Mad About The Man Read Online Free Page A

the generous offer of work. Well, she wasn't, Jacques knew, but he was damned if he could begin to understand why. He'd noted a general air of sluggishness pervading Gold strike every time he'd driven through on the way to his house in the foothills beyond.
    "How much do you know about my plans, I won der." Perhaps it was time to explain more to the lo cals. He'd hesitated to do so while so much was un certain, but now everything was set to go.
    The woman moved next to him and stared out of the window. "You intend to bring Goldstrike into the twentieth century. That's what your assistant told me." The brim of the hat shaded her face, cast rounded shadows beneath her high cheekbones. Her skin was smooth and pale with the faintest peachy blush on her cheeks.
    "Rita has a somewhat … individual way of putting things sometimes." No, Gaby McGregor was not delighted with whatever picture Rita had painted. "I've been coming through this valley for almost fifteen years now—since I was a teenager—"
    "To your house. Everyone here knows about it."
    Did everyone here also feel as hostile about the subject as Gaby McGregor did? "Have you seen La Place?"
    She gave a short laugh. "La Place. No, I haven't seen it."
    "You sound as if you've decided you wouldn't like it."
    She looked at him and shrugged. "I'm never likely to see it, and it really doesn't matter whether or not I'd like it."
    Jacques made no attempt to ignore the fact that the shrug had allowed t he wide neck of a lacy red over- blouse to slip from an ivory shoulder. "I hope you will see it," he said with absolute honesty. "It's a beautiful house. You'd look good in it."
    She blushed slightly and wonderfully and ran her tongue over her lips, leaving the skin moist… and driving the dart of desire ever more sharply into the part of him that made his pants suddenly too tight.
    "Rita spoke to me from the phone in the limo. Since I was coming through town, anyway, I decided to stop and talk to you myself." There was some other element here, something completely different from anything he remembered feeling. He was prob ably reacting to the unusual sensation that he was being confronted by a will as strong as his own. "Tell me what concerns you. There is something?"
    The breath she drew raised her full breasts again. Through the loose, lacy blouse he could see that she wore a strapless red top. Between the top and the waist of slim pants there was the suggestion of slim, bare midriff.
    He checked her left hand. No rings. What did a single woman, one who looked and sounded like Gaby McGregor, do for diversion in a sleepy town several hours' drive from civilization?
    One thing she didn't do was talk a lot.
    "Isn't it pretty quiet here?"
    "In Goldstrike, you mean?"
    He could watch that mouth form words for a very long time. "Yes, in Goldstrike. Don't you get bored?" Now he sounded as if he was coming on to her.
    "I never get bored."
    Strike one. He looked around the shop. To his in expert eye her merchandise appeared completely out of place for the area. "You make hats." It could be that she'd bought all this stuff somewhere just to use for decoration.
    He caught Gaby's eye and winced. "Did I say something wrong?" She was staring at him with something close to green hatred.
    "Didn't you send Rita here because you knew I 'made' hats, as you put it?"
    "Yes." Realization dawned. She felt threatened by him. "I really did mean that I'd like you to fill an order for me. I don't usually deal with these things myself, but—"
    "Rita told me how carefully you avoid the little people."
    "As I was saying. I usually leave the people I hire to deal with such matters. Goldstrike is special to me. I want to be personally involved." He would only take just so much unwarranted antagonism. "Do you feel threatened?"
    She stared. "Threatened?"
    "By me."
    Her laugh made his spine tingle. "Men don't frighten me, Mr. Ledan."
    "I didn't mean physically."
    "Neither did I."
    Jacques walked behind her and