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And it wasn't as if she'd done anything wrong, not really. She had told him she wouldn't have lunch with him so if he had turned up expecting her to go out with him he only had himself to blame. She wasn't responsible for his stubbornness.
She was almost at the cottage door when she heard the ap¬proaching car in the lane outside the garden. Her heart plum¬meted, but telling herself she would have had to face him at some point in the future so it might as well be now, she turned and retraced her steps. When the car came into view she was standing holding Harvey's collar in the garden, unaware of how slender and defensive she looked in the shadowed night.
The car stopped, but at the same time as Travis extracted himself from the vehicle a pretty brunette slid out of the pas¬senger seat. 'You must be Beth!' Before Travis could say a word the girl was walking over to the gate. 'I've heard all about you. I think it's terrific you've chosen to come and live all by yourself for a while and to hell with the rest of the world.'
Completely taken aback, Beth forced a smile. 'Thanks— I think,' she sard, keeping her eyes from straying to the big male figure coming up behind the girl.
'I'm Sandra, Travis's sister, and I don't blame you at all for standing him up this lunchtime.' Sandra extended a hand to shake and, feeling a little stunned, Beth took it. 'I'd have done exactly the same thing if I'd been you.'
'Hello, Beth.' Travis's voice was very dry and as her gaze moved to him she saw the dark face was still and coolly im¬perturbable. She couldn't read a thing in the closed expression.
Answering Sandra but looking at Travis, Beth said a little shakily, 'I didn't stand him up. I told him I wasn't going to have lunch with him. I made it absolutely clear, in fact.'
'But he wouldn't take no for an answer?' Sandra nodded. 'That's my brother all over. The stories I could tell you. He's really bull-headed. When he gets the bit between his teeth—'
'You've introduced yourself to Beth, Sandra. Now it's time to go and sit in the car.' Travis's voice was soft and cool as it cut across his sister's chatter but there was no doubting it was an order and not a request.
Beth saw the other girl open her mouth as though to protest but when she glanced at her brother's face she must have thought better of it. 'See you again soon,' she dimpled at Beth before swinging round and depositing herself in the Mercedes, closing the door behind her.
Bern's stomach was churning but her face betrayed none of her agitation as she looked at Travis, trying desperately to ignore how good he looked. 'I did say I wasn't going to have lunch,' she repeated flatly. 'If you remember?'
'I remember. It went something along the lines of I would be the last person on earth you'd lunch with. Right?'
Flushing slightly, Beth said, 'Right. So you can't say I stood you up.' Her chin lifted defiantly.
'I didn't. Sandra did.' He smiled—a smile which didn't reach the piercing eyes. 'It was her interpretation of events, not mine. I was ninety-nine per cent sure you wouldn't be in when we called, as it happens. OK?'
She stared at him. He meant it, she could tell. 'So why call, then?' she asked bewilderedly. 'Why did you bother?'
'In hope of the one per cent,' he said softly. 'Good night, Beth.' He turned on his heel and walked away.
He had reached the car before she could force herself to say, 'Travis? I'm sorry. Not that I didn't have lunch with you, because I don't want to have lunch with anyone, but that I've been so...' She didn't know how to put it.
He stood with his hand on the car door. In the shadowed night his eyes looked black and there was a small smile twisting his lips. 'Touchy?' he suggested very softly.
'Bitchy.' She swallowed hard. 'Because I'm not like that, not usually. At least I don't think I am. Although I know I've changed since the divorce, so perhaps this is the real new me. But I hope not.' She stopped abruptly. She was babbling; she would have known even if his face hadn't told her so. 'Anyway, I'm sorry,' she finished flatly. And she really was.
'How sorry?' he asked with silky intent.
'What?' Her brow wrinkled.
'How sorry are you?' he asked with magnificent blandness, his voice and manner betraying nothing but a kind of amiable forbearance. 'Sorry enough to share the odd meal with me when I'm in these parts without thinking I've some ulterior motive like ripping your clothes off and taking you to bed? You see, the truth of the matter is that sexually you're not my type, Beth, but I find you interesting as a person. And that's a compliment, incidentally,' he added pleasantly. 'There's few people, men or women, I find interesting.'
She was so shocked that automatic pilot clicked in. 'I see,' she said numbly. Charming, absolutely charming.
'We're close neighbours and in these parts that means you look out for each other, do the neighbourly thing,' Travis con¬tinued cheerfully. 'Get it? With you living such a solitary lifestyle I'd hate to think you were ill or had had an accident or any one of a number of things and no one knew.'
