"Ben might not be able to manage without you, Natalie, but I certainly can."
"I don't see why you have to bring Ben into this." Natalie sounded sulky. "You and I would make a good team."
"No. You and Ben make a good team. That's the only reason I've put up with this for so long, and don't you forget it."
Laura took the widest route she could around the edge of the car park and didn't look up once. If she caught anybody's eye, they would all be acutely embarrassed. As she neared her room, she heard a squeal of tyres and a spray of gravel. Glancing up, she saw Natalie's car speeding through the gateway. Good riddance, she thought. Maybe now we can get a bit of peace!
Unsettled by all the melodrama, she decided a walk might do her good, so she carried on through the hotel grounds, out onto the path that wound its way between fields to the river. She couldn't help but marvel at the way every scrap of farmland was used, with vines trained to climb and hang above carpets of green vegetables.
But even when she reached the riverbank and began to stroll alongside it, her restless feeling remained—something she was more than happy to blame on Daniel Stone and his clingy companion. Despite telling herself it was nothing to do with her, she couldn't help puzzling over it. Daniel might have slept on the floor last night, but Natalie had intimated they'd shared a room before, so they must have had some sort of relationship in the past. If he was so keen on avoiding her, how had she known all his booking details? And why had he insisted on staying at the Quinta himself and sent her packing? Wouldn't it have been less stressful for him to leave?
Then there was this Ben character, the man Daniel wanted her to go back to. It sounded like he might be Natalie's boyfriend or husband. That idea sent a chill up Laura's spine. She knew firsthand how destructive affairs could be. Her father had left her mother for another woman when Laura was just fourteen. For the first couple of years, her mother was barely able to function, and it was left to Laura and her brother to pick up the pieces. She wasn't convinced they'd ever managed to fully put them back together.
Blanking out the unwanted memory, she chose somewhere to sit and gaze out across the river. To her delight, she spotted a kingfisher flying along the bank to join its mate, while a group of sand martins fussed nearby. The kingfishers' bright colours glimmered in the afternoon sun, making the martins seem dull in comparison.
As she watched, transfixed, she heard footsteps thudding down the path behind her. Laura jumped up, her finger to her lips in a shushing motion.
****
Startled, Daniel slowed his running pace, then pulled up short as Laura pointed silently across the river. Striding quietly to her side, he swiped at his damp forehead with the back of his hand and followed her gaze.
"Wow. They're beautiful, aren't they?" he murmured quietly.
They watched in silence for a while. When the kingfishers flew further down the river, Daniel shifted his gaze back to the woman beside him. He might have been out of sorts on this trip so far, but that hadn't made him blind. He allowed his gaze to encompass her narrow waist and long legs in loose linen trousers, her tight vest tee showing creamy skin…and belatedly realised she was bristling under his stare.
"What?" she snapped, those violet eyes bright and challenging.
Daniel hesitated. He'd hoped a run might sweat some of the bad mood out of him, and while his feet pounded the path, he'd given himself quite a lecture. He was here for a purpose, and bad behaviour wouldn't get him anywhere. They'd both been hot and tired yesterday, and if he could use that as an excuse for his rudeness, then maybe Miss Matheson could use it as an excuse for her…misdemeanours.
He'd already had to revise his original opinion of her as bordering on incompetent. This morning, she'd been politeness and efficiency itself, and he had no complaints other than embarrassment that she seemed to be present whenever his personal life took a turn for the worse, something that was hardly her fault. Now, he needed to smooth things over. He wanted to smooth things over.
"I'd like to apologise," he said, trying on a charming smile for size. "You've been caught up in an . . . awkward situation, Miss Matheson. I believe Natalie came in to see you this morning?"
She nodded. "She wanted another room, but I couldn't . . ."
"That's fine, I understand. You've been extremely patient with us both under the circumstances, and I'm hoping things will be calmer from now on. I'm sure you could do without having to listen to any more arguments." Her blush confirmed his suspicion that she'd overheard more than she would have liked—indeed, more than he would have liked—and he winced inwardly. "Perhaps we could start again?"
"Of course, Mr. Stone," she said politely. "We all have our bad days."
"Please, it's Daniel."
"Then it's Laura."
Their gaze met and held, allowing Daniel to study the colour of her eyes. Like amethysts, he decided, before he realised his heart was racing as though he was still running.
He broke the eye contact and turned to go. He already had enough problems. Jogging was good. Jogging might take his mind off the wretched woman.
****
As Daniel joined the back of the small queue in reception later that evening, it amused him to see Laura visibly straighten her spine. Clearly not satisfied with her excellent performance this morning, it was as though she was determined to prove something to him as she worked her way through the trickle of guests, never anything other than professional and helpful, while he waited patiently in line.
When the young woman who served him coffee that morning popped in,
