The Seduction Game

She felt a sudden sensuous tingle quivering along her nerve-endings that she had not experienced since Jack. And she resented it. More than that, feared it.

Dry-mouthed, she hurried into speech. ‘There’s not much to be happy about. You’re trespassing, and your dog has tried to kill my cat.’

‘Dogs chase cats. That’s a fact of life. They rarely if ever catch them. That’s another. And if he did get near I wouldn’t give much for his chances.’

His laconic drawl was infuriating. He turned towards the Labrador, put two fingers in his mouth to utter a piercing whistle, and called, ‘Buster.’ The dog came instantly to his side, eyes sparkling with excitement and tail wagging.

Tara glared at them both.

‘And what chance does my cat have—stuck there in that tree?’

‘Is she really stuck?’ he asked mildly. ‘I can probably do something about that.’

Tara took a deep breath. ‘The only thing that you can do is go. You’ve no right to be here. If you weren’t trespassing, none of this would have happened.’

‘And just what are your rights in all this?’

Tara jerked a thumb. ‘That happens to be my house.’

‘Really?’ The straight brows lifted. ‘Now I could have sworn it belonged to a Jim and Barbara Lyndon, who are both in their fifties and currently in South Africa. I must have been misinformed.’

‘They’re my parents.’ His easy assurance was unnerving. ‘And may I ask how you came by that information? ’

He shrugged. ‘People in the village are very helpful.’ He paused. ‘So it’s not really your house at all.’ It was a statement rather than a question.

Tara gritted her teeth. ‘If you want to split hairs...’

‘An excellent idea,’ he agreed affably. ‘You see, I was also told that this landing was a shared one with Dean’s Mooring.’

‘Back in the mists of time, perhaps.’ She hated the defensive note in her voice. ‘However, Mr Dean never used it. He didn’t even have a boat.’

‘Ah,’ he said softly. ‘But, you see, I have. And as clearly no one is using the Dean’s Mooring share at the moment, I’m borrowing it.’

‘But you can’t—not without permission from the owner,’ she protested wildly.

‘And do you know how to contact him?’ He was grinning openly now.

Tara could have ground her teeth. ‘Hardly,’ she returned stiffly. ‘As I’m sure you’re already aware, Mr Dean died some time ago.’

‘Ah,’ he said. ‘And I left the ouija board in my other jeans. Well, they say possession is nine tenths of the law, so it looks as if we’re going to be neighbours.’

‘But you can’t just—move in and take over like this.’

‘The evidence suggests I can—and I have. So why don’t we work out a co-existence pact.’

Because I don’t want you here, she thought. It’s too lonely—too remote to share with some passing stranger. And because you worry me in ways I don’t understand.

She hurried into speech. ‘You must see that’s impossible. You could be anybody.’

‘On the lines of escaped criminal, rapist or axe murderer, I presume.’ He gave her a weary look. ‘Would you like to see my driving licence—my gold card?’

‘The only thing I’d like to see is you and your boat sailing away,’ Tara said inimically. ‘There’s a marina about six miles upstream. You should find everything you need there.’

‘I think it’s a little premature to be discussing my needs,’ he drawled. ‘Besides, I’m quite contented where I am. And, as I was here first, maybe it’s you that should be moving on. But I won’t make an issue of it,’ he added kindly. ‘You’re welcome to stay as long as you don’t play loud music or throw wild parties. I like my peace and quiet.’

For a moment she couldn’t move or speak. Her eyes blazed into his—fire meeting ice. Then, with a small, inarticulate sound, she marched back to the house and went in, slamming the door behind her with such violence that a blue and white plate fell off the wall and smashed at her feet.

‘Oh, hell,’ said Tara, and, to her own surprise and disgust, burst into tears.

CHAPTER TWO

‘MELUSINE.’ Perched on an inadequate pair of steps, Tara held out a coaxing handful of meaty snacks. ‘Come on, darling.’

But Melusine only gave her a baleful glance, and continued to hang on to the precarious safety of her branch.

Tara groaned inwardly. She’d hoped against hope that Melusine would rescue herself somehow, but her pet clearly had other ideas. She wouldn’t climb down, and it was physically impossible for Tara to reach her.

Which left a drive to the village and a phone call to either the fire service or the local RSPCA, she thought despondently.

