Last-Minute Bridesmaid. Nina Harrington

looked like a tight stretchy tube to wear as a skirt, which covered her hips and upper legs but moved when she stretched across the table, revealing shapely tanned legs which ended in brown platform sandals. And those amazing painted toenails which had rendered him speechless the evening before.

      It was strange how this colourful and totally unlikely ensemble only seemed to make her lovely figure even more attractive.

      This version of Kate was startling. Entrancing, fresh and natural.

      The elegant woman in the slick city suit, designer boots and smart make-up he had met the previous evening was gone, replaced by a slim girl in working clothes doing her admin early on a Tuesday morning. She did not need make-up or expensive clothing or accessories to look stunning—she was lovely just as she was.

      The city girl in the suit he had met last night he could deal with, but this version of Kate Lovat with the tape measure around her neck was far more of a challenge.

      Was this her workshop? Or was she an employee of some bigger company?

      He should have asked Amber a lot more questions before he’d left the hotel—background information was always useful for negotiations, and suddenly he felt out of place. This was Amber and Kate’s territory, not his. This pretty girl who looked absurdly cute might not be so generous when she remembered how he’d slighted her the night before.

      Either way, he was standing here in a black business suit and crisp white shirt on a summer day, feeling completely overdressed, while she was comfortable and cool in her work clothes. He had rarely felt so out of his depth, or so attracted to a girl who was totally natural and comfortable in her own skin. And what skin!

      That kind of combination would spell trouble if he stayed around long enough to get to know her better. She was dynamite with a slow-burning fuse. And the last thing he needed was another complication like Olivia to deal with.