Anyone who had known Anna Riggs as a child recognised that look, and it wasn’t to be messed with.
‘OK, well, good luck. And call me when you find your next place. I don’t want you ripped off.’
Anna gave him a wan smile. ‘Thanks, Mike. I think.’
It wasn’t his fault he’d had to give her bad news and she knew he had her best interests at heart.
That was another benefit of living in a small community, she mused as she watched Mike walk back up the path towards his car. People looked out for each other. Cared. There was no way that would happen in a city. Where was the goodwill among strangers?
Acknowledging that all the goodwill in the world was unlikely to find her a place to rent at the peak of the tourist season, Anna carried her bags back to her car, made her last call and drove up the coast road to the McKennas’.
Their spectacular house sat on a curve in the bay, just steps from the beach. It was the best property for miles around and it had been the McKennas’ home for ever. Usually she loved coming here. Just walking up the path and breathing in the sea air was enough to put her in a good mood.
Not today.
Today, Sam’s low, black sports car was parked outside, a blatant statement of masculine self-indulgence that irritated her beyond belief. Why couldn’t he just drive a normal family car?
Because Sam McKenna wasn’t a normal family man.
He was a stallion on the loose. A lone male who had no intention of attaching himself to anything or anybody. And he was undoubtedly not going to be pleased to discover that he’d just got himself a housemate. It would seriously cramp his style.
Anna almost smiled at the thought. If living here for a while was going to irritate Sam, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.
Bracing herself for conflict, she let herself in and paused. The house was silent so she opened the French windows that led from the spacious sitting-room and walked onto the bleached wooden deck that overlooked the beach below. Squinting at the foaming waves, she could see several surfers and gave a short laugh. Undoubtedly one of them would be Sam. He obviously hadn’t wasted any time in enjoying the benefits of Cornwall. For a wild moment she was tempted to join him and then she remembered the calls she had to make and the stack of medical journals that she was determined to at least scan before tomorrow.
Feeling uncomfortably sticky from her long working day and the warm weather, Anna showered quickly and washed her hair. Then she pulled on a pair of skimpy shorts, an equally skimpy top, poured herself a cold drink and walked onto the terrace to catch up on some reading.
‘Nice to know you couldn’t stay away from me, Riggs.’
She dropped the medical journal she was reading and registered the time with a twinge of shock. It was always like that with her. She became so absorbed in what she was reading that the world outside ceased to exist.
She glanced up at Sam, at the broad shoulders clearly outlined by the wet suit, at the growth of stubble on his hard jaw. He looked wickedly handsome and the long, leisurely look he gave her irritated her in the extreme.
No matter that they couldn’t stand the sight of each other. If it was female, he still had to look. He just couldn’t help himself.
‘Stop staring, McKenna.’ She gave him a frosty stare. ‘I’m not one of your bimbos.’
He gave her a maddening grin, water dripping from his dark hair onto his wet suit. ‘You’ve got good legs, Riggs. Always have had. But fortunately for both of us the rest of you is questionable so I’m able to resist you. I prefer my women gentle and cuddly.’
‘You prefer your women brainless.’
He reached for a towel which he’d slung over the back of a chair in readiness for his return. “‘Soft” is the word I’d choose. Soft and yielding. You’re more like a cactus. A man could get injured touching you.’
‘If you touched me then you’d definitely be injured.’ She angled her head and shot him a warning glance. ‘And if being a cactus keeps you away, that’s fine by me.’ Feeling unaccountably warm under his lazy gaze, she glared at him. ‘I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here.’
He wandered back into the house and returned with a cold beer. ‘I know why you’re here.’ He lifted the bottle to his lips and drank deeply, the muscles in his throat working as he swallowed. ‘You find me irresistible. Don’t worry about it. Women often do. You’ll learn to live with the feeling.’
Anna glanced down at the beach below them. ‘Just how far is the drop from here?’
He gave an appreciative grin and set the beer down on the table. ‘Far enough. Why?’ He lifted an eyebrow. ‘Do you want to give it a go?’
She gritted her teeth. ‘Don’t tempt me, McKenna. If you have any concern for your safety, you’ll drink that beer somewhere else.’
His grin widened. ‘Trouble is, this is my home, Riggs, and you’re the one sitting on my deck.’
‘It’s your parents’ deck. And, believe me, I wouldn’t be here unless there was a crisis.’