His Comfort and Joy. Jessica Bird

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      As Joy left Libby’s quarters, she corralled Ernest with her leg, somehow keeping him inside the room. She felt like a jailer and it was hard not giving in to the dog’s pleading eyes. Staring up at her, he was on the verge of speech, desperate for clemency.

      Except there was no way she was going to buy the whole saint’s-preserve-me, I’m-just-a-meek-fellow routine. And having already experienced one catastrophe this evening, she didn’t want to chance what would happen if the retriever got loose in a kitchen with Tom Reynolds. The two could probably level the whole house.

      As she went down the stairs, she wondered when she’d run into Gray. She figured it probably wouldn’t be until the party started, so she had at least another forty-five minutes to prepare herself. Coming around the corner into the kitchen, she smoothed the uniform, thinking at least the thing fit her. The skirt was a little short, but other than that it looked decent—

      She skidded to a halt.

      Gray Bennett was standing by the stove, looking better than any man had a right to. His dark hair was brushed back from his arrogant face. His broad shoulders and chest filled up a beautifully tailored navy-blue jacket. And the faint pink of his button-down shirt brought out his tan and his pale blue eyes.

      The only thing that ruined the picture was the fact that he had his arm around a woman. And he was looking down at her face as if he cared deeply for her.

      Joy’s stomach heaved.

      Oh, God.

      She actually considered running back upstairs, but forced herself to stay put. After all, she was being utterly ridiculous. A man like him wouldn’t live the life of a monk. And she’d read plenty of stories in the papers about who he was out with in D.C. So the fact that he had a woman really shouldn’t be a surprise.

      Except it was. Whenever he’d come to Saranac Lake, he’d always been alone. She’d never actually seen him with someone firsthand.

      And of course, the woman was a beauty. Thick red hair, pale, translucent skin, green eyes that were looking curiously distraught. And the cream dress she was wearing? It was so perfectly simple, the fabric so gorgeous, the fit so precise, it had to be haute couture.

      They were perfect together.

      Joy looked back at Gray and was startled. His eyes had narrowed into beams and they were trained on her. Which wouldn’t have bothered her ordinarily except he did not seem happy. The simmering darkness in his face was dismaying. In the past, he’d always been friendly to her. Why was he suddenly looking at her as if she wasn’t welcome in his house?

      “Tom, would you like some help with the filet?” she asked, quickly going over to where the cook was cutting up beef.

      “That would be great,” Tom said, making room for her at the counter. “Here’s a knife.”

      As she went to work, she was shaken and trying not to show it. Seeing Gray looking so good was hard. Catching him with his hand on some redhead’s hip was worse. But getting stared down by the man was nearly unbearable.

      When she looked over her shoulder a while later, Gray had left and taken the Julianne Moore look-alike with him.

      But what Joy saw was a real zinger anyway.

      Nate was standing behind Frankie and had pulled her back against his body. He was whispering something in her ear as she bent over the cream puffs. His face was tight with hunger and СКАЧАТЬ