Grinning, he gave the old paintings on the wall and the figurines on the side tables a cursory glance, knowing he’d come back later for a more thorough look if the interest kept prodding at him. He wasn’t a historian, had no interest in antique values. It was plain old curiosity.
Another side door led to a surprisingly bleak hallway. The walls were a faded, dull cream, the floor plain wood. No paintings on the walls, it was as bland as sand. Speaking of walls, it didn’t have the nice finish of the main house, indeed, nothing had been done to make it nice. Serviceable, yes, and at that thought Luke realised he must be in the servants’ work areas, so the kitchen must be near. It seemed like servants back in the day weren’t considered to need comforts or nice work places.
Yay for modernisation. That, in turn, had him wondering just when the last owner had actually lived here, which gave him another pause.
Shit, the kitchen didn’t have just a wood burning stove, did it? Apart from BBQs, he didn’t do well with fire. Having to cook on a wood burner would result in no dinner or the mansion burned down.
A little perturbed, he caught sight of what appeared to be a kitchen and turned through the doorway to walk into the room.
It was large, a big table with chairs around it in the middle, cupboards and sink along one wall, an old ‘fridge, and a big stove he didn’t bother to check out - mainly because his mouth fell open as his attention was snagged by the figure leaning against the far wall sipping at a mug she held in her hands.
Dark red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, wild red curls spilling over her shoulders, dark green eyes surveying him a touch sardonically, one dark brow arched. The small, slightly tip-tilted nose had a sprinkling of freckles dusted across it, and the lush lips curved in a half smile.
There was no mistaking that generously curved figure poured into jeans. There was no mistaking the generous bosoms that pressed against the pale pink checked shirt with the sleeves rolled up shapely arms to below the elbows. There was no mistaking the bright pink sneakers on her feet which were crossed at the ankles. There was no mistaking the identity of the woman who shouldn’t have been leaning against the kitchen wall.
“Mikki?” What the hell…? Luke stared.
Lifting one finger off the mug, she gave him a little finger wave. “Luke.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Recruited by Aunt Elspeth.”
“Recruited? For what?”
She glanced around the room then back at him. “To help out here.”
“To help me?” Horror shot through him. “Are you kidding? What do you know about-”
“Settle down before you stroke out.” Mikki gestured to the room, mug still in hand, managing not to spill the drink. “I’m here to help her with the house.”
Dog, the traitor, bounded over to sit at her feet with his tongue lolling out and an eager look on his hairy face. When Mikki gave him a pat on the head, he almost dissolved into a puddle.
Still perplexed, Luke asked, “What do you know about old mansions?”
“I’m not here to fix it up, I’m here to help her check everything out and get things packed up.”
“Packed up?” Luke moved further into the kitchen. “What do you know about packing antiques?”
Mikki eyed him for several seconds.
Luke eyed her right back. Sheesh, he’d thought he’d have the mansion to himself for the week, now he had this irritating redhead coming and going.
At least, he hoped she’d be coming and going. Unease trickled down his spine. “You’re staying in town?”
“Nope.” A small smile played around her lips.
That unease just spread further. “You’re heading back to the city every day?”
The smile widened. “Nope.”
Oh, surely not. “Then…?”
“Roomie!” She practically beamed, those green eyes dancing.
Ah Jesus, it was worse than he’d thought. “You’re staying here?”
“Yep.”
“In the mansion?”
“No, in a tent.”
“Really?”
“No.” Amused, Mikki took a sip from the mug. “Why, Luke, you don’t look happy to be sharing this house with me.”
That was putting it mildly. Especially when another suspicion reared its head, making his eyes narrow. “You’re not here to sabotage me, are you?”
Her amusement vanished. “What?”
“Luke! Sweetie!”
Luke looked down as a thin, sprightly woman in her fifties came up beside him from the hallway, her hand patting his back. “Mrs Arkwell.”
