Velvet Promise. Carole Mortimer

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СКАЧАТЬ time this week; nothing definite has been planned.’

      ‘Did he know Dani and I were going to be here?’ she demanded to know.

      ‘I doubt it, although Simone may have mentioned it to him. For God’s sake, don’t look so stricken; you were married to him once,’ Jordan added disgustedly.

      Russell. Here. Russell, with the laughing blue eyes, overlong dark hair, and with the body of a Greek god. It had been a year since she had last seen him, the first six months of that time spent expecting to see him every time she opened the door or turned a corner, the next six months spent grateful that she hadn’t.

      It was this last year of peace and tranquillity that had given her the hope he had changed during that time.

      But maybe he hadn’t.

       CHAPTER TWO

      WILLOW’S first instinct when she crawled out of bed the next morning after a sleepless night was to run, and to keep running. But she had done that when she finally managed to leave him, and he had only found her again, refusing to stay out of her life. Maybe it was time to stand and face him. She didn’t really have any choice; knew, for Dani’s sake, that she couldn’t keep running away from Russell. And maybe, just maybe, he would decide not to come here after all. It was a cowardly wish, but then she had never professed to be anything else.

      While Barbara took Dani down on to the beach in front of the hotel, Willow drove into St Helier to visit her new shop, confident she could concentrate on business with the other woman in charge of Dani. The amount of customers in the shop, despite the early hour, showed her she had indeed chosen well for her third location.

      It was good to see Marilyn again; she had been in charge of the London shop until moving here; the two of them were old friends. For someone who hadn’t been sure she could adjust to living on an island only forty-five square miles in size, Marilyn had adjusted very well, and was ecstatic about the beautiful weather and the friendliness of the islanders.

      Willow enjoyed helping out in the shop for the morning, caught up with the last three months’ gossip with Marilyn in between working, and was satisfied that everything was running smoothly there before she left shortly after twelve, sure that the new lines she would be introducing at the fashion show next month would go over very well here.

      She had told Barbara and Dani that she would join them back at the hotel for lunch, and she was buoyed up with the success of her morning as she went down to join them on the beach, coming to a halt part way down the steps as she saw the dark-haired man sitting with them on the sand, with Dani chatting away to him as if the two of them were old friends.

      Then the man turned, and Willow’s breath left her body in a ragged sigh as she saw it was Jordan seated there. For a moment she had thought Dani was right, that Russell and Jordan did look alike from certain angles.

      Jordan stood up as she approached them, brushing the sand from his hands as he did so. His eyes narrowed as his gaze moved searchingly over her deathly white face. He was dressed casually today, loose white trousers and an equally loose white shirt, the latter with its buccaneer style more fashionable than anything else Willow had ever seen him wear.

      The white clothes looked magnificent against his dark skin and colouring, and once again Willow was unwillingly reminded that he was a very attractive man. In the past she had always been too engrossed with being Russell’s wife to really see Jordan in that way, but twice in as many days she had been made physically aware of him. She didn’t like the feeling.

      Jordan had never left her in any doubt that he regarded the majority of the female sex with contempt and, although he was sexually in the prime of life for a man, Willow had rarely seen him with a woman, let alone take one home with him. Russell had occasionally hinted at an unhappy love affair in Jordan’s past, but she had never been interested enough to ask what it had been. Now she wished that she had. She had a feeling that with this man it was best to have all the aces in the deck.

      ‘Mummy!’ Dani’s face lit up as she spotted her; she ran across the golden sand, silver braids flying in the warm breeze, to launch herself into Willow’s arms. ‘Have you finished work for today?’ she asked hopefully.

      Willow glanced at Jordan before answering, sensing his silent disapproval of the career that had taken her away from her daughter for the morning, the career he had said she didn’t need. She turned back to Dani. Did she neglect this beautiful child in favour of her career? Trips like this one to Jersey were rare, as were the ones to New York, and Dani always accompanied her when she did have to go away, albeit in Barbara’s care. But she always took care of her business in London while Dani was in kindergarten, her designs usually being created when Dani was in bed for the night.

      No matter what Jordan thought to the contrary she was sure she gave more of her time and love to Dani than a lot of women in her position could, or did. And there was always Barbara.

      ‘For today,’ she confirmed lightly, studiously avoiding Jordan’s gaze as she turned to admire the huge sandcastle Dani had built during the morning, slipping off her sandals to dig her toes into the sensuous warmth of the sand, knowing she looked cool and comfortable in the emerald green shirtwaister with its wide black belt. ‘Everything OK, Barbara?’ She looked searchingly at the other woman as she watched them from her sitting position on the sand.

      ‘Fine,’ Barbara assured her briskly. ‘Mr St James has been helping us build a moat for the castle.’

      ‘Isn’t it lovely?’ Dani still clung to Willow’s hand. ‘Uncle Jordan said he would show me a real castle tomorrow. You have to walk out to it across the sea, and——’

      ‘The causeway is under the sea, Dani,’ Jordan corrected indulgently. ‘You can’t walk out to the castle unless the tide is out; we have to use an amphibious craft to cross before then. And I only said we would go if Mummy agreed,’ he added with gentle reproval.

      It sounded as if Jordan had been on the beach for some time, building the moat and suggesting outings to Dani, and she couldn’t help but feel curious about his motive. He had left her last night shortly after telling her of Russell’s proposed visit to his parents; maybe Jordan thought she would go back to England before she had to face such a meeting, She certainly didn’t relish the idea of seeing Russell again, but she had told Simone and David she would take Dani to see them, and she wouldn’t go back on her word.

      ‘Mummy?’ Dani prompted worriedly at her mother’s lack of response.

      Willow smiled down at her daughter. ‘I can take you out to Elizabeth Castle myself, Dani, if you would like to see it. I’m sure Uncle Jordan is too busy at work to take any more time off.’ She looked at him challengingly, suspicious of his suggestion to Dani; he had never given the impression that he even liked children, and yet here he was making sandcastles and offering to take Dani out tomorrow.

      He shrugged broad shoulders, the loose shirt moving against the strength of his body. ‘The world of finance can do without me for a few days,’ he dismissed. ‘I’m sure Dani would enjoy the Castle.’

      Willow couldn’t stop the protective action of placing her hands possessively on Dani’s thin shoulders, her daughter looked small and vulnerable in the red bathing costume that made her look all gangling arms and legs. ‘As I said, if she wants to go I’ll take her. Or Barbara will,’ she added determinedly.

      Brown eyes narrowed, but whatever Jordan СКАЧАТЬ