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  The goodbyes said, he still didn’t release her. Instead he escorted her back to where a few couples were drifting in a slow waltz, and without a word he turned Holly into his arms and stepped into the music.

  In his arms, she found herself transported. The warmth of his chest against hers, the light touch of his fingers against the small of her back, the subtle scent of him in her nostrils, all combined to make her shockingly aware of how vulnerable she became with this man. And how dangerous that could be for her.

  With her eyes closed, it was even possible to ignore the mental daggers Ramona was throwing in her direction, although perhaps that was the cause of the tingling in her back, and not just Wade’s exquisite touch.

  But, she decided, it was simply too dangerous. Ramona had clearly staked her claim, and Wade, just as dearly, seemed to accept it. Any involvement he might have with Holly would be sheer dalliance, and she needed more than that. Much more.

  When Wade made no attempt to release her after the third straight dance, Holly decided that she must take the initiative, while she still had the inner strength to do so. It would be only too easy to just keep dancing with him, to ignore the involvement of Ramona in his life, to ignore the danger signals her conscience kept flying as her body reacted to his touch.

  ‘I’m really getting quite tired,’ she said. ‘Perhaps you should remember your hostly duties and spread yourself around a bit more.’

  ‘If that’s a subtle hint, I’d hate to see you when you’re being straightforward,’ he scowled. ‘What’s the matter — have I been treading on your toes?’

  ‘Of course not; you’re an excellent dancer.’ As well you know, she thought. ‘It’s just that I am tired, and besides, I think I should look in on Aunt Jessica.’

  ‘She looked fairly well rested,’ Wade said, making no move to let her go. ‘You must have done a pretty good job of keeping her from working too hard.’

  ‘It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I would have thought,’ Holly said. ‘I expected, well, you know her. But she was remarkably amenable, which worries me, I think she’s a lot sicker than she’s letting on.’

  ‘So do I, but she’s so damned proud and stubborn that she isn’t going to give us any chance to help until it’s very nearly too late. Have you tried talking to her about it?’

  ‘Like talking to a brick wall,’ Holly admitted. ‘I really think you might do better; your opinion is very important to Jessica.’

  ‘No more than yours, I’m sure,’ he said, ‘but I’ll give it a go in the morning if you like. Because I think you’re right; she’s giving in too easily. Not like Jess; not at all.’

  Whatever else he might have said was forestalled by the arrival of several party guests announcing their imminent departure, Ramona Mason hovering in their wake. Wade and Holly had barely stopped dancing and talking when the blonde interrupted.

  ‘Darling,’ she cried, ‘Polly and Ian have just said they must take a cab home. At this time of night! Surely that isn’t necessary. We could drive them, couldn’t we?’

  ‘Oh, don’t bother yourself, Ramona,’ said the man named Ian. ‘We wouldn’t think of putting you to such trouble. We only just stopped now to say good night and thank you; that’s all.’

  ‘It wouldn’t be any trouble, mate,’ Wade replied with an easy grin. ‘I’ve not had enough to drink for that to be a problem, and to be honest I could use a bit of fresh air. Just give us a minute or two and we’ll be off.’

  ‘You’re positive? I mean, really, it won’t take that long to get a cab up here.’

  ‘I’m absolutely positive,’ Wade smiled. Then, surprisingly, reached out to snag Holly and draw her aside.

  ‘You’ve said you’re tired, so off to bed with you,’ he hissed in her ear. ‘We won’t be long, I shouldn’t think, but remember that if I find you in that kitchen, or even any evidence you’ve been there while I’m gone, there’ll be trouble like you wouldn’t believe. Understood?’

  ‘Yes, massah,’ she replied coldly. ‘Whatever you say.’

  ‘I say no dishwashing tonight,’ was the calm reply. ‘And none for darling Jessica, either. You’ve both done enough and more than enough today already.’

  ‘Yesterday,’ she replied automatically, then repeated herself at his quizzical glance. ‘It’s after midnight,’ she finally explained.

  ‘All the more reason for you to get to bed. I’d hate to have you turn into a pumpkin,’ was the laughing reply. And he leaned down to brush a kiss across her forehead, then lightly smacked her behind, as if she was a ten-year-old being sent off to bed after dinner.

