Against Her Rules Read Online Free PDF Page A

fact, he’d clearly grown used to taking it for granted
that his teasing would be eagerly accepted. His sister had warned him of being
too sure of himself. How he hated that she was right.
      “I
think...I can...do that,” Elsie said, in the worst Captain Kirk impression he’d
ever heard in his life. And then she laughed again. “That was terrible, wasn’t
it?”
      “Well,
that depends.”
      “On
what, exactly?”
      “On
if you’re the kind of woman who appreciates the truth no matter what, or if you
prefer little white lies to spare your feelings.”
      “Absolute
truth,” she said. “Without a doubt. I’ve always preferred a straight shooter.”
      “Then
yes, that was truly terrible.”
      She
smiled. He wanted to make her smile more.
      “Thanks
for agreeing with me,” she said, and laughed again as she opened the door to
the inn. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go eat and relax. If you have
any requests through the night, just dial zero. Tom is our night guy and he'll
take care of you. He’s always complaining about how little there is for him to
do, so don’t worry about bothering him.”
      It
was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that the only thing he’d need during
the night couldn’t be provided by Tom, but then his inner-cautionary voice
warned him to just shut up.
      “Enjoy
your night, Cam,” she said, before ducking into a door clearly marked Staff
Only.
    ––––––––
      F ive
hours later, Cam was most definitely not enjoying his night. The bed was
comfortable, the complimentary decanter of whisky in the room was delicious,
and much to his amusement, a cat had found its way into his room and was now
curled up next to him. Despite all the comfort, he couldn’t sleep.
      Obsession
was the word that sprang to mind. And it worried him. He hadn’t had a sleepless
night over a woman since his only serious relationship had ended more than ten
years ago. And those sleepless nights were spent wondering where she was and
who she was with. Now here he was tossing and turning over a woman he’d spent
only minutes with. And she clearly had no interest in him. He had two weeks
booked to get these drawings done, and he couldn’t let this impractical
obsession get in the way of his mission.

Chapter
Four
      A s
he shaved the next morning, Cam concocted a plan, even if it was a simple one.
Have breakfast, and go in search of birds. If he happened to see Elsie at some
point, he would be polite—there was no harm in trying that approach—but would
refrain from acting like some horny teenager. That he felt like one was his own
problem. It was a beautiful day to get some work done.
      Cam
pulled on a long-sleeved jersey shirt and tucked it into his grey cords. He
double-checked his coat to make sure there was a hat in there in case it was
colder than it looked, and headed down for breakfast.
      He
wasn’t surprised to find he was the only one there. He doubted other guests had
a reason to be up and about at seven. He grabbed a coffee and a thick slice of
bread still warm from the oven. Today’s breakfast was a savoury quiche loaded
with cheese, bacon, peppers, and mushrooms, and he polished off two pieces in
under ten minutes. In the short time he’d sat looking out the window he’d
spotted dozens of birds dancing in the wind. His favourite way to draw wildlife
was to watch the animal in motion. You got better grasp of its personality that
way. He had a feeling it was going to be a productive day.
      “And
where are you heading this morning, me ducky?”
      He’d
almost escaped the house unnoticed.
      “Good
morning, ma’am. I didn’t think to see you so early.”
      “Oh,
call me Ida. Ma’am makes me feel my age. And don’t go askin’ me what that is.”
She playfully pushed on his arm.
      “And
I’m just doin’ me job. I have to make sure that when all you folks are leaving
for the day I can set you on your journey right. So where are