Holding Back

by Helen Pollard

  Somewhere around three in the morning, they were told Mr. Hurst would be fine but should be kept in hospital to monitor his recovery. Mrs. Hurst took some persuading to come back with them and get some rest, but finally acquiesced, and Daniel drove back to the hotel without a word.

  When they had seen Mrs. Hurst to her room and were alone at last, he planted a tender kiss on Laura's forehead.

  "You've been amazing," he said. "You were calm and collected all night. I think Mrs. Hurst would have gone to pieces if you hadn't been there. You acted above and beyond the call of duty. Anybody else might have just called the doctor or fetched Maria and left it at that."

  Laura shook her head. "I couldn't possibly have done that."

  "I know you couldn't. Maybe that's what I like about you, after all. All that irritating practicality and boring sense of duty has its uses sometimes."

  Laura lifted her lips to meet his, but he kept the kiss featherlight and soon pulled away. If he kissed her properly, he might not be responsible for where it led them.

  She looked up at him with something akin to disappointment, and it tugged at him deep inside.

  "Thanks for coming with us tonight," she said. "You needn't have, and I appreciate it."

  "You're welcome." He touched a finger to her cheek. Needing to reassure her, he added, "I'm not avoiding the fact that we have unfinished business to discuss, but we're both way too tired for that right now."

  "I know. Good night, Daniel."

  ****

  When Daniel walked into reception towards the end of Laura's morning shift the following day, she was busy rummaging desperately through her bag. His heartbeat automatically increased its speed at the sight of her. As he lowered himself easily into a chair, she ignored him and concentrated on her task. Finally pulling out a tub of pills, she fought to prise the top off, only for them to scatter across the desk. She plucked two out of the mayhem, grimaced as she swallowed them with what looked like the cold dregs of her coffee, and began laboriously to pick up the rest and put them back in the tub.

  "Good morning to you, too," Daniel drawled.

  Laura glared at him. "I have a headache," she snapped.

  "So I see. Have you been speaking to all your guests like this, or were you reserving that special tone just for me?"

  "Just you," she said curtly. "Everyone else has been dealt with as politely as usual, even though I do feel like a wound-down parrot."

  Daniel gave her a sympathetic look. "Ah, so that's it. You've been giving out health bulletins?"

  Laura nodded stiffly, as though even the movement hurt. "Was it anything in particular you wanted? If not, it's ten thirty and I'm closing, if you don't mind."

  "Oh, but I do mind." Daniel's tone was still mild, but there was a coolly dangerous edge to it. Her frosty hostility wasn't one of her better qualities, no matter how little sleep she'd had or how much her head hurt. He'd barely had any sleep either. "And I did come in for a reason. With an invitation, actually. I want you to drive up to Valença with me and have lunch."

  She shook her head, then winced. "No, thank you. I'm too tired and my head hurts. I just need to catch up on my sleep."

  Daniel stood. "That's not a problem. The pills will kick in soon, and you can sleep in the car while I drive." He wanted her to come with him. He needed her to. After last night, they had things to discuss, and getting away from the hotel would make it easier.

  Laura rose too. "No, it's not possible. I didn't want to wake Mrs. Hurst this morning, but I'm sure when she does get up, she'll want someone to give her a lift to the hospital. I need to call on her to see how she is and be around when she wants to go."

  "No, you don't," Daniel shook his head firmly. "She's already there. I took her about an hour ago. She wanted to drive but I advised her not to—I don't think she'd had much sleep. She's going to get a taxi back when she's done."

  It seemed Laura didn't like him taking away her excuse. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but I don't want to go out today. Thank you anyway."

  She made for the door, but he stood in her way and didn't budge.

  "Hang on a minute. We have unfinished business to discuss, remember?" His eyes burned into hers until she turned away.

  "I don't think we have," she said. "What happened last night was just one of those things. I would prefer to forget it."

