The Unwilling Mistress

‘Now that sounds promising!’ March said dryly.

‘Do you cook, Will?’ May put in mischievously.

Not quite the innocent peacemaker he had assumed after all, Will acknowledged with a rueful smile in May’s direction.

‘Tell me,’ he murmured consideringly, ‘are all the men in the area blind, deaf, and stupid? I can’t believe you weren’t all married years ago,’ he explained at May’s questioning look, a glance at the left hand of both women having shown them to both be unadorned by rings, and January Calendar had only recently—very recently!—become engaged to Max.

March grimaced at the comment. ‘Maybe we’re the ones who aren’t interested,’ she challenged.

And maybe three Calendar sisters were two too many? Although Max didn’t seem to have had too much trouble getting past that particular problem!

‘Good point,’ Will dismissed, realizing the conversation was becoming altogether too personal.

He had wondered earlier whether accepting this dinner invitation was a good idea, knowing it would be better for all of them if he maintained a certain distance from the Calendar sisters. But March’s obvious reluctance for him to accept the invitation had been enough to prompt him into doing exactly that!

What else might he feel goaded into doing before his time came to leave…?

‘So if January is the singer in the family—’ that little fact had been confirmed for him at the hotel earlier, and he’d even been able to view one of the publicity photographs of January used by the hotel; January Calendar was as beautiful as her two sisters ‘—and March works in the estate agent’s, that must mean that you’re the full-time farmer?’ he prompted May curiously.

Farming seemed a very strange choice of career for any of these beautiful women, but Will knew for a fact, from the Calendar sisters themselves, but also from Jude, that they absolutely refused to sell the farm. At least, March did…

‘Not exactly,’ May laughed dismissively. ‘You see—’

‘May is an actress,’ March put in with a proud smile in her sister’s direction. ‘She’s been offered a part in a film—’

‘Not yet, I haven’t.’ May looked embarrassed. ‘Besides, March, I told you I haven’t made my mind up yet about even going for the screen test.’ She frowned at her sister reprovingly.

Will had a feeling that was something May had probably done a lot of over the years where the outspoken March was concerned!

‘An actress?’ he prompted interestedly. January was a singer, March was probably—no matter what she might claim to the contrary!—a good artist, and now it seemed that May acted; he couldn’t help wondering how three young women obviously brought up on a farm could be so artistically gifted in such different ways.

But if May were to disappear for some time in order to make a film, that probably explained the current rift between the sisters concerning the selling of the farm. It was a start, at least…

‘It isn’t official yet.’ May looked extremely uncomfortable. ‘I have to go for a screen test next month—’

‘A mere technicality,’ March dismissed airily. ‘You’re going to walk through it,’ she added with certainty. ‘My sister is an extremely good actress,’ she told Will proudly.

Something March, with her see-through face, could never be!

From the derisive smile March now directed at him he wasn’t doing too good a job of hiding his own thoughts at the moment, either!

‘Sorry.’ But even as he made the apology he couldn’t hold back his amused chuckle.

‘No, you’re not,’ March acknowledged disgustedly, standing up to clear away the empty plates.

Will stood up too, moving across the kitchen to where March stood filling up the sink with soapy water. ‘If I offer to help with the washing-up will I be forgiven?’ he prompted huskily.

‘Knowing how much March hates washing up—I wouldn’t be at all surprised!’ May was the one to answer him dryly.

But Will barely heard her reply, his breath suddenly caught in his chest as he found himself held mesmerized by March’s luminous grey-green gaze as she turned to look up at him.

Her skin was like alabaster, smooth and creamy white, her mouth wide and sensuous, her neck arched with the delicacy of a swan, the baggy green jumper and fitted black denims she wore doing nothing to hide the allure of her slender body. A body he had been completely aware of from the moment he’d entered the farmhouse half an hour ago…

Once again Will found himself wondering if this was the way it had been for Max. A sudden, driving desire, a numbing of every other sense and sensation except this intense, spine-tingling awareness—

No!

Will wrenched his gaze away from March’s, physically stepping away from her too, turning his back on her to further break the spell of sensuality that had briefly held him in its grip.

Will, Max and Jude had been at school together, losing touch briefly as they all went off to university to pursue their chosen careers, but those same careers renewing their friendship ten or so years ago. Now, at thirty-seven, despite having enjoyed numerous relationships, none of them had ever married. Somehow, after all this time, Will had assumed that none of them ever would. But Max, the one Will would have sworn was the least likely of the three friends to succumb, had fallen in love with the youngest Calendar sister.

Will did not intend falling into the same trap where March Calendar was concerned!

He drew in a harsh breath. ‘Could I take a rain check on the apple pie?’ he bit out tautly, deliberately speaking to May rather than March. ‘I’ve just realized I have an important telephone call to make.’

‘So much for helping with the washing-up!’ March muttered behind him disgustedly.

It was a little ungrateful of him, he knew, but he needed to get away from here, needed to get some fresh air. Needed to clear his head, and his senses, of March Calendar!

‘Take the pie with you,’ May offered warmly, moving to pick the pie up off the side and place it in his hands.

‘Hey, I like apple pie, too!’ March protested.

‘Will is our guest, March.’ May turned to her sister warningly before giving Will a bright smile. ‘I often think I failed miserably where instilling manners into March was concerned!’ She gave a sorrowful shake of her head.

Once again Will felt himself being drawn into the warmth that was the Calendar sisters, his good humour returning as he smiled at May. ‘March does have a point when she actually made the pie,’ he murmured with a derisive grin in her direction.

‘Oh, take it,’ March dismissed impatiently. ‘You probably don’t have to worry about the calories, anyway!’ she added disgustedly.

Neither did she if the willowy sensuousness of her body was anything to go by—

Not again. Will shook his head self-disgustedly. Okay, so March was beautiful, was quirky and outspoken too, as well as having a curvaceously sensuous body, but was that any reason for him to respond to her with the gaucheness of a callow schoolboy?

No, but it was reason for him to get himself out of here before he did something he would later regret—like kiss that derisive smile right off her pouting lips!

‘I’m afraid there’s no telephone in the studio,’ May pointed out worriedly. ‘But you can use the one here if—’

‘Why doesn’t he just move in here completely? We can charge him bed and breakfast prices then!’ March put in scathingly.

Will’s lips twitched with repressed humour as he saw the way May winced at her younger sister’s bluntness. March really was irrepressible.

And, despite her obvious despair at March’s lack of manners, May was obviously staunchly protective of both her sisters. Making Will wonder how on earth Max, with his reserved haughtiness, had ever got the two older Calendar sisters’ approval to marry their younger sister!

‘That won’t be necessary,’ Will answered smilingly.

‘I have a mobile in the car.’

‘Well, of course you do,’ March snapped derisively.