Jumping in Puddles Read Online Free PDF Page B

flattened her hand over her pounding heart. She’d never felt such an instant attraction to anyone. She’d stood tongue-tied on the doorstep while he railed at her. No way would she usually put up with that. He wasn’t the one she was supposed to fall in love with, but… oh damn.
    “Are you okay?” Henry asked.
    She wasn’t sure she’d ever be okay again. “Will he be all right?”
    “I hope so. He isn’t always quite as bad tempered as that. Come in. Fancy a bowl of soup?”
    Henry gestured her inside. He looked kind and he was. He wanted to help Jago, and Ellie felt bad that in asking her to come here, Henry thought that was exactly what he was doing. In reality, she’d manipulated him over the phone into inviting her, though she hadn’t thought he’d let her stay with him. Maybe he was embarrassed by Jago’s behavior.
    After she and her father had researched Sharwood Hall and read about the need for restoration, they’d come up with a plan to get her access to the building. When the time was right, she’d steer the conversation toward the ring. The family’s hopes rested on the Kewen being here, but they’d decided it must have been hidden, or Jago would have sold it before now. What they didn’t know was whether he’d found all of it, or just that one piece.
    Her parents had been so excited when she’d turned up with the ring. Her mother had sobbed, and her father told her he’d never been prouder, never loved her more. They’d celebrated late into the night. Her mother got drunk for the first time that Ellie remembered, but a sad drunk, not a happy one. She wondered about that, but the next day her mother reassured her, told her how happy Ellie had made her father. But not her?
    She followed Henry down a hallway.
    “You can sleep in here,” he said.
    Henry was in his early fifties with thick gray hair, a tanned face, strong chin, and gentle eyes. He was good-looking but tired and worried, rather like Jago.
    She looked at the double bed, blue curtains splattered with gold stars, and shelves full of books. “Perfect.”
    “There’s a bathroom through there. Towels in the linen closet. When you’re ready, come and find the kitchen.”
    “Thank you.”
    Ellie put down her bag and unzipped it. She hung her red jacket over the tub to catch the drips and then followed her nose. Henry ladled out two steaming bowls of soup and cut chunks of bread. She sat at the old wooden table and smiled across at him.
    “You’re much younger than I expected,” he said.
    “I’m older than you think.” A lot older . She inhaled the aroma of the soup and bread. “Smells delicious.” It tasted delicious too.
    “What did Jago say?” Henry asked.
    “More or less what you thought. I think he missed out cavity wall insulation.”
    Henry laughed. “He’s always been broody and unreadable, but he didn’t used to be quite so intolerant. He has a lot to deal with.” He exhaled. “Is this something you can handle? A country house rescue? Making Jago see sense?”
    “What sort of sense do you want him to see? To find a way to keep Sharwood or to sell it?”
    “Whatever is best for him.”
    “He has to want to be helped.”
    Henry sighed. “That’s the problem. He doesn’t know what he needs. One moment he’s trying to sell it, the next he’s not.”
    Actually, she didn’t care whether he wanted to be helped or not. This was a guy who didn’t know what was good for him, and she could show him the world was a better place than he thought. Her purpose for being here had expanded. She wanted to find the Kewen and help Jago as well, because the black-haired owner of Sharwood with a face like a rainstorm and a temper to match had jumped straight into her heart. Love at first sight . Ellie’s heart blazed like a furnace.
    “What about payment?” Henry raised his eyebrows. “I’m on a limited budget here.”
    She swallowed. “Although I’m experienced in business solutions and life coaching, this will