her shoulders to push her toward the wooden sign that depicted the âTranquility House Tenets.â
Perhaps she couldnât believe her eyes, because she spoke the painted words out loud. ââPlease respect natureâs noise. No radios. No TVs. No phones.ââ Her head whipped around to stare at him as she read out the last rule. ââNo talking â?â
He only smiled in response.
It was either her surprise or his smile that kept her quiet until he got her into her cottage. Thatâs when the fun really started. After showing her in, then shoving her stuff over the threshold, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
He watched as her gaze roamed over the unadorned white walls, the simple woodburning stove, the stack of wood beside it, the narrow bed made up with white sheets and a gray wool blanket. One pillow.
Several silent moments went by. Finally, she looked at him, her expression full of hope. âThe magazine will pay for a room upgrade,â she tried.
He shook his head.
âThis is all there is?â
He nodded.
âNo salon services?.â
He shook his head again.
âAnd Iâ¦and I canât say anything to anyone?â
She looked so dejected it was hard to keep a straight face. âNot in the common building or on the grounds of the retreat. But youâre free to speak in the confines of your own cabin.â
âRetreat.â She rolled the word in her mouth as if sheâd never heard it before. âThis isnât a resort, itâs a retreat .â
He tried not to laugh. âRight. Definitely not a resort.â
She narrowed her eyes. âHey, youâre enjoying this.â
Immensely. It meant that all his worries were for nothing. No doubt the spartan atmosphere would send her hightailing it for home, tomorrow probably, or at the very least sheâd hie herself to some resort that would keep her at a safe distance from his family and from him.
Still, he made an effort to wipe the smugness from his face. âDonât worry, all is not lost,â he said, crossing to the tiny closet to pull open its door.
From the top shelf he snagged something, handing itto her as if it were a special prize. âYour extra pillow, Ms. Buchanan,â he said solemnly. âAccept this as your official welcome to Tranquility House. And please donât hesitate to call on me if I can assist with any of your other needs.â
Her eyes narrowed on him again. There was something on her face; speculation, maybe. Or maybe it was sex, because suddenly he replayed what heâd just saidâ call on me if I can assist with any of your other needs .
Damn. Though it was surprising the hell out of him after all this time, the one with needs was him. His blood moved heavily toward his groin while his brain went off on its own, fantasizing an image of her on the bed, that angel hair spread across the first pillow, the second shoved beneath her naked hips. He saw his mouth trailing from the pulse at her throat down toâ
âYou know, thereâs something about youâ¦â Speculation filled her voice.
Yes, it was definitely speculation, not sex, and it chilled his blood and slowed his heartbeat and probably saved him to see another day.
âIâll be going now,â he said, quelling the worry that sheâd recognize him by reminding himself he was about to get rid of her. âThough thereâs just a few more thingsâ¦â
âTomorrowâs menu?â
Poor kid was still thinking resort. âMeals are served in the community building. Itâs the largest one and you should have no trouble finding it. But Iâm afraid Judd handles all the culinary details, so I donât know whatâs being served.â
She sighed, her expression glum. âOkay. I can take it as it comes.â
He cleared his throat. âWell, speaking of, uh, takingâ¦Tranquility House has an ironclad