worked for him.
Why, then, did he have the uncomfortable feeling that in Colleen, he’d met his match?
CHAPTER NINE
A FEW days later, finding herself in the unusual position of having nothing to do as Dora was sitting with Harry, Colleen made her way down to the kitchen in search of a cup of tea. The smell of baking drifting from the kitchen made her mouth water. Although it was only a couple of hours since she’d had breakfast she was suddenly starving. Maybe she should head back upstaris while there was still time? She’d always intended to lose weight before the wedding, but somehow she only had to look at a cake and the pounds crept on. Thinking about her wedding brought back that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Perhaps a slice of cake or some home-made bread would help get rid of the butterflies that seemed to have set up home in her stomach? Food always made her feel better.
Before she knew it her legs had carried her into the kitchen; to her delight, she found a freshly baked chocolate cake with lashings of fresh cream just sitting on the table begging to be eaten.
She cut three thick slices and placed them, along with a glass of milk, on a tray to take it up to Harry’s room. She was still mulling things over as she made her way up the kitchen stairs, concentrating on balancing thetray of milk and cake. It was no surprise, then, that she walked headlong into Daniel who was at the top of the stairs with his mobile in his hand. Needless to say the contents of the tray went everywhere. Chocolate cake and milk in a sodden mess on the floor, but, worst of all, all over Daniel’s dark-grey, once-immaculate suit.
‘Oh, my God,’ Colleen cried. ‘I’m so sorry.’ She dabbed at his jacket with a paper serviette she’d retrieved from the floor, but that only made matters worse. Daniel looked as if he’d been in a bun fight. ‘I’m such a clumsy idiot. Now you’ll be late!’
Daniel was looking down in horror at his suit. Colleen waited for the explosion that was bound to come, but to her surprise he laughed.
‘Hell, Colleen, do you think so little of me that you expect me to lose my cool over an accident? I’m just happy to know that Little Miss Perfect isn’t so perfect after all.’ His hand reached out and removed something from her cheek. ‘I have to admit a little chocolate cake makes you seem more human.’
Colleen felt the colour rise in her cheeks, but then she saw the funny side of it, too. ‘And I have to say, you look pretty good in chocolate cake, yourself.’ There was a roar in her ears as she realised what she’d said. ‘I mean—you look less severe…’ Oh dear that wasn’t what she meant to say either. ‘I mean more…relaxed.’ Maybe she should just stop talking. The problem was, or so her brothers were forever telling her, she never knew when to hold her tongue. ‘It’s just that sometimes you look…so scary, you frighten me, never mind Harry.’
The smile left his face. ‘I frighten you? I frighten my son?’ he growled. He actually growled. If he could hear himself, he would know why she found him scary.
‘What I mean is, I wouldn’t like to be on the opposingside to you in court. I bet you freeze witnesses with one look from those shockingly green eyes.’
He looked perplexed, but at least the gathering storm clouds on his face seemed to have gone. ‘You think my eyes are shockingly green?’
Shut up, Colleen!
she tried to tell the one part of herself that was still working—her brain.
Just stop talking and get the hell away from him as fast as your legs will carry you.
‘I don’t mean shocking in a bad way. They’re such an unusual shade of green I—one can’t help looking at them.’
A small smile was playing around Daniel’s mouth and those interesting green eyes crinkled at the corners. Colleen’s heart was thumping against her ribs. Forget the bit about her brain working. It had packed up and gone on a permanent holiday. Was she
Why, then, did he have the uncomfortable feeling that in Colleen, he’d met his match?
CHAPTER NINE
A FEW days later, finding herself in the unusual position of having nothing to do as Dora was sitting with Harry, Colleen made her way down to the kitchen in search of a cup of tea. The smell of baking drifting from the kitchen made her mouth water. Although it was only a couple of hours since she’d had breakfast she was suddenly starving. Maybe she should head back upstaris while there was still time? She’d always intended to lose weight before the wedding, but somehow she only had to look at a cake and the pounds crept on. Thinking about her wedding brought back that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Perhaps a slice of cake or some home-made bread would help get rid of the butterflies that seemed to have set up home in her stomach? Food always made her feel better.
Before she knew it her legs had carried her into the kitchen; to her delight, she found a freshly baked chocolate cake with lashings of fresh cream just sitting on the table begging to be eaten.
She cut three thick slices and placed them, along with a glass of milk, on a tray to take it up to Harry’s room. She was still mulling things over as she made her way up the kitchen stairs, concentrating on balancing thetray of milk and cake. It was no surprise, then, that she walked headlong into Daniel who was at the top of the stairs with his mobile in his hand. Needless to say the contents of the tray went everywhere. Chocolate cake and milk in a sodden mess on the floor, but, worst of all, all over Daniel’s dark-grey, once-immaculate suit.
‘Oh, my God,’ Colleen cried. ‘I’m so sorry.’ She dabbed at his jacket with a paper serviette she’d retrieved from the floor, but that only made matters worse. Daniel looked as if he’d been in a bun fight. ‘I’m such a clumsy idiot. Now you’ll be late!’
Daniel was looking down in horror at his suit. Colleen waited for the explosion that was bound to come, but to her surprise he laughed.
‘Hell, Colleen, do you think so little of me that you expect me to lose my cool over an accident? I’m just happy to know that Little Miss Perfect isn’t so perfect after all.’ His hand reached out and removed something from her cheek. ‘I have to admit a little chocolate cake makes you seem more human.’
Colleen felt the colour rise in her cheeks, but then she saw the funny side of it, too. ‘And I have to say, you look pretty good in chocolate cake, yourself.’ There was a roar in her ears as she realised what she’d said. ‘I mean—you look less severe…’ Oh dear that wasn’t what she meant to say either. ‘I mean more…relaxed.’ Maybe she should just stop talking. The problem was, or so her brothers were forever telling her, she never knew when to hold her tongue. ‘It’s just that sometimes you look…so scary, you frighten me, never mind Harry.’
The smile left his face. ‘I frighten you? I frighten my son?’ he growled. He actually growled. If he could hear himself, he would know why she found him scary.
‘What I mean is, I wouldn’t like to be on the opposingside to you in court. I bet you freeze witnesses with one look from those shockingly green eyes.’
He looked perplexed, but at least the gathering storm clouds on his face seemed to have gone. ‘You think my eyes are shockingly green?’
Shut up, Colleen!
she tried to tell the one part of herself that was still working—her brain.
Just stop talking and get the hell away from him as fast as your legs will carry you.
‘I don’t mean shocking in a bad way. They’re such an unusual shade of green I—one can’t help looking at them.’
A small smile was playing around Daniel’s mouth and those interesting green eyes crinkled at the corners. Colleen’s heart was thumping against her ribs. Forget the bit about her brain working. It had packed up and gone on a permanent holiday. Was she
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