‘I know but Gemma Barton has problems. She needs help more than she needs punishment—’
‘Then when she attacks Boyce’s next girlfriend, let it be on your conscience that you were too much of a wimp to prosecute.’
Harriet flinched at that blunt warning.
Rafael drew up outside Flynn Court and she blinked in surprise. ‘I thought you were taking me home?’
‘You were almost road-kill. I’m suffering from a very male old-fashioned need to keep tabs on you right now. In any case, the doctor should be here soon.’
Harriet was dismayed to notice that her hands were trembling. ‘What’s the matter with me?’
‘Shock. You hate the idea that you might cause anyone the slightest concern, so you’re trying very hard to act like nothing’s happened. But you had a fright and you got hurt and you’re shaken up. A reaction is normal.’
Astonished by how attuned he was to her, Harriet didn’t argue, and concentrated on trying to stop her teeth from chattering. Without a word Rafael scooped her off her feet and carried her into a sitting room furnished in delicate faded blue. There he settled her gently down on a sofa. Lifting a mohair rug from the arm, he spread it over her. Samson jumped up on to the seat beside her and cuddled up. Peanut stretched out below a nearby chair, little beady eyes watchful in unfamiliar territory.
Rafael went to order tea, took a call from his head of security, which lasted some time, and returned to the library to discover that Harriet had dropped off to sleep. He made several phone calls. With scientific cool he studied her while she slept, and wondered exactly which qualities made her seem so different from all the other women he had ever known.
Obviously she hit the right spot physically, in every area, he conceded reflectively. Face, hair, shape, height, weight. Although he had never been attracted to anyone like her before, she was somehow a wonderfully precise and perfect match of what he liked most. He enjoyed looking at her. She was so natural, never striving to make an impression with anything she wore or said. There was a trusting innocence about her too, which he found appealing. Her desire to be compassionate towards the stalker had irritated the hell out of him. But at the same time he admired her ability to retain that generosity of spirit and compassion. Suddenly he frowned, disturbed by the depth and tenor of his own thoughts. He liked her, and it was very rare for him to truly like a lover, but so what?
The elderly doctor was brisk and frank. Harriet had bruises right down one side of her body and would be sti
ff and sore for a day or so. He added that she was also showing all the symptoms of stress and overwork and needed to take more rest. Rafael reappeared during that discussion.
‘For a woman who came to Ireland to downshift to a less demanding lifestyle, you’re not doing very well,’ Rafael remarked when they were alone again.
‘I still love what I’m doing, and I love my home. But I may have somewhat underestimated the amount of work involved in setting up a new business.’
‘How tactful you are. You’re being forced to work twice as hard to balance the fact that I own half of the yard.’
‘Never mind that. I’m happy,’ Harriet countered cheerfully. ‘I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.’
‘You were on the sofa, not in my bed, so you’re forgiven.’
Harriet went pink.
Rafael rested stunning dark eyes on her. ‘I want to be with you somewhere where we can enjoy complete peace and privacy. I have a country house in Italy, which is in a very quiet location. I’d like to take you there.’
‘I…I’m flattered—’
‘Good. All you have to do is pack, and even that isn’t a necessity. I would be delighted to buy you everything you need. We shall leave in a few hours.’
It took Harriet a good thirty seconds to absorb that staggering declaration. ‘For goodness’ sake—me go gallivanting off to Italy just like that? It’s a wild and wonderful idea, but be sensible…I can’t leave the livery yard!’
‘Of course you can. As your partner, I have equal responsibility. You’ve worked so hard that you’re exhausted, while I’ve done nothing until now. But that’s changed: I’ve organised a manager to take charge while you’re away, and Davis will bring in local help from the village. Tolly has volunteered to take care of your pets—’
Harriet viewed him in startled disbelief and frustration. ‘Rafael…’
‘You’ll love Italy,’ he breathed huskily. ‘What’s wrong with wild and wonderful? How do you define sensible? Saying no to anything that sounds like too much fun? You might have died today. We might never have got the chance to be together again.’
He tossed those dramatic lines at her with a vibrant amusement in his eyes that made her laugh. Yet on another level she could not help but appreciate the inescapable truth he had voiced. But for a few bruises, she was alive and well, and she ought to make the most of her second chance. Indeed, it seemed to her that to be too sensible to snatch at the opportunity to go to Italy with Rafael would be pitiful.
‘It’s quite simple. Do you want to be with me?’ Rafael asked levelly. ‘Or don’t you?’
And he was right: it was that simple. In the space of a moment, Harriet decided what to do.
*
‘What’s my home here like?’ A lazy smile formed on Rafael’s darkly handsome face. ‘I will leave you to form your own opinion.’