Mountain Mystic Read Online Free PDF Page B

only suggested. He looked rugged and completely dangerous for her peace of mind. “I do have a good reason for being here.”
    “Sweetheart, that does not surprise me,” he told her with a smile. “I’m just not too sure that we agree on what constitutes a good reason.”
    There it was again. An endearment. Highly inappropriate and completely unrehearsed. Richard had pushed all the emotional buttons deliberately; Joshua seemed to be doing it unconsciously. Richard reprimanded; Joshua teased. Richard never looked at her as if she were an oasis in the middle of a desert.
    When her eyes suddenly looked away, Joshua realized his baser instincts were showing. She had that effect on him, and he’d have to help her get used to the idea. Either that, or spend a lot of time looking atthe top of her head. A shy midwife was enough to boggle the mind and provoke testosterone.
    Darkness and silence descended on the hollow at the same time. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Exactly what would pass muster as a good reason?”
    “Did you bring me Chinese takeout as a gesture of friendship?”
    “I didn’t know I could get Chinese takeout around here. What other excuse will qualify?”
    “Offering to help me move would be good.”
    “Right! That’s exactly why I’m here.” She rubbed her hands together and started past him for the front of the cabin. “I would love to help you move. I’m free right now, as a matter of fact.”
    “Victoria Bennett, that’s a boldfaced lie.” Joshua grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. “You don’t expect me to swallow that tripe, do you?”
    “But I am free right now.” She laughed. “Promise.”
    “No, the other part,” he told her as he squeezed her shoulders gently. “The part about coming up here to help me move.”
    “That part’s … true too.” She stumbled over the words as his fingers massaged her shoulders and his thumbs rubbed tiny magic circles against her collarbones, bared by the scoop neck of her top.
    “Now, why would you want to help me move?” he asked, his eyes and hands promising pots of gold at the end of a sensual rainbow.
    That thought sobered her instantly. She didn’t believein rainbows anymore. Richard taught her that it was foolish to believe in promises. Being lonely made her forget sometimes. Taking a step back, she told him the truth. “Because the sooner you move out, the sooner I can move in.”

THREE
    Joshua gave himself a few minutes to think before he said no. The prospect of having Victoria close was tempting, but he couldn’t take the chance. He didn’t need people around. He didn’t need the responsibilities of being a landlord. He needed peace and quiet. How was he going to have that with this woman living practically in his backyard?
    “No one’s moving in here.”
    “Don’t be silly. Why should a perfectly good cabin stand vacant?”
    “Winter.”
    Victoria put her hands on her hips. “I’m going to have to deal with winter in the mountains regardless of where I live, Joshua.”
    “This cabin was built fifty years ago. It’s hardly up to a winter.”
    “What’s wrong with it?”
    “Everything.”
    “Not according to Wally Grenwald. All this place needs is a roof patch and a telephone.”
    “Doc Grenwald doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Joshua told her, even though the doctor was right. The place might look a bit ragged, but it was sound. A few more pieces of corrugated tin would fix the roof problems.
    “Oh, I think he does know what he’s talking about. He said you didn’t like having people around”—Joshua shot her a grim look—“and obviously he was right about that too. But I promise not to bother you. If you want to be an eccentric recluse, have at it. But first fix the roof and rent me the cabin.”
    Joshua didn’t tell her that she bothered him already. A lot. Just standing there with her hands on her hips and her breasts outlined by the soft, clinging fabric of her blouse. She