Nothing, but nothing, was going according to plan.

However, that still didn’t excuse or explain the pathetic bout of crying she’d indulged in earlier, she reminded herself. She didn’t usually walk away from confrontations, or behave like a wimp afterwards.

I handled the whole thing so badly, she thought, as if I’d forgotten every management skill I ever learned. But he caught me off-guard. Put me at a disadvantage.

But now, face washed, drops in her reddened eyes, and a modicum of blusher judiciously applied, she was back, firing on all cylinders. If she could just get Melusine down from this tree...

‘Having problems?’

The sudden sound of her adversary’s voice behind her made her jump. The steps lurched and Tara cried out, grabbing at the trunk of the tree in front of her.

‘Do you have to creep up on me?’ she snarled as she steadied herself.

‘It wasn’t intentional,’ he said. ‘I could see she wouldn’t budge, so I came to help. You need a longer ladder.’

‘Full marks for observation,’ Tara said between her teeth as she descended from the steps. The tatty jeans, she saw, had now been topped by an equally ancient checked shirt with a tear in one sleeve. ‘Unfortunately, this is as good as it gets.’

‘Not necessarily.’

She gave him a caustic look. ‘You have a ladder stashed on board your boat? How unusual.’

‘Not on board,’ he said. ‘But I noticed one earlier in an outhouse behind the cottage.’

‘You certainly haven’t been wasting your time.’ Tara felt cold suddenly. ‘And what about the contents of the cottage itself? Have you made an inventory of those too?’

‘I’ve had a look round.’ He nodded. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve never been tempted. Especially,’ he added pointedly, ‘as I believe you have a key.’

Tara flushed, silently damning the kindly but eager tongues in the village. ‘That’s for security purposes. I don’t pry into other people’s business,’ she added, lifting her chin.

Although she had been in Dean’s Mooring, her conscience reminded her. After Mr Dean’s death, she’d helped her mother clear out what little food there’d been, and strip and burn the bedding he’d used. Amid the squalor, there’d been several nice pieces of furniture, she recalled uneasily. Things which could easily tempt someone for whom honesty wasn’t a major factor.

‘Then you must be a saint.’ He paused. ‘But you don’t seem to be working any miracles where your cat’s concerned, so shall I fetch that ladder?’

She wanted to tell him to go to hell, and stuff his ladder where the sun didn’t shine, but discretion suggested a more conciliatory approach. After all, she didn’t want to spend the night at the foot of a tree, wooing an unresponsive cat.

‘Thank you,’ she said unsmilingly.

‘God, how that must have hurt,’ he said mockingly, and set off towards Dean’s Mooring.

Frowningly, she watched him go, broad-shouldered and narrow-hipped, covering the ground with his long, lithe stride. No matter how grave her doubts about him, she could not deny he possessed a lethal physical attraction. Which was not the kind of thing she needed to notice, she thought, biting her lip.

Her safest course might indeed be to pack up and return to London. Or even go down to Becky’s, she reminded herself without enthusiasm.

But that would leave her parents’ house defenceless, as well as Dean’s Mooring. Knowing that she was there, able to keep an eye on both properties, might prompt him to cut his losses and depart. If, indeed, he was there to steal.

She couldn’t believe he had just stumbled on Silver Creek by accident. On the contrary, he appeared to have done his homework thoroughly.

But the shabby clothes and generally unkempt appearance—at least two days’ growth of stubble, she’d noticed disapprovingly—didn’t match the glamorous cruiser. Unless he’d stolen that too, of course.

People with boats like that tended to enjoy showing them off on the broader stretches of the river. Mixing with others in a similar income bracket. So he must have a reason for hiding himself away in this secluded corner.

All in all, he was an enigma, and someone she could well do without. But he couldn’t be driven away. That was already more than clear.

Maybe sheer boredom and the total lack of amenities would do the trick in the end, and all she needed was patience.

I can only hope, she thought, sighing, as she watched him return, the ladder balanced effortlessly on his shoulder.

She watched him set it against the tree and wedge it securely, then stepped forward. ‘You’d better let me go up for her. She’s not very good with strangers.’

‘I wonder where she learned that,’ he murmured, his mouth slanting. ‘All the same...’

He put his foot on the bottom rung, and started to climb.

Melusine watched his approach, back hunched.

