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‘I think what you mean is it’s all work for you,’ Diego remarked dryly.
Just when she had relaxed into a laugh, he went on, ‘So, no brothers or sisters, Maxie?’
‘That’s it,’ she confirmed. ‘You only think it’s odd because you grew up in a crowd. What was that like, by the way?’ she added, determined to steer the conversation away from herself.
‘Noisy and chaotic.’ Diego shrugged. ‘Nacho brought us up. We gave him a hard time. No privacy—’
‘No wonder you like it here,’ she said. ‘And it must have been fun when your friends came round—all this space?’
‘Yes, it was,’ Diego agreed gruffly. ‘So what about your father, Maxie? Do you see a lot of him?’
‘No,’ she said quickly. Too fast. Alarm bells were ringing loud and clear now. Why the sudden interest in her father? She had done everything she could think of to protect his anonymity—booking him into a private nursing home under a different name where the staff was both loyal and discreet. ‘Why are you so interested in my father?’
‘Just curious.’
Her father’s bungled business interests had never stretched to South America, of that much she was sure. He’d been ill for years, so he could never have met Diego—unless Diego had been just out of school.
‘His name isn’t Peter, is it?’ Diego prompted lightly.
Maxie’s heart stopped, and then began racing uncontrollably. ‘No. Why?’ That was not the name her father went under at the nursing home. She hated lying to Diego, but tell one person a secret and they told the next one, who told the next one, and in no time the whole world knew.
‘I knew someone once with the surname Parrish,’ he said with a dismissive shrug. ‘That’s all.’
‘Common name,’ she confirmed. She didn’t know a lot about her father’s business interests, other than to say he’d used to run a small and not very successful investment outfit. She couldn’t imagine a wealthy South American from a polo playing family having anything to do with such a small-time broker, and it was a relief when Diego started to talk about a swimming machine for horses that strengthened their legs.
But just when she was relaxing into that topic he threw another curve ball. ‘So you don’t like talking about your home life, Maxie?’
‘Only because there’s nothing to tell …’ Diego was way too perceptive, and she only now realised that her hands were clenched so tightly she was in danger of drawing blood from her palms.
When they got back to the house he made some excuse to put some space between them. He wanted to call his investigator. He had lots of gaps to fill in now.
‘Thanks for the riding lesson,’ Maxie said when they parted in the courtyard.
The blush in her cheeks suggested Maxie was remembering more than riding his horse. It made him keener than ever to find out the truth, and for his investigator to confirm that Maxie had nothing to do with Peter Parrish. She stood up to him like no other woman apart from his sister, and he liked that. He liked it a lot. In fact, Maxie Parrish was turning out to be the most intriguing and complex woman he had ever met.
If only he could bury the past once and for all …
He was confident Ruiz was right. There were countless people with the surname Parrish—and he hated the dark, twisted part of him that said nothing in life was ever that easy.
Diego’s mouth firmed even as his heart lifted when Maxie walked into the kitchen that evening. He stared at her, hunting for something dark beneath those clear grey eyes, but there was nothing outwardly to suggest that Maxie might have any connection with Peter Parrish. He had still had no answers from his PI yet, but despite Ruiz’s belief that the two were unrelated Diego still held a niggling doubt he could not explain.
‘Good evening, Diego.’
‘Good evening, Maxie …’
Putting down his newspaper, he registered the smell of soap and some light scent she was wearing. Fresh jeans and a long-sleeved white top made her look young, casual and relaxed. Her hair was still a little damp from the shower, and the thought of burying his face in the silky flesh above her shoulder was intoxicating. There were so many ways he could put his dark thoughts behind him …
He settled for leaning back in his chair and putting the first part of his plan into action. ‘I imagine you have plenty of work waiting for you in London?’
‘Yes,’ she said.
Actually, there was quite a gap in her schedule, Maxie silently acknowledged. Not knowing what she would find when she reached the island, she had built in some extra time to allow for a change of venue had that proved necessary.
‘Good.’ Diego’s lips pressed down with approval. ‘I’m very pleased to hear it.’
