Falling for Mr. Mysterious

by Barbara Hannay

  Perhaps he should suggest that she move somewhere else—to her grandmother’s beach house maybe.

  But when he imagined trying to tell her—trying to introduce the subject of hospitals and operations and the possibility of personal disaster—he recoiled from dumping all that doom and gloom on her when the poor girl was struggling with her own problems.

  Why talk of hospitals and illness when all he really wanted was to make virile, wild, healthy love to her?

  And, knowing what he did of Emily, she would probably feel involved in his problems. She would want to help him, to play nursemaid or hold his hand.

  Hell. He would never want that. His masculine pride bucked and roared at the very thought.

  * * *

  Emily was on tenterhooks as she waited for Jude to come back that evening. She’d been totally rattled after Alex’s phone call and his news that Jude was having medical tests for a potentially serious problem.

  Obviously, Jude had avoided telling her the truth about his headaches. Which was fair enough—his health was his private business—but if he was in trouble, Emily wanted to help in any way she could.

  She decided she needed to appear calm and unconcerned—Jude would hate any sign of fuss—so she’d gone to a fair amount of trouble to set the stage for his return.

  Now, at six-thirty, he was due at any moment and she was dressed in a soft grey tunic over black leggings and sitting curled in an armchair, trying to look serene, with a book in her lap, although she was too keyed up to actually read it. She’d turned all the lamps on to show off the apartment at its gleaming, newly cleaned best, and she’d arranged a bunch of sunflowers in a tall vase on the coffee table to help the place to look extra cheerful. Upbeat mood music played softly.

  Best of all, she’d found a wonderful recipe for Greek roast chicken and potatoes with masses of lemon and mustard and garlic, and now wonderful, tummy-tempting aromas wafted from the kitchen.

  Emily thought she was waiting patiently enough, but when the phone rang her heart almost flew out of her chest. She jumped to her feet.

  Calm down, she warned herself. It was probably just Alex ringing back, wanting an update on Jude, but she wouldn’t have news until Jude arrived. She took a steadying breath as she picked up the receiver.

  ‘Emily.’ It was Jude’s voice. ‘How are you?’

  ‘I…I’m fine.’ Why was he telephoning? She’d been expecting him to walk through the door at any moment. ‘Where are you?’

  ‘I’m still at my place at Mount Tamborine. I’m afraid something’s come up, and I need to stay on here for a few days to sort it out.’

  A few days!

  A flood of disappointment swamped Emily. She’d been so on edge, so waiting for his return, so anxious to have everything perfect for him. He’d been incredibly understanding and kind to her, and if he was in trouble she’d wanted to return the favour.

  Clearly, he had other ideas.

  ‘Emily, are you there?’

  ‘Yes.’ She gave a little shake, trying to throw off her disappointment. ‘I’m sorry to hear that something’s come up. I hope you’re all right, Jude.’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine.’

  Yes, well, she now knew that this was a lie. ‘You might need to ring Alex then,’ she said a shade too crisply. ‘It would be good if you could reassure him. He called here today because he’s worried about you.’

  ‘Really? All right. I’ll give him a call.’

  ‘Jude, I’m worried, too,’ she couldn’t help adding. ‘Alex said you were having medical tests to find out what’s causing your headaches.’

  She thought she heard a sigh on the other end of the line. ‘I realise it’s none of my business…’

  ‘I don’t want to bother you with that stuff, Emily.’ Jude said this firmly, as if to ward off any argument. ‘You’re on holiday and you should be having fun. Honestly, I’m OK. I have everything under control.’

  She knew it was unreasonable to view this as another rejection. Jude wasn’t a close friend. She couldn’t expect him to confide in her or share his troubles, even though she’d done exactly that with him. But she didn’t enjoy having her wonderful plans to support him come to nothing.

  ‘Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,’ she said glumly. ‘Anything at all.’

  ‘I will, Emily. If I need you, I’ll be in touch. I have your mobile number, but hopefully you won’t hear from me until it’s all over.’

