LOVE IS FOR THE LUCKY Read online

  ‘I dare say,’ he remarked drily, flicking a glance of mocking amusement over her dishevelled ap¬pearance. ‘Show me.’

  She found a torch, and handed it up to him as he climbed the steps into the loft. He didn’t seem to mind the dust, but his face was grim as he came back down the ladder.

  ‘You’ll have to get those pipes replaced,’ he warned her. ‘And you’ll have to get the roof done—there are a lot of tiles missing, and the birds have been getting in and out and pecking at the lagging.’ Her eyes filled with tears again, and he looked down at her in concern. ‘Can’t you afford it?’ he asked gently.

  ‘It’s not that. It’s just that it’s so difficult to get workmen to come out here, or do a proper job,’ she explained as he followed her down to the kitchen. ‘I suppose they think… when they see it’s a woman on her own… they can take advantage,’ she added reluctantly.

  He moved towards her as if to take her in his arms, and at that moment she would have sunk into them gladly—but suddenly she realised what a mess she must look, and a wave of embarrassment swept through her. She pulled away from him, her cheeks flaming scarlet.

  ‘Would you like a coffee?’ she managed to ask. But as she put out her hand to pick up the kettle she re¬membered there was no water. That really was the last straw. She banged her fist on the draining-board in exasperation. The safe little life she had built for herself had been completely overturned in the past few days, and all because of this intrusive man. If it hadn’t been for those damned pipes, she would never have let him over her threshold—but now here he was, in her cluttered kitchen, like an invader, leaving her nowhere else to run.

  She was conscious that he had come up close behind her. Although he didn’t touch her, a charge like static electricity seemed to leap the physical gap between them, and her body quivered as if he had caressed her. But he seemed to sense that her nerves were drawn taut enough to snap, and he made no move to press home his advantage.

  ‘What will you do till you can get the place fixed?’ he asked, genuine concern in his voice. ‘Have you somewhere you could stay?’

  ‘I could go down to Annie’s,’ she responded, trying to appear casual as she moved away from him to put the kitchen table between them.

  ‘Ring her up, then,’ he suggested. ‘I’ll take you over there.’

  ‘It’s OK—I can manage, thank you,’ she protested.

  He shook his head. ‘You don’t look as if you’re in a fit state to drive anywhere,’ he insisted in a voice that would brook no resistance. ‘Come on, don’t argue—go and fix it with Annie, and pack yourself a few things.’

  She caved in without further dispute—it was so nice to have someone take everything over for her. She went out into the hall, and dialled Annie’s number.

  Annie was instantly sympathetic. ‘Of course you can stay,’ she agreed at once. ‘Can you manage OK? Shall I come over and pick you up?’

  ‘No, it’s all right,’ Ros answered quickly. ‘I’ll be over in about twenty minutes.’

  ‘Right. See you later.’

  When she went back into the kitchen, Griff was sitting at the table. He glanced up at her with a smile. ‘OK?’

  She nodded. ‘I… thank you very much for your help,’ she managed to say. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t come along.’

  He laughed softly. ‘I have to admit, it wasn’t quite the reception I usually get.’

  She felt her cheeks tinge with pink. ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured. ‘Was there… was there something you wanted, by the way?’

  Those dark eyes were smiling into hers. ‘I came to apologise for last night,’ he told her. ‘I didn’t mean

  to upset you. I’m afraid characters like your two friends bring out the worst in me.’

  She managed a shaky laugh. ‘I’d have thought you’d have been used to it by now.’

  ‘I ought to be,’ he agreed. ‘It made quite a pleasant change to meet someone who didn’t know me from Adam.’

  His easy charm was making her relax, and she smiled back at him. ‘I felt such a fool,’ she admitted.

  ‘No, why should you?’ he argued. ‘I hope my ego never got so big I expected to be recognised by everyone. And besides, if you’re not into modern music…’

  ‘Oh, that’s not strictly true,’ she confessed. ‘I do like some of it. In fact, 1 think I’ve still got a couple of your records somewhere.’ As soon as she had said it, she felt herself blushing again. He was going to see right through that—she had tried just a little too hard to be casual. ‘Well, I… I’ll just go and throw a few things into a bag, and… oh, I’d better find Cinders.’

  ‘Cinders?’

  ‘My cat. She does tend to wander off.’