Was he? Something in Diego’s voice wasn’t quite right. This thought was followed by a shiver of foreboding for which she had no explanation.
‘Supper,’ he announced as Maria came bustling between them with steaming plates of hot food.
‘Yes,’ Maxie murmured, accepting everything was indeed normal as she shook herself round.
He spent another restless night making plans. Keeping Maxie close was number one on his agenda. He wanted to know more about her, but he also acknowledged that he wanted her in his bed.
Fortunately, Holly provided him with the perfect excuse when she rang him first thing. ‘The charity event?’ he murmured, his mind racing as a plan began to take shape in his head. ‘Of course I haven’t forgotten about it.’ Ideas were coming thick and fast now. ‘Of course I’ll be home. I can’t organise it from a distance, can I?’ he said, dangling some tasty bait.
‘But you know someone who can?’ Holly prompted with a smile, supplying him with exactly the right cue.
‘Do you mean Maxie?’ he said, injecting surprise in his voice.
‘Who else but Maxie?’ Holly demanded, laughing at his apparent slowness to catch on.
‘I suppose I could approach her …’ He said this thoughtfully. ‘We’ll just have to hope she can work our charity event into her schedule.’
‘If you ask her she will. I know she will. Please ask her, Diego!’
‘All right,’ he agreed indulgently. ‘For you, I will.’
Maxie woke slowly and cautiously, and then groaned when she remembered everything that had happened the day before. Touching her lips before she had even opened her eyes, she hummed in rueful confirmation that they were still swollen, and that the area round them was still abraded where Diego’s sharp black stubble had raked her skin. She reached for the pot of moisturiser by the side of her bed. She couldn’t possibly afford an affair with Diego. She’d have to start buying face cream in bucketloads.
There was no chance she was going to have an affair with Diego, Maxie told herself firmly as she got out of bed. She was a realist, who was going to pack and get ready to go home.
Showering and dressing as fast as she could in T-shirt and jeans, she raced downstairs. A couple more photographs and one more report to the bride and she was done—out of here with her reputation more or less intact. By some miracle, Maxie concluded, as her body warmed just at the thought that Diego might be around.
Maria greeted her gaily wi
th, ‘Buenos dias, señorita.’
‘Buenos dias, Maria.’
‘Señor Diego is waiting for you outside.’
‘He is?’ Maxie’s heart began to thunder as she glanced out of the kitchen window.
‘Your riding lesson,’ Maria trilled.
‘I thought I had one yesterday?’
‘Practice makes perfect,’ Maria assured her with a twinkling smile.
Maxie wasn’t so sure about that. Grabbing a piece of toast and an apple, she paused to give Maria a hug. ‘You’re the best,’ she said, giving the smiling housekeeper a squeeze before taking her concerns outside. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself as she stared up at the man on the back of the impossibly fired-up stallion. ‘Good morning, Diego.’
‘Good morning, Maxie.’
Hmm. Something wasn’t right here. Diego was holding the mild grey pony on a lead rope at his side, while his mighty stallion pawed the ground and snorted imperiously. All right so far. It was just that look on his face—confident and … sexy. She laughed when the grey gelding turned a patient face towards her as if to say, These guys are a pain, aren’t they?
‘Yes, they are,’ she said, stroking the grey pony’s velvet muzzle.
‘Who is what?” Diego demanded suspiciously as his stallion’s bridle chinked an impatient warning.
‘You don’t need to know,’ Maxie murmured, resting her cheek against the pony’s warm, firm neck for a soothing moment.
‘Are you ready for your second lesson?’
‘As I’ll ever be,’ Maxie agreed, wondering where this one would lead.
‘Good. And I’ve got something else for you to consider.’ Springing down, he looped the stallion’s reins over his arm and helped her to mount up.
‘Tell me?’ she prompted once she was settled in the saddle.
‘I’ve got another job for you—if you want it?’
She couldn’t afford to turn work down. And she’d do almost anything to spend some more time with Diego, Maxie realised. Which was both dangerous and absurd.