  All over. That had to mean some kind of medical procedure, surely? An operation? Clearly, Jude was distancing himself from her, and Emily couldn’t believe she felt so bad. It was ridiculous to feel rejected by Jude Marlowe when she’d only known him for…how long? Five? Six days?

  She had to toughen up, had to show the grit that Jude’s heroines had in spades. She cranked her features into a wobbly smile. ‘You’re certainly going to miss a darn good meal tonight, Jude. Speaking of which, I’d better go. Don’t want to let it burn.’

  Then, because she had to, she added more gently, ‘Take care, won’t you?’

  After she hung up, she went to the kitchen and turned the oven off, her enthusiasm for the new recipe having fizzled to nil.

  * * *

  Jude was tucking a water bottle into a side pocket in his backpack when he heard the sound of a car in his driveway. Crossing to the window, he scowled at the vehicle, a bright red sedan he didn’t recognise. The last thing he wanted was to play host right now, when he was about to set out on a hiking trip.

  From his vantage point, he had a clear view through the car’s windscreen, and a familiar shimmer of red-gold made his heart thud. Hard. His throat constricted. What was Emily doing here?

  He watched her climb out of the driver’s seat and then lean in to haul out a cooler bag. She was wearing a longish grey top over black leggings and slim-fitting knee-high black leather boots. She looked stunning, as if she’d just stepped off a plane from Milan or Paris.

  Damn. Jude hadn’t picked her for a busybody or, worse, a stalker. He wasn’t sure he could handle this.

  Her footsteps sounded on the stone path and he set his mouth into a grim scowl as he went to open the door.

  ‘Hi, Jude.’ Emily looked up from beneath long lashes and no doubt caught the surliness in his expression. Her face tightened. ‘Before you get mad, Alex asked me to come to see you.’

  Jude found this hard to believe. When he’d returned Alex’s call, he’d instructed his agent to keep his condition confidential. He’d always believed that Alex was trustworthy, which was why he was one of the very few people Jude felt he could open up to.

  ‘Alex kept his word to you,’ Emily said next, as if she could read his mind. ‘He hasn’t told me anything he shouldn’t have. I still have no idea what your problem is, and that’s fair enough. I don’t want to pry.’

  Lifting her face, she met his gaze directly. ‘But Alex is worried, Jude. He’s very worried about you being up here on your own and…well…he asked me…actually, he more or less begged me to pop by, to check.’

  Jude hadn’t shifted from the doorway and Emily was still standing on the top step, fiddling with the strap of the cooler bag.

  ‘As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.’ He gave a bored shrug. ‘I’m sorry, you’ve come all this way for nothing.’

  Her blue eyes narrowed. Tipping her head slightly to one side, she regarded him with a surprisingly cool and measuring stare. Jude wondered if this was the look she gave her clients when they came to her bank, hoping to pull the wool over her eyes.

  ‘Jude Marlowe,’ she said in a quiet, no nonsense tone, ‘you and I both know you’re not fine. Alex believes your problem is quite serious, so forget the tough-guy act.’

  Squaring her shoulders, she looked as serious as a hanging j
udge. ‘Alex is your close friend and the poor fellow’s stuck on the other side of the world, worried and helpless. Apart from that, it’s only common sense that you shouldn’t be alone. If you have one of your headaches, you’d be incapacitated up here.’

  Jude flinched at the word incapacitated. ‘I’m not that bad.’

  Emily let out a noisy sigh. ‘Why do you have to be so stubborn?’

  He was certain she was about to deliver a lecture but, without warning, her face seemed to crumple and the hard glare in her eyes softened to concern. ‘I’m worried about you, too,’ she said in a small voice.

  Jude struggled to resist. He’d been determined to keep Emily well clear of his troubles, although, in truth, he wanted nothing more than to haul her into his arms and to kiss her soft trembling mouth. Kiss her for a month. He’d been thinking of little else for days. Right now, he was imagining her long slim legs wrapped around his waist.