  Just at that moment the black cat strolled into the kitchen, and after a brief interrogation of Griff’s ankles, of which she evidently approved, she lifted her front paws against his knees, padding delicately, her head coquettishly on one side.

  ‘Stop that!’ Ros scolded sharply. ‘Griff doesn’t want you clawing him to pieces.’

  He stooped and picked the cat up, tucking her comfortably into the crook of his arm. ‘She wouldn’t do that,’ he asserted, his tone implying that he would know just how to deal with her if necessary. Cinders

  responded to such high-handed treatment with a sen¬suous purr.

  For one stupid moment, Ros even felt jealous of the cat—there seemed to be a glint of triumph in those slanting green eyes, and something distinctly smug in the way she nestled down in his arms. Impatiently she pulled herself together. ‘I won’t be a minute,’ she promised, and made good her escape.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  IT TOOK only a few minutes to drive round to Annie’s. Unfortunately, Ros had forgotten it was the middle of Paul’s morning surgery, and every gossip in the village was there to see them draw up at the kerb. She smiled wryly. ‘Oh, dear—this will give them all some¬thing to talk about,’ she sighed.

  He laughed. ‘Well, if they’ve nothing better to do…’ He got out of the car, came round to open her door for her, and then went to fetch her bag from the boot.

  ‘Thank you,’ she murmured, aware of several interested pairs of eyes watching them. ‘And thank you very much for the lift, and for fixing the tap.’

  He slanted her a teasing smile. ‘Well, that seems a fairly comprehensive list. Sure you haven’t forgotten anything?’

  An answering twinkle of mirth danced in her eyes. ‘No, I don’t think so,’ she answered, pretending to give the matter serious consideration.

  At that moment Annie threw open the front door and, when she saw who had brought her friend, the expression on her face made Ros gurgle with laughter.

  ‘Ros!’ She stared from one to the other, a dozen urgent questions barely restrained by a fixed smile. ‘What…? Come inside. I’ll put the kettle on. Er… how about you. Griff?’ she added, ignoring her friend’s attempts to signal a discreet protest. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’

  ‘Thank you very much—I don’t mind if I do,’ he agreed readily.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Annie hissed to Ros as they walked into the house. ‘How come he brought you down?’

  ‘It’s a long story,’ she whispered back. ‘I’ll tell you later.’

  ‘Do you know, I had a suspicion—I said as much to Paul last night. He fancies you.’

  ‘Oh, don’t be silly,’ Ros countered quickly, hoping she wasn’t blushing. ‘He just… We did have a bit of a row last night, and he came round to apologise, that’s all.’

  Annie slanted her a dubious glance. ‘Oh, yes? Just to apologise?’

  ‘Just to apologise,’ Ros insisted. ‘Go on, I’ll make the tea. You can go and make cow-eyes at him.’

  ‘I don’t make cow-eyes,’ protested Annie indig¬nantly. ‘Not at anyone.’

  But when, five minutes later, Ros carried the tray of teacups into the sitting-room, it was evident that, if Annie hadn’t quite succumbed to Griffs charm, he had fall
en completely under the spell of her two small children. He was sitting on the floor with them, playing with the cat.

  Annie was watching comfortably from the settee, her needles clicking busily as she knitted one of the unrecognisable little garments she always reproduced endlessly when pregnant—Ros had never yet seen one of her babies wearing any of them.

  Griff glanced up as she entered, and smiled. ‘Ah, tea! I’m beginning to develop a taste for it already.

  The men working on my house always have a pot… mashing? Is that the word?’

  Ros nodded, laughing. ‘That’s right. We’ll teach you to speak proper English yet!’

  The children scrambled up from the floor, and ran to her, hugging her legs. ‘Auntie Ros. Squash! Squash!’ lisped four-year-old Lucy imploringly.

  ‘Say please,’ her mother reminded her with gentle patience.

  Huge blue eyes, fringed by thick silky lashes, gazed meltingly up at Ros. ‘Please.’

  Ros smiled indulgently. ‘All right. Do you want some too, Peter?’ The two-year-old nodded his blond head solemnly. ‘Sit down and watch Thomas the Tank Engine, then,’ she coaxed, setting the tea-tray down on a low table.

  ‘Now, then,’ she heard Annie scold as she went back into the kitchen. ‘Uncle Griff doesn’t want you two 1 climbing all over him.’