  And with everybody watching! Holly didn’t know whether to erupt with anger or hide her face with embarrassment, and by the time she might have made up her mind, it was already far too late; the front door was closing and she was alone.

  ‘Damn,’ she muttered aloud. ‘Damn, damn, damn. The nerve of that arrogant so-and-so.’ And she continued the diatribe as she flung herself around the patio and lounge room, tidying up the remaining empty glasses, emptying the ashtrays, doing all the usual things one does after a party.

  She wouldn’t oppose him by doing the dishes, nor would she be visible on his return at all, Holly decided. But it wasn’t because of his masculine, chauvinistic authority; it was only that she couldn’t bear to see him with Ramona Mason, much less be a witness to their sleeping arrangements on this particular night.

  Fifteen minutes later, she lay silently in her own bed, stubbornly wishing for sleep to claim her before Wade’s return. Stubbornly, but vainly. She was strung out, her emotions frazzled, her body tight with over-tiredness, her legs aching and her feet sore. But there was nothing the matter with her ears, which seemed perpetually pricked for the slightest sound to indicate Wade and Ramona’s arrival.

  She had checked on Jessica, who was sleeping soundly, and Holly found herself envying her aunt that ability. Especially when the drone of the returning motor car announced the start of a situation Holly couldn’t bear even thinking about. She lay there, trying to force her ears not to hear.

  ‘It was really quite a wonderful party, wasn’t it, Wade, darling?’ Ramona’s voice, for some reason, penetrated even the drone of the air-conditioning. Almost, Holly couldn’t help thinking, as if the blonde were deliberately pitching her voice to ensure that Holly might hear.

  But I won’t! I don’t want to; I’m not interested, and I won’t. Holly assured herself. Not that it helped.

  The only consolation was that Wade’s deep but softer-pitched tones carried much less. Only the occasional word drifted into comprehension from his replies.

  ‘... pity your housekeeper wasn’t well. She wasn’t able to contribute very much at all. Her little niece did quite well, though, I thought, considering the circumstances.’

  Condescending bitch, Holly thought, the spurt of anger overlying whatever reply Wade might have given.

  ‘Bedtime? Yes, I suppose it is, darling. It must have been a very long day for you, and I’m quite exhausted after all the work ... going to come and tuck me ... ah, but of course, darling ...’

  The rest was lost as they moved into the hallway between their rooms, fully across the house from where Holly lay gritting her teeth and trying both to hear and not to hear.

  No prizes for guessing where Wade would spend the rest of his night, long day behind him or not, she thought. Which did nothing at all to help her get to sleep.

  Holly lay there for nearly half an hour, then flung herself out of the bed and pulled on a loose towelling wrap. This was simply ridiculous! Worse, it was demeaning to be losing sleep over a man who couldn’t care less.

  Opening the door to her room, she peered down the darkened hallway, eyes and ears alert for any movement, any sound. But there was nothing.

  Moving like a wraith, she eased through the lounge room, found the door to the hallway in Wade’s section open, and silently closed it, then moved to the kitchen and closed that door as well.

  With the air-conditioning
going and all the doors shut. Holly was certain no sound could travel from the kitchen to where Wade and Ramona were either asleep or working up to it in ways she didn’t care to contemplate. Well let them. She, regardless of Wade’s earlier orders, was going to get stuck into the dishes.

  ‘And to hell with you, Mr Wade Bannister,’ she hissed beneath her breath. If I can’t bloody well sleep, I might as well do something useful, and if you don’t like it, you can jolly well stick it up your jumper!’

  Half an hour later, she was wishing she’d waited until morning to begin the chore. Once begun, she felt compelled to finish the job., but despite having gone through three sink loads of soapy water and dishes, she barely seemed to be making any headway at all. It might have helped if she’d used the dishwasher for the glasses, but she was afraid its rumbling vibrations might carry through the house.

  Worse, she’d run the fourth sink too hot, which necessitated taking a break until it had cooled down sufficiently for her to continue. She’d worn through the fingers of the last pair of rubber gloves in the kitchen, and didn’t dare reach in to try and release some of the water with her bare fingers.