  "Forget it?" Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd had too little sleep to cope with this on-one-minute, off-the-next game she seemed so fond of. And he was happy to tell her so. "Are you in the habit of leading men to the point of distraction and then blithely changing your mind? Because I'm warning you, Laura, I don't like those sorts of games."

  "And I don't like your tone of voice!" she shot back, clearly incensed. "What I do and don't do with other men is none of your business, but for the record, I'm not in the habit of leading men on—far from it. In fact, I usually prefer to stay as far away from them as possible, and it's times like these that remind me why!"

  "You weren't so bothered about staying away last night!" Daniel retorted. Realising how nasty the conversation was becoming, he rubbed an agitated hand across his face. "Alright, if that's the way you want it, forget last night. Forget talking it through like two grown people."

  His phone's ringtone cut through the fraught atmosphere. With an impatient sigh, he grabbed it from his pocket, glanced at the display, and answered.

  "Hello, Ben. What's up?"

  "Hi. Are you okay? You sound a bit rough."

  "No, I'm fine." He shot a glare at Laura to make it clear he most certainly wasn't.

  "I'll take your word for it," Ben said drily. "I heard something yesterday I thought you might want to know—about that hotel you're staying at."

  "Oh?" Daniel moved off a few paces. "What about it?"

  "The company Senhor Silva lets some of his rooms to is pulling out."

  Daniel's brows knitted together. "What on earth for?" He lowered his voice. "It's fantastic here!"

  "Maybe, but it's also not cheap. They're cutting costs and cutting out the whole of Northern Portugal while they're at it. They're sticking with the tried-and-tested Algarve from now on. If it's as good as you say, you might be able to negotiate a good rate for us to give it a trial run. What's this Senhor Silva like?"

  Daniel rolled his eyes. "I don't know, I haven't met him. He's away."

  "Away?" Ben sounded as startled at that fact as Daniel initially had been.

  "It's a long story," he said wearily. "I've been dealing with his representative so far . . ." He turned to look calculatingly at Laura, his mind racing. "When did the company pull out? Do you know?"

  "Absolutely," Ben told him. "I spoke to a friend of a friend of a contact. It's been a rumour for a few weeks, but the actual decision was made yesterday, apparently."

  Daniel's jaw set in a hard, tense line. "Okay, thanks for the heads up. See you later."

  He ended the call. Laura was standing with her arms folded across her chest, her foot tapping in that irritated way she had. His heart didn't want to believe what he was now thinking, but his sleep-deprived head was more than happy to. It was as though he was seeing her for the first time—and he didn't like what he saw.

  "Well," she said as he continued to stare at her. "I'll be off."

  I don't think so. You don't get off that easily. "Don't forget you're coming with me for the day," he told her. "I have business to discuss with you."

  "I'm quite happy to discuss any business you might have," she said warily, "but we can do that any time, here in the office."

  Daniel shook his head. "No, we can't. Today being Sunday, it's my only free day to do what I please. I have meetings all next week with other hotel owners in the area before I go down to Porto."

  He saw her expression waver. "Well, if it has to be today, then it does," she said, her tone clipped. "But I would rather any meetings took place here." She looked like she wanted to add "on safe ground."

  "And I would rather we went to Valença
," he insisted. "I haven't been that far north yet." There was no compromise in his eyes, dark with stubborn determination. "I would have thought it was common courtesy to allow a potential customer to choose his own venue for a business meeting, and I must say, I'm surprised at how much fuss you're making over a simple drive out. I would have thought you would see it as a far more palatable way to ensure a good business deal for your friends than what you were contemplating last night."

  Annoyed by the way her eyes widened in shock, he added, "Did you honestly think I wouldn't guess why you're suddenly so reluctant to discuss it? I wasn't born yesterday. You've expended a great deal of energy keeping me at arm's length, avoiding any close contact between us, and yet last night you were more than willing. I'm not so vain as to think my own charms would be sufficient to effect such a sudden change in you."

