AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Braden practically choked. “Truly?”
“Yes, and you’d best crack on before I lose interest.”
He laughed. “At your command, my lady. And how delightfully unconventional of you, I must say.”
Samantha felt the warmth of his laugh—and his love—fizz through her body like champagne. She wanted to laugh, too—or cry out of sheer relief and gratitude for the chance to love again.
“Dr. Kendrick, when have we ever been conventional?”
“True, that.”
He suddenly rolled away and scrambled to his feet.
“Where are you going?” she demanded.
“To lock the door. I don’t want Donny or Mrs. Johnson walking in us.”
“That would be rather dreadful.”
“Indeed.”
A moment later, he was back and taking her into his arms. He loomed over her, his gaze a thrilling mix of love and desire. “Are you quite ready, my darling girl?”
She slipped her arms around his neck. “More than ready.”
His smile—the roguish one she’d come to love—flashed bright and quick. “Thank God.”
Then his mouth came down to hers, and Samantha gave herself up to love.
CHAPTER26
As the fading day cast the shadows of dusk across her desk, Samantha paused to light the Argand lamp before returning her attention to the notebook in front of her. After an entire afternoon at the foundation pouring over board meeting minutes, she was practically cross-eyed. The work was beginning to feel like a waste of time.
Something had niggled at her these last few days, the sense that she’d missed a small but vital clue hidden deep in the books. So, she’d started at the beginning, reading through all the minutes of the Penwith Foundation board from its inception. Thanks to Logan, she now had a better idea of where to look for anomalies. But it was tedious work, and so far she’d found nothing.
She reached for her cup of tea and took a swallow of the tepid and rather bitter brew, hoping it would jolt her brain.
Mrs. Girvin appeared in the open doorway to Samantha’s office. “Mrs. Kendrick, can I get you a fresh pot?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Girvin, but I’m fine.”
The housekeeper came closer. “You’ve been working steady on those records for hours, ma’am. Are you sure I can’t help?”
Samantha put down her pencil with a sigh. “I’m not really sure what I’m looking for, to tell you the truth. Hopefully, it’ll jump out at me at some point.”
Girvin pulled an unhappy face. “I apologize for not coming to you sooner with my concerns. I should have.”
“There’s no need to keep apologizing, Mrs. Girvin. I likely would have done the same in your shoes.” She smiled. “I’m glad we finally had the chance to have a good talk about it.”
Samantha hadn’t been to the foundation for several days, due to the recent turmoil in her life. But she’d resolved to come in today, both to catch up on work and to dig deeper into the books.
She’d also been determined to quiz Girvin about Haxton and any other concerns the housekeeper might have about the foundation. Though Haxton would naturally deny any accusations Girvin made against him, everything the housekeeper had detailed in their discussion squared with what Samantha already knew about the ongoing fraud and Haxton’s role in it.
Girvin had been one of Roger’s first hires, and he’d always trusted her. She performed her job with rigorous competence, and Samantha saw no reason not to trust her, too.
“You’re very kind, ma’am,” said Girvin. “I’m grateful for your trust in me.”
“You’re welcome.”
