’s anything unusual.”

“Did Elspeth hire you for more
than the usual security cameras and alarms?”

“No.”

So this might or might not have to
do with the women, or possibly the mansion, or the surrounding area and not the
women or mansion at all.  Something nearby.  Maybe.  Possibly.  Or not at all. 
It might just be Aaron taking a further interest in a potential client.  Scrunching
his eyes shut, Luke pinched the bridge of his nose.  Sometimes his older
brother almost gave him a nose bleed with just a few obscure words.  Opening
his eyes again, he sighed. “You’ll let me know when I have to worry?”

“There may be no need.”

“But I should be wary?”

“Just be yourself.”

“What am I looking for?”

“You ask too many questions.”

“Yeah, but what or who am I
looking for?”

“Plants, garden paths, your job.”

“My job is landscaping, not
security.”

“Glad you know the difference.”

“Do I get extra pay for doing
your
work?”

“Have fun.”  Aaron hung up.

Luke looked from the phone to
Dog.  “Mr Cryptic himself.”

Dog’s tongue continued to loll
out.

“Come on, let’s get our gear from
the veranda and then start checking out the place.”  Luke headed out of his
room only to almost trip over his duffle bag and small bag lying in the hallway
just outside his door.  “What the…?”  For several bewildered seconds he gazed
at the bags before realising that someone had brought them in for him.

Mikki or Elspeth?  Picking the
gear up, he dumped it on the stretcher and went out to the ute to collect the
dog food and bowls, plus Dog’s blanket, bringing them all inside.  The blanket
went on the floor near the stretcher, the dog food and bowls into the kitchen. 
He filled one of the bowls with water and placed it in the corner of the
kitchen away from the main traffic area.  Dog happily slurped up some water
before sitting to look up expectantly at Luke.

The kitchen was deserted, silence
in the house.  It was a big house.  Luke cocked his head to one side, straining
to hear female voices.  No sound.  The women could be anywhere inside this
behemoth and no sound would carry.

Not good if they fell through a
rotted floorboard and hurt themselves.

Going out into the huge main room,
Luke called out, “Elspeth?  Mikki!”

No answer.

Maybe they weren’t inside, maybe
they were - wait, voices came from the direction of the servants’ quarters. 
Luke headed back down the bleak corridor to see Elspeth disappear back into the
kitchen.  Entering, he found it empty but the back door was open.  Continuing
through, he found himself in an old cobble-stoned area.  A few feet off was
parked an expensive SUV, obviously Elspeth’s, because Mikki drove a small,
cheap hatchback.

The women were taking several bags
from the back of the SUV.  Crossing over to help, he started to take the
biggest bag from Mikki only to have her dodge him.

“I’m fine.”

“That looks heavy-”

“It’s not.  Really.”  She took off
into the house.

Shaking his head, Luke took the
other bag from Elspeth.

“Thank you, sweetie.”  She smiled
happily.  “This is going to be fun, I just know it.”

He wasn’t so sure about that, but
she was technically his client, he was here, the women were here and there was
nothing for it but to grin and bear it.  Besides, Elspeth was nice and he had
these awesome grounds to plan.  It really wasn’t that bad now that he’d had
some time to get over the initial shock of finding that he was sharing the week
with a couple of sheilas.

Feeling a lot better, he carried
the bag through to the small servant’s room Mikki and Elspeth were sharing,
placing it inside the door.  In the kitchen Mikki passed him with what looked
like an equally heavy bag.

Again she shook her head when he
went to take it from her.  “I can carry it.”

“Mikki, it looks heavy.”

“It’s not.”

“Your knuckles are practically
dragging on the ground.”

“It’s fine.”  She staggered past
him, leaning heavily to one side as the weight of the big suitcase dragged on
her arm.

“Oh for - give me that.”  He grabbed
the handle.

She tugged back.

“Mikki-”

“I said I can carry it!”

Exasperated, he threw up his
hands.  “Fine.  Go ahead.  Bust your spleen.”

She was straining as she went
through the doorway into the hall, but not once did she falter.  At least, not
until he heard the bag drop on the wooden floor.