  Griff laughed with genuine pleasure. ‘It’s OK,’ he assured her. ‘They’re real nice kids. I never had much I to do with kids before.’

  ‘That’s a pity,’ remarked Annie, in a tone designed to prompt further confidences. Ros poured the squash, all her attention focused on the conversation j in the next room. ‘You don’t have any brothers or I sisters, do you?’

  ‘No, I don’t. A few of my friends had kids, of course, but I never got to spend much time with them. I guess I was always too busy for the normal things in life.’

  ‘What a shame,’ murmured Annie, with all the genuine sympathy of one who came from a large

  family and was now intent on repeating her happy experience. ‘Still, maybe you’ll be able to make up for it now.’

  Ros cringed at her friend’s blatant prying, but Griff didn’t seem to mind—she could hear a ripple of amusement in his voice as he answered, ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Are you actually retiring now?’ Annie persisted.

  ‘Not entirely. But I plan to take things a bit easier from here on.’

  ‘Oh?’ Annie studiously avoided Ros’s eyes as she came back into the room. ‘You know, I was just saying to Ros the other day, why on earth would anyone want to leave sunny California to come and live in wet old Yorkshire?’

  An odd sort of smile curved his hard mouth. ‘It isn’t all sunshine,’ he told her, an inflection of ironic humour in his voice.

  ‘Well, no, I’m sure it isn’t. You get those awful smogs, don’t you? But even so…’

  ‘I’m sorry, is my wife plaguing you?’ enquired Paul, walking into the room just at that moment. ‘She’s the local directory, you know.’ He dropped an affec¬tionate kiss on her forehead.

  ‘I am not!’ protested Annie indignantly.

  ‘Well, mind your own business, then,’ he advised her bluntly, sitting down and pouring himself a cup of tea. ‘Griff might not want to tell you why he de¬cided to come to England.’

  Griff shook his head. ‘It’s OK—there’s no great secret about it. I just felt there was no longer enough scope for me creatively in LA. I’ve been increasingly involved with the scene in England over the past few

  years—sooner or later it was going to make sense to move over here lock, stock and barrel.’

  ‘But didn’t you mind leaving all your friends behind?’ Annie persisted.

  His eyes lit with teasing humour. ‘Ah, there’s this great new form of transport, you see. The aeroplane. 1 Haven’t you heard of them in Yorkshire?’

  Annie giggled. ‘Of course. But I still don’t under-I stand why you picked Arnby Bridge. I’d have thought ■ London would have been more convenient.’

  He shrugged lazily. ‘London would still have had some of the fundamental problems of LA.’ he ex- plained. ‘I plan to have a recording studio up here, and pull in the technicians I want for each separate project. That way I have total artistic control.’

  ‘A recording studio?’ gaped Annie. ‘You mean we’re going to have more stars tramping around our little village?’

  He smiled. ‘Not too many. I may even start to do a bit of work again myself—I’ve had talks about a film score that could be quite interesting.’

  ‘There. Have you finished your cross-examination?’ Paul enquired of his wife with teasing affection.

  Annie gave him a sweet smile. ‘Yes, thank you!’

  ‘Good.’ He grinned, and turned back to Griff. ‘How’s the work going up at the house?’

  ‘Pretty well up to schedule. The weather’s caused a bit of a hold-up, but there shouldn’t be too many problems now. Which brings me to what I really came down for. I’m going back to the States tomorrow, but I’d sure like to return your hospitality this evening by inviting the three of you up to dinner.’

  Paul shook his head regretfully. ‘I’d really like to, but it’s too short notice, I’m afraid. I’m on call this evening.’

  ‘And I’m on the baby-sitting rota,’ Annie put in. ‘But there’s no reason why Ros shouldn’t go.’

  Ros stared at her friend in horror. ‘Oh, no, I… I couldn’t, I…’

  ‘Why not?’ countered Annie, deliberately obtuse.

  Griff was watching her, but it was impossible to read the expression in those dark eyes. Her bewil¬dered mind sought desperately for some excuse, but she could find none. Surely they could all see that to go on her own was completely different from going in a threesome? Wasn’t it? Or was she just being foolish again?

  Before she could make any sense of it, Griff said evenly, ‘Fine. I’ll pick you up at about eight, then, shall I?’

