The Thawing of Mara by Janet Dailey Read Free Book Online Page A

him.
    "Yes, there is," Sin admitted. "I want to make arrangements to have someone to clean the cottage on a weekly basis and have it in readiness for my weekend visits."
    "I see," she murmured, and waited for him to continue.
    "Since I'm new to the area, I thought you might recommend a responsible person for the job," he explained.
    She couldn't argue with his logical request, but neither could she fulfill it. "Offhand, I can't think of anyone," she shrugged.
    "Perhaps I can impose on you to find someone," he suggested. "It's difficult to conduct interviews long-distance, as well as time-consuming."
    Silently Mara wished that he wasn't so damned logical. She wanted to disagree with him, but his proposal made too much sense.
    "I'm flattered that you should trust my judgment." The ring of sarcasm in her voice eliminated the pleasure implied by her words.
    "We both have a vested interest in ensuring that the cottage is well kept. Since you own it, you wouldn't want to see the property neglected, while I want to enjoy it in comfort," Sin reasoned with equitable calm.
    "I quite agree." Mara paused to control the sharpness of her tongue. "But you must understand the difficulty in finding a reliable person who'll be willing to come so far out of the way. We're located off the beaten track."
    Her comment didn't elicit an immediate response. Mara watched as Sin lifted the coffee mug to his firmly defined mouth. His large hand encircled the mug, a healthy tan coloring his skin. She felt her tension building from the volatile undercurrents rippling through the air. Her gaze strayed past Sin to her father, who was observing the subtly charged byplay between them with growing interest. Adam's presence aggravated the situation.
    "I am aware it may not be easy, Miss Prentiss." Sin replaced the mug on the table, the fingers of both hands encircling it. He studied the mug for a moment before sliding his veiled gaze to her. "Naturally I'm more than willing to compensate you for your services."
    "Naturally," she countered dryly. It seemed money was never an object where he was concerned.
    "In the meantime, I'll need someone to look after the place while I'm gone during the week. I don't know whether it's proper to ask my landlady to do it or not, but you're conveniently close to the cottage." His mouth quirked in a half smile. "If you could spare the time to clean it after I leave and make sure it's aired and relatively well stocked with supplies before I arrive, I would greatly appreciate it."
    Mara hesitated as she considered the alternatives. If she refused, there was the risk of dirt and dust collecting to the point where the cottage would need a major cleaning. Considering the time, money and effort she had put into it to this point, it would be foolish to let it get into a state of neglect.
    "I can temporarily look after the cottage while I look for a reliable person to take over the duty," she agreed without realizing that her tone of voice made it sound as if she was doing him an enormous favor.
    "Thank you, Miss Prentiss." Sin expressed his gratitude in a decidedly mocking way.
    A surge of irritation was stifled with an effort. "I'll need to know what qualifications you're seeking in a housekeeper."
    "You would know more about that than I do," he shrugged.
    "What are you willing to pay, then?" Mara questioned.
    "Whatever is fair. Perhaps you could make a suggestion on that." He put the question back to her.
    "As long as the cottage isn't left in too much of a mess, it shouldn't require more than a couple of hours to clean and dust the rooms on a Monday. About the same amount of time would be needed on Friday to air it and be certain whatever supplies you requested would be on hand." Mara voiced her thoughts aloud, sliding in a coolly subtle reprimand that he shouldn't leave the cottage too cluttered and dirty. "With traveling expenses back and forth from town, I should think fifty dollars a week would be a fair salary. Would you be