Bloody stubborn woman.  Luke
strode through and grabbed the suitcase.

“Hey!”  She made to snatch it
back, only to be foiled by Luke simply placing his free hand on her shoulder
and holding her back as he took the weight of the case.

“Back off, lady.”

“I never asked for your help,” she
said heatedly.

“I know.”  He strode down the
hall.  “What the hell have you got in here?  The kitchen already has a sink.”

Without answering, she leaned
around him and made another try for the suitcase.

He simply put one arm out to block
her.  “What is your problem?”

“I don’t want you whining
afterwards,” she retorted.

Placing the bag on the inside of the
room, he turned to face her, bracing his hands on his hips.  “Whining?  Why would
I whine?”

“Oh, I don’t know.”  Her eyes held
a flicker of annoyance.  “Maybe that I made you my fetch-and-carry boy?”

Crap.  Looked like she’d heard his
conversation with Aaron when she’d dropped his bags off in the hallway.  “Ah.” 
Because that sounded intelligent.  Now he felt like a dick.  He hadn’t been
brought up to offend the fairer sex, but to treat them with respect.  Even if
they did have the knack of pushing his buttons.  “Mikki, I-”

“Let’s get this straight right
now, Luke.  You’re here to do your job, not to help us with ours.  We won’t be
asking you for anything, we won’t be interfering in your stuff.  So don’t fret
your little heart over it, okay?”

“Mikki-”

“Good.”  She swung away.

Not good.  And not happening.  Grabbing
her arm firmly, he swung her right back to face him.

Her expression was haughty. 
“Problem?”

Yeah, you
.  “Will you just listen
without getting on your high horse?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, okay?”  Releasing her
arm, he gave it an absentminded pat.  “It was a lousy thing to say.”  At her
disbelieving  expression, he sighed.  “I wasn’t expecting company.  I thought
I’d be alone out here.”

“We won’t disturb you,” she said
stiffly.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I’m sorry we buggered up your
solitary plans, but we have work to do, too.”

“I know.”

“So I’ll try to steer clear of yo-
mmph
!”  She glared at him over the hand he’d placed over her mouth.

Hells bells, she was fiery.  “Just
keep your lips together for a minute, lady.”  Leaning down to place himself on
eye level with her, Luke removed his hand but held one finger in front of her freckled
nose when her mouth opened.  “Zip it and listen.”

Her eyes narrowed but she remained
silent, those lush lips pressed tightly together.

“I can see that stupid comment you
overheard me make in the heat of the moment hurt you, okay?”  Luke shook his
head.  “It was a dickhead thing to say and I’m sorry.  I’m okay to help you
shift heavy things, I-
don’t
,” he warned when her eyes flashed and her
lips parted.  Nodding in satisfaction when she mulishly closed her mouth again,
he continued, “No Wells man ever leaves a woman doing heavy shit, got it?  You
need anything heavy shifted, you call me. I won’t have you or Elspeth busting a
gut trying to move something because you’re too boneheaded to ask me for help.”

Mikki gasped in outrage.  “Boneheaded?”

Immediately, Luke firmly placed
his finger across her lips.

They were nice lips, plump and
soft and warm and moist against his finger. 
No time to ponder that, man,
you need to sort this sheila out before she pulls something just to prove a
point. 
“I said it, I didn’t mean it, and I’m sorry.  Just accept it,
okay?”

She glared at him.

Luke quirked an eyebrow.

They stayed like that for a long
ten seconds.  With interest he watched a myriad of emotions cross her pretty
face - anger, indignation, realisation, grudging acceptance, and finally
resignation.  The woman would never make a good poker player, she was way too
expressive.

Slowly, she nodded.  “Okay.”

“Good.”  He straightened.  “Now
let’s get the last of the bags.”

She might have given in and
accepted his apology, but her reluctance was there to see in her stiff posture. 
“No need.  Everything left is light.”

“I bet.”  Grinning, he slung an
arm around her shoulders and propelled her forward.  “Come on, Mikki, stop
sulking and smile.”

~*~

Typical Luke Wells, the man
thought he could charm his way through anything.