  She could only nod dumbly.

  Paul put down his empty cup, and rose to his feet. ‘Ah, well—tea-break’s over. I’d better be getting off on my morning calls.’ He bent and dropped a kiss on his wife’s forehead, and ruffled his children’s hair. ‘ ‘Bye, you lot. See you later.’

  Griff rose with him. ‘I’d better be getting off, too. Thanks for the tea. I’ll be seeing you. Goodbye, Ros,’ he added, flickering her an enigmatic smile. ‘I’ll see you at eight.’

  As soon as they were alone, Ros turned on her friend. ‘Annie! That was a rotten thing to do,’ she protested. ‘I can’t go out with him.’

  ‘Why not?’ countered Annie, bright-eyed with innocence.

  ‘You know why not. That wasn’t what he intended when he asked us. Now it’ll look as if…’

  ‘Well,’ observed Annie, standing up and gathering up the teacups, ‘he had plenty of opportunity to correct my mistake, but he didn’t. I told you, he fancies you.’

  ‘Annie, he does not,’ insisted Ros heatedly.

  Annie merely shrugged, a knowing smile on her lips as she walked into the kitchen.

  As eight o’clock approached, Ros was becoming more and more agitated. ‘Look,’ she pleaded with Annie, ” ‘tell him I couldn’t come—tell him my Aunt Ermintrude is dying of appendicitis and I’ve rushed to her bedside.’ Annie shook her head firmly, and Ros raised her eyes heavenwards. ‘With friends like you, .3 who needs enemies?’ she sighed.

  ‘Rubbish,’ countered Annie brusquely. ‘You’re dying to go. I’m green with envy. Now, sit still, I’m going to put your hair up.’

  By the time Annie had finished with her, Ros barely recognised her own reflection. She had coiled up her hair in an elegant style, and made-up her face, too— a fine sheen of foundation had faded out the freckles, and a touch of blue-grey shadow made her eyes look enormous. She would never be beautiful, and yet… J

  ‘There,’ approved Annie, stepping back to admire her handiwork. ‘Now, come on, hurry up and get dressed, he’ll be here any minute.’

  ‘Oh, Annie, I
can’t wear that,’ she protested as her friend pulled a beautiful long black velvet skirt from her wardrobe. ‘What if I spill something on it?’

  ‘It’ll dry-clean. And you can wear this with it—it’ll suit you lovely.’ She had produced a wrap-around style blouse of soft silk, black but splashed with darkly vibrant sapphire-blue flowers.

  Ros sighed. There was going to be no getting out of this evening. And in truth she was looking forward to it—in that dry-mouthed, heart-pounding sort of way she used to feel as a child, standing in a fair¬ground queue for the big dipper ride, her pocket-money in her hand.

  The sound of the doorbell brought her head up sharply. ‘He’s here!’

  Annie nodded as she heard the sound of his voice in the hall, talking to Paul. ‘That’s right.’ She smiled reassuringly. ‘You look sensational. Now go on down there and knock him dead!’

  Griff was standing in the hall with Paul. He was wearing a well-cut dark suit, but to Ros he looked as sleek and dangerous as a panther. As she walked down the stairs he glanced up, and the arrested expression on his face as he saw her almost made her glance over her shoulder to see who he was looking at. A small thrill ran right through her, and she carried on down the stairs, a new-found confidence lending her an un-concious grace.

  ‘Well! Good evening,’ he murmured, letting his eyes drift down over her in undisguised apreciation.

  ‘Hello,’ she responded, hoping he wouldn’t notice the slight tremor of nervousness in her voice.

  Behind her, Annie supressed a giggle. ‘Right. Off you go and enjoy yourselves. And don’t worry about what time you get back, I’ll leave the door on the latch.’

  ‘Oh, I won’t be late,’ Ros assured her quickly. ‘I’m afraid I might turn back into a pumpkin at twelve o’clock!’

  ‘Oh, go on with you,’ Annie grinned, pushing her forward. ‘And you can stop gawping,’ she added to her husband, taking his arm. ‘You’ve seen Ros before.’

  ‘Never looking as stunning as this!’

  ‘It just goes to show what you can make out of a sow’s ear,’ laughed Ros nervously.

  ‘You’re doing it again,’ murmured Griff as he helped her on with the coat Annie had lent her.