The Invitation (Matchmaker Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF

knee-high leather boots. A wide black belt slanted low across his hips, and if it lacked the scabbard for a dagger or a sword, the effect was the same.
    “He forgot the eye patch,” Shaye warbled hysterically.
    “Shh! He’s darling!” Victoria whispered under her breath. Smiling broadly—and never once releasing Shaye, who, she knew, would head in the opposite direction given the first opportunity—she started up the gangplank. At the top, she put her free hand in the one Samson offered and stepped onto the deck. “It’s a delight to meet you at last, Professor VanBaar. I’m Victoria Lesser, and this is my niece, Shaye Burke.”
    Shaye was too busy silently cursing her relationship with Victoria to say much of anything, but she managed a feeble smile in return for the open one the professor gave her.
    “Welcome to the Golden Echo, ” he said, quietly now that they were close. “I trust you had no problem finding us.”
    “No, no,” Victoria answered brightly. “None at all.” She made a grand visual sweep of the boat, trying to see as little as possible while still conveying her point. “This is charming!”
    Shaye nearly choked. When Victoria gave a tight, warning squeeze to her elbow before abruptly releasing it, she tipped back her head, closed her eyes and drew in an exaggerated lungful of Caribbean air. It was certainly better than having to look at the boat, and though Samson VanBaar was attractive enough, the insides of her eyelids were more reassuring than his getup.
    “I felt that the Golden Echo would be more in keeping with the spirit of this trip than a modern yacht would be,” he explained. “She’s a little on the aged side, but I’ve been told she’s trusty.”
    Shaye opened one eye. “You haven’t sailed her yet?”
    Almost imperceptibly he ducked his head, but the tiny movement was enough to suggest guilt. “I’ve sailed ones like her, but I just flew in yesterday myself, and the bulk of my time between then and now had been spent buying supplies. I hope you understood why I couldn’t properly welcome you in Barranquilla last night.”
    “Of course,” Victoria reassured him gently. “It worked out just as well, actually. We were both tired after the flight.”
    “You slept well?”
    “Very well.”
    “Good.” He ran a forefinger along the corner of his mouth, as though unsure of what to say next. Then his eyes brightened. “Your bags.” He quickly spotted them on the pier. “Let me bring them aboard, then I’ll give you the Cook’s tour.”
    He’d no sooner descended the gangplank when Shaye whirled on Victoria. “The Cook’s tour?” she whispered wildly. “Is he the cook or are we?”
    “Don’t fret,” Victoria whispered back with confidence, “there’s a cook.”
    “Like there’s a lovely stateroom for us to share? Do you have any idea what’s down there?”
    “Nope. That’s what the Cook’s tour is for.”
    “Aren’t you worried?”
    “Of course not. This is an adventure.”
    “The boat is a wreck!”
    “She’s trusty.”
    “So says the professor who’s staging Halloween three months early.”
    Victoria’s eyes followed Samson’s progress. “And I thought he’d be stuffy. He’s precious!”
    “Good. Since you like him so well, you won’t need my protection after all. I’ll just take my bag and head back—”
    “You will not! You’re staying!”
    “Victoria, there’ll be lots of other people…” The words died on her lips. Her head remained still while her eyes moved from one end of the empty deck to the other. She listened. “Where are they? It’s too quiet. We were ten minutes late, ourselves. Where are the others?”
    Victoria was asking herself the same question. Her plan was contingent on there being other treasure seekers, specifically of the young and good-looking male variety. True, in terms of rest alone, the trip would be good for Shaye, and Victoria always enjoyed her niece’s company. But matching her up with a