He’d either be scratched or totally ignored, Tara thought, smouldering with annoyance at his highhanded performance. And either would be more than acceptable to her. Serve him right for being an arrogant swine.

He reached the branch, stretched out a hand, and made a soft chirruping sound.

And Melusine, treacherous bloody animal that she was, rose gracefully, picked her way towards him, and jumped lightly on to his shoulder.

He murmured to her soothingly, then descended swiftly and competently, bending slightly so that Tara could retrieve her purring feline.

‘I have to thank you again,’ she said, her voice so wooden she could have spat splinters.

‘I’m sure it won’t become a habit,’ he returned. He scratched gently under Melusine’s chin, which she arched ecstatically to accommodate him. ‘She’s friendlier than you give her credit for.’

‘Not usually.’

He grinned again, the cool blue gaze looking her over with unashamed appraisal. ‘Then she’s like most women—contrary.’

‘And you’re like most men—sexist,’ Tara shot back at him.

‘Guilty as charged,’ he said cheerfully. ‘I believe in two genders, and thank God for each and every difference between them. But it doesn’t make me a bad person,’ he added his eyes fixed on the swift tightening of Tara’s mouth.‘So, what’s her name?’

‘Melusine,’ she said curtly.

‘A witch name,’ he said musingly, then laughed softly. ‘Now, why does that not surprise me?’ He stroked the cat’s glossy head with his forefinger. ‘How do you do, my proud beauty? I’m Adam Barnard. And I hope you’re none the worse for your ordeal.’

Adam Barnard Tara felt the name stir in her mind with something like pleasure.

She hurriedly covered her involuntary reaction with waspishness. ‘You’d better leave the ladder where it is. When your dog gets loose, Melusine will be back up the tree again, looking for sanctuary.’

‘I may join her.’ His tone was grim, the tanned mobile face suddenly austere as he looked her over. ‘Did no one ever tell you the Cold War is over?’

Tara’s lips tightened. ‘I didn’t come down to play good neighbours.’

‘Just as well.’ He shrugged. ‘Clearly you’d be lousy at it. As a matter of interest, why are you here looking for splendid isolation?’ The blue eyes quizzed her. ‘Hiding from something?’

‘Certainly not.’ Tara returned his gaze levelly. ‘I came to do some work on the house. It’s a while since anyone’s been here, and I don’t want it falling into rack and ruin...’

‘Like Dean’s Mooring,’ he suggested.

‘Yes, actually. I think it’s a tragedy to leave the place abandoned like that, with no one to care for it.’

‘Is that what the previous owner did? Cared?’

There was an odd note in his voice.

‘I—I don’t know,’ Tara said defensively. ‘I didn’t know Mr Dean very well. No one did. He hardly ever went out, and no one came to see him. Even when he was ill he wouldn’t have the doctor, or the district nurse. But I suppose he was happy in his own way.’

‘Keeping himself to himself.’ He nodded reflectively. ‘It seems to be catching.’

Tara bit her lip in annoyance. Her arms must have tightened on Melusine too, because the cat began to wriggle.

‘I’d better take her indoors,’ she said quickly. ‘Well—as I said—thank you.’

‘Is that all?’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘I was thinking you could offer me some rather more—tangible form of gratitude.’ The blue eyes watched her coolly, consideringly, lingering, it seemed, on the curve of her mouth.

She felt a shiver of tension curl down her spine. She’d been a fool to hang around out here, allowing him to needle her, she thought grimly. She should have stuck with cold and dismissive, and got the hell out of it.

She took a step backwards, trying to be casual. ‘I’ve already been as grateful as I’m likely to get.’

‘Are you quite sure about that?’ He sounded faintly amused.

She thought longingly of her mobile phone, in a desk drawer at her flat in London.

‘Convinced,’ she said curtly. ‘Now you must excuse me.’

If she made it to the front door, she promised herself, she would walk straight through the house, grabbing her bag and Melusine’s basket on the way, out through the back entrance, into her car and off. Destination unknown and unimportant.

‘That’s a shame,’ he said softly. ‘You see, for the past hour I’ve been having these amazing fantasies, and you’re the only one who can fulfill them.’

She must have heard the words ‘her blood ran cold’ hundreds of times, without beginning to guess what it could feel like to have ice crawling below the surface of her skin. But she knew now. Felt the ache of it paralyse her. Stultify her reasoning.

