Ben laughed. "Don't hold your breath there. That woman's got the thickest skin I've ever come across!"
Chapter Six
Laura rummaged crossly through the antique wardrobe in her bedroom. She didn't know where they were going for dinner, so she didn't dare dress too casually, but neither did she want Daniel to think she was making a special effort for him. And since she had a couple of hours to do in reception first, the last thing she wanted was for all and sundry to realise she had a date.
That thought pulled her up short. Was it a date? Did Daniel see it that way? Just because he'd blackmailed her into dinner tonight, she didn't want him to think she made a habit of dating the guests. Since the exclusivity and rural location of the hotel tended to attract couples, it wasn't a situation she'd ever had to worry about before—although it wasn't unknown for some of the male guests to playfully hint when their wives weren't around. Laura hoped Daniel didn't think she was easy prey for a casual holiday fling. If that was the case, he'd soon find out she was a class act at avoidance. Quick flings weren't her style.
What had she been thinking, giving in to him like that? She could have made up a hundred and one excuses if she'd tried hard enough. Not that it had been easy to think, standing in her doorway clutching a towel around herself. And even that embarrassing memory was overtaken by the physical pull of attraction she'd experienced at the sight of Daniel in a suit. It was like being sixteen again—those stomach flips, the tingling nerve ends, the far too frequent flushes of heat to her face every time she saw him, no matter whether he was being perfectly pleasant or thoroughly obnoxious. She just couldn't understand it.
It wasn't as though she'd never been attracted to anyone before—of course she had. She wasn't immune to the opposite sex. Except it was usually someone she'd known for more than two minutes. And somebody she'd actually liked from the outset. Somebody she felt in control with, so she could allow herself to enjoy a few dates and then pull back before things got too serious—and before she could get hurt. Laura had absolutely no intention of being her mother's daughter in that regard!
She plucked a simple green linen dress from its hanger and pulled it on, then reached for hair clips, glancing at her watch. It was almost time to open up reception, so she snatched up her brush instead, allowing the long dark waves to fall loosely to her shoulders. Satisfied that she looked elegant rather than dressed to kill, she pushed her feet into a pair of flat leather pumps and left her room.
As she walked up the path, her brain still hopelessly fixated on the sight of Daniel in a suit, it occurred to her that if he was a travel reporter, a suit would hardly be appropriate attire. Reminded of her promise to look into who he might be and what he might be up to, she decided it was high time she did something about that—the sooner, the better.
It was a quiet session, giving her plenty of time for a little investigative work—but when she tried to get on the Internet, the connection was down. After fiddling unsuccessfully for several minutes to try to fix it, she threw up her hands in defeat. Teresa was the computer whiz around here, but it didn’t seem fair to drag her down from the house for the sake of a little nosiness. It was hardly an emergency.
Laura sighed in frustration. She would have to try to prise some clues from the man himself tonight, but she would have preferred to go armed with . . . she didn't know what, exactly. Just armed.
It wasn't like her to be on edge over something as simple as going out for dinner. Annoyed with herself and anxious for something to do, she started to tidy the brochure displays, shuffling the leaflets on the desk and knocking them over the far side in the process. Muttering as she crouched down to gather them from the floor, she silently cursed as a deep voice spoke from the doorway.
"Don't tell me. A poltergeist wreaked havoc while you were being busy and efficient elsewhere?"
Laura spun around. "No, just clumsy old me."
"Here, let me help." Daniel crouched beside her, deftly scooping up the papers. She breathed in his scent, masculine and freshly showered, and her stomach performed some sort of circus act. Desperate to put a few inches of space between them, she stood up to place the last of the leaflets back on the desk. Her blood seemed to be racing around her body at twice its usual speed now he was here, and it didn't help one bit when he rose and gave her an appraising stare. She waited for a sarcastic comment, but it never came.
"You look beautiful," he said instead, and her breath caught in her throat as he added, "Although on the whole, I think I preferred you in the towel."
A blush warmed her cheeks, but she was spared further embarrassment when he laughed at her expression, dissipating the electric atmosphere between them.
"I think we'd better go for dinner, don't you?"
"Where are we going?" she asked, keen to deflect the conversation from her earlier state of dress—or lack of it.
"I saw a restaurant down by the river this morning. I thought we could walk down there, if you don't mind?" He glanced at her shoes to check whether they were suitable.
"That sounds good." She knew the restaurant he meant. It stood on a slope a little way back from the river bank, with beautiful views over the water.
"Have you been there before?"
"No," she admitted. "I've walked past lots of times and we recommend it to our guests, but I've never eaten there myself."
"I'm not surprised, if
