Trouble in Nirvana by Elisabeth Rose Read Free Book Online

in her eyes again, locking on his for a long, unsettling moment until he remembered she wanted paint. If she wasn’t flirting with him now he’d be a walkover if she ever decided to. None of the local girls could match her. Smart and sexy. Dangerous.
    “You’ll need a roller and brush too.” He headed for the store shed, focussing hard on the task, not the image in his mind of her smiling mouth. Lucky the leftover paint was white although any colour would be better than the catastrophe she had. Her voice stopped him. He turned.
    “Actually, Tom, I came over to ask if I could use the phone, please. I’m worried about Nirupam. She’s really tired all the time. Do you know she hasn’t seen a doctor yet?”
    He studied her face. Lips firm, eyes screwed up against the glare. Her tone implied he was somehow at fault. She replaced the sunglasses. All businesslike distance in a moment.
    “I’m not involved. It’s their business.”
    “But you’re their friend, aren’t you? You gave them those tomatoes.” Her gaze bored into him. Was there some other agenda here? One he didn’t know about?
    “I had too many.”
    “Kurt thinks you deliberately stopped him getting decent plants. Did you?”
    Was she serious? How dare she? Silly, interfering woman.
    “What do you think I am? First you accuse me of neglecting Nirupam’s health, now you accuse me of thwarting Kurt’s inept attempts to grow tomatoes.” He took a step closer and glared down at her. “Nirupam is Danny’s wife, not mine and the child is his, not mine. They, as do I and clearly you, prefer to run their lives their own way. Kurt won’t take advice from anyone but is more than ready to blame anyone, usually me, when his crops fail. Which is most of the time.”
    Her cheeks grew pinker and pinker as he spoke but a determined frown creased her forehead beneath the wisps of multicoloured hair.
    “I agree with you about Kurt but as an intelligent, concerned person surely you could see Nirupam isn’t well. You can’t just turn your back on something if it’s obviously wrong and someone’s health is involved. Two someone’s in this case.”
    “I don’t interfere in other people’s affairs and I haven’t seen enough pregnant women to know. Have you?”
    “She’s incredibly tired and very pale. They think someone called Fern will fix her up with crystals. I think she needs a steak and she certainly needs a doctor.”
    Tom drew a deep breath. Add stubborn to her faults. She was right but it wasn’t any of his business. Why on earth did she think it was? He said curtly, “The phone’s in the kitchen. Help yourself. You know the way. I’ll get the paint.”
    “Thanks.” Equally as terse.
    Tom strode to the store shed and flung the door open. What was it about this girl that attracted him as much as irritated him? She was pretty in name and presence—more than pretty, she was downright irresistible with her dimples, neat figure and her sexy legs. But she was bossy and impertinent. The complete opposite of her brother. What sane man would get involved with her? Not him, and apart from everything else she was a city girl slumming it. She’d be bored within days by the monotony and discomfort of commune life.
    But she’d give Kurt a run for his money which couldn’t be a bad thing and anything she did to improve that place over there was worth encouraging.
    He pulled two tins of white paint from under a tarpaulin. She’d need a tray, roller and brush. He lugged everything to the car. Primrose was still in the house. Was she taking advantage of his bathroom again? Chuckling, he pulled the screen door open and walked down the hallway. No sound of water running. Her voice startled him.
    “N-I-R-U-P-A-M. Yes, I know. It is unusual. It’s Indian.” A pause. “She’s Australian.” She lolled against the kitchen bench with the phone against her ear and rolled her eyes when she spied him in the doorway. “Eight months.” More silence. “Thank