Tugged into his side, all that
lean, hard muscle pressed against her, the faint scent of soap and man invading
her nose, Mikki sighed inwardly.  He had a right to be so cock-sure, his charm
did
get him through most things.

Every woman she’d ever seen him
with had fallen under his happy, roguish charm.  He laughed, he winked, he gave
them an appreciative look, he treated them with care and consideration, and
they melted like butter under a hot sun.  Whichever woman he was currently
dating - she’d lost count of how many, he seemed to have a revolving door of
them - hung on his every word, his arm, and practically off his neck.

Now here he was, after making her
feel like a user when she’d had no bloody intention of being any such thing,
tucking her under his arm and grinning happily.

She ought to kick his arse.  No,
instead she let him lead her down the hallway, through the kitchen and out into
the cobbled courtyard where Aunt Elspeth had her head stuck in the back of the
SUV.

Quickly extracting herself from
Luke’s nicely muscled arm, Mikki moved over to the SUV.  “What else?”

“Nothing much.”  Elspeth continued
searching through a big shoulder bag.

Mikki glanced over her shoulder to
see Luke standing, his legs braced apart and thumb tucked into the waistband of
his jeans, the other hand lowering the sunglasses slightly as he peered over
the top of them at the surrounding scenery.

Man, he was something to look at though. 
She’d always appreciated his form and face, because that was the artistic side
of her.

Mental snort. 
Right.
  She
didn’t have an artistic bone in her body. 
Face it, Mikki, you, like every
other woman with a pair of eyes, just plain lusts after that body and face.

Seriously, who wouldn’t?  Luke
oozed sex appeal.  His dark hair was slightly tousled in the breeze, one thick
hank of it flopping over his brow before he shoved it carelessly back, long
fingers sliding through the thick strands.  He had dark stubble on a strong jaw,
a straight nose, firm lips with a surprising fullness to them that somehow
seemed manly all at the same time.  He was tall, she barely reached his
shoulders, and man, those were some shoulders.  Even though he was trim from
hard work, that same manual labour had given him some pretty impressive muscle
that rippled over his shoulders, down to what she knew was a six pack abdomen,
and through into lean hips and muscled thighs.  Impressive biceps and triceps,
strength in the corded forearms, calloused hands.  There he stood, relaxed,
sexy, and pretty damned yummy.

Like his current pose didn’t make
him appear even more roguish, especially when he turned that gaze onto her with
his sunglasses partially down his nose.  A slow grin curved that sexy mouth as
he adjusted the glasses to cover his twinkling eyes.  “You wanted something?”

His clothes off wouldn’t be a bad
idea.  “Not a thing.”

“You looked like you were
contemplating something…”  He trailed off suggestively, yet somehow managed to
retain an air of innocence, what with his raised eyebrows. 

But that grin was pure sin.  The
bastard knew she’d been ogling him.

“Not much worth looking at.”  Coolly,
Mikki turned to lean in beside her aunt, reaching in for the last bag.

No sooner had she pulled it out
than there was warmth behind her and a long arm reached past her to snag the
bag.  “Allow me.”

“I’m fine.”

“I know.”  Effortlessly, he
plucked the bag from her hold and strode away.

Elspeth sighed.  “Such a
gentleman.  Isn’t he a gentleman?”

Mikki took one look at her
admiring face and groaned.  “Seriously?”

“What?”  Elspeth looked at her.

“You too?”

“Me too, what?”

Seeing the perplexed look on her
face, Mikki sighed.  “Nothing.”

As usual, Elspeth didn’t push the
issue.  Instead, she sat on the edge of the boot and looked around.  “Isn’t
this great?  This mansion, the grounds, the isolation?”

Sitting beside her, Mikki agreed.
“Totally awesome.”

“I have such plans for this
place.”  Almost dreamily, Elspeth waved her hand around languidly.  “Horse
stables for riding in the countryside, a swimming pool for pool parties, some
horse and gigs for those wishing a more sedate ride, ponies, a little area
where we can have some orphaned ‘roos we can hand rear and release into the
paddocks along with some other rescue animals who need a safe haven but aren’t
able to be released into the wild -”