AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bella stared at him, feeling her heart do a funny flip. Clearly money wasn’t the only reason Ian Larrimore had landed on the eligible bachelor list. Either he was being modest, or he truly was as endearingly humble as he seemed. Surely a man as smart as he was could take an honest look in the mirror.
“Where do you live now?” she asked.
“London. And you?”
“North Carolina. In the States.”
“I hear it’s lovely there.”
“It is.”
Good grief. Nothing like two introverts to get a conversation buzzing. This was exactly why she liked being alone. People were so much work, especially people of the opposite sex. She ran her hands through her hair. “Where is your luggage?”
His cheeks reddened. “I abandoned my car on a side street in town. I’ll sneak out after dark and retrieve it.”
“Okay.”
Ian shifted from one foot to the other. He was so tall he dwarfed the low-ceilinged space. Finley had inherited this quaint and cozy house from its previous owner, an old man who needed help with chores. He had given Finley room and board years ago in exchange for an able-bodied young man’s help with things that were too difficult for him to manage.
Ian picked up his high-end leather backpack. “I’m assuming Finley has Wi-Fi. If you’ll point me to my quarters, I’ll get out of your hair.”
The man’s Scottish accent was a delight. Now that Bella was surrounded by the speech patterns of the Highlands on a daily basis, you’d think she would have become immune to the wonderful cadences of the native tongue. But it wasn’t so. Hearing Ian’s mundane words was like listening to poetry.
Bella nodded. “Of course. Follow me.” As she led him up the narrow stairs, she was ruefully aware that her days of wandering around the house each morning in a T-shirt and undies were over. If she wanted to get up and read at three in the morning, she’d have to be careful not to let the stairs creak when she tiptoed down to the kitchen for a cup of tea.
Darn Finley and his careless hospitality! Already, Bella had begun to feel a sense of ownership in this delightful house. With her brother gone for an entire month, she had plenty of time to play tourist and write and dream.
Now it wouldn’t be the same at all.
She stepped aside to let Finley enter the immaculate guest room. Although not luxurious, the space was comfy and appealing. “You’re lucky Cinnamon wasn’t here,” Bella said suddenly. “She’s at the dog groomer, but she wouldn’t have been too happy about me letting a stranger through the front door.”
“Cinnamon?”
“She’s a beautiful English Cocker.”
“Ah, yes. I met her last year… when I came to pick up my bike.”
Bella’s brother built one-of-a-kind, incredibly expensive motorcycles. His usual clients were movie stars and royalty. Ian must be extremely comfortable financially to be able to afford such a toy. That fact didn’t impress her in the least. She’d had plenty of opportunities to discover a man’s bank balance wasn’t a good indicator of his character.
She held out her hand. “I think you’ll find everything you need. I’ll dig out a spare house key for you later on and leave it on the hall table.”
Her guest nodded, making her feel unaccountably guilty. His green eyes crinkled at the corners. “Thank you.” He paused and grimaced. “I assume your last name is Craig? But I don’t know your first name.”
“It’s Bella. Short for Arabella. That was too much of a mouthful, so my parents shortened it.”
He tested the mattress with one hand. “Bella. The name suits you.”
There was no overt flattery in his tone or expression, but the words were definitely a compliment. Which left Bella flustered and out of sorts. “I have work to do,” she said. “Make yourself at home.”
She fled to her room, remembering for no particular reason the miserable day before her senior prom when Dusty Bennett decided at the last minute to take a date who was blonder and dumber than Bella. He’d told her guys didn’t like girls who were too smart.
Even then Bella had recognized what a total ass he was. But the careless rejection hurt nevertheless. She’d spent half a decade trying to be smart without letting anyone know. In the end, the playacting had become too much of a burden. She was who she was.
Even so, really handsome men made her nervous. She preferred nerds, as her brother so blithely described them. Male or female, they were her people. It wasn’t that she thought superficial social interactions and pop culture were unimportant. It was just that she had so many other things that interested her.
In the bathroom she splashed water on her hot cheeks and brushed her hair. Staring into the mirror she faced a woman who was average for the most part. Her eyes were large and a nice shade of blue. A nose that was a bit off center. A chin that was more sharp than feminine.
She did like her hair…most days. It was thick and healthy and required little effort on her part to be presentable. Although she had been known to use a curling iron and hairspray on special occasions, most days she simply caught it up in a ponytail and went about her business.
