Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice Read Online Free PDF

dismissing Calder from her mind. Chances were she'd never see him again anyway.

Chapter 3

    CASSIE HAD DREAMED ABOUT Ryan again, about the day they went into Philadelphia to buy new, safer clothes for him to wear. In reality it had been a wonderful day, spent getting to know him again after all those years apart, but in the dream, the street outside the store was filled with men with knives. She tried to stop Ryan from leaving, but he said, You know I hav e to, Cass. She awoke in terror as the first knives struck.
       The edgy feeling of it stayed with her all day, making her jump at unexpected noises. It was starting to fade by late afternoon, when Scott knocked tentatively on the lab door. Cassie managed a warm greeting, even when she noticed Calder following him.
       Scott went straight to the microscope bench where Erin was working. "I tried calling you at home to see if you'd like to have dinner with me, but nobody answered, so I decided to walk over to see if you were here."
       "I'd love to, Scott, but we're running some gels tonight, and I need to be here to watch them." Erin's disappointment was obvious.
       Cassie wasn't going to pressure Erin into anything. "Nonsense. Run along and have fun. I can keep an eye on the gels, and counting bacteria can wait until tomorrow."
       "Are you sure?"
       "Absolutely. There isn't much to do here until the gels are done." Cassie wondered how much of a date it was going to be with Calder tagging along. Perhaps that was his intention. He had never given any indication of approving of the romance between Erin and Scott.
       "Well, if you're sure… then I'd be delighted to join you, Scott, thank you." Erin dropped a clear cover over the microscope.
       Scott looked pleased. Cassie could practically feel the electricity between the two of them. Well, no one deserved happiness more than Erin, and it looked like Scott's interest in her was genuine. She hoped Calder's presence didn't put too much of a damper on the occasion.
       To her surprise, he remained behind when Scott and Erin made their exit. She looked at him questioningly.
       He held out a book. "I wondered if you might want to borrow this. I heard what you said about it in the bookshop."
       She glanced down to see a copy of the hardcover she had admired. Did it make him uncomfortable when she said she couldn't afford it? She doubted people in his social sphere made a habit of loaning out their possessions, but his intention seemed genuine. "Have you read it already?"
       "Yes." One corner of his mouth quirked up, giving a slightly rakish look to his handsome features.
       So he was back to monosyllables. "Well, thank you, then." She sounded a bit dubious even to herself. "I'd love to borrow it. I'll get it back to you as soon as I've finished it." She set the book down on the counter, expecting him to say an abrupt good-bye now that the transaction was complete.
       Instead he stood there looking at her in an indecipherable manner. Was he so bored as to consider her company a distraction? Sighing inwardly, Cassie invited him to sit down for a few minutes. After all, he had been kind about the book, and she could stand a little distraction herself.
       "Perhaps I could help you with something, since Scott stole your assistant. If there's anything you can do with untrained labor, that is," he said, with more humor than she would have given him credit for.
       She revised her estimate of his situation to one of truly desperate boredom. Did he know anyone at all on the Cape apart from Scott? She forced herself to laugh. "That's a very generous offer, but you have no idea how dull it is to watch gels. Apart from that, I'll just be doing some preliminary work to set up for the next batch. But thank you."
       He didn't reply right away, but continued to look at her with his piercing gaze. Uncomfortably aware of him, Cassie picked up the book. She opened it to the flyleaf and saw