Yuletide Stalker. Irene Brand

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ knew very well that he didn’t date anyone steady, and she hadn’t shown any interest in him, other than as her employer. He knew very little about her private life, so why was she so eager to follow him and Maddie around the islands?

      “Let me worry about Maddie’s reputation. You take care of the office.”

      Returning to the car, Linc opened the door and invited Maddie to sit in the front seat.

      “I don’t want to look like your chauffeur,” he said with a grin. “Besides you can see better from up here.”

      Ahonui watched them leave, and Maddie wondered at the expression on her face. Was it fear that shone from her dark eyes? Or was she romantically interested in Linc? Since Linc had been her knight in shining armor for years, Maddie had hoped that her memory had remained in his heart, too. She supposed that Linc would always think of her as a child, and she knew she couldn’t compete with Ahonui if Linc was dating her.

      Ahonui was a tall, slender, almost excessively thin woman, but she walked gracefully, her well-shaped shoulders erect. She had heavy dark hair, olive skin and ebony eyes. Only a slight droop to her shapely mouth marred the beauty of her face. Her air of self-determination gnawed at Maddie’s self-confidence. She had a feeling that Ahonui would stop at nothing to gain what she wanted.

      Maddie’s daydreams about the time she would spend with Linc had suffered a setback. Comparing herself to Ahonui, Maddie sensed that she came off second best. How close was the relationship between Ahonui and Linc?

      TWO

      Having noticed that many of the houses along the highway were small, unpretentious dwellings, the magnificence of Linc’s home came as a big surprise to Maddie. After they left the main highway, for about a mile he guided his small red sports car along a private road lined with eucalyptus trees. They entered a sizable cleared area dominated by a two-story frame house with a steeply pitched roof. One striking feature of his home was a long, low veranda with sheltering eaves. A covered walkway connected the house to a nearby cottage.

      Linc opened the car door for Maddie, and as she stepped out, she exclaimed, “Oh, it’s beautiful. Is it a new house?”

      Pleased at her response to his home, Linc shook his head. “It’s a lot older than we are. This house was built in the thirties by the owner of a sugar plantation. After he died most of the land was snapped up by contractors who built resort hotels along the beach. But the woman who inherited the property didn’t want her grandfather’s home razed. I bought the house and four acres of land at a reasonable price. It was in bad condition, and it has cost a lot of money and hard work to renovate, but it was worth it.”

      “Oh, yes, I think so. And just feel that lovely breeze,” Maddie said as the wind stirred tendrils of soft hair across her face.

      “We’re close to the ocean. Let me show you my favorite view.”

      He directed Maddie into a large living room furnished with overstuffed sofas and chairs. At the end facing the ocean, the wall consisted almost entirely of windows. Linc opened a sliding door onto a trellised porch that led to the ocean at the property’s edge.

      “My own private beach,” he said.

      Finding it hard to realize she was vacationing in such a wonderful spot, Maddie cried out, “I’ve come to paradise! What a fabulous place to live. No wonder you stayed here after you left the navy.”

      “Many people who move to Hawaii from the original forty-eight think it’s too confining and soon return home. It’s true that we’re pretty much marooned from the rest of the states, but I’ve found everything I want here.” Scanning Maddie’s delicate, ethereal profile, he amended in his mind, “Or almost everything I’ve wanted.”

      “So there you are,” a cheerful voice sounded behind them. “Mr. Linc, why didn’t you bring the young lady to meet me?”

      Maddie turned to see a short, chubby woman standing on the veranda, hands on her hips. Linc motioned the woman toward them.

      “Because I couldn’t wait to show our guest the view. Maddie, this is Roselina Pukui—my housekeeper, friend and parole officer. If it wasn’t for her, I’d get in all kinds of trouble.”

      Laughing at Linc’s remarks, Roselina waddled toward them, her gentle black button eyes smiling.

      “Don’t pay no heed to him, honey.” She wrapped her arms around Maddie, crushing the floral lei. The sweet scent of the orchids surrounded them. “Welcome to our home.”

      Even from her short stature, Maddie could look over the housekeeper’s squat figure. Forming an immediate fondness for Roselina, Maddie returned Linc’s affectionate smile.

      Releasing Maddie and patting her long, golden hair, Roselina said, “And I was expecting a little girl, not a grown-up woman. Why’d you fib to me, Mr. Linc?”

      “I was surprised, too, Roselina. I was expecting the little girl I’d remembered.”

      “Well, you’re pretty as a picture, Miss Maddie. Let me show you to your room, and then we’ll have a little snack before you take a rest. I know what a tiresome trip it is from the mainland. My two kids live in California, and I go to see them once a year. It takes a day or two to rest from the long flight.”

      Recalling Ahonui’s comment about Maddie’s reputation, Linc cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking, Roselina, that Maddie might be more comfortable in the guesthouse. It’s ready for company, isn’t it?”

      Roselina’s startled eyes met her employer’s, then she took another, appraising look at Maddie. “Of course, Mr. Linc,” Roselina said quickly. “She will have more privacy. Come this way, Miss Maddie.”

      As Maddie followed Roselina to the small cottage, she wondered at this sudden change in where she was staying. Maybe she hadn’t lived up to Linc’s expectations, and he didn’t want her around all the time. Maddie knew she should curb her sensitive nature, but it was hard to break a lifelong habit. She’d always found it difficult to believe that people really wanted her for a friend.

      “You’ll like the cottage better than the bedroom in the house,” Roselina said as she walked next to Maddie. When the housekeeper opened the door to the one-room cottage, Maddie agreed with her.

      “Oh, this is wonderful,” she said. The bedroom and bathroom area were separated from the combination kitchen and living room by a wooden screen. “Listen to the ocean waves. What a peaceful place to sleep. But why do you need a cottage when the house is so large?”

      “Long ago, this was the office of the plantation owner, and Mr. Linc thought it would make a good guesthouse. He entertains business friends here sometimes, so I keep it ready for use.” She opened the small refrigerator. “Soft drinks and ice are in here.” Pointing to a box on the wall, she said. “Intercom to the house. Also a private phone if you want to call home. Nice, huh?”

      “Very nice.” The room was warm so Maddie laid her jacket and purse on the small couch. By the time Roselina had shown her where the extra towels and blankets were kept, Linc arrived with her luggage.

      “Do I have time to take a shower and change before lunch?”

      “Yes, take your time. I’ve prepared cold snacks for lunch, and I can serve them when you’re СКАЧАТЬ