The High Price of Secrets

So far, it was going dreadfully.

She swallowed against the burning sensation in her throat. Maybe breakfast wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“Here she is,” the voice of her hostess, Penny, greeted her as she reached the doorway of the dining room. Penny rose from a small table set in the bay window that looked out over a delightfully old-fashioned garden. “Good morning, Ms. Masters, I trust you slept well?”

“Oh, call me Tamsyn, please. And yes, my room is very comfortable, thank you.”

Tamsyn’s eyes flicked to the man who sat opposite Penny and who now rose to his feet in welcome. The man from yesterday—and absolutely the last man she had expected to see this morning. Courtesy demanded she acknowledge his presence and she gave him a short nod, just the barest inclination of her head.

He stepped forward and held out his hand in a greeting. “We didn’t get to exchanging names yesterday. Finn Gallagher. Pleased to see you again.”

She gave him a weak smile and briefly shook his hand. The warmth of his broad palm permeated her skin, sending a curl of awareness winding up her arm and through her body. She pulled her hand free.

“Really, Mr. Gallagher? I had the impression yesterday you were only too pleased to see the back of me.”

Amusement lit his cool slate-colored eyes. “Ah, you caught me at a bad time, I’m afraid. I’m here to apologize.”

Tamsyn’s mind scattered in a hundred directions. How had he tracked her down?

“Isn’t that a bit stalkerish?” she said without thinking.

“We’re a close-knit bunch around here,” he explained with an apologetic smile that made Tamsyn’s stomach do a tiny loop-the-loop. “I was concerned after you left. You looked tired, and being unfamiliar with the area…well, let’s just say tourists have a bad habit of wandering off the road here and there. I called around a few places and I was relieved when Penny assured me you’d arrived safely.”

It all sounded plausible, she thought, but it didn’t explain what he was doing here right now. As if he could read her mind, he continued speaking.

“I didn’t want to leave you with the impression that we’re rude around here and thought I’d offer to show you around, if you’d like. Take you on a tour of the district. You will be staying a few days now you’re here, won’t you?”

He said the last few words with subtle emphasis, almost as if he was willing her to stick around.

“Yes, I will,” she admitted, reluctant to tell him that her time here had no specific expiry. “But there’s no need for you to show me around. I can make my own way.” Besides, she wasn’t really here for the sights. She just wanted to find her mother.

“Please, at least allow me to take you to lunch or dinner to make up for my abruptness yesterday.”

An ember of warmth lit deep in her belly. Maybe she was being overly suspicious. He certainly seemed sincere enough. She studied him briefly, taking in the short spiky hair, the clear gray eyes that appeared to be imploring her to give in to his politely put demand. His body language was open, nonthreatening, and dressed as he was in a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting T-shirt, he clearly wasn’t hiding any weapons. Except his charisma. She couldn’t deny he exuded oodles of magnetism, today at least, and there was no doubting that he was one beautifully put-together piece of manhood. What would be the harm in enjoying his company for a few hours? Despite what she’d just been through with Trent, Finn Gallagher was pinging her receptors. And then there was that smile that played around Finn’s lips, the expression on his face that suggested he found her attractive and actually wanted to spend time with her. Something her fiancé had not been so wont to do. The thought was like water on a drought-stricken land.

Penny interrupted her thoughts. “If you’re worried about Finn, I can vouch for the fact that he’s a complete gentleman. He’s also a much-loved local-born philanthropist. Honestly, you couldn’t be in better hands.”

“I…”

Tamsyn’s eyes dropped to those very hands, eyeing his broad palms and long tapered fingers. The ember flared to a flame and spread, her breasts suddenly feeling full, her nipples tight, as she involuntarily imagined those hands touching her. With a sharply indrawn breath, she dragged her eyes up to his face, where he clearly awaited her response.

“I don’t want to be any trouble,” she said lamely, feeling a flush of color heat her cheeks. “Besides, I have plans to do some shopping today—I came a little underprepared for this trip.”

Underprepared. As if that wasn’t the understatement of the year, she thought scathingly.