“Call me Elspeth, dear, everyone does. Now, isn’t this just simply wonderful?” She beamed up at him.
Luke wouldn’t have called it that.
“All three of us here for the week!”
Shit. His worse fears.
“Ah…Mrs Arkwell.” At her raised eyebrow, he cleared his throat. “Elspeth.” He sought for the politest way to put it. “What a surprise.”
“Isn’t it?” She beamed. “I knew you’d be pleased.”
Definitely not the way he’d put it. Luke glanced across at Mikki to find her smiling widely.
“We’ll be company for each other,” Elspeth continued blithely. “Not that we’ll get in each other’s ways, of course.”
“Uh huh.”
“You’ll be outside doing your thing, and we’ll be inside with the packers and dealers and valuers doing our thing.” Moving past him, Elspeth crossed to the ‘fridge. “Drink?”
“No thanks. I had a flask in the ute.” Sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Luke’s gaze travelled between Elspeth and Mikki.
Elspeth might not be aware of his less-than-eager response, but Mikki had caught on quickly. She was now watching him with a slightly puzzled air. Even as he studied her, he saw her angle her head, those lush lips purse, her eyes widen and then her eyebrows arch up. Wondering what on earth she was thinking, he observed the amazement cross her face, then understanding, and could only arch his own eyebrows in turn as Mikki slowly shook her head at him.
What the hell was she thinking?
“Now, Luke.” Elspeth dragged his attention back to her as she poured a glass of some kind of juice. “I know you probably expected to be alone out here, but I need things to get done. Your Dad is starting in a month and there’s a lot I have to do. We have to do,” she amended, shooting Mikki a smile. “I want this place empty when your Dad starts renovating. But I need things to be sorted, and for that sorting to happen I want to check things out, get the paintings down, the furniture looked at and taken away for repairs. I need expert people to come in and do what they need to do. But first of all, Mikki and I are going to properly explore this mansion and take stock of what we have.”
“Uh huh.” Luke gave a small, mental sigh. At least he’d be mostly outside.
“We can have our meals together, catch up and discuss the garden plans.” Elspeth nodded enthusiastically. “Any problems we can discuss straight away. That’ll save time.”
Oh boy. Luke rubbed his brow, caught Mikki’s amused expression and slid his hand into his hair to give it a quick rub. “Yes, it will.”
“Excellent. You’ll have as much free reign here as though we hadn’t come. Feel free to look around inside and outside, get the feel for the place, what it was, the past, the atmosphere. Use today to just absorb it all.” Elspeth drank several mouthfuls of juice while walking to the back door. “Mikki, show Luke the liveable parts, okay? Show him his room, too.”
Luke watched Elspeth disappear out into what still had the remnants of a cobbled courtyard before switching his attention to Mikki, to find her rinsing out her mug and placing it on the draining board before swinging to face him while drying her hands on a tea towel.
“I’m afraid we’re relegated to sleeping in the servants’ quarters.” Draping the tea towel over the back of a chair, she started towards him. “Aunty had stretchers brought out.” She ran a critica
l eye over him as she drew up beside him. “Your feet might hang over the end, but it’s all we could get up here for now.”
Luke was no dainty bloke. “I can sleep anywhere. If it’s too uncomfortable, I’ll just put the mattress on the floor.”
“Okay.” Without further ado, she swept past him, leaving a faint trail of flowery perfume.
Luke couldn’t help but take a sniff. Nice.
Bounding past him, Dog almost knocked him arse over tit as he barrelled eagerly after Mikki. Bloody traitor.
Following her, Luke couldn’t help but watch the sway of her hips as she walked down the bleak hallway. The hem of the untucked shirt swung happily against the bottom of her rounded backside.
“Here you go.” Stopping, she turned to face him while gesturing to a door. “It’s a little bleak but the servants lived like that. The barest necessities.”
Moving up to the doorway, Luke was about to enter only to stop when Mikki’s arm shot out in front of him, her hand slapping flat against the dingy doorframe to block his way.
