Dragon's Curse (Harlequin Nocturne) Read Online Free PDF

and hoped there were none that lived and breathed
here.
    Running into one mythical beast at Mirabilus had been enough
for her. She had no desire to ever repeat the experience.
    She took a breath, folded her hands in her lap and looked at
Mr. Drake. She needed to convince him she was the right person for this
position.
    “I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never tackled a project
this size before. But it seemed too much an interesting challenge to refuse.”
Her well-practiced speech rolled easily from her lips. When in truth, she could
kill what was supposed to be an indestructible ivy plant in ten days—tops. What
she knew about gardening and landscaping had been learned in the past couple
weeks—from between the pages of books, websites and countless gardening shows on
cable.
    “So, you like challenges?”
    No. She liked it when things were predictable. She was a
project manager with a background in systems. Schedules, flowcharts and to-do
lists were more up her alley. She preferred to know what was going to happen
from one minute to the next. Ariel nodded. “Yes, I love them.”
    “Have you given any thought to the outdoor maze?”
    “Maze?” She frowned, trying not to panic. Nobody had mentioned
a maze. “What maze?”
    Mr. Drake stared at her, and for a second she wondered if she’d
just blown the interview. Finally, his hard features eased and he shook his
head. “Maybe we didn’t mention the maze to the agency.”
    Ariel swallowed. He’d tried to set her up. Why? Had he guessed
she was here under false pretenses? How? She was certain she hadn’t given him
any clues.
    Mr. Renalde had warned her what would happen if she failed him
this time. He had promised her that Carl’s death would fade to nothing compared
to her own.
    She knew Mr. Drake was waiting for a response. She leaned
forward, more to settle her rolling stomach than anything else. “If you did,
they forgot to mention it to me. I would have remembered something so grand.
It’s an outdoor maze you said?”
    To let him think she was visualizing the design, she closed her
eyes. He didn’t need to know she was mentally scrambling to remember what she
had read. “Boxwood could be an excellent choice for the border. If the parent
plants are of good stock, you could propagate your own replacement plants from
cuttings.”
    When he remained silent, she continued, “Yew could be another
option.” She opened her eyes and shook her head. “No, that might not work. Do
your guests bring their children or pets?”
    “Why?”
    “The plant is poisonous. Kids might be attracted to the
berries.” Ariel snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it. Thuja…white cedar would be
perfect. It grows fast, stays green year round and has that holiday-evergreen
scent.”
    He just kept looking at her, studying her. She wondered if he
was waiting for her to make a mistake. Would he know if she did? She sat back in
her chair. “Forgive my eagerness. I got carried away.”
    “No need to apologize.” Mr. Drake rose. “It shows your
interest.” He came around his desk and took a seat in the chair next to her.
    He was tall. She’d noticed that when he’d opened the door to
his office. He moved with the fluid grace of an athlete. Very little effort
seemed to go into his movements.
    What she’d not noticed was the length of his legs, or the width
of his chest and shoulders. He dwarfed the armchair. Yet, when he stretched his
legs out before him, he appeared comfortable. She only wished she could be half
as relaxed.
    “Since you live in Ohio, would there be a problem with moving
to Tennessee?” Cam wanted to keep her talking. Her nervousness increased with
every passing minute.
    “No, that wouldn’t be a problem at all. There isn’t anything to
keep me from relocating.”
    A sudden movement from the ancient pun-sai dragon tree on the
corner of his desk caught his attention. The blasted plant was slowly inching a
branch toward Ms. Johnson. Silently, he ordered,