  Laura opened her mouth to speak, but no words followed.

  Daniel raised an eyebrow. "You seem confused. Let me spell it out for you. That was my brother on the phone. It seems the company you let half your rooms to is pulling out of the Costa Verde next year. I can only presume you've heard the same, and that's what changed your mind about me. You won't want any possible business deals jeopardised for your Senhor Silva now, and you obviously realised a little cooperation was in order." His ace successfully played, he reached for the door. "Well, you can cooperate by accompanying me to the venue of my choosing. I'll pick you up in ten minutes."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Laura stared after him, tears stinging her eyes. Did he honestly believe she would indulge in the kind of kiss they'd shared last night in the hope he would favour Paulo's hotel above the others? How could he think that? And how dare he demand she accompany him wherever he pleased when she was tired and unwell?

  Yet even as she thought about it, she knew she had no choice. The fact that Daniel had heard about Paulo's problems meant he was already in a far better bargaining position than before. Even knowing what a low opinion Daniel now held of her, she hadn't the heart to be so stubborn as to let her pride lose Paulo any more ground.

  In despair, she stared at the empty space where Daniel had stood a moment ago. Where was the tender man she was with last night? The man who stayed by her side hour after hour at the hospital without any complaint when he could have been sound asleep? The man who rose early to take a complete stranger to visit her husband? How could he go from praising her so freely last night to accusing her of something so monstrous this morning?

  One short phone call, and he was back to the arrogant, manipulative businessman she'd first taken him for.

  Stamping her foot in a childish tantrum, Laura headed to her room to get ready. She would go today for Paulo's sake—but she would not forgive Daniel for this.

  ****

  Laura glared mutinously at Daniel's profile as he concentrated on the road ahead, her bottom lip set in a permanent pout. Daniel's mouth was a hard, thin line, uncompromising, and she knew it wasn't only because his attention was on the traffic. Neither of them had said a word to each other since he'd walked out of her office. When he was ready to go, he'd given a cursory knock at her door, not even waiting for her to answer it. Confident she would come, he'd simply continued up to his car, leaving her to scurry up the path after him to where he waited impatiently with the door open.

  If she'd expected some sort of apology or explanation for his behaviour, then she could only be disappointed—but she wouldn't have accepted them anyway. Nothing he could say would alter the way he'd spoken to her. She fought back a tear. How could he think their kiss had been anything other than genuine on her part? What she had shared with him wasn't something she could playact.

  Laura wished she'd thought of a reply, or tried to convince him she wasn't capable of anything of the sort, but by the time she'd fully realised what he was implying, he'd already stormed off and it was too late. He'd probably taken her silence as confirmation that he was right. And if she brought the subject up now, he would assume she'd had time to drum up a plausible defence. Well, let him think what he liked—he would anyway.

  Weary of all the tension, Laura rested her head back and closed her eyes. How he expected her to catch up on sleep when she seethed with upset, she didn't know. But it would be a while before they reached Valença near the Spanish border.

  She must have drifted off after all, because she was woken with a start by Daniel's hand on her arm. She shook it off.

  "Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep." His tone was sarcastic. "But do you think we might put this silent treatment to one side long enough for you to navigate me into the town centre and find somewhere to park?"

  Laura glared at him, and with the minimum of words she could get away with, directed him close to the old part of town and a suitable parking place. Still feeling groggy after her nap, she scrambled out of the car as soon as it stopped and stretched slowly, then looked around her.

  Heading towards the walls of the old fortress town without waiting for him, she scrambled up a nearby slope to gaze out over the surrounding countryside—a calming view of green fields with the darker green of wooded hills in the distance. She watched as a train rumbled across the railway bridge spanning the Minho River. The backdrop of white buildings with red tile roofs was appealing in the bright sunshine. It was peaceful and quiet here, away from the bustle they would find in the town, and Laura flopped down on the grass to take it all in, grateful to be out of the oppressive confines of the car. Daniel kept his distance, wandering along the granite ramparts a little way to look at the view.

