Tidewater Lover by Janet Dailey Read Free Book Online

and moved past him to the hallway leading to her bedroom.
    Three-quarters of an hour later she was lying in her bed, dead tired yet unable to fall asleep. She fought to lie still and not toss and turn with her restlessness.
    The previous two nights, when she hadn't known Cole Whitfield was sleeping in the next room, she had slept like a baby. But now, knowing he was there, she discovered she wasn't quite as nonchalant about it as she had thought she would be. Good grief, she could even hear the squeak of his bedsprings when he moved.
    You're being immature, she scolded herself silently, and forced her eyes to close.
     
    It was a long time before she was able to ignore his presence in the house and drift into sleep. In consequence it was past midmorning before she awakened, vaguely irritable from having slept too late.
    Grabbing her cotton housecoat from the foot of the bed, she pulled it on as she hurried toward the bathroom. In the hall she stopped face to face with a bleary-eyed, tousle-haired Cole, also en route to the bathroom.
    His dark blue eyes made a disgruntled sweep of her and she felt a moment's relief that she had changed into her long-legged silky pajamas of turquoise blue. He couldn't accuse her of not being substantially covered!
    The same couldn't be said for him, she realized as she became rather painfully conscious that below that naked expanse of his tanned chest he was wearing a pair of jockey shorts. She had often seen her two older brothers similarly attired, yet it wasn't quite the same when the man was Cole Whitfield.
    There was a sardonic twist of his mouth as he gestured toward the bathroom door. "Ladies first." Then he retreated unself-consciously into the second guest room.
    Lacey darted into the bathroom, her cheeks burning like a schoolgirl's. Cold water from the tap was more effective than the silent chiding words she directed at herself. With her face washed, teeth brushed, and light makeup applied, she emerged from the bathroom.
    A glance into Cole's room saw him sitting on the edge of the unmade bed, his dark head resting tiredly in his hands.
    "I'm all through," Lacey told him, with considerably more poise regarding his state of dress. "It's yours now. I'm going to put some coffee on to perk."
    "Good." He sighed deeply, rubbing his hands over his face before rising.
    In the kitchen, she filled the coffee pot with water and spooned fresh grounds into the basket. Water was running in the shower when she plugged the electric percolator in. She had plenty of time to dress before Cole was finished in the bathroom, so she poured a glass of orange juice and climbed on to one of the tall stools at the counter to drink it.
    As she finished the juice, she heard the water being turned off in the shower. Sighing, she slid from the stool and started to her room.
    She was halfway across the living room when the front doorbell rang. Changing her direction to answer it, she shrugged. It was probably someone to see Margo and Bob.
    Descending the steps, she paused at the front door to look out through the peephole. A man and a woman stood outside, but Lacey couldn't see enough of them to recognize them as anyone she knew. She opened the door a crack.
    "Yes?" She smiled politely at the pair.
    They were complete strangers to her. The woman had beautiful long wheat blond hair, and makeup precisely applied to her striking features. Her green eyes registered shock at the sight of Lacey standing on the other side of the door.
    Her clothes were casual, white slacks with a vividly red print top. On the blonde they looked chic—the only adjective Lacey could find to describe her impression.
    The man, taller with sandy blond hair, seemed first surprised to see Lacey, then amused. He was very good-looking, but she suspected he was probably conceitedly aware of the fact.
    She opened her mouth to explain that Bob and Margo were on vacation, but the woman spoke before she had the chance.
    "We must have the wrong address,