The Haunting of Brier Rose by Patricia Simpson Read Free Book Online Page A

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Taylor. "
    "Okay." She smiled sheepishly and then swept into the
room.
    Formality had never been Taylor's strong suit. He thought of his
parents and their impoverished beginnings and how they had become more stilted
and formal with each million his father acquired. Formality was a sham that
meant nothing to him, and he would not practice it.
    "Is everything all right with the room?" Rose Quennel
asked, walking to the coffee table in front of the sofa.
    "Yes. It's fine." Taylor trailed behind her, unbuttoning
the sleeves of his shirt while he surveyed her tall, lithe figure. She had
changed into a gauzy summer dress in a tapestry design that swept past her
knees and bared the tops of her arms. The dress was plain, but on her it looked
surprisingly sexy.
    She turned, and he realized why the dress seemed so attractive.
Every movement she made was graceful, even the way she lifted her hands from
the tea tray and stepped away from the table. She moved like a hula dancer, or a geisha serving sake, with a quiet, almost ceremonious,
rhythm. Her hands slipped through the lamplight like luminous fish gliding
through water. Something glinted as she gestured. She wore a square cut emerald
on her right hand, a simple ring that complemented her slender fingers.
    He was staring again. And it wasn’t like him to gape at a woman. Taylor
dragged his gaze from her hands and turned his attention to his sleeve, which
he rolled up with exaggerated care, even though there was no reason to fuss
with it, since he planned to undress as soon as she left.
    He rolled up his other sleeve and saw her glance dart across the
sinews of his forearm, which had caught the glow of the lamp on the nightstand.
He wondered what she found so fascinating about his arm, but she quickly
averted her gaze and turned to speak.
    "Are your eyes still bothering you?"
    "They're fine." His voice came out more gruffly then he
intended.
    She paused, as if unsure whether to continue the conversation.
Taylor hoped she would go. She was doing something to his senses. He felt as if
his sight, smell, hearing and touch had been put on full alert and were aching
to leap into action. His loins tightened in response, and he limped away from
the tea table in an effort to distance himself from her tantalizing presence.
    She ventured forward. "I know a bit about herbs and healing.
Perhaps I could—"
    "All I need is some rest." He walked to the coffee
table and hoped she wouldn't trail him. "And if you would excuse me, I'm
very tired."
    He glanced sidelong at her face and saw her friendly expression
fade. Why did he feel like a jerk for dismissing her? She was only hired help,
as far as he knew, a person with whom he wasn't required to sit and chat. Yet
there was something about her that made him think twice about his usual tendency
to classify women according to their value to him and whether or not he wanted
to take time out for them. Women were dangerous, as far as be was concerned.
They could tie a man down and lay claim to his independence. He hadn't let many
women get close to him, and never once had he allowed himself to become
romantically involved with one. There was something to be said for having a
woman in every port. It allowed a man his freedom and his pleasure at the same
time. He wouldn't give up such a life-style without a fight.
    Still, he felt like a jerk. Trying to disguise the fact that he
was a complete asshole, he reached down for a cookie, even though he wasn't
hungry. "Thanks for the snack."
    "Be sure to try the tea. It's my own special blend."
    "Of what?"
    "Herbs to help you sleep and make you heal more
quickly."
    Herbal concoctions? Homemade cookies? He was more the dark ale
and big juicy steak type. That’s what made a man feel like a million bucks. Not
cookies. Taylor grimaced and saw her expression darken. He must have offended
her again.
    "To heal yourself," she put in, her tone cool,
"you must believe that you can be healed."
    "If the best doctors in the