  Laura hugged her knees to her chest and heaved a sigh as the warm breeze blew strands of hair across her face. What a dreadful day this was going to be if they both carried on like this! Less than twenty-four hours ago, Daniel had been so furious with her when she accused him of trying to seduce Teresa. And yet here he was, accusing her of something equally unpalatable. Did he expect her to be any less upset than he'd been? At least she'd apologised for her accusations. Why should she be the one to break the ice now, after the way he'd behaved?

  Daniel walked back to her with that long, confident stride of his. He stood towering above her, and when she glanced up at his face, she saw the harshness had gone. Perhaps the beauty of the view had calmed him as well.

  "What would you like to do now we're here?" he asked.

  "You were the one who wanted to come," she said flatly. Knowing she sounded sulky, and mindful that Paulo, if not herself, might have a lot to lose by her actions, she added quickly, "What I mean is, you're the one who hasn't been here before. I'll go along with whatever you want to do." She left unspoken the fact that he'd made it quite clear she had no choice—not if she wanted Paulo to get a fair crack at doing business with the mighty Stone Brothers.

  Daniel looked at her in exasperation. He seemed about to say something, but closed his mouth and paused before he finally spoke. "My guidebook says it's a good place for shopping, and I have some gifts to buy. Perhaps we could walk around the town and then have a late lunch?"

  Laura nodded. If they concentrated on shopping, they wouldn't have to talk too much. She got to her feet and set off, leaving Daniel to follow. The old town was already busy, as she had expected it would be on a Sunday. As well as foreign tourists and the Portuguese who were out for the day, quite a number of Spanish often came across the border from Tui. Laura watched the happy faces as they milled past. She doubted anyone had been dragged here against their will except her.

  "How about a coffee? You look as though you could do with one," Daniel said, interrupting her thoughts.

  Thank goodness! Laura nodded and sat at a table outside a nearby café. The day was warming up and she was glad she'd chosen to wear a long, flowing skirt and cotton blouse, her hair tied back loosely with a ribbon. The café was in an old square, the buildings around it crumbling a little but brightly tiled and with decorative wrought iron balconies covered with pots of riotous flowers. An ancient stone fountain sent a cooling mist their way. The pl
ace was full of lazy charm, and she was lost in her own thoughts as she sipped her much-needed coffee and watched the crowds go by.

  Feeling calmer now, she sneaked a glance across at Daniel, but he'd beaten her to it and was already watching her intently. She bristled under the scrutiny of his gaze.

  "I'm sorry," he said gruffly, then paused, waiting. Laura wondered if he was expecting her to reciprocate, but she baulked at the idea. She knew she'd been unforgivably impolite with him this morning, well before she had good reason to be, but a little impoliteness was nothing compared to what he'd accused her of.

  "If you're waiting for me to say the same, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, since I have nothing to apologise for," she said pointedly.

  The corners of his mouth twitched. He shook his head. "Do you have any idea how stubborn you are, Laura Matheson?"

  She scowled. "If we held a contest for stubbornness, I think you'd win hands down," she replied tartly.

  "I'm not the one who's refusing to speak," he pointed out.

  Laura was indignant. "You've hardly said a word all morning!"

  "That's because I knew whatever I said, I would be likely to have my head bitten off. And I was right." He raised an eyebrow.

  "Well, I'm sure you deserve it," she mumbled.

  Daniel ran his hands across his eyes, reminding Laura he must be as exhausted as she was. After all, he'd been awake nearly all night too, and then he was up early enough to drive Mrs. Hurst to the hospital. But if he expected any sympathy, he wasn't going to get it from her. He was the one who wanted to drive up here instead of catching up on his sleep.

  "Do you expect me to be happy about this?" she asked him. "Just because you're some big shot who owns his own company, it doesn't give you the right to walk all over people, demanding they go wherever you choose and do whatever you want!"