Snowbound: Miracle Marriage (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 8)

Patrick stared down at her, the tension throbbing between them. Then he gave a slow smile, watching with masculine satisfaction as the colour in her cheeks darkened. ‘Yes,’ he admitted. ‘I would have done that.’

‘I meant—would you have wanted to see me again?’

He sensed that it took her a lot of courage to ask the question. ‘Yes. But it wasn’t an option. I didn’t want the job in Chicago and I wouldn’t have asked you to come to Cumbria. As far as I could see, our relationship had no future.’ He inhaled sharply. ‘OK, I’m giving you a ten-second warning.’

‘About what?’

‘Five seconds.’ His head lowered towards hers. ‘Stay, Hayley. You answered an advert for a housekeeper. I need a housekeeper.’

And he wasn’t going to let her leave.

‘You didn’t advertise for a housekeeper.’

‘I would have done if I’d thought of it.’ He pressed her up against the door, his mouth only a breath away from hers, ‘I know you’re angry with me. I know I’ve upset you. But that doesn’t change what happened. There was nothing false about the night we spent together. Nothing.’ He saw her breathing quicken, saw her gaze flicker briefly to his as the charge between them heated to dangerous levels. And then she looked away, as if it was the only way she could keep her sanity.

‘As you keep telling me, it was a one-night stand.’ Her eyes were fixed on one of Posy’s childish drawings, haphazardly stuck to the kitchen wall. ‘I should have left it at that.’

‘I’m glad you didn’t.’

She looked at him cautiously. ‘I’ve never had a one-night stand before.’

‘I know. I could tell.’ Seeing her eyes widen, he gave a faint smile. ‘That was why you ran off in the morning—you were embarrassed. And panicking. And thinking, What have I done? I wish I’d woken up. I would have stopped you.’

‘Why didn’t you mention your children, Patrick?’ Even though they were alone in the room, she whispered the words. ‘It isn’t as if you didn’t have the chance. We had dinner together. We talked.’

The chemistry between them was so intense he could taste it. ‘Because for one night of my life I wasn’t someone’s father, or someone’s doctor, or someone’s boss,’ Patrick said huskily. ‘I was a man, enjoying the company of a beautiful woman. It was about you and me, Hayley. Nothing else. No one else. And now it’s my turn. If I ask you something, will you answer me honestly?’ He slid his hand behind her head, his eyes locked with hers.

‘What?’

He gave a slow smile. ‘Can you really cook a turkey?’

She stared up at him and then gave a reluctant laugh. ‘That’s what you want to ask me? Can I cook a turkey?’

‘It’s very important to me,’ Patrick murmured, his eyes dropping to her mouth. ‘You have no idea how appalling untalented I am in the kitchen.’

‘Don’t worry about it. You’re good in other rooms of the house.’ Although her tone was mocking, the humour was back in her eyes.

‘But that isn’t going to help cook a turkey—unless we use a hairdryer. Stay, Hayley.’

She laughed but then gave a little shake of her head. ‘I can’t. We both know that would not be a good idea.’ But he sensed her indecision and jumped on it with ruthless determination.

‘If you’d ever tasted my Christmas dinner, you’d know it’s an excellent idea.’

‘I’m talking about the rest of it. I came here looking for the man I spent that night with but…’ she took a breath ‘…you’re not that man, Patrick. You have children. Responsibilities.’

Her opinion of him had clearly plummeted and he couldn’t blame her for that. So far he’d made a mess of their meeting. ‘I won’t hurt my children, Hayley, that’s true. They’ve been through enough because of me.’

‘And that’s a good enough reason for me not to stay, Patrick. It would be unfair on them. You obviously don’t want them to know about us and I understand that.’

‘This house has five large bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. You’d have space and privacy, somewhere warm and cosy to spend Christmas. A large tree and a log fire. Isn’t that what you wanted?’ It hadn’t escaped him that she’d taken a job with a family. ‘Alfie is so excited about you being here. He thinks Christmas lunch might be edible for once.’

‘But—’

‘Please, Hayley.’ His voice was smooth and persuasive. ‘I know I’ve made a mess of this and I know I’ve upset you. Yes, I was shocked to see you at first but…I really want you to stay. No strings. My son put an advert in the paper and you accepted the job. The job is yours. No more, no less. As for the rest of it, well…’ He was standing so close to her that he could smell the floral fragrance of her shampoo mingling with the rose of her perfume. His senses communicated her scent to his libido and he was just deciding whether his previous warning counted when the door moved.

Reacting quickly, Patrick shifted Hayley out of range and stepped back just as Alfie came charging into the kitchen, almost knocking into both of them.

‘Dad, Posy’s had an accident and the delivery van from the supermarket is at the door.’