Kissing Maggie Silver Read Online Free PDF Page B

she had let him see her staring. What was the matter with her that instead of acting normally, like she had when they first met yesterday, she was letting the memories of her silly schoolgirl crush take over?
    “Sorry, I was miles away,” she lied. Then, ignoring Ruairi’s chuckle, she turned away and watched the traffic out of the window. The rest of the journey passed in silence and by the time he drew up outside a shabby redbrick building she had regained her composure.
    “This doesn’t look very promising,” she said, as they negotiated broken paving stones in the garden path.
    Set back off the road, the property was surrounded by a crumbling wall, while all that remained of the gate was a forlorn and rusty hinge. An estate agent was waiting for them, key in hand. She introduced herself and then led the way inside. The interior was just as awful as Maggie had predicted and they were outside on the pavement again within five minutes.
    The next three apartments were all equally dispiriting and it wasn’t until they pulled up outside the last address on the list that things began to improve. Climbing out of the car Ruairi looked approvingly at a large detached house set in a neat garden.
    “This looks better,” he muttered in Maggie’s ear as they waited for the agent to unlock the door.
    A tour had her green with envy for the unknown Johanna. The house had recently been divided into four separate apartments, one of which was still vacant. It had the latest kitchen and bathroom fittings, polished wooden floors and pale walls. Maggie loved it all. If she had been looking for an apartment of her own then this was exactly what she would have chosen, right down to the view of the enclosed garden through a wide picture window.
    “I love it,” she said, forgetting for a moment that she despised domesticity and intended to travel.
    By the time she left them it was quite clear the agent thought they were moving in together. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy here,” she said, shaking hands with both of them. “I’ll be in touch as soon as the tenancy agreement is ready for signature.”
    “She thinks it’s for us,” said Maggie crossly. “You could have put her right about that.”
    Ruairi grinned at her. “Maybe I didn’t want to. Maybe I wanted her to think I was moving in with a beautiful girl even if she does have a black scowl on her face. It’s good for a man’s ego you know…besides I’m not that bad a prospect. I am housetrained!”
    Maggie decided to ignore the picture his words conjured up in her mind. She didn’t want to think about sharing anything with Ruairi. She didn’t want to think about Ruairi full stop. It was time to change the subject.
    “What’s she like anyway?” she asked. “Johanna, I mean. What’s she like?”
    “Jo ? Tall, fair hair and blue eyes just about covers it. Oh and she’s a zoologist. That’s how I met her. She was working in a conservancy area where I was filming.”
    Great, thought Maggie gloomily as she climbed into the car. Now it’s Jo and she’s not only tall and blonde, she even works with wildlife, just like him. Well if she ever meets me she’ll realize she’s got absolutely nothing to worry about because an undersized primary school teacher is no competition at all.
    Ruairi, unaware of her despondency, was studying the map again. “I knew it. Look, there’s a park at the end of this road,” he said, pointing. “Let’s find somewhere to sit for a while you tell me all about this travel plan of yours.”
     
    * * *
     
    They didn’t discuss her travel plan though because when they reached the park they were greeted by shrieks of delight as three of Maggie’s nephews flung themselves at her.
    Their father, Maggie’s eldest brother Peter, greeted them with surprise. “Whatever are you two doing here?
    “I asked Maggie to help me with a spot of house hunting for a friend,” explained Ruairi. “I needed a female perspective.”
    Peter’s