Surprised, he glanced down. “What?”
“Regardless of the fact that you can’t let go of the past, Luke, I’m not here to sabotage you.”
Ah, that explained the myriad of expressions that had flitted across her pretty face back in the kitchen. “Is that a fact?”
“Yes, it is.”
Hands still in his pockets, he jingled some small change. “You did it before, you can do it again.”
Her expression changed to exasperation. “Once. Just once. And it wasn’t sabotage.”
“You accused me of daylight robbery.”
“That was a mistake. I apologised.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“You made me beg you to do that landscaping for Gran!”
Oh yeah, and he still loved the memory. “I was going to do the job, you called me a thieving hound and lost me the job, conning your Grandmother into giving it to your boyfriend.”
“Ex-boyfriend. And besides, it was his brother-in-law.”
“Don’t give a crap who it was, you cost me the job.” Leaning one shoulder against the wall, he surveyed her lazily, enjoying the pink tinge in her cheeks.
“You got it back-”
“Because he buggered up the job and your Grandmother wanted me to come in and fix it.”
Folding her arms, she sighed. “How long are you going to hold that against me?”
“Let’s just say I don’t trust you.”
Mikki blinked. “You don’t?” She actually looked hurt.
Her reaction surprised him, but before he could even think of a reply that wouldn’t sound cruel - like ‘no’ - she shrugged suddenly, dropping her arm. “You don’t really know me anyway.”
“Well…”
“No worries.” She smiled suddenly, eyes sparkling with humour. “We’ll have a whole week to share and care. Won’t that be nice?”
“Oh yeah,” he said dryly. “Really nice.”
“Anyway, you should feel privileged.”
“Is that right?”
“Aunt Elspeth would never invite someone to stay here unless she trusted him.”
“Your aunt doesn’t know me that well.”
“Your reputation.”
“I might be a great landscaper-”
“And modest, too.” Placing one hand above those big boobs, Mikki fluttered her eyelashes. “Don’t forget modest.”
Ignoring that, Luke continued, “But I might be a prick of a bloke for all she knows.”
“Prick enough to make someone beg?” Her mouth opened in a small ‘oh’ of realisation. “Now I see what you mean.”
“This is going to be a long week.”
Before Mikki could give a smart-arsed retort, Elspeth’s voice calling her name came from the direction of the kitchen.
“Saved by the proverbial bell.” Mikki winked - actually winked - and walked back down the corridor, tossing over her shoulder as she did so, “Bathroom on the left, definitely nothing fancy. Aunt and I are sharing the room on the other side of the hall. If you need anything, let me know.”
Shaking his head, Luke swivelled around to watch her. The woman had a happy bounce in her step that set that curly ponytail swinging jauntily. Not to mention those hips swaying.
Glancing down, he noticed Dog watching her go with his tail drooping. “This is going to be a really long week.”
With a shake of his head, Luke walked into the bedroom and stopped dead. Wow, she wasn’t kidding about the servants’ quarters not being much. A small room holding a dilapidated chest of drawers, a gloomy picture of a bleak landscape, and a spindly chair. In the corner was a stretcher neatly made up with sheets, blankets and a pillow.
“Now this is the height of life,” he told Dog. “Looks like I won’t need the sleeping bag after all.”
Dog panted.
His mobile peeled out the tune ‘Bad to the Bone’. Pulling out the phone, he placed it to his ear. “Hey, Aaron.”
“You arrived?” His older brother’s deep voice asked.
“Yep. And guess what?”
“You’re not alone.”
“How did you know?”
“Just did.”
“Did you know those two sheilas were coming here as well?”
“Elspeth approached me the other day about installing security cameras and alarms out at the mansion when it was finished.”
“This is turning into a family affair.” Luke shook his head. “Forget that. Man, you could have told me.”
“Could have. Didn’t.”
