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“I’ve always hated that name.”
“Sorry.”
She looked up at the sky, and Ted knew that if he just leaned forward a few inches, he could kiss the smooth, exposed column of her throat.
Shut it down, bud.
Mandy didn’t wear scent like other women, but he could pick her out in a room full of people. There was always something sweet floating in the air when she was close.
“No, that’s okay. You’re just saying what everyone is thinking.”
“And here’s me at this pity party without my popcorn.”
“Very funny.” She looked at him with something close to a glare.
“Tell people if you don’t like the name Mousey Mandy.”
“It’s all right for you, you’re strong. People respect you.”
“I’ve worked hard for that, Mandy. It doesn’t come easy.”
“Really?” He saw hope spark in her eyes.
“Really. Now it seems like I drew the short straw, so I want to see you outside the door to my rooms tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. I can help you, but you have to trust me.”
“What? No—”
“What’s the problem here? You a lay-abed?”
“No. I’m up at six.”
“Perfect, make it six thirty, then. Wear something you can exercise in.”
“Oh, but I—”
Ted didn’t listen, he simply turned away and walked back inside. The urge to look over his shoulder rode him the entire way, but he resisted. Unlike Mandy Robbins, Ted was mentally tough. He’d had to be. When your sister was brutally murdered, you either sank into the pits of despair or you found a way to survive. He’d chosen the latter.
Chapter 2
Mandy watched Ted Hosking disappear inside the lodge.
“What the hell just happened, Buzz?”
The dog woofed.
One minute she’d been knee-deep in herbs and the next talking to the dark, brooding man who had unsettled her from their first meeting.
That kiss he’d dismissed like a leftover dinner had rocked her. She still remembered every detail and how being pressed against his chest, having those big strong arms around her, felt.Her first kiss.
“Because you’re pathetic,” Mandy reminded herself as she and Buzz headed back to her car.
Be strong in here, Mandy. Don’t let the past dictate who you are anymore.
How did he know she had a past that had turned her into a mouse who was frightened of her own shadow? To be fair, she wasn’t as bad as she’d used to be. Mandy had worked hard to not show her fears.
Obviously not hard enough.
Fear often stopped her living life, and she hated that. Hated that she closed in on herself and shut down when she felt intimidated.
