‘Never before. But I was worried that you might be lying unconscious at the top of the stairs, unable to call for help. I thought you might need rescuing.’ She reached out and took his hand and he pulled her to her feet, surprised to find that she wasn’t as tall as he’d thought. Obviously most of her was leg.
He dragged his eyes away. ‘Why on earth would you think that?’
‘Because I rang the doorbell and no one answered.’
He lifted an eyebrow. ‘And that meant I was lying unconscious? You didn’t think I might be out buying a loaf of bread?’
‘I have a vivid imagination,’ she confided happily, her wide smile lighting up her whole face. Her eyes were the colour of rich coffee and a few freckles dusted her nose. ‘There didn’t appear to be a shop open in the village, so you couldn’t have been buying bread.’
‘So you thought you’d break in?’ He stared at her with incredulity. ‘Is that a frequent habit of yours?’
‘Only when essential. It’s part of my naturally interfering personality.’ She brushed herself down and shook the snow out of her hair. ‘I’m so relieved you’re all right. So, if you weren’t lying unconscious, why didn’t you answer the door?’
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. ‘Because I was in the shower.’
‘At lunchtime?’
Mac sighed, wondering why he was explaining himself to this woman. ‘I was up all night in the unit. Motorbike accident. The roads are lethal at the moment. When I came in I spent ten minutes arguing with my brother and then got stuck into some paperwork before deciding to take a shower. Are there any more details of my life that you feel you need to know?’
She wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. ‘Probably, but they can wait until later. The most pressing thing is to dry myself off and get settled in. Where do I put my things?’
Deciding that he must be more tired than he’d thought, Mac stared at her blankly. ‘Put your things? What do you mean, put your things?’
She waved a hand towards the window. ‘I left my bags in the car but the boot leaks terribly so I really ought to bring them in before they get damp. It’s snowing again. But, of course, you know that because it’s all over me.’ As if to prove her point, she shook herself like a kitten and more snow drifted onto the floor. ‘Let’s look on the bright side. At least I didn’t fall head first down your toilet. That would have been an unhappy experience.’
Mac studied her in silence, an uneasy suspicion forming in his mind. ‘You haven’t told me what exactly you’re doing here...’
‘No, I haven’t, have I?’ She smiled warmly and held out a hand. ‘Your brother said I could come. I needed somewhere to stay and he told me you needed help. So here I am. Apparently I’m your Christmas present. Pleased to meet you, Dr Sullivan.’
* * *
Her new boss had a fantastic body and at the moment virtually every delicious inch of him was on display.
Louisa stood in the corner of the small room, trying not to focus on that broad chest or the well-defined muscles of his abdomen. If she’d needed the perfect illustration of the male anatomy then it was standing in front of her. His body was hard and tough with no soft edges. The body of a man used to strenuous physical activity.
And as for the rest of him…
With a huge effort of will she stared into his cold, handsome face and forced herself to breathe normally.
Josh had told her that the house was huge. He’d told her that the Cornish seaside fishing village was so small that you couldn’t sneeze without the entire population asking you about your cold the next morning.
What he’d failed to mention was the fact that his brother was drop-dead gorgeous.
And angry.
His eyes glittered dangerously and there was no trace of amusement in his hard features.
‘Is this some sort of joke?’ His voice was suddenly icy cold and he was looking at her with all the enthusiasm of a pathologist looking at a deadly virus. ‘How can you be my Christmas present?’
She tilted her head to one side. ‘Because your brother arranged it. I’m Louisa.’
He closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. It sounded suspiciously like, ‘I’m going to kill him.’
Louisa stood for a moment, waiting patiently, and finally he opened his eyes and his gaze fixed on hers.
‘All right, this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to rescue your things from your car before they’re soaked, we’re going to get you dried off and then we’re going to sit down and talk about this. Because whatever you and my little brother have cooked up between you, it isn’t going to work for me. Once you’ve had a hot drink and dried off, I’m sending you on your way.’
Louisa looked at him. ‘Josh didn’t tell you I was coming?’