The Deserving Mistress

When had it happened?

More to the point, why had it happened? The last thing he needed, the last thing he wanted, was to fall in love with any woman, let alone one as prickly as May was turning out to be.

‘Jude?’ Max prompted concernedly.

He gave his friend a startled look, realising Max was still waiting for an answer to his casual statement. Casual to Max, that was. That was the last thing it was to Jude.

‘Quite something,’ he acknowledged hardly. ‘Although I didn’t really bring you out here to talk about the Calendar sisters,’ he added harshly.

‘You didn’t?’ Max leant back against the hire car. ‘You and May seemed to be getting along just fine when we all arrived,’ he added speculatively.

‘Don’t start,’ Jude warned, eyes glinting silver. Max and Will were probably the only two people who really knew him well, and the last thing he wanted was for either of them to get the idea he was interested in May in anything but a business way. ‘I want to buy this farm from her,’ he rasped. ‘I would hardly be rude to her.’

Max shrugged. ‘That’s never stopped you being rude to people in the past.’

‘You—’ Jude couldn’t help himself—he laughed. ‘You’re right.’ He nodded, still grinning ruefully. ‘But May’s been having a hard time of it managing here on her own.’ He shrugged. ‘I—I felt sorry for her.’

Max’s eyes widened at the admission.

As well they might, Jude accepted irritably. Feeling sorry for people he was trying to beat in business had never been part of his make-up, either. But it was better that Max think that than to have the other man guess how confused Jude’s emotions had really become where May was concerned. So confused he didn’t know what they were himself any more.

‘Not that she would thank me for the sentiment,’ he continued derisively. ‘The woman had more spikes than a hedgehog!’

Max laughed appreciatively. ‘So if you didn’t want to talk about the Calendar sisters, what did you bring me out here for?’

Jude straightened. ‘You remember April, of course?’ he prompted guardedly, knowing that the other man did; they had both become friends of April’s while in America.

‘Of course.’ Max nodded. ‘How did it go with her after I left the States—?’

‘She’s here,’ Jude cut in decisively. ‘At the hotel. Oh, not staying with me,’ he added impatiently as Max’s expression turned to one of speculation. ‘She had some business of her own to do over here, so we travelled over together, that’s all— What the hell are you looking at me like that for?’ he demanded as Max raised questioning brows.

‘Like what?’ Max returned innocently.

‘Oh, never mind.’ Jude felt too irritable, too disquieted altogether, to be able to deal with this right now. ‘The thing is that May has taken some sort of instant dis

like to her— You’re doing it again!’ he snapped as Max once again looked speculative.

Max shrugged. ‘April is a very beautiful woman—’

‘The way April looks has nothing to do with May’s dislike of her; as far as I can tell she disliked her before the two of them even met.’ He sighed his impatience.

‘Interesting,’ Max murmured slowly.

‘Interesting or not, all I want from you is a promise not to mention April’s name in the Calendar home. Don’t ask.’ He sighed again as Max looked more puzzled than ever. ‘I have yet to get to the bottom of that particular story, but when I do I’ll let you know, okay?’

‘Okay.’ Max shrugged, straightening. ‘Say hello to April for me,’ he added as Jude got into the car.

‘Will do.’ He nodded before driving away, hoping that Max wouldn’t see his hurried departure for what it really was.

Escaping from May and the confusion of emotions that suddenly went with her…

CHAPTER NINE

“I WANT to know exactly what you told Jude last night,’ May stated flatly.

‘And a good morning to you, too, May,’ April Robine returned dryly, perfectly composed as she moved to sit in the chair opposite May’s in the hotel lounge, looking as beautiful as ever in a tailored black dress that showed off the perfection of her figure and long, slender legs.

May continued to scowl; she hadn’t come here to exchange pleasantries with this woman.