‘So, Miss Tara Lyndon.’ His voice was barely above a whisper. ‘Are you going to make all my dreams come true?’

‘When hell freezes over.’ Her tone was ragged, but she lifted her chin and stared at him with contempt and antagonism. Maybe if she defied him, let him see she was no one’s push-over, he’d back off.

He sighed. ‘I was afraid of that. Mrs Pritchard will be so disappointed.’

Tara had the curious impression she was involved in some kind of alternative reality. Or had her opponent simply escaped from somewhere?

She said hoarsely, ‘What’s Mrs Pritchard got to do with anything? And how did you know my name?’

‘Well, you can’t possibly be Becky. You’re not wearing a wedding ring.’

He made himself sound like the voice of sweet reason, Tara thought furiously. Was there any family detail Mrs Pritchard hadn’t confided to him?

‘And she told me she’d made you one of her steak and kidney pies, because you like them so much,’ he went on, then paused. ‘I got the impression she thought you might be prepared to share it with me,’ he added wistfully. ‘And, after all, I did rescue your cat.’

Her lips moved for several seconds before any audible words were formed. Then, ‘You—want some steak and kidney pie?’ she asked slowly and very carefully. ‘Is that what you mean?’

‘What else?’ His face was solemn, but the blue eyes were dancing in challenge.

Tara wasn’t cold any more. She was blazing—burning up with temper. He’d made a total fool of her—reduced her to a shaken mass of insecurity—and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. She couldn’t even admit it. And they both knew it.

She swallowed deeply, forcing an approximation of a smile to her rigid mouth.

‘Then of course you shall have some.’ She shifted the indignant Melusine to look at her watch. ‘After all, I wouldn’t want to forfeit Mrs Pritchard’s good opinion. Shall we say eight o’clock?’

‘My God,’ he said slowly. ‘Under that stony exterior beats a living heart after all. I’ll be counting the minutes.’

Count away, Tara told him silently. By seven-thirty both I and my steak and kidney pie will be halfway back to London. And I won’t be coming back until you’re safely out of the picture. You may have charmed the Pritchards, but I’m not falling for your line. Not any more. I’ve been there and done that.

She made herself smile again. ‘Well—see you later.’

She walked away without haste, and without looking back, although she was aware that he was watching her every step of the way.

Look as much as you want, she thought. It’ll be your last opportunity.

As she closed the front door behind her she realised she was trembling all over. She halted, trying to steady her breathing, and Melusine, mewing violently, jumped from her arms and mooched into the kitchen, whisking her tail.

Tara went up to her room to retrieve her travel bag. She couldn’t resist a surreptitious peep out of the window, but Adam Barnard was nowhere to be seen. The ladder had disappeared too, so presumably he was putting it back where he’d found it. He certainly made very free with other people’s property, she thought, fuming. Well, she couldn’t stop him snooping round Dean’s Mooring, perhaps, but she could tip off the local police about his activities.

And she could find out which estate agency was handling the sale of the property and express the family’s interest in acquiring it. That would deal with unauthorised use of the mooring.

She stared across at the cabin cruiser. What was an unshaven scruff like Adam Barnard doing in charge of something so upmarket and glamorous? she wondered uneasily. He couldn’t be the owner, yet the boat didn’t have the look of a hire craft either.

But for that matter what was he doing here at all—and alone? He didn’t give the impression of a man addicted to solitude. And some women—probably flashy blondes—might even find his brand of raffish attraction appealing, she thought, ruthlessly quelling the memory of her own brief, unlooked-for response to him.

Just a slip of the reflexes, she assured herself. And no harm done. Which didn’t altogether explain why she was beating such a swift and ignominious retreat.

Tara bit her lip. To run away, of course, would be an open admission that she found him dangerous. That she’d taken his teasing seriously. And that would put her at the far greater risk of appearing an over-reactive and humourless idiot.

Although there was no real reason why she should care what he thought.

And why am I standing here debating the matter, anyway? she demanded vexedly.

Because you haven’t been able to pigeon-hole him, said a small voice at the back of her mind. Because so far he’s won every round. Because he’s a puzzle you can’t solve. Not yet.

He’d asked her if she was hiding from something, but she could well have levelled the same question at him. What could possibly have brought him to this secluded patch of river?