  With a huge mental effort, he pushed his crazy desires where they belonged—clear out of his head.

  But that still left him torn between two difficult choices. He could play the jerk and send Emily packing—or he could put himself through hell by inviting her into his home, without following through on his lustful urges.

  He found himself apologising. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t want everyone worrying.’ And then he took two steps back and stifled a sigh. ‘You’d better come inside.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said with dignity. She held up the cooler bag. ‘By the way, I’ve brought you that chicken dinner you missed out on last night.’

  * * *

  Emily drew a deep, shaky breath as she followed Jude into his house.

  Alex had warned her that Jude was fiercely independent and that she might have a battle on her hands. He was dead right. But she had to admit Jude didn’t look as if there was anything badly wrong with him. He was as strong and sexy-looking as ever, and it was very easy to believe he was fine, especially here against the backdrop of his incredibly beautiful home.

  He led her into a large open-plan area with acres of polished timber floors and massive uncurtained walls of glass that looked out into the rainforest. At one end of the space a sitting area held sleek leather couches grouped around an open fire.

  The dining area was defined by a long Viking-style table, and beyond that the kitchen comprised solid timber benches and gleaming top-of-the-range stainless steel appliances.

  Jude was certainly not a writer who starved in a garret, and he clearly had very good taste, or at least he’d employed someone with very good taste to design his home and to decorate its interior.

  ‘This house is amazing,’ Emily told him. ‘It’s absolutely gorgeous.’

  ‘Thanks. I’m glad you like it.’ He spoke politely and he was no longer scowling, but he wasn’t quite his usual relaxed self. ‘Can I make you a cuppa?’ he asked, already heading for the kitchen.

  ‘Only if you’re having one. I hope I haven’t interrupted anything important.’

  He shook his head, not quite meeting her gaze, then turned on the kettle. ‘Tea? Coffee?’

  ‘I’ll have tea, please. Do you mind if I take a look around?’

  ‘Feel free.’

  As Jude dropped teabags into mugs, Emily wandered. There were piles of books, magazines and newspapers scattered about the place, so it wasn’t as tidy as Alex’s apartment, and she guessed that Jude’s freezer was stacked to the brim with frozen store-bought dinners, while his pantry would be crowded with tins of soup.

  But, as a living space, his home had wonderful vibes. She loved all the natural timber and the huge walls of glass letting the forest in. It was like living in a tree house, looking out at the tall, straight trunks of massive trees, at fallen logs covered in moss and native orchids, and beautiful lush tree ferns.

  This wonderful environment was also home to the birds Jude loved. Right now, Emily could see a flock of gloriously coloured rainbow lorikeets feeding on rainforest berries.

  She stood, drinking in the beauty, thinking how creatively inspiring it must be for Jude to wake up each morning to this. Meeting him in the city, she would never have guessed…

  ‘Here’s your tea.’

  She turned to find him standing behind her with their mugs.

  ‘Thank you.’ She sent him a smile as she took the red-and-white-striped mug he offered. ‘I’m in awe, Jude. This is so beautiful, I feel like whispering, as if I’m in church.’

  He smiled—for the first time, a proper, skin crinkling around his eyes smile. ‘I know what you mean. It still gets me that way.’

  As they headed for the sofas, her attention was caught by groupings of photos on a wall. A happy group shot of family or friends, a couple of beach holiday snaps, and another, obviously taken in an alpine region with people in bright-coloured mountaineering gear and parkas standing around several international flags.

  ‘I can pick you out easily, in all of them,’ she said.

  Jude looked a bit younger and leaner and more suntanned, but it was impossible to mistake his dark hair, broad shoulders and arresting smile. In the alpine shot, he had his arm looped around the shoulders of an attractive athletic-looking woman with long dark hair.

  ‘Are you a mountain climber?’ Emily asked.

  ‘Strictly an amateur, but I’ve climbed quite a few interesting peaks around the world.’