  ‘To hell with it; I’ll have a cup of coffee and see if that smartens me up,’ she muttered under her breath. Then, having got the jug boiled, she decided hot chocolate might be a wiser choice, and began mixing that, instead.

  She was just stirring the brew when Wade’s voice intruded, an angry growl that sent the cup flying from suddenly nerveless fingers to crash upside down on the kitchen table.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Holly flew to her feet, but he was there before her, the kitchen sponge in hand and tea-towel following it as he caught the spilled liquid before it could pour down on to the carpet.

  ‘Are you always this clumsy?’ he asked, voice now strangely soft after the growling enquiry that had so startled her.

  ‘Only when people sneak up on me and start growling,’ Holly retorted, grabbing away the tea-towel and rushing over to wring it into the still-full sink. Oh ... now look what you’ve made me do.’

  ‘I doubt that it’ll cause much of a problem,’ he replied, dunking the sponge into the soapy water and then yanking back his fingers with a yelp of surprise. ‘What the hell? Are you determined to scald yourself as well?’

  ‘Obviously not. That’s why 1 was having a drink, to give that time to cool,’ she replied.

  ‘Well, you can make me one, too,’ he said, shaking his hand as if to ease the pain. ‘Damn, but that was hot. You might have warned me.’

  ‘You hardly gave me a chance, did you?’ Holly snapped. ‘And if you want a drink, make your own. What are you doing, sneaking around like some sort of spook in the night?’

  ‘Hardly sneaking.’ His voice softened. ‘And besides, it is my house. I do live here, in case you’d forgotten.’

  ‘How could I possibly?’ she scoffed, forgetting her earlier determination as she spooned hot chocolate into two fresh cups. ‘That doesn’t explain what you’re doing in the kitchen; I would have thought you’d be ...’ And she broke off, suddenly aware of what she’d nearly said.

  ‘And just where did you think I’d be?’ he asked, his eyes narrowing in wicked speculation. ‘Well ... aren’t you game to say it? It’s not as if I couldn’t figure out what you meant, after all.’

  ‘If you’re so smart at figuring things out, then you hardly need to be told,’ she responded, avoiding his eyes as she continued mixing their drinks. ‘The point is, you oughtn’t to be here, and you certainly shouldn’t have snuck up on me like that. I ... well ... 1 might have screamed and wakened the entire house.’

  ‘Which certainly would have been interesting,’ he said, reaching out to take one cup from her. ‘You might stop that stirring now, unless you’re bound and determined to wear the bottom out of the cup.’ Taking the cup, he moved silently over to sit down at the end of the table, gesturing to Holly to sit herself across from him.

  It was only at that instant she realised he was still completely dressed, still wearing the same denim shirt and trousers he’d had on during the party. And it was only at that instant she realised that she wasn’t fully dressed, but had only the towelling robe, loosely closing at the best of times, between herself and Wade Bannister’s probing eyes.

  ‘That’s quite an outfit for doing dishes in,’ he grinned, wickedly, deliberately cruising with his eyes along the loose opening of the robe. ‘But then of course, you didn’t expect to be disturbed, did you? You thought I was, shall we say, otherwise occupied?’

  ‘Certainly a reasonable assumption,’ Holly said. ‘At any rate, I certainly didn’t expect to be disturbed. And I wish I hadn’t been; you quite startled me.’

  ‘Only fair, I’d say, considering you’re breaking your promise to me. Or have you got some perfectly valid reason to be out here in the small hours of the morning doing dishes after having promised you wouldn’t?’

  ‘Why should it matter? They’ve got to be done sooner or later, and I, well, I felt like doing them now.’

  ‘Because you couldn’t sleep? I find that hard to believe, considering the day you must have put in. By rights, you should be dead on your feet, not standing up to the sink and facing what amounts to another day’s work.’

  Holly shrugged. ‘At least this way 1 can sleep comfortably, knowing I shan’t have to face them when I do get up.’

  Wade sipped at his hot chocolate, eyeing her silently across the length of the table. ‘And of course it wouldn’t have a thing to do with the fact that if they’re done by morning, dear Jessica won’t have a chance to start on them before there’s anyone up and about to stop her?’

