In Separate Bedrooms Read Online Free PDF Page B

at the boarding-kennels yesterday afternoon,’ he continued determinedly. ‘I believe you were discussing a womaniser and a greedy pig …? The greedy pig in question apparently having four girlfriends?’
    Mattie’s heart sank even more. It must be in her shoes by now!
    She moistened dry lips—surprisingly so, considering all the wine she had spluttered over herself seconds ago!
    It didn’t help that the damned man looked so attractive. She had deliberately dressed casually herself, in faded denims and a white tee shirt with ‘Sexy’ printed on the front, in the hope of playing down the importance of this meeting. But Jack Beauchamp was dressed just as casually, also in faded denims, his own rugby-style top just making him look more athletic. In fact, he should be the one wearing a tee shirt that said ‘Sexy’—as a warning to women to beware!
    And the last thing she should be thinking about right now was how attractive the man was. The problem was, she just didn’t know what to say in answer to this frontal attack!
    ‘Oh, come on, Mattie,’ he chided. ‘You didn’t seem to have too much trouble articulating your feelings yesterday.’
    ‘Or tonight, either!’ she snapped, stung into replying now. ‘Okay, so that was you I was discussing with my mother yesterday, but that doesn’t mean—doesn’t mean—’
    ‘Yes?’ he pushed.
    She glared at him. ‘I made a mistake, okay?’ she bit out at him resentfully. ‘Everyone makes mistakes occasionally.’ Even you, her tone implied.
    ‘So they do,’ he acknowledged in that too-mild voice. ‘But which mistake of yours are we referring to?’
    This was actually a really nice pub, out in the country, with an olde-worlde atmosphere that seemed natural rather than contrived. There was a very attractive man sitting at her side and in other circumstances Mattie would have enjoyed herself. In other circumstances …
    ‘Look, I was the one who came to see you this morning,with the intention of apologizing for my mistake, and—and—’
    ‘Yes?’ Jack prompted as she broke off to look at him quizzically.
    ‘What do you mean, which mistake of mine?’ Mattie frowned.
    ‘Ah.’ He gave a humourless smile. ‘So you’ve finally realized that you may have made more than one.’
    The only one that she could see was in daring to challenge this man—which, she freely admitted, was definitely a mistake! But Jack seemed to be implying she had got something else wrong …?
    ‘You mentioned your family yesterday,’ she began again slowly. ‘I assumed you meant a wife and children …?’
    ‘No wife. No children,’ he told her evenly. ‘Parents. And several siblings. One of which you met earlier today.’
    Mattie looked sceptical. ‘And they are the family you’re going away with to Paris this weekend?’ He couldn’t really expect her to believe that explanation! Paris was a place for lovers, not for a man in his early thirties to visit with his parents and siblings!
    He nodded, totally unconcerned by her obvious scepticism. ‘My youngest sister—Alexandra; you met her earlier,’ he reminded her.
    ‘Yes …’ Mattie agreed, still not convinced about that particular relationship.
    He shrugged. ‘She recently became engaged, and decided that she would like to have her celebration dinner at the restaurant on the Eiffel Tower.’
    Mattie didn’t know whether to laugh at the absurdity of this explanation, or to feel envious that someonecould actually decide such a thing—and then it happened! Whichever way, it sounded highly unlikely to her.
    ‘So you don’t have a wife,’ Mattie accepted; maybe she could concede she might have been wrong about that.
    ‘Or four girlfriends,’ Jack Beauchamp told her firmly.
    ‘Well … probably not any more!’ Mattie couldn’t hold back her grin.
    He still wasn’t sporting any visible signs of having recently encountered a woman—or indeed four women!—scorned, but for a man with a number of girlfriends he