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“There’s a Room for Rent sign.”
Yeah, there was. “Not this house, Caroline.”
“You only have one sister.” She reached for the door handle. “Don’t tell me another one of your family members lives here.”
He shook his head. “Nope, I’m not telling you that.”
Then, because Mick just could never resist giving someone enough rope with which to hang themselves, he let Caroline get out of the car and walk toward the house. He followed her, coming close to telling her the truth, but deciding against it.
Caroline went to the sign and pulled out a flyer. Her eyes sparked with indignation. “You have this place listed for rent.”
“Yep.”
“So why didn’t you tell me about it?”
Because I’m not a freakin’ lunatic?
“I didn’t think it would suit,” he replied, wondering why the hell he didn’t just admit the truth so they could get out of here. Maybe it was because he was starting to have a little fun.
Caroline kept reading. “It has a completely separate in-law suite and there’s only one resident. How bad could that be? I mean, there’s no ax murderer or psychopath living here, is there?”
“Not as far as I know,” he said with a chuckle, “but you can never be too sure about some people.”
As if on cue, the front door to the house opened and a very familiar older woman walked out. Mick smothered a sigh, having no doubt what she had been doing inside.Baking.
Caroline shot him a glare as she saw the older woman, complete with iron-gray hair, a pair of wire-framed glasses and a brightly colored dress. “Oh, I’m shaking in my shoes,” Caroline muttered, sotto voce. “I won’t sleep a wink wondering if she’s going to have a raunchy sex party.”
He gulped at that image. Then he gave her a bit more rope…because she deserved it for bringing up the word sex when that was about all he’d been thinking about since he’d laid eyes on her again.
Sex. With her. Lots of it. The kind they used to have when they were young and hungry, when every cell in his body had contained a raging hormone and every one of them had her name stamped on it.
“I can’t believe you didn’t mention this place. Did you intentionally make me suffer with all those other ones this morning? Was this some kind of ploy to get even because I dumped you back in college?”
Talk about déjà vu. They’d been in each other’s company only a few hours and once again she was accusing him when he hadn’t done a thing to deserve it. Just like she had when they’d broken up, when she’d thrown ugly words like playboy, irresponsible and “unable to be faithful” at his face. All because she’d seen a questionable moment and chosen to believe the worst.
“The rentisvery reasonable,” he replied evenly, not responding to her barb.
The older woman walked down off the porch and finally noticed them standing on the front walk. “Oh, you caught me,” she said, giving Mick a guilty-looking smile. “I just took a pie out of the oven and left it to cool on the counter.”
Caroline extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Caro Lamb.”
“Caro…lan? How nice to meet you, dear.”
“Uh, Lamb. That is…never mind. It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m interested in the room for rent.”
Mick suffered under a ten-second stare from a pair of eyes that had been able to make him spill his guts with just a glance from the time he’d been a kid. “She’s with the reality show and needs a place to stay for a few weeks.” One fine gray brow arched a bit. “I’ve shown her every rental in town,” he added.
Those stiffened shoulders eased a bit. “Well then, how wonderful. I’m sure you’ll love it. I have a hair appointment, so I’ll get out of your way and let you go look.”
Mick watched her leave, then turned his attention to Caroline. She went up to the porch, gave the two-person swing a little push and stood up on tiptoe to sniff at a flowering plant hanging by the door. Her smile was evident from down here on the lawn. She suddenly looked much more like the girl he’d known, which didn’t make him feel one bit better.
She even sat down on the swing, setting it in motion with a kick and wiggling to make herself more comfortable while she waited for him to open the house.
“This is wonderful,” she murmured.
She liked the place. Damn, why did that hurt so much?
“I want to see the inside. If it’s as perfect as the outside, then I think I’ve found where I want to live.”
