and Cat shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
Unabashed, Daniel grinned devilishly but whatever outrageous quip he was about to deliver was diverted when Cat touched his arm.
‘Daniel, I’d just as soon not meet your uncle right now. Not yet, anyway,’ the younger girl said firmly. ‘I only came tonight because-’ she paused ‘-I mean, I need to talk to you privately.’ She glanced apologetically at Keira. ‘If you don’t mind, Keira.’
‘Of course not.’ Keira moved away, more than a little relieved to leave Daniel and his embarrassing innuendos behind. She wended her way in search of Roxie and the coffee but she had only had a chance to give Roxie a wave when Daniel and Cat were beside her again.
‘Keira, do you know where Eden went exactly?’ Daniel asked concernedly, and she shook her head.
‘No. He… I think he left.’
‘Damn! Keira, we have to find him. And fast. Cat says…’ Daniel stopped and turned back to the young girl. ‘I’ll have to tell Keira, Cat. She should know too. OK?’
After a moment Cat nodded unhappily and Daniel sighed.
‘Cat overheard her father talking to one of the union reps.’ Daniel had dropped his voice conspiratorially to little more than a whisper so that Keira had to strain to catch his words. ‘They’re going out on strike. The distributors. Damn good timing, too. Just when
‘I didn’t want to tell Daniel,’ Cat said miserably. ‘But, well, I didn’t know what to do. Oh, I just wish I hadn’t overheard that conversation. But they were giving Dad a hard time and…’ She shook her head and Daniel took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
‘It’s OK, Cat,’ he said consolingly and she brushed a tear from her eyes.
‘I just thought that maybe Daniel’s uncle and my father between them could, you know, talk some sense into them. I only hope I’ve done the right thing,’ she finished miserably.
‘Of course you have. And I know Eden’ll handle it diplomatically.’ He looked at Keira and frowned. ‘Eden didn’t say where he was going?’
As Keira shook her head, someone in a nearby group touched him on the shoulder.
‘If you’re still looking for the big chief he’s in the next room. I just left him.’
‘Great!’ Daniel exclaimed and began pushing through the crowd, pulling Cat after him.
And Keira made herself follow, albeit a little more slowly. By the time she’d reluctantly joined them Daniel had given his uncle the gist of Cat’s revelations.
Eden’s eyes acknowledged Keira’s presence with one all-consuming glance and her knees went decidedly weak at the fire that still burned in their blue depths. Her defences sank to a new low and she experienced an urge to lean against his hard body, rest her weary head on his shoulder and take in some of his strength. So much for her determination to remain aloof from him.
Daniel was now explaining to Eden who Cat was, and his uncle regarded them both levelly.
‘You don’t resemble your father in the slightest,’ he said to Cat with a faint smile, and the young girl visibly relaxed. Then he turned back to his nephew. ‘We’ll have a few things to discuss, Daniel, when all this is settled, hmm?’
Daniel nodded. ‘But what are we going to do about the strike? I mean, the magazine is supposed to hit the stands on Monday.’
‘I’ll go and see Cat’s father and between us we’ll sort it out It’s probably another false alarm. A few of them tend to over-react. But if they have genuine grievances I’ll listen and do my best to put them right.’ He ran his hand tiredly along his jaw line and then seemed to straighten before his gaze returned to Keira.
‘I’ll be in touch after I find out just how serious the situation is.’
Keira nodded and his eyes held hers for a fraction of a second before he turned and made his way through the crowd. A few minutes later he left with Denver Clarkson and he hadn’t returned before the party eventually broke up, the guests unaware of the behind-the-scenes drama.
When Roxie finally dropped Keira home she sighed with relief. Her fluctuating emotions had physically drained her. One moment she knew the excitement, the exhilaration of imagining herself surrendering to something she suspected was predestined, drowning in the promise of Eden Cassidy’s so compelling charisma. The next moment she would be valiantly standing her ground, set stubbornly on not allowing herself to deviate from her decision not to succumb to his so tempting overtures.
The night had been never-ending, far more so than she could have imagined it was going to be, and then topped off by the threatened strike. All she wanted was to crawl into the sanctuary of her bed and know the oblivion of sleep. She felt as though she’d been awake for weeks and that her body had been on unalleviated alert for just as long. As long as she’d known Eden Cassidy.
After all the work that had gone into the first issue, and was going into the second issue of
As the tail-lights of Roxie’s car disappeared down the road she swung open the gate in her high wooden fence and Roger wound himself around her legs in greeting. She closed the gate and picked him up.
‘If you’re wondering what sort of evening I had, then it couldn’t have been worse. I’m simply exhausted and can’t wait to get to bed.’
And although she expected she’d lie tossing and turning, mulling over the turmoil within her, she was asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. It seemed only moments later that she was woken by the birds greeting the morning sun and she reluctantly climbed out of bed and pulled on her short-sleeved robe. With a yawn she set the coffee-pot bubbling and went out to collect her morning newspaper.
Keira opened the gate just as Daniel’s red sports car pulled into the kerb.
‘Morning,’ he greeted her tiredly. ‘I’ve been staying at Cat’s and her father just arrived home. I thought you’d like to know the strike is off.’
‘Oh. That’s good news. Thanks, Daniel. Do you want some coffee?’
Daniel shook his head. ‘No. I’m bushed. I’m off home to catch up on some sleep. See you.’
Keira waved as he drove off, and picked up her newspaper, only to step back in alarm when the bonnet of a dark blue Jaguar nosed into the driveway, wide tyres crunching on the gravel, passing her to draw to a stop in front of her carport.
Her hand still resting on the gate, Keira stared openmouthed as Eden Cassidy’s tall body climbed from behind the wheel and turned to face her.
He closed the car door behind him with a restrained click and leaned back against the shiny duco. ‘Did you manage to get any sleep last night?’ he asked without inflection, his eyes running over the curve of her body beneath her towelling robe.
Keira’s hand dropped from the gate to clutch together the opened V of her gown. She wore her short nightshirt beneath her robe and even though it was really quite circumspect as night attire went she felt almost naked beneath his hooded gaze.
‘A little,’ she replied at last, taking a couple of steps toward him before stopping in confusion.
Something warned her to keep a measured distance between herself and that tall masculine body.
Yet of their own accord her eyes wandered lingeringly over him, took in his slightly dishevelled appearance. He’d shed his suit jacket and his tie, and his immaculate white shirt was open at the collar.
Her gaze met his and she swallowed, her heartbeats accelerating wildly. He’d seen her open scrutiny and she flushed disconcertedly, but he refrained from making his usual provocative comment. Instead he raised his hand to massage the back of his neck, as though to ease the tension there.
‘Any chance of a cup of coffee?’ he asked tiredly, and Keira almost laughed at the prosaicness of the question. Yet she paused just slightly before nodding.
Reluctantly she led the way into the house, her pulse jumping about as his footsteps followed her. Up on to the veranda. Along the seemingly mile-long hallway. Into the kitchen.
Roger stirred on the sofa and gave Eden a measuring stare, but whatever he saw must have reassured him because he tucked his nose back between his paws and resumed his snooze.
‘I’ve just put on some coffee,’ she said a little breathily as she walked behind the breakfast bar. ‘Would you like
