Nights in White Satin: A Loveswept Classic Romance Read Online Free Page B

question died unasked. She was wearing a light cotton short-sleeved sweater and a flowing flowered skirt. He’d noticedearlier how the hem swirled around her calves. For some reason, he had been expecting tight jeans that would detail every inch of her legs. Instead, his imagination was left to run rampant at the faint outline of slender thighs under the soft material. He’d never considered a woman’s ankle a particularly erotic part of her body, but seeing Jill’s as she crossed her legs made his blood pressure rise.
    Realizing he was staring, Rick tore his gaze away. His damned imagination had been having a field day ever since she’d arrived. He had come in very late the previous night, too late for dinner. After a few more choice words from Grahame about manners, he’d gone to a bed that had never seemed lonely—until then. He’d reminded himself before falling asleep that he had to spend time with his grandmother, but the restless anticipation in his body told him who he really wanted to see.
    He noticed deep circles under her eyes and knew she hadn’t slept well either. Probably she was having trouble adjusting to the time changes. It was too much to think it was him.
    “Are you sure you’re not sick, Jill?” Lettice asked. “You look awful.”
    “Thank you, Lettice,” Jill said, smiling wryly. “You look lovely too.”
    Rick chuckled at his grandmother’s sudden questioning frown. Not very many people got the best of her.
    “Is your room all right?” he asked, thinking maybe something in there was creating a problem for her.
    “It’s beautiful. Who picked the Laura Ashley prints?”
    “My mother. Is the bed okay? I mean, are you sure there’s nothing disturbing you?”
    “Boy, I must look worse than I thought.”
    “Well …” he began diplomatically. “You look just fine to me. Maybe a little bit tired. Are you adjusting to the time change?”
    Jill didn’t answer at first. “Not … very well. This part … this part takes a while for me. Several days. I’m sure I’ll be fine tomorrow.”
    “Rick was just showing me his wildflower garden,” Lettice said.
    “Really?” A spark of vibrancy lighted Jill’s eyes. “People in the States don’t have the interest in wildflowers the Brits have. How I wish we did. I’d forgotten I would be here when they were blooming. May I see the garden after breakfast?”
    “Of course,” Rick murmured, pleased she had an enthusiasm for wildflowers too. But how could she forget she’d be there at the height of the season? Especially when she professed to like them so much? He pushed the questions aside, figuring wildflowers must have been a minor detail among the rush of packing.
    “I’ll have to show you around, Jill,” Lettice said. “Rick has to go back to work right after breakfast. And I hope he will remember his manners and serve us sometime before dinner.”
    Rick clenched his jaw together, refusing to flush. He had only been chatting with Jill, as any polite host would. And why had he told his grandmother he could only be around for breakfast? He cursed his idiocy.
    He managed to distribute the pastries, tea, and
The Times
with a fair amount of efficiency. For the first time in years, he didn’t bother to open his copy of the newspaper and immediately read it. Nothing in it could be as fascinating as his houseguest.
    “I hope you’re not too disappointed in missing my father, Jill.”
    “I’m the disappointed one,” Lettice answered. “Jill doesn’t know your father, dear. She just came along as a kind of traveling companion for me. And I completely muddled the dates of Edward’s summit on her. I’m sorry, Jill, for causing such a mess.”
    Jill gave Lettice a look of part resignation and part consternation. He could understand the feelings. It wasn’t at all like Lettice to get confused. Granted, she was nearly eighty, but no one was sharper. He gazed at his grandmother, wondering at her sudden absentmindedness.
    “Your