Trusting a Stranger by Kimberley Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

really wanted to listen.’
    He finished with a strip from his latest tomato and turned to face her, leaning one hip against the marble bench top. ‘I was listening,’ he protested.
    She wiped the back of her hand under her eye, and then wiped the mascara off on a nearby paper towel.
    â€˜You were?’ she asked. ‘What was I saying?’
    â€˜You said you turned your spare bedroom into a studio to show potential clients your work.’
    Potential clients. She hadn’t used that expression. But it sounded so professional. At home, Hayley had been telling herself she needed to remember that photography was her career, not just a hobby. She wanted to seem more professional. And now that Ethan had said those words, she found herself wishing that she had used them herself. Potential clients. That was what the people who came to see her work were.
    She nodded.
    â€˜What kind of clients?’ Ethan asked.
    It had been such an intense afternoon, and he seemed so incredibly perceptive about her that it was strange for Hayley to realise that Ethan did not know what she did for a living.
    â€˜I’m a wedding photographer,’ she explained. ‘I have brides-to-be — and their mothers, usually, come to see evidence that I can create really special memories of their day.’
    â€˜Ah, the wedding business,’ he said.
    He sounded sceptical. Hayley understood that. Many men were sceptical. Many grooms-to-be, too.
    â€˜It’s the business side of it that interests me more than the weddings,’ Hayley said. ‘Taking photographs really is the only thing I’m good at. There are only a few ways to make it into a liveable income. And I didn’t want to work for a newspaper and always be on the go chasing stories.’
    He looked surprised. ‘You didn’t? I had you figured for the type who would prefer that sort of adventure.’
    â€˜I’ve nothing against adventure. I don’t want it to be my whole life.’
    Hayley thought about it for a minute. His quick judgements were intriguing, and a little irritating as well. Particularly when the judgements he made about her didn’t seem complimentary.
    â€˜Why did you think that of me?’
    He shrugged, a movement of his shoulders that seemed to take in her and the whole of the kitchen, and the house beyond.
    â€˜Well,’ he said, ‘you’re here, and that’s no random accident of fate. You chose to come.’
    â€˜You’re here too.’
    â€˜I don’t believe in fate. And I’m not here on Tomasi business. I’m here because it’s my home.’
    â€˜Isn’t that fate?’ asked Hayley.
    â€˜No,’ said Ethan. ‘It’s family.’
    She had the sense that this meant a very great deal to him.
    â€˜I didn’t know anything about the Tomasis. Well, I’ve spoken to Alvaro over the phone. I didn’t know he might shoot me!’
    â€˜You could have guessed that they’re trouble.’
    Hayley didn’t want to admit that she was less intuitive about people than him.
    â€˜Maybe I did,’ she said.
    He got back to the tomatoes, this time moving to another chopping board and quickly dicing them. Hayley was beginning to get the idea that there was nothing the man couldn’t do. He was a far more competent cook than she was.
    â€˜Tell me about your work,’ she said. ‘From the way you handled a gun earlier, I thought you were in law enforcement. And you’re a great cook. Is there a tomato security squad at work hereabouts?’
    Ethan laughed. ‘Corporate business,’ he said. ‘I’ve learned to shoot a gun but only in defence. Until today, I’ve never needed to use it. How is your arm?’
    â€˜It’ll be better in a day or two,’ Hayley said. ‘I’ve never been shot before but this is just like a graze really, and I’ve fallen off plenty of bikes.’
    â€˜A bike