Millionaire's Woman

‘Guilty as charged,’ she said, and resumed her seat by Anna. ‘How do you feel?’ she said in an undertone, as Lucy fluttered round the men with the coffee pot.

‘Fat,’ said Anna ruefully. ‘I shouldn’t have eaten so much, but the food was so gorgeous I couldn’t resist.’

‘I relayed the praise to Molly.’

‘Is Hazel her daughter?’

‘Hazel is Molly’s mother,’ said Kate. ‘How old is Molly, Jack? She looks like a schoolgirl.’

‘Twenty-two and born old, according to her mother. There’s a mature brain under that mane of blonde hair.’

Kate could practically see Lucy’s brain ticking over. Blonde? Twenty-two?

‘They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,’ warned Lucy sharply. ‘You’d better be careful, Jack. Maybe your Molly has designs on you.’

‘You bet she has,’ he said, unperturbed. ‘She wants my backing when she opens her own restaurant.’

For the rest of the evening Jack did his best as host to keep the conversation general, but Lucy aimed barbs at Kate so often that at last George Beresford turned a look on his wif

e that plainly said ‘enough’ and she pouted and turned all her attention on Jack. Eventually Ben decided his wife looked tired and asked Lucy if she was ready to drive them home. Jack kept Kate firmly at his side while he received thanks for his hospitality. Anna and Ben kissed her goodnight, and George did the same, winning a sharp look from his wife, who kept her kissing strictly for her host. Jack stood in the open doorway as his guests hurried to the car under umbrellas, then went back inside to Kate with a sigh of relief.

‘Thank you,’ he said simply, running a hand through his hair.

‘What for?’

‘Just for being here.’ He grimaced. ‘I’ll make sure I have a previous engagement when Lucy Beresford invites me to dinner again. I had a meal there once, purely because she wouldn’t take no when I drove George home from a meeting.’

‘She insisted you came to Anna’s party as well,’ Kate reminded him as they went back to the living room.

‘For that alone I’m grateful to her,’ admitted Jack, and put more logs on the fire. ‘What can I give you to drink, Kate?’

‘I should be going home.’

‘Let’s unwind for a bit first. Lucy gave you a hard time tonight. What got into the woman?’

‘She resents me.’ Kate kicked off her shoes to curl up in a corner of the sofa among the new cushions. ‘Before Anna’s party the Beresford dinner table was the only one in town you’d graced with your presence, so Lucy feels possessive where you’re concerned. I’m afraid she took one look at me when she arrived tonight and jumped to the obvious conclusion. She was jealous.’

Jack groaned. ‘Dammit, Kate, the woman’s married to someone I do business with, and has a couple of teenage children. Besides, I don’t find her remotely attractive.’

‘Maybe not, but Lucy lusts after you, Jack.’

‘God!’ He rubbed a hand over his chin, his eyes eloquent with distaste. ‘Next time George needs a lift home I’ll get him a taxi.’

‘In the meantime I’ll take you up on that offer of a drink. I’d like some tea.’

‘You sit by the fire and I’ll make it,’ he said promptly.

‘No, I’ll come with you. I need a chat with Bran.’

‘A fine thing,’ said Jack as they crossed the hall, ‘when a man is jealous of his own dog.’

Kate chuckled. ‘He’s a very handsome chap.’

Bran was wildly delighted to see them and after an interval of greeting and patting Kate perched on the table, swinging her feet, and Bran sat as near as he could get, gazing up at her in adoration.

‘Just a teabag in a mug will do,’ she told Jack as he filled the kettle. ‘Make it strong. I need it.’

‘I need something stronger than tea,’ he said with feeling. ‘I enjoyed my first shot at home entertaining, but next time I’ll ask a different pair to make up the six.’