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.Clearing away the dishes, she told herself for the thousandth time that she was being ridiculous to allow herself to react so strongly to a man she had known for only days.The problem was that she didn’t feel as if she had known him for only a few days.She felt as if she had always known him.It was as if he was the missing piece of her world which she had been searching for all this time; a necessary integral to make her existence complete.‘A person would think you were a schoolgirl, the way you’re overreacting to the man,’ she scolded herself as she finished the last pan and dried her hands.Tossing the newspaper on to her bed, she went up to her studio, intent on finishing the bust and putting Brad Garwood behind her for ever.Once she was gone from his house, she was determined that he would be gone from her life.However, as she worked and reworked the clay, the task began to feel impossible.The problem was the ears; no matter what she did they still didn’t look right.Finally she admitted defeat and knocked on Brad’s workroom door.‘What is it?’ he asked, glancing up impatiently from his draught board.‘Nothing.Excuse me for interrupting,’ she flushed, suddenly willing to give up totally on the sculpture rather than spend any length of time studying the man’s features in the flesh.Closing the door, she walked rapidly back into her studio and began wrapping the clay.Tomorrow was Saturday, and she would find a new place to live and be rid of Brad Garwood.A knock on the studio door followed by Brad’s entrance brought her to a stop in mid-motion.‘Do you need me to sit again?’ he asked, his manner controlled and she guessed that he was tiring of her presence rapidly.‘I didn’t mean to interrupt,’ she apologised tightly.‘I needed to take a break anyway.Shall I use the same stool as before?’Sara had a tremendous urge to tell him to go away.But realising how foolish that would make her look since she had been the one to seek him out in the first place, she said, ‘Yes, that will be fine.’As she began to work, she discovered to her dismay that even her art was no protection against the force of Brad’s presence.With him so near, she could not concentrate and the ears still refused to look correct.As a last resort, in an effort to understand the shape, she walked over to him and ran her fingers along the contours of the lobe.His jaw went rigid as he stiffened away from her touch.Then as if he felt he needed to offer some sort of explanation, he said briskly, ‘Your hand is cold.'‘I’m sorry.’ Her words came out with a caustic quality as she fought back the pain.‘I seem to be unable to get the shape right.I think I’ll stop for tonight.’‘Fine,’ he muttered, rising and leaving immediately.Her hands shook as she recovered the clay.How could she be in love with a man who found her so unappealing that he cringed at her touch?CHAPTER SIXAfter a restless night, Sara awoke the next morning to the C smell of bacon frying and coffee perking.Dressing hurriedly, she went into the kitchen to find Brad breaking eggs into the skillet.The table was set for two.‘It’s about time you were getting up,’ he said over his shoulder.‘You should have woken me,' she yawned, noticing how the muscles of his back moved beneath the fabric of his shirt.Then, angry with herself, she diverted her attention to the clock on the wall.It read six-thirty.She had overslept, but not by much, considering the fact that this was Saturday.‘I would have made your breakfast.You’re still supposed to use your wrist as little as possible.’‘My wrist feels much better,’ he professed, although she noticed that he was doing nearly everything one-handed.‘Besides, it’s Saturday and this is your weekend off.' As he dished up the eggs on to the plates, he added, ‘I made enough for two.Will you join me?’Hesitantly, Sara sat down at the table.The back door was open, letting in the soft scent of lilac from the garden.‘I’m not a bad cook,’ Brad assured her.Even the hint of amusement in his eyes could not mask the traces of tiredness.Obviously he was not sleeping well and she guessed his wrist was bothering him more than he wanted to admit.‘It looks delicious,’ she murmured, confused by his attentiveness.It was a confusion that did not last long.‘I’ve been thinking,’ he said between bites.‘I’ll be closing the deal on Cyprus Point this week.As soon as the papers are signed I plan to move out there to personally direct the renovations, and that will leave this house unoccupied.It’s occurred to me that you could stay on here as a sort of caretaker.I don't want you rushing into a lease on an apartment that would be unsuitable.Besides, someone should be here to look after the place.‘It’s really unnecessary for you to move out of your home to be rid of me.I’m sure I’ll find a suitable residence this weekend and be gone by the middle of the week.’ Sara rose awkwardly, anger holding back her tears as she headed towards her room.‘Damn it, Sara!’ Brad caught her by the shoulders before she could make good her escape.Keeping her back towards him, his hands closed around her upper arms, holding her captive.‘You’ve got this all wrong.’‘I apologise for overreacting,’ she said, forcing herself to sound reasonably calm.‘I realise that you only want to clear the way for your wife.’‘Your being in this house with me at Cyprus Point won’t interfere.’‘That’s impossible,’ she interrupted hotly.‘People will say I’m your in-town mistress, and I’m sure even your very understanding Monica Fallon wouldn’t agree to such a situation!’ Twisting out of his grasp, she grabbed the newspaper and her handbag from her room and stormed back through the kitchen.‘Sara!’ Brad said her name in an exasperated tone as if he was trying to reason with a child.Ignoring him, she slammed out the back door and climbed into her car.She didn’t know which she hated worse, his big brother routine or the times when he acted as if he couldn’t stand to have her around.She only knew that he had her on an emotional rollercoaster and she intended to get off as soon as possible.By noon she was feeling thoroughly depressed.The only reasonable place she had found would not be available until the middle of the next month.Stopping by the house for a sandwich, she found a note from Brad saying that he had gone to pick up his car and that Margarete Grimes had called and wanted Sara to call her back.Pouring herself a glass of orange juice, Sara dialled the number for the gallery.Margarete was absolutely bubbling when she came to the phone.‘You must have made quite a conquest,’ she teased laughingly.‘Conquest?’ Sara questioned, hot and tired and in no mood for games.‘Marc Fallon was waiting outside when I opened up this morning,’ Margarete elaborated.‘Marc?’ Sara muttered.‘Yes, Marc.Why didn’t you tell me you knew the Fallons?’‘I don’t really know them well,’ Sara defended, developing a very uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.‘Well, you must have impressed Marc.He bought every piece of your work I had,’ Margarete laughed.‘Every one?’ Sara choked.‘Every one.Even the ones you had asked me to store, both the paintings and the sculptures.’‘Every one?’ Sara repeated, too stunned to think [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]