Unless, of course, the boat really was stolen, and he really was some kind of criminal.

The thought brought a renewed sense of chill. But, to be fair, he’d hardly made a secret of his presence, she reminded herself. After all, making Mrs Pritchard’s acquaintance was tantamount to telling the world.

On the other hand, he could be mounting some terrific double bluff. Making himself so visible and agreeable locally that no one would suspect a thing.

It disturbed her that he’d gained so much background information about her family, and so easily, too. If he was just a passing stranger, what possible use or interest could these details be to him?

Which led her back to the possibility that Adam Barnard did not see Silver Creek simply as a convenient backwater in which to pass a few lazy days.

So, what was his true motivation? And if he was up to no good could she afford to go and leave the house to his tender mercies? Maybe his needling of her had been a deliberate ploy, intended to goad her into flight.

If so, she thought with sudden grim resolution, he’s going to be unlucky. Because I won’t be driven away, after all. Not before I’ve found out a little in turn about the so-clever, so-attractive Mr Barnard.

Down in the kitchen, Melusine was sitting huffily by the fridge.

‘My poor girl.’ Tara ran a caressing hand down her back. ‘You’ve had quite a day. I’d better start making it all up to you, before you walk out on me.’

The Chinese had a curse, she recalled, as she opened a can of tuna and poured milk into a dish. ‘May you live in interesting times.’

Certainly the current situation seemed to be quite fascinating enough to fit into that particular frame.

And all she had to do was make sure that the curse did not fall on her. A task well within her capabilities.

But, even as she smiled to herself in quiet confidence, a sudden inner vision of Adam Barnard’s tanned face leapt into her mind.

In one shocked moment Tara saw the mocking twist of his firm lips, the little devils dancing in his blue eyes, and wondered if, perhaps, she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew.

By the time eight o’clock came, Tara felt as if she’d been stretched on wires. More than once she’d been tempted to revert to Plan A, and put some serious distance between herself and the enigmatic Mr Barnard.

At the same time she found herself preparing vegetables, putting the pie in the oven to reheat, and setting two places at the kitchen table.

When the bell finally rang, she took a deep breath, wiped damp palms on her denim-clad hips, and went to let him in.

For a moment she barely recognised him. He was clean-shaven, his hair was combed, and the torn jeans and shirt had been replaced by pale grey trousers and a black rollneck sweater which looked very like cashmere, and he was carrying a bottle of wine.

Nor was he alone. Before Tara could speak, Buster jumped up at her with a joyous yelp, then squeezed past and dashed along the passage towards the kitchen.

‘Oh, God,’ Tara wailed. ‘He’s after the cat. He’ll kill her.’

‘Not a chance.’ Adam Barnard laid a detaining hand on her arm as she prepared to set off in pursuit. ‘He’s a young male. It’s in his nature to hunt.’

‘Then why the hell did you bring him?’ She glared up at him.

‘So that they can get things sorted. If they’re going to be neighbours, they need to get along.’

Tara registered that in passing as she freed herself and made for the kitchen. It sounded, she thought with dismay, as if Adam Barnard was planning to stick around for some considerable time.

Then everything else was forgotten as she heard Buster begin to bark excitedly and Melusine’s answering and blood-curdling yowl.

‘Oh, baby.’ Heart thudding, she shot to the rescue.

One swift glance from the doorway told her the worst. The dog had Melusine cornered in a small dark space beside the washing machine, and was advancing on her aggressively, barking all the while.

‘See what you’ve done,’ she accused Adam Barnard, her voice shaking, as he joined her. ‘Call him off.’

‘No need,’ he said briskly. ‘I promise you.’

As Buster lunged forward, a black silk paw came out of the shadows and swiped him across the muzzle. He yelped in pain and surprise and jumped backwards, shaking his head.

‘See what I mean.’ Adam Barnard’s tone was dry. ‘The female of any species is always deadlier than any mere male.’

‘And I can do without the chauvinist remarks,’ Tara snapped. ‘She could have been badly hurt.’

‘Her nine lives are still intact. Poor old Buster is the one with the bloody nose.’ He reached down and scooped up Melusine, who dangled aloofly from his shoulder. ‘You big bully,’ he scolded softly. ‘Give my pup a break.’

Tara saw that the dog was indeed bleeding from a nasty scratch.