  ‘What a wonderful excuse; I wish I’d thought of it,’ Holly replied with a sudden grin. ‘But no, that never entered my mind. I just ... couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d make a start on them. Simple as that.’

  Wade’s smile wasn’t sudden. Nor was it really a smile, Holly realised, seeing in his eyes the beginning of something that might be emerging anger. ‘And I suppose it never entered your mind either that I might be serious when I specified disposables for this party,’ he said grimly. And before Holly could reply, ‘I wasn’t only thinking of Jessica, you know? I was trying to ensure that this sort of thing didn’t happen — didn’t have to happen.’

  ‘I ... well ...’ She didn’t know what to say, short of a straight-out placement of blame on Ramona, where it belonged. Wade didn’t give her that chance.

  ‘And of course it never entered your mind that I might be damned angry — and justifiably angry — at having my orders so blatantly countermanded? Or did you even bother to think about that?’

  ‘Considering it wasn’t me who made the decision, no, I didn’t,’ Holly retorted. Angry, now, she continued over his attempt to interrupt. ‘All of which is something you could have found out quite easily, without getting up in the middle of the night to harangue me about it, I might add.’

  ‘Ah,’ he said, ‘so you didn’t make the decision, eh? Well then tell me, dear Holly, just how many women there are in my house with distinctly English accents? And how many of those, pray tell, might have telephoned to order all this, this damned crockery? Tell me that?’

  ‘I can only tell you that it wasn’t me,’ Holly replied, her mind spinning at the implications of what he’d said. She ran the circumstances of the past few days through a mental replay, but found it impossible to determine if she’d actually been in the room when Ramona had taken charge of ordering up the glassware, crockery and silverware.

  ‘I see.’ But he didn’t; she could tell that by the velvet-iron tone in his voice. And he didn’t believe her, either. ‘Well, if you didn’t order all this stuff, and if you didn’t deliberately countermand my orders, then why are you out here in the middle of the night washing up?’

  ‘What?’ Holly couldn’t find the logic in that question at all. ‘I’m washing up because somebody’s got to do it,’ she finally added after a moment’s silence in which Wade only stared at her
. ‘And since we’ve already agreed that Jessica shouldn’t be doing it, and since 1 can’t imagine you doing it, that leaves me.’

  ‘Oh,’ he said, and there was something now in his eyes besides accusing anger. ‘So you can’t imagine me doing it. Now I wonder why that is. Am I supposedly so helpless just because I’m a man, or have I impressed you somehow as a ruthless, heartless employer who’d expect Jess to rise out of her sick-bed to clean up?’

  ‘Stop being silly,’ Holly retorted even before she’d thought.

  "What’s silly about it? Do you really think I’m afraid of a bit of soap and water, young Holly? Because if you do, then you’re in for a surprise,’ Wade snarled, then gulped down the remainder of his hot chocolate, now lukewarm chocolate, and rose lithely to his feet.

  ‘Since you’re such a disbeliever, you can dry,’ he muttered. ‘That’s the part I like least, anyway.’

  And before she could even get up, he was elbow-deep in the sink, wincing only slightly as his hands encountered the still-too-hot dishwater.

  ‘Well, don’t just sit there, pick up a tea-towel and get at it,’ he shot back over his shoulder. ‘There are plenty of better ways of spending the night with a woman dressed as you are, so let’s not dilly-dally around here in the kitchen.’

  ‘If you’re going to be like that about it, I think I’ll just go and change, first,’ Holly replied, bemused by his attitude, but none the less only too conscious of her attire.

  ‘Suit yourself, but I’d suggest you be quick about it,’ Wade replied, not even bothering to look at her. ‘This stuff is going to be washed, dried, packed away and ready to go before either of us gets any sleep, and that’s an order you damned well will obey.’

  ‘I’m not sure I will,’ Holly replied with a sudden grin that Wade couldn’t see. ‘Maybe I’ll just lock myself in my room and leave you to it.’

  It was the wrong thing to have said; Holly realised that immediately when he crossed the room in two huge strides, soapy hands clamping about her waist so tightly she could hardly breathe.