Christmas Eve Marriage

‘If I didn’t love her so much, I could kill her sometimes!’ Thea gave in and laughed. ‘She can be disastrously honest, and if she likes you she’ll stop at nothing to get you what you want—or what she thinks you need!’

She shook her head ruefully. ‘Clara’s like her mother that way. They’re both so determined, it’s often easiest just to give in and do as they say!’

A smile twitched at the corner of Rhys’s mouth. ‘What if they don’t like you? Does it work the other way?’

‘Unfortunately, yes.’ Thea’s own smile faded as she remembered how much Nell and Clara had disliked Harry. She had never been able to understand that. Harry was so good-looking and charming. How could anyone not like him?

‘I’d keep on her good side if I were you,’ she said to Rhys, and the intriguing dent at the corner of his mouth deepened in amusement.

‘I’ll remember that. Now, how about some fresh coffee?’ He picked up the cafetière and waved it tantalisingly.

‘Well…’ She didn’t want to seem too greedy.

‘Go on, fulfil those fantasies! You know you want it,’ he tempted her, and smiled at her, a swift and totally unexpected smile that illuminated his face and left Thea with the peculiar sensation of having missed a step as her breath stumbled.

She swallowed. ‘That would be lovely.’

The coffee smelt just as good as before when he came back, but this time Thea was less easily distracted by it. She found herself studying him under her lashes instead as he sat back in his chair, hands curled around his cup, watching the girls in the pool.

He wasn’t that attractive, not really. He was compactly-built and obviously fit, and he had that air of toughness and confidence she associated with men who spent most of their life outdoors. He had mentioned working in the desert, and Thea could imagine him in a wild setting like that, unfazed by the heat and the emptiness of the elements as he narrowed his eyes at the far horizon.

Of course, it might just be the tan that made her think that.

Her gaze dropped to his hands, and the memory of how his palm had felt touching hers was enough to send a tiny shiver down her spine. Yes, nice hands, nice eyes.

Nice mouth, too, now she came to think of it. Cool and firm looking, with just a hint of sensuousness about the bottom lip. It was a shame it seemed normally set in such a stern line, but the effect when he smiled was literally breathtaking.

Hmm.

Thea was uneasily aware that her hormones, long fixated on Harry, were definitely stirring and taking an interest. Odd. She frowned slightly. Rhys wasn’t her type at all. He couldn’t have been more different from Harry.

She shifted in her chair, trying to shake the feeling off. Maybe it was the sleepless night catching up on her, she thought hopefully, although she was definitely feeling better after that breakfast.

‘Listen!’ Rhys sat forward suddenly, startling Thea out of her thoughts.

‘What?’

‘Sophie’s laughing.’

CHAPTER TWO

THERE was such an odd note in his voice that Thea looked to where the two little girls were running around the pool and dive-bombing with much shrieking and giggling.

‘They’ll be inseparable now,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid you won’t see nearly so much of her.’

‘I don’t mind as long as she’s happy.’

Something about his expression made Thea’s heart twist. Underneath that tough exterior, he was clearly vulnerable about his daughter. He struck her as the kind of man who would dismiss emotions as ‘touchy feely’, but it was easy to see that he loved Sophie desperately and was bothered more than he cared to admit by his inability to bond with her.

And Sophie obviously wasn’t making it easy for him. Remembering that sullen expression and the stubborn set to that little chin, Thea couldn’t help feeling that he had a long way to go. She felt sorry for him.

Which was much better than feeling disturbed by him.

Draining her coffee, she pushed back her chair. ‘Thank you so much for breakfast,’ she said gratefully. ‘I feel as if I can face that awful drive now that I’ve got some caffeine inside me. I was dreading getting back in the car again.’

‘If it’s any help, I’m going down myself in a bit,’ he said casually, getting to his feet at the same time. ‘We need to stock up as well, so I could give you a lift if you really don’t like the idea of driving.’

She really didn’t, but Thea hesitated. ‘That would be wonderful,’ she said, trying not to sound too eager. ‘I feel as if I’d be exploiting you, though. So far you’ve provided breakfast and coffee, and all I’ve done is wake you up in the middle of the night and crash into your car. It’s rather a one-sided relationship, isn’t it?’ she joked a little uneasily.

For answer, Rhys cocked his ear in the direction of the pool where the girls could be heard giggling together. ‘That’s the first time Sophie has laughed in a week,’ he said simply. ‘She actually sounds as if she’s enjoying herself. A pot of yoghurt, a cup of coffee and a lift into town when I was going anyway doesn’t seem much compared to that.’

‘Well, if you’re sure…’ Thea let herself be persuaded. Pride had never been her strong point anyway, and there was no point in both of them driving down that road again, was there?

‘That’s settled then,’ said Rhys briskly. ‘If I can persuade the girls out of the pool, will you be ready to leave in half an hour?’

‘Half an hour’s fine,’ she said, calculating that would give her plenty of time to change. She wasn’t sitting next to Rhys in these shorts, that was for sure.

Oh, to have lovely long, slender thighs that you could flaunt without worrying about how they would look splayed out over the passenger seat. The only alternative was to sit with her feet braced to keep the weight off her thighs, and that drive was stressful enough as it was. The last thing she needed was the added anxiety of keeping cellulite under control.

Not that there was any reason to suppose that Rhys would even notice what her thighs were doing.

Or for her to care whether he did or not.

It was just habit, Thea told herself, frantically dragging clothes out of her case. She had been in no state to unpack when they arrived in the early hours, and now everything was disastrously crumpled. She was used to constantly fretting about her appearance with Harry, who was supercritical and forever remembering how beautifully groomed Isabelle was.

The thought of Harry and Isabelle made her wince, but it wasn’t that awful lacerating pain it had once been. The realisation made Thea pause. Perhaps Nell had been right when she said a change of scenery was what Thea needed.

‘There’s no point in moping around while you wait for Harry to make up his mind,’ her sister had said. ‘Go somewhere different. Think about something different.’

Like the smile in Rhys’s eyes and the feel of his hand touching hers.

Thea went back to pulling clothes out of her case, but more slowly. Yes, maybe Nell had a point. Coming out to Crete in Nell’s place had forced her out of her rut. It had been so long since she had been anywhere new, met anyone new, thought about anything other than Harry that her reactions were all over the place.

That would explain her peculiar physical reaction to Rhys, wouldn’t it? She wasn’t attracted to him. No, she was simply adjusting to the unfamiliar, and obviously lack of sleep—not to mention acute caffeine deprivation—hadn’t helped her behave normally.

Still, that was no reason not to look her best. She would feel more herself when she was properly dressed. But in what?

‘Dress or skirt and top?’ Thea held the alternative outfits up for Clara’s inspection when her niece appeared, still dripping from the pool.

Clara considered. ‘The dress is pretty, but it’s all creased.’

‘Linen’s supposed to look a bit creased,’ said Thea, relieved to have had the decision made for her. Clara had her mother’s taste and even as a very little girl her opinion had been worth having.

Tossing aside the skirt and top, she rummaged around in her case for a pair of strappy sandals. ‘It’s part of its charm.’

‘Are we going out?’

‘Didn’t Rhys tell you? He’s giving us a lift to the supermarket in that town we passed.’