“Is this torture time for me?”
There was no reply, but Luke could just picture that faint smile on Aaron’s face.
“Let me tell you, if Mikki thinks I’m going to be carting heavy boxes and shit around for them, she has another think coming.” Annoyance flickering once more, he scowled at the wall. “I’m here to plan the gardens, not shift heavy house stuff.”
“She won’t expect that.”
“You sound so sure. How can you be so sure?”
“Because she’s not like that.”
“How would you know?” At the silence that greeted this, Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, right. Top security level clearance only.”
“Not quite.” The quiet amusement was more than evident.
“Anyway, like I said, I’m not going to be her fetch-and-carry boy.”
“You’re really disturbed by her presence.”
“Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Elspeth and Mikki are all right.”
“Elspeth is, Mikki is a whole other ball game.”
“You don’t know her that well to have such animosity.”
“Prior experience.”
“One experience. That and the fact she doesn’t fall for your charms.”
Luke grinned. “You think I have charm?”
“I think you’re an idiot.”
Nothing new there. “So, you’re worried about me? Is that why you rang? To check on your baby brother?”
“Blue’s the baby brother. You’re the middle child.”
“I have middle child syndrome.”
“You have something all right.”
Luke grinned.
“Just wanted to check that you arrived safely,” Aaron drawled.
“That is so sweet.” Luke made kissy sounds.
Aaron changed gears. “The mansion is isolated.”
“Very. It’s really cool.” Luke deliberated a second. “In a creepy way.”
“Scared?” Faint amusement echoed down the phone.
“Shit, no. I mean it’s falling apart.”
“Dad says it’s redeemable.”
“Well, it is. It’s just going to need a lot of work.”
“You don’t say.”
“You’re an arsehole, Aaron.”
“There’s that charm you’re so proud of. And you wonder how Mikki can resist it.”
Luke gave him the middle finger even
though his brother couldn’t see it.
“Juvenile, Luke, very juvenile.”
Not at all surprised that Aaron knew what he was doing, Luke nudged Dog with his foot. “Is there anything else?”
“Am I cramping your style?”
“You’re cramping my arse.”
Silence was the answer.
Able to picture his unflappable brother sitting in his office, all neat and tidy, Luke gave Dog another gentle nudge. Dog rolled over, his eyes going all dreamy as Luke rubbed his booted foot lightly along his exposed belly.
“Keep an eye on the women,” Aaron said unexpectedly.
“What?”
“Isolated mansion, Luke. Middle of nowhere. Two women alone.”
“Excuse me. I’m here.”
“That’s why I’m asking you to keep an eye on them.”
It was such an odd request - not to keep an eye on the women, that was a given for a Wells man whether he particularly liked them or not - but the fact that his brother would actually ask him. “What’s going on?”
“As of yet, nothing.”
That could mean anything - Aaron suspected something, Aaron had a gut feeling about something, Aaron knew something no one else did. Luke scratched his head. “Am I looking for anything or anyone in particular?”
“Just anything unusual.”
“Do I need to be worried about anything?”
“Not yet.”
“Okay, then.” Used to Aaron’s sometimes mysterious ways that occasionally seemed to pan out to nothing - or that anyone knew of, but that was anyone’s guess for Aaron now and again did things no one knew about - Luke continued rubbing Dog’s belly with the bottom of his boot. “You want me to report in with updates?”
“If there’s anything unusual.”
“Did Elspeth hire you for more than the usual security cameras and alarms?”
“No.”
So this might or might not have to do with the women, or possibly the mansion, or the surrounding area and not the women or mansion at all. Something nearby. Maybe. Possibly. Or not at all. It might just be Aaron taking a further interest in a potential client. Scrunching his eyes shut, Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes his older brother almost gave him a nose bleed with just a few obscure words. Opening his eyes again, he sighed. “You’ll let me know when I have to worry?”
“There may be no need.”
The Wells Brothers: Luke Page 2