  She bit down on her lip to stop herself from asking about the girl, who was none of her business.

  About to turn away from the photos, her attention was caught by a framed photo of a young couple smiling and posing with what looked, from the equipment, like a rescue team. Again, Jude was included and there was a printed caption beneath the photo.

  To our rescuers…we will never forget…from Tim and Jill Martin.

  Emily blinked in surprise. ‘So you not only climb mountains, but you’re a rescuer as well.’

  Wow. She was looking at Jude and his house with new eyes, which was possibly why, when she glanced back to the kitchen, she now noticed a backpack on the floor, propped against a cupboard. And then she realised Jude was wearing hiking boots.

  ‘You don’t have to stand about,’ he said, waving his mug of tea towards the sofas. ‘Come and sit down.’

  Frowning, Emily disregarded the invitation. ‘Were you about to set off now? Up the mountain?’

  He shrugged and looked away. ‘It’s no big deal.’

  ‘But were you?’ she persisted. ‘You’ve got your backpack ready and you’re wearing boots. Were you planning to hike?’

  He looked down at the mug cradled in his big hands. ‘I was about to head off to Sunset Ridge. It’s something I’d like to do before—’ his throat rippled ‘—before I go into hospital.’

  Emily gulped as she heard the word hospital. A hundred questions clamoured to be answered but she pushed them down. He would tell her if and when he wanted to.

  ‘So the walk is really important to you?’ she suggested.

  Instead of answering her directly, Jude pointed to the view through one of the huge picture windows. ‘See that ridge up there?’

  Emily looked up to the outline of the mountains, solid and dark against the pale afternoon sky.

  ‘Best view of the sunset you’ll ever see is from up there,’ Jude said quietly. ‘One of the main reasons I bought this land is because it’s the closest freehold to that ridge.’

  ‘I guess that answers my question.’ Following his gaze, Emily gave a slow nod. ‘This walk is definitely important to you.’ Her sideways glance met Jude’s. ‘But is it wise to go up there on your own?’

  He was staring at her now, his grey eyes faintly amused and yet also challenging. ‘Are you offering to join me?’

  A pulse beat at the base of her throat. ‘Are you inviting me t
o join you?’

  ‘I guess I am,’ he said with a slow, cautious smile.

  CHAPTER SIX

  EMILY'S first reaction to Jude’s invitation was excitement, but she had to be practical. ‘We wouldn’t get back till dark, would we?’ She was returning to Brisbane tonight, and she didn’t like the idea of having to drive back down the unfamiliar mountain road in the dark.

  ‘You’d need to stay the night, of course,’ Jude said deadpan.

  Talk about a turnaround. Five minutes earlier, he’d been determined to throw her out. Now, a cautious, untrusting voice whispered a warning to Emily. She found Jude far too attractive for her own good. Now, in this setting, he was more attractive than ever.

  Problem was, she’d promised Alex she would keep an eye on him. How could she let him go traipsing up a mountain alone?

  ‘I brought a pair of jeans and a sweater with me, but I don’t think I have any suitable shoes,’ she told him. She also wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep up with an experienced mountain climber.

  Jude ran an assessing gaze over her fashionable boots. ‘I might have walking boots that’ll fit you.’

  ‘From an old girlfriend?’

  His response was a slow tilted smile. ‘Yes. The Army doctor, Keira, comes up here sometimes when she’s on leave, but she wouldn’t mind if you borrowed her shoes.’

  Emily couldn’t help feeling curious about what appeared to be an ongoing relationship with this former girlfriend. Not that it was any of her business.

  They finished their tea, and then went downstairs to the garage where a couple of mountain bikes were stacked against a wall and a large green canoe was suspended from the roof. Jude opened a side door to reveal shelves stacked with backpacks, coiled ropes and other camping and outdoor gear. There was also a pair of women’s hiking boots, which he handed to Emily.

  ‘Try these, Cinderella.’